FAIR is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing well-documented answers to criticisms of the doctrine, practice, and history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Difference between revisions of "Criticism of Mormonism/Video/Search for the Truth DVD/Book of Abraham"
m (→top: Bot replace {{FairMormon}} with {{Main Page}} and remove extra lines around {{Header}}) |
|||
(19 intermediate revisions by 6 users not shown) | |||
Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
+ | {{Main Page}} | ||
+ | {{H2 | ||
+ | |L=Criticism of Mormonism/Video/Search for the Truth DVD/Book of Abraham | ||
+ | |H=<em>Jesus Christ/Joseph Smith</em> or <em>Search for the Truth</em> DVD | ||
+ | |S= | ||
+ | |L1= | ||
+ | }} | ||
{{DVDHeadingBox|Book of Abraham}} | {{DVDHeadingBox|Book of Abraham}} | ||
<!-- Begin Left Column --> | <!-- Begin Left Column --> | ||
Line 10: | Line 17: | ||
'''The Church always forthright''' | '''The Church always forthright''' | ||
− | The Church has always been frank and open about what is on the papyri in its possession. When the papyri were rediscovered in the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art and donated to the Church on 27 November | + | The Church has always been frank and open about what is on the papyri in its possession. When the papyri were rediscovered in the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art and donated to the Church on 27 November 1967, the Church immediately published an article in their official magazine less than two months later. A follow-up article on an additional papyrus fragment was published the following month, complete with photos: |
* {{IE|author=Jay M. Todd|article=Egyptian Papyri Rediscovered|date=January 1968|start=12|end=16}} | * {{IE|author=Jay M. Todd|article=Egyptian Papyri Rediscovered|date=January 1968|start=12|end=16}} | ||
* {{IE1|author=Jay M. Todd|article=New Light on Joseph Smith's Egyptian Papyri: Additional Fragment Disclosed|date=February 1968|start=40}} | * {{IE1|author=Jay M. Todd|article=New Light on Joseph Smith's Egyptian Papyri: Additional Fragment Disclosed|date=February 1968|start=40}} | ||
Line 17: | Line 24: | ||
LDS scholar Hugh Nibley began a series of articles in the January 1968 edition which ran for months. Nibley was not hesitant in explaining what was on the papyri in the Church's possession. In August 1968, he repeatedly emphasized that much of the text was the Egyptian Book of the Dead: | LDS scholar Hugh Nibley began a series of articles in the January 1968 edition which ran for months. Nibley was not hesitant in explaining what was on the papyri in the Church's possession. In August 1968, he repeatedly emphasized that much of the text was the Egyptian Book of the Dead: | ||
*'' "...the texts of the 'Joseph Smith Papyri' identified as belonging to the Book of the Dead"'' (p. 55) | *'' "...the texts of the 'Joseph Smith Papyri' identified as belonging to the Book of the Dead"'' (p. 55) | ||
− | * ''"...The largest part of the Joseph Smith Papyri in the possession of the Church consists of fragments from the Egyptian Book of the Dead, the fragments having been recently translated and discussed by no less a scholar | + | * ''"...The largest part of the Joseph Smith Papyri in the possession of the Church consists of fragments from the Egyptian Book of the Dead, the fragments having been recently translated and discussed by no less a scholar than Professor John A. Wilson."'' (p. 57) |
− | *''"These points can be illustrated by the | + | *''"These points can be illustrated by the most easily recognized section of the Joseph Smith papyri, namely, the fragment with the picture of a swallow, Chapter 86 of the Book of the Dead..."''(p. 57) |
*''"..we may take the best-known picture from the Book of the Dead, the well-known judgment scene or 'Psychostasy,' a fine example of which is found among the Joseph Smith papyri."'' (p. 59) | *''"..we may take the best-known picture from the Book of the Dead, the well-known judgment scene or 'Psychostasy,' a fine example of which is found among the Joseph Smith papyri."'' (p. 59) | ||
Line 31: | Line 38: | ||
But why, some might ask, would a Book of Abraham be present among ancient Egyptian funerary scrolls? We know from other ancient documents that sometimes scrolls with different material were attached together. Some ancient copies of the Egyptian ''Book of the Dead,'' for example, have been found to contain a variety of other non-funerary texts including stories similar to the sacrifice of Abraham (involving different personalities), temple rituals, and more. Yale-trained, professional Egyptologist Dr. John Gee estimates that about 40% of known Sensen texts have other texts attached to them. | But why, some might ask, would a Book of Abraham be present among ancient Egyptian funerary scrolls? We know from other ancient documents that sometimes scrolls with different material were attached together. Some ancient copies of the Egyptian ''Book of the Dead,'' for example, have been found to contain a variety of other non-funerary texts including stories similar to the sacrifice of Abraham (involving different personalities), temple rituals, and more. Yale-trained, professional Egyptologist Dr. John Gee estimates that about 40% of known Sensen texts have other texts attached to them. | ||
− | Some Egyptian papyri, for example, contain Egyptian instructions on one side and Semitic writings on the back side—in one case Psalms chapters 20–55. One Egyptian temple archive (with an extensive collection of Egyptian rituals), provides an early copy of the “Prayer of Jacob” and two copies of the | + | Some Egyptian papyri, for example, contain Egyptian instructions on one side and Semitic writings on the back side—in one case Psalms chapters 20–55. One Egyptian temple archive (with an extensive collection of Egyptian rituals), provides an early copy of the “Prayer of Jacob” and two copies of the “Eighth Book of Moses” with a discussion of the initiation into the temple at Jerusalem. Both Moses and Abraham are mentioned in this collection and the most commonly invoked deity is Jehovah. |
Finally, we know that ancient Israelites sometimes used Egyptian symbols to convey religious teachings. Many Biblical scholars, for instance, believe that an ancient Egyptian book—the Instructions of Amenemope—may have been the source for portions of the biblical book of Proverbs. An ancient ''Testament of Abraham'' also seems to have a connection to the Egyptian Book of the Dead. | Finally, we know that ancient Israelites sometimes used Egyptian symbols to convey religious teachings. Many Biblical scholars, for instance, believe that an ancient Egyptian book—the Instructions of Amenemope—may have been the source for portions of the biblical book of Proverbs. An ancient ''Testament of Abraham'' also seems to have a connection to the Egyptian Book of the Dead. | ||
Line 40: | Line 47: | ||
'''To read more:''' | '''To read more:''' | ||
− | * {{Ensign|author=Daniel C. Peterson|article=News from Antiquity: Evidence supporting the book of Abraham continues to turn up in a wide variety of sources|vol=24|num=1|date=January 1994|start=16|end=21}}{{link|url= | + | * {{Ensign|author=Daniel C. Peterson|article=News from Antiquity: Evidence supporting the book of Abraham continues to turn up in a wide variety of sources|vol=24|num=1|date=January 1994|start=16|end=21}}{{link|url=https://www.lds.org/ensign/1994/01/news-from-antiquity?lang=eng}} |
− | * | + | * {{BarneyJred1|start=107–130}} |
− | * [[ | + | * [[Book of Abraham]] |
− | * [[Book of Abraham | + | * [[Book of Abraham/Joseph Smith Papyri/Church disclosure of "Book of the Dead"]] |
|- | |- | ||
Line 52: | Line 59: | ||
There are two issues in the above accusation. (1) The Sensen text (from where we get Facsimile 1 showing the near-sacrifice of Abraham) is supposedly a "common" Egyptian "funeral text", and (2) this text dates "many centuries after Abraham's time." Both issues are examined below: | There are two issues in the above accusation. (1) The Sensen text (from where we get Facsimile 1 showing the near-sacrifice of Abraham) is supposedly a "common" Egyptian "funeral text", and (2) this text dates "many centuries after Abraham's time." Both issues are examined below: | ||
− | #The late Dr. Klaus Baer, a renowned non-LDS Egyptologist from the University of Chicago, claimed that the Book of Abraham's Facsimile 1 is ''not'' typical of similar vignettes found among Egyptian papyri. While other "lion couch" scenes can be found in Egyptian papyri, the Book of Abraham's "lion couch" scene is ''unique''. Dr. Gee knows of no other instance where it is included in a Sensen text or in a copy of the Book of the Dead. | + | #The late Dr. Klaus Baer, a renowned non-LDS Egyptologist from the University of Chicago, claimed that the Book of Abraham's Facsimile 1 is ''not'' typical of similar vignettes found among Egyptian papyri. While other "lion couch" scenes can be found in Egyptian papyri, the Book of Abraham's "lion couch" scene is ''unique''. Dr. John Gee, an LDS Egyptologist, knows of no other instance where it is included in a ''Sensen'' text or in a copy of the Book of the Dead. |
− | |||
#While the date of the actual papyri and style of the vignette date to many centuries after Abraham's time, we find the same thing among most ancient manuscripts—even biblical manuscripts. The earliest manuscript we have of Matthew, for instance, is a third-century copy. This doesn't negate the fact that Matthew's original copy was penned centuries earlier, probably in the first century A.D. It seems only reasonable that followers of Abraham continued to preserve copies of the Book of Abraham for centuries after the original account was recorded (we find the same thing among nearly all Old Testament manuscripts). | #While the date of the actual papyri and style of the vignette date to many centuries after Abraham's time, we find the same thing among most ancient manuscripts—even biblical manuscripts. The earliest manuscript we have of Matthew, for instance, is a third-century copy. This doesn't negate the fact that Matthew's original copy was penned centuries earlier, probably in the first century A.D. It seems only reasonable that followers of Abraham continued to preserve copies of the Book of Abraham for centuries after the original account was recorded (we find the same thing among nearly all Old Testament manuscripts). | ||
'''To read more:''' | '''To read more:''' | ||
− | * {{Ensign|author=Daniel C. Peterson|article=News from Antiquity [‘Evidence supporting the book of Abraham continues to turn up in a wide variety of sources’]|vol=24|num=1|date=January 1994|start=16|end=21}}{{link|url= | + | * {{Ensign|author=Daniel C. Peterson|article=News from Antiquity [‘Evidence supporting the book of Abraham continues to turn up in a wide variety of sources’]|vol=24|num=1|date=January 1994|start=16|end=21}}{{link|url=https://www.lds.org/ensign/1994/01/news-from-antiquity?lang=eng}} |
* Kevin L. Barney, "The Facsimiles and Semitic Adaptation of Existing Sources," {{link|url=http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/publications/bookschapter.php?bookid=40&chapid=168}} | * Kevin L. Barney, "The Facsimiles and Semitic Adaptation of Existing Sources," {{link|url=http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/publications/bookschapter.php?bookid=40&chapid=168}} | ||
− | * [[ | + | * [[Book of Abraham]] |
|- | |- | ||
Line 79: | Line 85: | ||
*{{FR-4-1-15}} | *{{FR-4-1-15}} | ||
*{{FR-4-1-16}} | *{{FR-4-1-16}} | ||
− | * [[ | + | * [[Book of Abraham]] |
* {{DVDWitnessingRepeats}} | * {{DVDWitnessingRepeats}} | ||
|- | |- |
Latest revision as of 14:19, 13 April 2024
Jesus Christ/Joseph Smith or Search for the Truth DVD
Book of Abraham |
|
|
|