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Question: Was the text of the Book of Abraham received through revelation?
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Book of Abraham as text received through revelation
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- Was the text of the Book of Abraham received through revelation?
- Did the papyri simply serve as a catalyst to prompt such a revelation?
Gospel Topics on LDS.org, "Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham"
Gospel Topics on LDS.org, (8 July 2014)Alternatively, Joseph’s study of the papyri may have led to a revelation about key events and teachings in the life of Abraham, much as he had earlier received a revelation about the life of Moses while studying the Bible. This view assumes a broader definition of the words translator and translation.33 According to this view, Joseph’s translation was not a literal rendering of the papyri as a conventional translation would be. Rather, the physical artifacts provided an occasion for meditation, reflection, and revelation. They catalyzed a process whereby God gave to Joseph Smith a revelation about the life of Abraham, even if that revelation did not directly correlate to the characters on the papyri.
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Detailed Analysis
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" (D&C 73꞉4; 76꞉15; 90꞉13; 94꞉10; 124꞉89), even though he didn't use any Hebrew of Greek manuscripts. Also, D&C 7 is a revealed translation of a lost record written by the Apostle John.)