Debunking fairmormon letter to a ces director book of abraham. If i may give an example of the sloppy scholarship by larson. Jerusalem, shrine of the book, 1qisa, 1qs and 1qphab amman, national archaeological museum of. To find these four old friends at home in the apocalypse of abraham is an undeniable link between the book of abraham and the book of the dead. The article book of abraham facsimile number 2 on wikipedia projects. The recent web posting on the book of abraham by the church of jesus christ of latterday saints hereafter the lds church represents new reflection on a document whose authenticity as verifiable history is now officially acknowledged to be in serious dispute. A history of the keene police department keene benevolent association, 1995. I wanted to know how things came about and how we got to the time and place of joseph smiths translation of egyptian for the book of abraham, so heres the timeline. Hauglid, facsimile 3 and book of the dead 125, astronomy, papyrus and covenant, neal a. Apr 03, 2009 contained in the book of abraham are 3 facsimiles of drawings from egyptian papyri. If you follow carefully through the printed explanation of facsimile no. Critical appraisal of the book of abraham wikipedia.
As translated by the prophet joseph smith, they bear witness of the gospel as had by adam, noah, and other ancient patriarchs. The illustrations were connected to the book of abraham when the. Facsimile 2, the hypocephalus, is also a late egyptian religious text. John gee, the facsimiles of the book of abraham, neal a. Joseph smith owned a copy of this book and is the astronomy source for chapter 3 of the book of abraham. Abraham with an illustration similar to facsimile 1 in the book of abraham. The three facsimiles from the book of abraham provo, ut. Abraham s name does not appear anywhere in the papyri or the facsimiles. The book is named after its first owner ingeborg, a danish princess and. Copy of book of abraham manuscript and explanation to accompany facsimile 1. The problems are by no means limited to the facsimiles, since the text itself includes. Reference to kolob is found in the book of abraham described here a work published by joseph smith, jr. A journal of mormon thought, spring, 1995 by his own hand upon papyrus.
His book was republished four times by the year 1905. Examination of the book of abraham facsimiles youtube. One of the most significant and luxurious manuscripts of the early gothic, the ingeborg psalter, was made during this period of transition and stylistic change before 1200. This talk set combines the latest research with faithful scholarship for those seeking to better understand the book of abraham. Teaching the book of abraham facsimiles 117 questions raised by the papyri these egyptian documents can be reliably dated to somewhere between 220 and 150 b. According to smith, kolob is the heavenly body nearest to the throne or residence of god. The chaldeans first appeared in the 9th century bce, years before abraham supposedly lived. Egyptian characters can now be read almost as easily as greek, and five minutes study in an egyptian gallery of any museum should be enough to convince any educated. In the entry on the facsimiles from the book of abraham in the encyclopedia of mormonism we are told that the prophets explanations of each of the facsimiles accord with present understanding of egyptian religious practice. Explores the joseph smith papyrus and demonstrates that joseph smiths claim that he had translated the book of abraham from it was a fabrication. New hampshire museum replica greek woman description. Translation and historicity of the book of abraham the university.
In my recent study of the facsimiles i began with facsimile 2 and will be posting further articles soon. Here you can find a range of nearby parking spots, which helps make your commute less stressful. Every figure in the facsimiles had as its purpose the accomplishing of that goal. The association of these facsimiles with the book of abraham might be explained as joseph smiths attempt to find illustrations from the papyri he owned that most closely matched what he had received in revelation when translating the book of abraham. Molds were hand crafted and various gypsum cement formulations called hydrostone in the trade today were used to create these historically accurate art objects. Book of abrahamjoseph smith papyrifacsimilesfacsimile 3. Book of abrahamjoseph smith papyrifacsimilesfacsimile 1. The scene depicted is a known egyptian vignette which egyptologists state has nothing to do with abraham.
This critically acclaimed historical saga, by a noted human rights activist, spans the globe and covers 2,000 years as it traces the history of one jewish family, bringing the characterstheir passions, their battles, their loves and lossesto life against the backdrop of major historical events. Stenhouse published his book, the rocky mountain saints. Remember, joseph smith said this is heavenly father revealing the grand key words of the priesthood, with the sign of the holy ghost in the form of a dove. 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. The final decades of the 12th century marked the absolute culmination of artistic creation in paris and the surrounding provinces. In other words, if joseph smith supposedly purchased two sets of papyrus, some from 2,000 bc containing the writings of abraham and some more recent than 500 bc containing the existing book of breathings, why arent any of the 2,000 bc papyrus remaining when numerous portions from post 500 bc are. The book of abraham papyri were thought to have been lost in the 1871 great chicago fire. The six books of proclus on theology of plato by thomas taylor.
This is a remarkable statement in view of the fact that nonmormon egyptologists who have commented on joseph smiths interpretation of the facsimiles. An online handbook to the lds church mormon comparing the source hypocephalus to the published facsimile while we dont have the original hypocephalus, an early rendering of it reveals damage, and egyptologists agree that facsimile 2 is a poor and inaccurate restoration. University of new hampshire, 1984 this book is the result of an effort to preserve a collection of endangered photos, many pre1923, which sketch the history of the university, from early days in hanover, h. Pt 1 proving book of abraham facsimiles by thebackyardprofessor. The book of abraham is a book of lds scripture that joseph smith translated from a collection of ancient egyptian papyri the church purchased. The biblical text of the book of genesis is wonderfully illustrated with 48 colorful miniatures in this 6th century manuscript. V smith 265 tmcb brigham young university provo, ut 84602.
This is the figure that you identify as a man that is sitted in the middle. Kolob is a star or planet described in mormon scripture. They are now referred to as the joseph smith papyri. Wonderful book for individual reading or your small adult study group. Unfortunately for joseph smith both the recovered papyri and the facsimiles published with the book of abraham bear no direct connection, either historical or textual, to abraham. Its authenticity established as a divine and ancient record salt lake city, utah. A study guide to the facsimiles of the book of abraham. Mar 19, 2011 unfortunately for joseph smith both the recovered papyri and the facsimiles published with the book of abraham bear no direct connection, either historical or textual, to abraham. The book has five chapters, 4 and is often accompanied by three facsimiles, or reproductions of vignettes which were copied from the original papyri. We would like to show you a description here but the site wont allow us. Book of abraham facsimile number 2 wikimedia commons. Facsimilies nashua, new hampshire gift shop facebook. According to smith, the book was a translation of some ancient records.
We have a few things to look at here so lets start at the beginning. Apologetics press facsimile 1 from the book of abraham. Molds were hand crafted and various gypsum cement formulations called hydrostone in the trade today were used to create these historically accurate art. The book of abraham is a work produced between 1835 and 1842 by the latter day saints lds movement founder joseph smith that he said was based on egyptian papyri purchased from a traveling mummy exhibition. Egyptian facsimiles in the book of abraham by thebackyardprofessor. Facsimilies limited gift shops in nashua, new hampshire. However, in 1966 several fragments of the papyri were found in the archives of the metropolitan museum of art in new york and in the lds church archives. The book of abraham, it is hardly necessary to say, is a pure fabrication. It is in excellent condition with no chips or cracks. Book of abrahamjoseph smith papyrifacsimiles fairmormon. This post will discuss the alteration of the book of abraham facsimiles no. Scriptural studies egyptology and the book of abraham. Death blow to mormonism the book of abraham is a fake.
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. The truth about the book of abraham perhaps the most concrete evidence against the mormon faith, the joseph smith papyrus, the source document for joseph smiths translation of the alleged book of abraham, was rediscovered in 1966 in the metropolitan museum of art in new york. Deseret news and publishing establishment, 1879, 49 pp. In chapter 11 of his book part 4 on the irr website larson states. Joseph smith recorded his explanations before egyptian writing was known in america. Lute facsimiles, guitar facsimiles, vihuela facsimiles. In this period of transition and stylistic change before 1200, one of the most significant and luxurious manuscripts of the early gothic was created. Gothic book art in radiant gold the final decades of the 12th century marked the absolute culmination of artistic creation in paris and the surrounding provinces. Some of josephs interpretations are similar to those of trained egyptologists, but most are not. The cocalled vienna genesis is one of the most significant treasures of the austrian national library in vienna. The truth about the book of abraham mormonism disproved.
All structured data from the file and property namespaces is available under the creative commons cc0 license. A study guide to the facsimiles of the book of abraham shows the meaning of every character in the facsimiles and helps readers comprehend their great value. Full text of egyptology and the book of abraham see other formats scriptural studies egyptology and the book of abraham stephen e. The three facsimiles found in the book of abraham all derive from ancient egyptian papyri that joseph smith obtained in kirtland in 1835.
Facsimile 3 published in the book of abraham is a scene from the ancient egyptian book of the dead. Files are available under licenses specified on their description page. Book of abraham and egyptian material the joseph smith papers. Thompson in the entry on the facsimiles from the book of abraham in the encyclo pedia of mormonism we are told that the prophets explanations of each of the facsimiles accord with present understanding of egyptian religious. The book is broken up into a well written explanation of abrahams significance and importance to three of the worlds major religions and though different, explains how much they have in common in abraham. The facsimiles in the pearl of great price by clifford james stratton, 9781453610374, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Translation and historicity of the book of abraham a.
Finally, he examines each of the facsimiles and discusses what egyptology says about the kinds of things found in the joseph smith papyri and in the book of abraham. Discover book depositorys huge selection of archival facsimiles ltd books online. Of all the sacred texts of the mormon church, one of the most fascinating is the book of abraham, a fivechapter book that purportedly records the travels of abraham in egypt. According to smith, the book comprised ancient records.
Teaching the book of abraham facsimiles religious studies center. Joseph smiths interpretation of these cuts is a farrago of nonsense from beginning to end. I think it will be relatively easy to convince you that the facsimiles are not good reproductions of the original papyri and hypocephalus. A full and complete history of the mormons, which republished deverias study of the book of abraham facsimiles. The book of abraham is a work produced between 1835 and 1842 by joseph smith based. The book of abraham is a work produced between 1835 and 1842 by joseph smith based, he said, on egyptian papyri purchased from a traveling mummy exhibition. Appealing to translation, inspiration, and likening. This suggests that a main source of the text is the kjv. Abraham sitting upon pharaohs throne, by the politeness of the king, with a crown upon his head, representing the priesthood, as emblematical of the grand presidency in heaven. I do not know from which museum this piece was taken but it has been beautifully made. Book of abraham, which included letters from eight egyptologists and semitists who had responded to his inquiry concerning the interpretations of the three facsimiles published with the book of abraham text. The book of abraham was published in the churchs periodical times and. Approaching the facsimiles pearl of great price central.
Abraham sitting upon pharaohs throne, by the politeness of the king, with a crown upon his head, representing the priesthood, as emblematical. Contained in the book of abraham are 3 facsimiles of drawings from egyptian papyri. Republished in the years 1874 london, 1878 london, 1900 new york, and 1904 salt lake city. Find a great gift for your special someone at facsimilies limited in nashua and make a memory that will last a lifetime. In the book of abraham also we are told that the plan of the cosmos, represented by facsimile no. According to joseph smiths introductory comments in the translation, abraham wrote the book himself, by his own hand, upon papyrus smith, 1842, 3. The printing plate for facsimile 1 of the book of abraham, prepared sometime in. As for the egyptian facsimiles published with the book of abraham see.
1152 800 929 1309 1014 1379 924 1176 610 584 4 739 1465 880 619 955 224 959 1550 697 1056 84 418 955 303 1064 1090 239 752 1223