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.
Book of Abraham
Revision as of 23:39, 29 September 2017 by RogerNicholson (talk | contribs)
FAIR Answers—back to home page
Book of Abraham
Jump to Subtopic:
- Origin of the Book of Abraham
- The Joseph Smith Papyri
- The Kirtland Egyptian Papers
- Book of Abraham plagiarism accusations
- Astronomy and the Book of Abraham
The Book of Abraham. An inspired translation of the writings of Abraham. Joseph Smith began the translation in 1835 after obtaining some Egyptian papyri. The translation was published serially in the Times and Seasons beginning March 1, 1842, at Nauvoo, Illinois.
—Introduction, Pearl of Great Price (2013 edition). off-site
Origin of the Book of Abraham
Jump to Subtopic:
- The method by which Joseph Smith produced the Book of Abraham
- The Book of Abraham written by Abraham's "own hand upon papyrus"
- Timeline of events related to the Book of Abraham and Kirtland Egyptian Papers
- Why is the Book of Abraham text not on the papyri?
The Joseph Smith Papyri
Summary: 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. There are a number of criticisms related to the recovered fragments of the Joseph Smith papyri. These criticisms are addressed below. [1]
Video published by the Church History Department.
Jump to Subtopic:
- Online source documents
- The Joseph Smith Papyri: Source Quotes
- Identity and nature of the papyrus in the Church's possession
- When did the Church disclose that the Joseph Smith Papyri were an Egyptian funerary text?
- Why is the Book of Abraham text not on the papyri?
- The facsimiles in the Book of Abraham
- Antiquity of the Book of Abraham
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.
Jump to Subtopic:
Book of Abraham plagiarism accusations
Summary: It is claimed that contemporary sources were used by Joseph Smith as sources for the Book of Abraham.
Jump to Subtopic:
- Understanding accusations of plagiarism
- Thomas Dick’s The Philosophy of a Future State
- Oliver Cowdery and Abraham 1:2
- Did Joseph Smith plagiarize Genesis?
- Thomas Taylor’s The Six Books of Proclus on the Theology of Plato
- The Book of Abraham and the New Testament
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. 4) Perhaps there was a way of understanding the Egyptian ideograms anciently that is unknown to Egyptology in our day, yet to be discovered, deciphered or acknowledged, that could yield an interpretation of a text that is different than the standard Egyptological reading.
Jump to Subtopic:
- Question: Was the text of the Book of Abraham received through revelation?
- Question: What is the Book of Abraham "Missing Papyrus theory"?
- Historical Sources on Translation of Book of Abraham
- Gospel Topics on LDS.org, "Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham"
The 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.
Jump to Subtopic:
- Book of Abraham Facsimile 1: The "lion couch" scene
- An analysis of the Charles M. Larson restoration of Facsimile 1 compared against the original papyrus
- Book of Abraham Facsimile 2: The hypocephalus
- Book of Abraham Facsimile 3: The throne scene
- Restoration of missing portions of the facsimiles
Astronomy and the Book of Abraham
Summary: The Book of Abraham makes several references to astronomy which draw criticism. These articles address specific issues related to Book of Abraham astronomical concepts.
Jump to Subtopic:
Jump to Subtopic:
Antiquity of the Book of Abraham
Jump to Subtopic:
Alleged anachronisms in the Book of Abraham
Summary: Critics claim that a number of anachronisms present themselves in the text. These articles address such claims.
Jump to Subtopic:
- Question: Why would the Book of Abraham contain anachronisms?
- Question: Is the mention of "Ur of the Chaldees" in the Book of Abraham an anachronism?
- Paul Hoskisson (1991): "I will suggest an alternate location for the Ur of the Chaldees in the story of Abraham"
- John Gee: "If Oylum Hoyuk is Olishem, the Ur of the Chaldees should be one of the dozens of Middle Bronze II sites in the Kilis plain"
- Stephen O. Smoot (2017): "The added geographical (Olishem/Ulišum) and cultural details (an Egyptian presence at Abraham’s homeland) in the Book of Abraham make a northern location for Ur essentially inescapable."
- Question: Are the scenes contained in the facsimiles anachronistic to the time of Abraham?
- Question: Is the name "Pharaoh" anachronistic to the time of Abraham?
- Question: Is the mention of Egyptus anachronistic to the time Abraham?
- Question: Why does the age when Abraham left Haran in the Book of Abraham differ from the Bible
- Question: What is the Documentary Hypothesis and what do critics of Mormonism claim about it as it regards restoration scripture?
- Question: Is the mention of "Potiphar's Hill" an anachronism for the Book of Abraham?
- Question: Are chariots an anachronism for the Book of Abraham?
Jump to Subtopic:
| The Book of Abraham: Dealing with the Critics, Michael Rhodes, 2003 FAIR Conference |
- Part 1: The Book of Abraham: Dealing with the Critics
- Part 2: The Book of Abraham: Dealing with the Critics
- Part 3: The Book of Abraham: Dealing with the Critics
| ABCs of the Book of Abraham, Michael Ash, Kevin Barney, 2004 FAIR Conference |
- Part 1: ABCs of the Book of Abraham
- Part 2: ABCs of the Book of Abraham
- Part 3: ABCs of the Book of Abraham
- Part 4: ABCs of the Book of Abraham
- Part 5: ABCs of the Book of Abraham
- Part 6: ABCs of the Book of Abraham
| Authentic Ancient Names & Words in the Book of Abraham & Related Kirtland Egyptian Papers, John Tvedtnes, 2005 FAIR Conference |
- Part 1: Authentic ancient names in the book of Abraham
- Part 2: Authentic ancient names in the book of Abraham
- Part 3: Authentic ancient names in the book of Abraham
- Part 4: Authentic ancient names in the book of Abraham
- Part 5: Authentic ancient names in the book of Abraham
- Part 6: Authentic ancient names in the book of Abraham
| Book of Abraham 201: Papyri, Revelation, and Modern Egyptology, Mike Ash, 2006 FAIR Conference |
- Part 1:Book of Abraham 201: Papyri, Revelation, and Modern Egyptology
- Part 2:Book of Abraham 201: Papyri, Revelation, and Modern Egyptology
- Part 3:Book of Abraham 201: Papyri, Revelation, and Modern Egyptology
- Part 4:Book of Abraham 201: Papyri, Revelation, and Modern Egyptology
Notes
- ↑ Criticisms regarding the Book of Abraham and Joseph Smith papyri are raised in the following publications: “Universalism in Ohio,” Evangelical Magazine and Gospel Advocate (Utica, New York) (12 September 1835): 291. off-site; Edward H. Ashment, The Use of Egyptian Magical Papyri to Authenticate the Book of Abraham: A Critical Review (Salt Lake City: Resource Communications, 1993), 1–.; Charles M. Larson, By His Own Hand Upon Papyrus: A New Look at the Joseph Smith Papyri, 2nd ed., (Grand Rapids, MI: Institute for Religious Research, 1992), 1–.; Jerald and Sandra Tanner, "Solving the Mystery of the Joseph Smith Papyri," Salt Lake City Messenger 82 (September 1992): 1–12.; Jerald and Sandra Tanner, The Changing World of Mormonism (Moody Press, 1979), Chapter 11.( Index of claims ); Watchman Fellowship, The Watchman Expositor (Page 3)