This is another translation produced by smith and included in the volume pearl of great price as inspired mormon scripture. Receiving such revelation is a real and powerful method of learning truth, a method i refuse to ignore or dismiss just because others havent experienced that same method of learning. Commemorating the 200th anniversary of joseph smith s birth in 2005, the library of congress partnered with byu in a twoday conference. The book originated with egyptian papyri that joseph smith translated. This conference draws from some of the latest scholarship on the translation of the book of mormon, the book of abraham, and more. December 2018 ensign article by kerry muhlestein, professor of ancient scripture, brigham young university. For a long time, we thought that those were all the antiquities joseph smith had owned, but that was not the case. Mormons hoped the rediscovery and retranslation would validate the book of abraham and joseph s ability to translate the book of mormon. Richard lyman bushman, joseph smith and abraham lincoln in joseph smith and the doctrinal restoration provo. How this either speaks to joseph smith being a genius or it imposes that joseph had other sources by his side in his translation work and what that means for other works including the book of abraham but namely the book of mormon. The revelations and translations series of the joseph smith papers.
Jan 25, 2012 the lost book of abraham lboa is a documentary film that examines the history of the book of abraham controversy and includes interviews with mormon, christian and secular scholars. The book of abraham was incomplete when joseph smith died in 1844. From 1828, when he began work on the book of mormon at age twentytwo, to 1844, when he was killed at age thirtyeight, smith produced thousands of pages of revelations, translations, correspondence, declarations, discourses, journals, and histories. If he in fact translated an ancient record of the patriarch abraham through the power of god, he must have been the prophet and seer he claimed to be. Mormons believe it was translated by joseph smith through the revelation of god.
He got followers to donate the money so he could buy them, hence the inflated price didnt sting so much. Joseph smith also translated a lost parchment of the ancient disciple john. Joseph didnt have the capacity to translate any modern or ancient language. Includes color photos of the surviving joseph smith papyri, articles by mormon and nonmormon egyptologists, and free download of a 240page book that surveys the history of the book of abraham controversy. However, less clear is the precise relationship shared between the book of abraham text and the papyri. The theory and claim that joseph perhaps received the book of abraham instead by revelation is flatly contradicted by the evidence. When joseph smith ran for the presidency of the united states, he selected sidney rigdon as his running.
He was also joseph s counselor, and was a member of the original first presidency for the entire mormon life of joseph smith. Prophetic statements joseph smith we ought to have the building up of zion as our greatest object. As such, any approach to the book of abraham or the joseph smith papyri must be conscious of how these various disciplines with their respective methods can be used, or misused, in studying the book of abraham. In 1835, joseph smith, founder of the original mormon church the church of christ purchased several egyptian papyrus scrolls and fragments from the owner of a traveling road show which exhibited egyptian mummies and documents. Volume 4, revelations and translations, of the joseph smith papers covers the process of how egyptian papyri were found, how joseph smith studied egyptian and then through revelation dictated the book of abraham, in the pearl of great price. The problem is that egyptologists have long taught that the egyptians did not engage in human sacrifice. Lost books of the bible talking to mormons are they. I would like to hear from lds who have done some study into the origins of the book of abraham. A range of articles and resources to assist the investigation of joseph smith s controversial claim that he discovered and translated a lost record of the biblical patriarch abraham. By taking an evidential approach to christian and mormon scripture. Zina jacobs smith young would have been a millennial blogger, but she died in 1901. Zina jacobssmith young would have been a millennial blogger, but she died in 1901. S church has made no effort to restore any of these socalled missing books to the bible.
This seemed to be joseph smith s preference for sacred texts, because later when the doctrine and covenants and the book of abraham were prepared for publication, their texts were divided into large, paragraphlength verses instead of small intrusive verses like those found in the bible. The lost book of abraham was translated by joseph smith from the catacombs of egypt. How understanding joseph smith on this issue sheds light on his other translations. If joseph smith received the book of abraham by revelation. Lds scripture instructs that joseph smith, the prophet and seer of the lord, has done more, save jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in. The book of abraham, revelation, and you although academic research can provide helpful information, revelation from god is the most trustworthy and valid source of knowledge. Lds apologist hugh nibley and brigham young university egyptologists. The book of mormon is known as another testament of jesus christ. The last revelation says, ye shall not have time to have gone over the earth, until these things come. Years before he published the book of mormon, young joseph smith had his first. The mormon church hoped the book of abraham would vindicate. Richard lyman bushman was gouverneur morris professor of history emeritus at columbia university when this was published.
Joseph smith papers, revelations and translations, v. For example, an entry in joseph smith s journal under the date november 20, 1835 indicates the. Jul 31, 2010 the book of abraham is a true book of scripture. Thus, all of joseph smith s former egyptian collection that was in the museum was lost forever. The golden bible excerpt excellent analysis by rev.
Without the confirmation of the lost papyri, the pearl of great price. Abraham lived the measure of his life, nine hundred and ninetyfive years, and having lived all the years of his life in quietness, gentleness, and righteousness, the righteous one was exceeding hospitable. Like the book of mormon and the bible revision, both of which were dictated by. In the twentieth century there were two events that put the authenticity of the book of abraham as an ancient text and not a modern pseudepigraphon in doubt. Personally i think the book of abraham or dna and the lamanites are bigger smoking guns because we have source material to work with, but the lost 116 pages are essential to understanding how joseph smith created the book of mormon and, more importantly, how he used revelations to benefit himself and establish authority when he was losing. With that in mind let me read these words of brigham young. The wife of brigham young, and prior to that joseph smith, and prior to that henry jacobs, who was sent on a mission by brigham before he married her, zina loves writing, long walks on the beach, and playing the field. Joseph smith and the papyri religious studies center. As such, since moses was recalling abraham s lifetime, his version was in the third person, whereas the book of abraham, being written by its titular author, was composed in the first person. Haley lemmon the joseph smith translation revelation.
Among the early bookofabraham relatedmanuscripts that have survived from the days of joseph smith are a number of papers collectively referred to as the kirtland egyptian papers kep. A guide to the joseph smith papyri brigham young university. During joseph smiths prophetic ministry, he received over 100 revelations that. It is not the purpose of this site to test the truthfulness of that claim. Speaking of the translation of the book of mormon, the lord said, you cannot write that. Joseph smith tells us that this drawing represents a priest of egypt attempting to sacrifice abraham. Did joseph smith claim his abraham papyrus was an autograph. First of all, joseph didnt buy the mummies with his own mummy. So i believe that joseph smith received a revelation of a deeper and more meaningful connection between the papyri that he.
Revelation book 1 a book of commandments and revelations of the lord given to joseph the seer and others by the inspiration of god and gift and power of the holy ghost which beareth record of the father and son and holy ghost which is one god infinite and eternal world without end amen, 18311835. For example, an entry in joseph smiths journal under the date november 20, 1835 indicates the. The lost book of abraham retells the story of joseph smiths amazing discovery, and investigates the veracity of his translation. Joseph the seer saw these records and by the revelation of jesus christ. By 1831, the guardian of lebolos younger children authorized the sale of the. Scholars discover unknown joseph smith revelation youtube. Book of abraham and related manuscripts the joseph smith papers. Jun 27, 20 the book of abraham comprises five chapters of text and three facsimiles of vignettes from the papyri collection, together with josephs proffered explanations. In addition to these formal revelations, joseph smith also left accounts of visions, produced inspired prayers and sermons, and translated the book of mormon and the book of abraham and completed a new translation of the bible by means of revelation. The book of abraham comes first on my list, because ultimately the divinity of joseph s calling rests upon it.
From book of commandments and revelations, 12, church history library, salt lake city, utah. The truthfulness of the book of abraham, as well as any other book of scripture, can only be ascertained privately by revelation from the lord. I have heard joseph say that john was among the ten tribes beyond the north pole. Those scrolls were lost until 1967 when they were rediscovered in a museum. The book of abraham by common consent, a mormon blog.
While each of smith s additional scriptures are open to criticism, we will focus on the problems associated with his book of abraham. Joseph smith translated the book of abraham from missing papyri fragments. Official lds quotes and sources showing joseph smiths book. Critical appraisal of the book of abraham wikipedia. Deseret book and religious studies center, brigham young. What president oaks has learned from 50 years of writing. Members of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints accept that book as scripture. The two major books of mormonism are the lost book of abraham and the book of mormon.
As a result, they now claim joseph obtained his book of abraham by way of direct revelation. And third, given that the lost manuscript was the first revelation received by joseph smith, i left with a better grasp of how this early revelation shaped joseph smith s project, the restoration. How the book of abraham exposes the false nature of mormonism. The plates of the book of mormon were translated in a sense by joseph smith and in a sense not by joseph smith.
You have to keep these things in historical context to understand them. 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. For one who had little schooling, joseph smith left an unusually extensive literary record. It was did joseph smith claim his abraham papyrus was an autograph. Brigham young university, religious studies center, 2005, 89108.
The book of abraham papyri were thought to have been lost in the 1871. After a few days they were given back and another revelation explained that because you delivered up so many writings, which you had power to translate, into the hands of a wicked man, you have lost them, and you also lost your gift at the same time, nevertheless it has been restored unto you again. The three facsimiles made to accompany the translation of the book of abraham were cut to actual size by reuben hedlock. I know from revelation that joseph smith was a prophet of god who translated the book of abraham by inspiration.
And joseph smith believed that the lord revealed to him that the scrolls contained the writings of abraham. Jun 26, 2007 the lost book of abraham is an awardwinning documentary that investigates the remarkable claim that mormon founder joseph smith translated a lost book of scripture from an egyptian papyrus scroll. Josephs study of the papyri may have led to a revelation about key. Christ of latterday saints, brigham young university, or the. Robin explains that this latest volume is part of the overall strategy of the joseph. Joseph smith as revelator and translator the joseph smith papers. The lost book of abraham documentary not only gets the facts right with regard to this story, but tells this fascinating tale in an utterly captivating and professional way. The wife of brigham young, and prior to that joseph smith, and prior to that henry jacobs, who was sent on a mission by brigham before he married her, zina loves writing. The book of abraham, joseph smith, revelation, and you. Dec 23, 2015 mormons hoped the rediscovery and retranslation would validate the book of abraham and josephs ability to translate the book of mormon. Richard lyman bushman was gouverneur morris professor of history emeritus at. Joseph smith and the book of abraham february 28, 2019. Whosoever confesseth that joseph smith was sent of god to reveal the holy gospel to the children of men.
The evidence suggests that the book of abraham reflects concepts of joseph smith s time and place rather than those of an ancient world grant palmer, an insiders view of mormon origins, pp. Lamb on joseph smith s attempt to save the book of mormon by rewriting the beginning. As i read the book of mormon, i see its authors sending up some warning signals. The joseph smith papers or joseph smith papers project is a project researching, collecting, and publishing all manuscripts and documents created by, or under the direction of, joseph smith, jr. How the book of abraham exposes the false nature of. A range of articles and resources to assist the investigation of joseph smiths controversial claim that he discovered and translated a lost record of the biblical patriarch abraham. The book of abraham is a work produced between 1835 and 1842 by joseph smith based.
That museum burned in the great chicago fire of 1871, and sadly, mummies and papyri burn exceptionally well. Professor of ancient scripture, brigham young university. On joseph smiths inspired translations, see related topics joseph smith translation of the bible, book of mormon translation, and book of abraham translation. Egyptologists translated those rediscovered scrolls and revealed they have absolutely. After joseph smith s death, when the mormons were forced out of illinois in the 1840s, most of the church papers were brought west with brigham young. Religious studies center, brigham young university, 2008, 2339. The book of abraham is a book of lds scripture that joseph smith translated from a collection of ancient egyptian papyri the church purchased. 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. We hold that either of the two prevailing theories of the book of abraham s origins either that the text of the book of abraham was on portions of the papyri that are now lost or that the papyri served as a catalyst for a revelation by joseph smith is a faithful approach to understanding the book. Joseph smith and abraham lincoln religious studies center. According to smith, the book was a translation of some ancient records.
The relationship between the book of abraham and the. Book of abraham learning about the book of abraham. Feb 19, 2020 joseph smith, american prophet and founder of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. 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. Official lds quotes and sources showing joseph smith s book of abraham translation was a literal attempt. The mormon church hoped the book of abraham would vindicate joseph smith as a true prophet of god. Among the early book of abraham relatedmanuscripts that have survived from the days of joseph smith are a number of papers collectively referred to as the kirtland egyptian papers kep. May 01, 2003 the book of abraham as if this were not sufficient indication of the true character of joseph smith, in subsequent years further evidence has come to light in connection with the socalled book of abraham.
A number of theories have been presented in defense of the official lds church position that the work is a revelation from god, through joseph smith, which tells a true story of actual events from the life of abraham. Joseph smith claimed in his journals that he translated it from the egyptian papyri scrolls he purchased from a traveling salesman. Book of abraham written by his own hand upon papyrus and found in the catacombs of egypt. A guide to the joseph smith papyri byu scholarsarchive. The producers also obviously took tremendous care in writing the script so as not to unduly offend the lds people. The eleventh fragment had been given to brigham young then church. First, it makes the egyptian materials largely irrelevant to the process beyond stirring the quest for the revelation in the first place. Revelation received at harmony now oakland, susquehanna county, pennsylvania, in july 1 1828 for joseph smith jr. As a result, they now claim joseph obtained his book of abraham by way of direct revelation and. It seems to me that joseph smith anticipates the story of the apocalypse of abraham which also has the story of terah and idols and abraham s departure from the idolatry of his father just like the book of abraham.
See also rare book of abraham, the book of the revelation of abraham 1889 by prof bonwtesh. As a result, they now claim joseph obtained his book of abraham by way of direct revelation and not from a translation of the papyrus. In response to criticism that the documents are too young to have been. And second, it puts the book of abraham on a par with joseph s other revealed translation projects, as opposed to. A retired civil servant, he is now the webmaster for the mormon origins site. Smith published the book of mormon in 1830 and shortly thereafter organized a small church of his first followers. These two books were connected by the man who said he was divinely gifted as a translator. Joseph smith and the book of abraham the joseph smith papers. In addition, he is the author of several historical monographs, including the book of abraham revisited, joseph smith s diaries, and the strange marriages of sarah ann whitney, and of essays that have appeared in a variety of professional and religious journals. The current published text of the book of abraham, and probably more, seems to have been translated by the end of july 1835. In this video i discuss joseph smith s procurement of egyptian papyri and mummies in july 1835 and explore the documents he produced while translating what he called the book of abraham.
It has been my experience that one of the greatest struggles young. They are available today through the joseph smith papers. President oaks was invited to represent the church and presented a paper titled joseph smith in a personal world. 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.
Hugh nibley, then professor of ancient scripture at brigham young. Sep 21, 2009 ron esplin, manager editor of the joseph smith papers, explains how scholars discovered a revelation giving by joseph smith that was previously unknown. Ive been seeing a lot of apologetic references lately, so lets make a quick, easy to reference list of quotes about the book of abrhams translation. But the prophet was also uniquely called to the office of translator. Im not necessarily qualified to weigh in on all the data. In the latest episode of lds perspectives podcast, guest interviewer stephen smoot visits with latterday saint church historian robin jensen about the newly released revelations and translations, volume 4. The preface to the 1830 book of mormon joseph smith s statement on why the lost 116 pages werent retranslated. To summarize, we have been able to test the theory that joseph smith translated the book of abraham from the text adjacent to facsimile one by 1 looking at the text of the book of abraham itself, 2 looking at contemporary egyptian papyri, and 3 looking at historical sources. From the evidence that we have today, its quite safe to say that joseph smith did not have the book of abraham or the book of joseph in front of him in the form of these papyri because they bear no relationship to the contents of the stories or to his translation. The book of abraham, joseph smith, revelation, and you speeches. Joseph smith began translating the papyri in early july 1835, with oliver cowdery and william w. They claim god inspired joseph and revealed the text of the book of abraham, using the papyri only as an inspirational tool. The testament of abraham the lost books of the bible.
The fact that the church and its apologists are now moving away from its 180yearold claim and teaching of a literal physical translation of the book of abraham over to a its really revelation instead catalyst theory is a powerful testament indeed of just how damning the physical evidence is against the book of abraham and joseph smith s. The relationship between the book of abraham and the joseph. Western cultures interest in egypt has waxed and waned throughout the centuries, but during joseph smith s time this interest was so strong that it has been termed egyptomania. What i have presented is just a high level introduction to the issues surrounding the translation. Ritner concluded in 2014 that the source of the book of abrah am is the breathing permit of hor, misunderstood and mistranslated by joseph smith, and that the other papyri are common egyptian funerary documents like the book of the dead. This compelling documentary visits prominent egyptologists and scholarsboth mormon and nonmormonin an attempt to uncover the truth about this fascinating episode in mormon history. In the work of joseph smith, new revelations from heaven joined newly recovered revelations of the past. Joseph smith tells us that facsimile 1 in the book of abraham depicts a priest of egypt attempting to. By robin scott jensen, associate managing historian. The documents, which include transcriptions and annotations, have been published both online and in printed form.
It has been my experience that one of the greatest struggles young latterday. Devoted members of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints honor its founder, joseph smith, with saintlike reverence. A motion picture about the life and legacy of joseph smith, the founding prophet of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints who translated the book of mormon. Richards, then the newest apostle of the church and. Instead, its prophet joseph smith restored other lost documents such as the book of mormon, book of moses, and the book of abraham.