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{{SummaryItem | {{SummaryItem | ||
− | |link=/Identity and nature | + | |link=Book of Abraham/Joseph Smith Papyri/Identity and nature |
|subject=Identity and nature of the papyrus in the Church's possession | |subject=Identity and nature of the papyrus in the Church's possession | ||
|summary=In July 1835, Joseph Smith purchased a portion of a collection of papyri and mummies that had been discovered in Egypt and brought to the United States. Believing that one of the papyrus rolls contained, "the writings of Abraham while he was in Egypt," and "purportedly written by his own hand, upon papyrus,"{{ref|hc1}} Joseph commenced a translation. The Book of Abraham was the result of his work. The translated text and facsimiles of three drawings were published in the early 1840s in serial fashion in the LDS newspaper ''Times and Seasons''. The entire work was published in 1852 in England as part of ''The Pearl of Great Price'', which was later canonized as part of LDS scripture. | |summary=In July 1835, Joseph Smith purchased a portion of a collection of papyri and mummies that had been discovered in Egypt and brought to the United States. Believing that one of the papyrus rolls contained, "the writings of Abraham while he was in Egypt," and "purportedly written by his own hand, upon papyrus,"{{ref|hc1}} Joseph commenced a translation. The Book of Abraham was the result of his work. The translated text and facsimiles of three drawings were published in the early 1840s in serial fashion in the LDS newspaper ''Times and Seasons''. The entire work was published in 1852 in England as part of ''The Pearl of Great Price'', which was later canonized as part of LDS scripture. | ||
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− | |link=/Dating | + | |link=Book of Abraham/Joseph Smith Papyri/Dating |
|subject=Dating of the Joseph Smith Papyri | |subject=Dating of the Joseph Smith Papyri | ||
|summary=Joseph said that "one of the rolls contained the writings of Abraham,"{{ref|hc2}} and his scribes quoted him as saying the scroll was "written by his [Abraham's] own hand, upon papyrus."{{ref|marquardt1}} The problem is that most modern scholars (including LDS scholars) date the papyri to a few centuries before Christ, whereas Abraham lived about two millennia before Christ. Obviously, Abraham himself could not have penned the papyri. The phrase "by his own hand" can simply mean that Abraham is the author of the book. Similarly, we could hold a modern printed Bible in our hands, point to 1 Corinthians, and say, "This was written by the Apostle Paul." Joseph was translating the writings of Abraham, so it is quite possible that he believed that the actual scroll in his possession was written by Abraham himself. There is no evidence, however, that this belief was based on revelation. | |summary=Joseph said that "one of the rolls contained the writings of Abraham,"{{ref|hc2}} and his scribes quoted him as saying the scroll was "written by his [Abraham's] own hand, upon papyrus."{{ref|marquardt1}} The problem is that most modern scholars (including LDS scholars) date the papyri to a few centuries before Christ, whereas Abraham lived about two millennia before Christ. Obviously, Abraham himself could not have penned the papyri. The phrase "by his own hand" can simply mean that Abraham is the author of the book. Similarly, we could hold a modern printed Bible in our hands, point to 1 Corinthians, and say, "This was written by the Apostle Paul." Joseph was translating the writings of Abraham, so it is quite possible that he believed that the actual scroll in his possession was written by Abraham himself. There is no evidence, however, that this belief was based on revelation. | ||
}} | }} | ||
{{SummaryItem | {{SummaryItem | ||
− | |link=/Text | + | |link=Book of Abraham/Joseph Smith Papyri/Text |
|subject=Why is the Book of Abraham text not on the papyri? | |subject=Why is the Book of Abraham text not on the papyri? | ||
|summary=We do not claim to know why the text of the Book of Abraham (or the missing Book of Joseph) is not in evidence on the fragments of papyrus that were recovered. Critics, of course, simply assume this to be conclusive evidence that Joseph was a fraud. From a believer's perspective, however, there are several possible theories to account for this: 1) The text was revealed much in the same manner as that of the Book of Mormon, without the need for the actual papyri, 2) The text was present on portions of the papyri that are missing, and 3) The Book of Abraham manuscript was attached to the Book of Breathings manuscript and was lost. | |summary=We do not claim to know why the text of the Book of Abraham (or the missing Book of Joseph) is not in evidence on the fragments of papyrus that were recovered. Critics, of course, simply assume this to be conclusive evidence that Joseph was a fraud. From a believer's perspective, however, there are several possible theories to account for this: 1) The text was revealed much in the same manner as that of the Book of Mormon, without the need for the actual papyri, 2) The text was present on portions of the papyri that are missing, and 3) The Book of Abraham manuscript was attached to the Book of Breathings manuscript and was lost. | ||
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{{SummaryItem2 | {{SummaryItem2 | ||
− | |link=/Text/Revealed | + | |link=Book of Abraham/Joseph Smith Papyri/Text/Revealed |
|subject=The "Revealed Text" theory | |subject=The "Revealed Text" theory | ||
|summary=This theory assumes that the Book of Abraham ''was not'' on the papyri; he received the text by revelation, with the papyri acting as a catalyst. This is a possibility because Joseph used the word "translation" to mean several things, including the process of receiving pure revelation. (Joseph Smith's revelations call his revision of the Bible a "translation" ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/search?search=D%26C+73%3A4%3B+D%26C+76%3A15%3B+D%26C+90%3A13%3B+D%26C+94%3A10%3B+D%26C+124%3A89 D&C 73:4; 76:15; 90:13; 94:10; 124:89]), even though he didn't use any Hebrew of Greek manuscripts. Also, {{s||DC|7|}} is a revealed translation of a lost record written by the Apostle John.) | |summary=This theory assumes that the Book of Abraham ''was not'' on the papyri; he received the text by revelation, with the papyri acting as a catalyst. This is a possibility because Joseph used the word "translation" to mean several things, including the process of receiving pure revelation. (Joseph Smith's revelations call his revision of the Bible a "translation" ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/search?search=D%26C+73%3A4%3B+D%26C+76%3A15%3B+D%26C+90%3A13%3B+D%26C+94%3A10%3B+D%26C+124%3A89 D&C 73:4; 76:15; 90:13; 94:10; 124:89]), even though he didn't use any Hebrew of Greek manuscripts. Also, {{s||DC|7|}} is a revealed translation of a lost record written by the Apostle John.) | ||
}} | }} | ||
{{SummaryItem2 | {{SummaryItem2 | ||
− | |link=/Text/Size_of_missing_papyrus | + | |link=Book of Abraham/Joseph Smith Papyri/Text/Size_of_missing_papyrus |
|subject=The "Missing Papyrus" theory | |subject=The "Missing Papyrus" theory | ||
|summary=This theory assumes that the Book of Abraham ''was'' on the papyri in Joseph Smith's possession, but the portion recovered from the Metropolitan Museum doesn't include it. This is a possibility because the recovered portion is less than 13% of the total material held by Joseph.{{ref|13percent}} Eyewitnesses also reported that the length of the papyri in Joseph's possession was much more extensive than the fragments now held by the Church.{{ref|jfs1}} | |summary=This theory assumes that the Book of Abraham ''was'' on the papyri in Joseph Smith's possession, but the portion recovered from the Metropolitan Museum doesn't include it. This is a possibility because the recovered portion is less than 13% of the total material held by Joseph.{{ref|13percent}} Eyewitnesses also reported that the length of the papyri in Joseph's possession was much more extensive than the fragments now held by the Church.{{ref|jfs1}} | ||
}} | }} | ||
{{SummaryItem2 | {{SummaryItem2 | ||
− | |link=/Jewish redaction | + | |link=Book of Abraham/Joseph Smith PapyriBook of Abraham/Joseph Smith Papyri/Jewish redaction |
|subject=The "Jewish Redaction" theory | |subject=The "Jewish Redaction" theory | ||
|summary=This theory assumes that the Book of Abraham was on a scroll which is no longer extant. While it's true that the extant portions of the JSP are from the Book of the Dead and the Book of Breathings and do not, according to Egyptologists, translate to anything like the LDS Book of Abraham, this doesn't necessarily mean that the translation didn't derive from Joseph's papyri. There are other scenarios that are compatible with Joseph's claims. We know from other sources, for instance, that sometimes scrolls were attached together. | |summary=This theory assumes that the Book of Abraham was on a scroll which is no longer extant. While it's true that the extant portions of the JSP are from the Book of the Dead and the Book of Breathings and do not, according to Egyptologists, translate to anything like the LDS Book of Abraham, this doesn't necessarily mean that the translation didn't derive from Joseph's papyri. There are other scenarios that are compatible with Joseph's claims. We know from other sources, for instance, that sometimes scrolls were attached together. | ||
}} | }} | ||
{{SummaryItem | {{SummaryItem | ||
− | |link=/Kirtland Egyptian Papers | + | |link=Book of Abraham/Joseph Smith Papyri/Kirtland Egyptian Papers |
|subject=The Kirtland Egyptian Papers | |subject=The Kirtland Egyptian Papers | ||
|summary=Among the early Book-of-Abraham-related-manuscripts that have survived from the days of Joseph Smith are a number of papers collectively referred to as the "Kirtland Egyptian Papers" (KEP). These pages were written while the Saints lived in Kirtland, Ohio, and were recorded in the general time frame that Joseph was translating the Book of Abraham. They are in the same handwriting of several of Joseph's scribes. Critics charge that the KEP represent Joseph's attempt to translate the hieroglyphics from those portions that are still extant, noting that Egyptologists tell us that the alleged "translations" do not accurately reflect the meanings of the hieroglyphics. In some cases, several paragraphs of the English translation of the Book of Abraham are associated with Egyptian characters from the Joseph Smith papyri. In some instances, one Egyptian character seems to yield several sentences of English text. From what may be surmised from the "Kirtland Egyptian Papers" the surviving Egyptian papyri are claimed by critics to be the source for the Book of Abraham. Critics point out that Egyptologists agree that these papyri are part of a collection of Egyptian funerary documents known as the ''Book of Breathings'' and do not deal with Abraham. | |summary=Among the early Book-of-Abraham-related-manuscripts that have survived from the days of Joseph Smith are a number of papers collectively referred to as the "Kirtland Egyptian Papers" (KEP). These pages were written while the Saints lived in Kirtland, Ohio, and were recorded in the general time frame that Joseph was translating the Book of Abraham. They are in the same handwriting of several of Joseph's scribes. Critics charge that the KEP represent Joseph's attempt to translate the hieroglyphics from those portions that are still extant, noting that Egyptologists tell us that the alleged "translations" do not accurately reflect the meanings of the hieroglyphics. In some cases, several paragraphs of the English translation of the Book of Abraham are associated with Egyptian characters from the Joseph Smith papyri. In some instances, one Egyptian character seems to yield several sentences of English text. From what may be surmised from the "Kirtland Egyptian Papers" the surviving Egyptian papyri are claimed by critics to be the source for the Book of Abraham. Critics point out that Egyptologists agree that these papyri are part of a collection of Egyptian funerary documents known as the ''Book of Breathings'' and do not deal with Abraham. | ||
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[[Image:BOAfacsimile1.jpg|frame|200px|right|Photograph of Facsimile 1 from the recovered Joseph Smith Papyri]] | [[Image:BOAfacsimile1.jpg|frame|200px|right|Photograph of Facsimile 1 from the recovered Joseph Smith Papyri]] | ||
{{SummaryItem | {{SummaryItem | ||
− | |link=/Facsimiles | + | |link=Book of Abraham/Joseph Smith Papyri/Facsimiles |
|subject=Facsimiles in the Book of Abraham | |subject=Facsimiles in the Book of Abraham | ||
|summary=In the Book of Abraham, Joseph included three facsimiles of illustrations from the papyri, along with commentary about what the images and their individual parts represented. Some of Joseph's interpretations are similar to those of trained Egyptologists, but most are not. A number of criticisms relate to the three facsimiles associated with the Book of Abraham.It is noted that Joseph Smith's translation of the facsimiles does not agree with that provided by Egyptologists, and that some missing portions of the facsimiles were incorrectly restored before they were published. | |summary=In the Book of Abraham, Joseph included three facsimiles of illustrations from the papyri, along with commentary about what the images and their individual parts represented. Some of Joseph's interpretations are similar to those of trained Egyptologists, but most are not. A number of criticisms relate to the three facsimiles associated with the Book of Abraham.It is noted that Joseph Smith's translation of the facsimiles does not agree with that provided by Egyptologists, and that some missing portions of the facsimiles were incorrectly restored before they were published. | ||
}} | }} | ||
{{SummaryItem2 | {{SummaryItem2 | ||
− | |link=/Facsimiles/Facsimile 1 | + | |link=Book of Abraham/Joseph Smith Papyri/Facsimiles/Facsimile 1 |
|subject=Facsimile 1 | |subject=Facsimile 1 | ||
|summary=It is claimed that facsimile 1 is simply a typical funerary scene and there are many other papyri showing the same basic scene, and that the missing portions of the drawing were incorrectly restored. It is also claimed that Abraham has never been associated with the lion couch vignette such as that portrayed in Facsimile #1 of the Book of Abraham. | |summary=It is claimed that facsimile 1 is simply a typical funerary scene and there are many other papyri showing the same basic scene, and that the missing portions of the drawing were incorrectly restored. It is also claimed that Abraham has never been associated with the lion couch vignette such as that portrayed in Facsimile #1 of the Book of Abraham. | ||
}} | }} | ||
{{SummaryItem2 | {{SummaryItem2 | ||
− | |link=/Facsimiles/Facsimile 2 | + | |link=Book of Abraham/Joseph Smith Papyri/Facsimiles/Facsimile 2 |
|subject=Facsimile 2 | |subject=Facsimile 2 | ||
|summary=The illustration represented by Facsimile 2 is a hypocephalus, a disc made of linen, papyrus, or bronze, covered with inscriptions and images which relate to one of the last spells in the Book of the Dead. Joseph Smith's notes to Facsimile 2 identify it as representing God sitting in the heavens among the stars and others of his creations. | |summary=The illustration represented by Facsimile 2 is a hypocephalus, a disc made of linen, papyrus, or bronze, covered with inscriptions and images which relate to one of the last spells in the Book of the Dead. Joseph Smith's notes to Facsimile 2 identify it as representing God sitting in the heavens among the stars and others of his creations. | ||
}} | }} | ||
{{SummaryItem2 | {{SummaryItem2 | ||
− | |link=/Facsimiles/Facsimile 3 | + | |link=Book of Abraham/Joseph Smith Papyri/Facsimiles/Facsimile 3 |
|subject=Facsimile 3 | |subject=Facsimile 3 | ||
|summary=The following are common criticisms associated with Facsimile 3: 1) The scene depicted is a known Egyptian vignette which some Egyptologists claim has nothing to do with Abraham, 2) Joseph indicated that specific characters in the facsimile confirmed the identities that he assigned to specific figures, 3) Joseph identified two obviously female figures as "King Pharaoh" and "Prince of Pharaoh." | |summary=The following are common criticisms associated with Facsimile 3: 1) The scene depicted is a known Egyptian vignette which some Egyptologists claim has nothing to do with Abraham, 2) Joseph indicated that specific characters in the facsimile confirmed the identities that he assigned to specific figures, 3) Joseph identified two obviously female figures as "King Pharaoh" and "Prince of Pharaoh." |
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== There are a number of criticisms related to the recovered fragments of the Joseph Smith papyri. These criticisms are addressed below.
To see citations to the critical sources for these claims, [[../CriticalSources|click here]]
====
An example of what I am talking about is the recent discovery of the papyrus scrolls from which Joseph Smith was presumed to have translated the book of Abraham in the Pearl of Great Price. Modern scholars, looking at the scrolls, found nothing they considered to be similar to that book. I remarked at the time that such a finding didn't bother me in the least. God doesn't need a crib sheet in the form of a papyrus scroll to reveal Abraham's thoughts and words to Joseph Smith, with any degree of precision He considers necessary for His purposes. If the only function of the scrolls was to awaken the Prophet to the idea of receiving such inspiration, they would have fulfilled their purpose.
—Henry Eyring, Reflections of a Scientist, p. 46
Joseph Smith had in his possession three or four long scrolls, plus a hypocephalus (Facsimile 2). Of these original materials, only a handful of fragments were recovered at the Metropolitan Museum. The majority of the papyri remains lost, and has likely been destroyed. Critics who claim that we have all, or a majority, of the papyri possessed by Joseph Smith are simply mistaken.
The Egyptian characters on the recovered documents are a portion of the "Book of Breathings," an Egyptian religious text buried with mummies that instructed the dead on how to successfully reach the afterlife. This particular Book of Breathings was written for a deceased man named Hor, so it it usually called the Hor Book of Breathings.
Other than the vignette represented in Facsimile 1, the material on the papyri received by the Church does not include the actual text of the Book of Abraham. This was discussed in the Church publication, the New Era in January 1968.
The following articles explore more detail regarding various aspects of the Book of Abraham.
====
== Notes ==
The Book of Abraham is "an inspired translation of the writings of Abraham. Joseph Smith began the translation in 1835 after obtaining some Egyptian papyri."[1] "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints embraces the book of Abraham as scripture. This book [is] a record of the biblical prophet and patriarch Abraham."[2]
To view articles about the Book of Abraham, click "Expand" in the blue bar:
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