This paper argues that the book of abraham is a work of hellenistic age judaism, originating in egypt, among one of the numerous jewish communities there. The book of abraham opens on the backdrop of a burning jerusalem in 70 ad as abraham the temple scribe flees the destruction of his home. These papyri contain authentic egyptian writings, but they do not date to the time of abraham, nor do they contain the actual personally handwritten account of abraham. Published on jun 26, 2007 uploaded with explicit, written permission from the institute for religious research. The story abraham can be read in the bible in the book of genesis, in which it is said that he was born in 18 a. Studies of the books of moses and abraham byu studies. Reconciling the book of abraham and the papyri meridian. Abrahams name is apparently very ancient, as the tradition found in genesis no longer understands its original meaning probably father is exalted the meaning offered in genesis 17.
Book of origins part i provides the background and overview of this remarkable first book of the torah. Mormon handbook the book of abraham since abraham lived before moses, who authored the torah the first five books of the old testament, it would make the papyrus older than the book of genesis. The story of abraham, the first hebrew the old testament. The relationship is difficult to define due to complexities and ambiguities in the available documents. These papyri contain authentic egyptian writings, but they do not date to the time of abraham, nor do they contain. Eleven mummies and several papyri were discovered near the ancient egyptian city. This interview with historian robin jensen dives into the question, what is the relationship between the book of abraham and the papyri. This one looks at the origin of the book of abraham, the source of some uniquely mormon teachings. The article origin of the book of abraham recounts the discovery and purchase of the joseph smith papyri and events leading up to the publication of the book of abraham itself. It comes from the firtle imagination of joseph smith. The book of abramelin the mage involves the passing of abrahams magical and kabbalistic knowledge to his son, lamech, and relates the story of how he first acquired such knowledge. The article origin of the book of abraham recounts the discovery.
Only the book of genesis even attempts to account for the ultimate origin of matter, space, and time. First is the prehistory and creation stories chapters 1 11. Abraham is a conundrum only a little is actually said about him in the bible and the three main monotheistic faiths all see him as a key person in their history. Sir charles leonard woolley was a british archaeologist best known for his excavations at ur in mesopotamia. The lineage of abraham and sarah go on to become significant biblical figures, mainly their.
Next is the creation of israel with the abraham family cycle of stories gen. Her name was hagar i think and she was ethiopian if i am not wrong. He is considered to have been one of the first modern archaeologists, and was knighted in 1935 for his contributions to the discipline of archaeology. Thus, the argument that the text of the book of abraham had to be translated from the hieroglyphs next to the vignette is not convincing when compared with ancient egyptian texts from the same period. It is a fragment from an extremely common prayerincantation of the time concerning the embalming of the dead individual, and has absolutely nothing to do with the. Abrahams first son was from his slave in those days normal. The book of abraham is consistent with various details found in nonbiblical stories about abraham that circulated in the ancient world around the time the papyri were likely created in other words, not from the time of abraham at all as proclaimed in the history, but some 2000 years later. On the right, page 3 of the book of abraham manuscript in the handwriting. This volume features articles on the antonio lebolo, the mummies, and the papyri.
The apocalypse of abraham, which has been preserved in old slavonic literature, falls into two distinct parts cf. The book of genesis chronicles the creation of the worldthe universe, the earth, humankind, and all other forms of life. But many crucial details are filled in by the midrash and talmud. Critical appraisal of the book of abraham wikipedia.
Christian heimburger and robin scott jensen discuss the process that gave us the book of abraham, giving. 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. Some critics of the church have viewed the book of abraham as a serious weakness that can be used to undermine respect for joseph smith. The book of abraham is mormon scripture translated by joseph smith from egyptian papyri acquired in kirtland in 1835.
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 above donut chart shows percentages of the book of abraham section of letter to a ces director that fairmormon is in agreement, disagreement, and neutral on if one assumes that fairmormons undisputed silence is acceptance of the facts, fairmormon agrees with 90. These two books were connected by the man who said he was divinely gifted as a translator. The nauvoo origins of the book of abraham posted on november 6 by benjamin park yesterday, the joseph smith papers project released their newest volume.
Abraham and sarah were very happy with their new son, isaac. Learn more about the biblical story of melchizedek in this article. Adairs book was well received and extremely influential, being quoted at length by later writers, including boudinot, ethan smith, and lord kingsborough. In 1912, a letter about the book of abraham was published by arthur cruttenden mace, assistant curator in the department of egyptian art in new yorks metropolitan museum of art. Ancient origins articles related to abraham in the sections of history, archaeology, human origins, unexplained, artifacts, ancient places and myths and legends. To generations of israelites, this book explained, not only the origins of life and sin, but also why and how their nation. Explores the joseph smith papyrus and demonstrates that joseph smiths claim that he had translated the book of abraham from it was a fabrication. Abraham lincoln, the 16th president of the united states, guided his country through the most devastating experience in its national history the civil war. The book originated with egyptian papyri that joseph smith translated beginning in 1835. Inside the coffins in connection with two mummies were two rolls and fragments of papyri. Doctrine and covenants and church history study guide. Many people saw the papyri, but no eyewitness account of the. The nauvoo origins of the book of abraham benjamin e.
Here is how it is summed up by maimonides after this mighty man abraham was weaned, he began to explore and think. Order and complexity never arise spontaneouslythey are always generated by a prior cause programmed to produce such order. How the book of abraham exposes the false nature of. The method by which joseph smith produced the book of abraham jump to subtopic. Abraham, hebrew avraham, originally called abram or, in hebrew, avram, flourished early 2nd millennium bce, the first of the hebrew patriarchs and a figure revered by the three great monotheistic religions judaism, christianity, and islam.
The following video is perhaps the best currently available in objectively outlining and explaining the facts on the book of abraham, its origins, its contents and the arguments for and against it. The origin of the book of abraham jonathan ellis medium. Facsimiles from the book of abraham were first published on march 1, 1842 in the times and seasons. He later said the book of abraham is now confirmed as a perhaps well meaning, but erroneous invention by joseph smith, and despite its inauthenticity as a genuine historical narrative, the book of abraham remains a valuable witness to early american religious history and to the recourse to ancient texts as sources of modern religious faith. Isaac, the 2nd son, promised son from god, had twins. 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. Interested in serious discussion of joseph smith and early mormon history. Abraham and sarah provide an inspirational tale of how trusting in god will lead to favor in life. I return herewith, under separate cover, the pearl of great price. Mormons hoped the rediscovery and retranslation would validate the book of abraham and josephs ability to translate the book of mormon.
Their story can be found in the book of genesis and serves an important role in the later stories of the bible. The meaning of the twin book of abraham manuscripts. Translation and historicity of the book of abraham university of. 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. The book of abraham translated from the papyrus, by joseph smith a translation of some ancient records, that have fallen into our hands from the catacombs of egypt. The historical authenticity of the book of abraham john gee 2018 fairmormon conference duration. Sep 24, 20 brother jake demonstrates how the book of abraham really isnt a problem at all. However, many stories and myths have been told about him over time which have embellished the truth, often to serve the interests of whichever group seeks to claim him for their own. Disproves lds claims that joseph smith received the book of abraham through revelation and proves that joseph smiths source for his translation was a pagan egyptian text, the book of breathings. The authority of the tradition the existence of abraham disputed doubts as to the value of oral tradition discoveries providing early writing in syria and palestine the character of early written records the limited value of written sources the real value of crossreferences in secular records the abraham narrative. The book of abraham and related manuscripts, edited by brian hauglid and robin jensen.
This book is about jewish roots of the christian faith in a broader view. This is a historical document which defends the authenticity of the controversial book of abraham, part of the canonical pearl of great price. In the book, god instructed abraham to lie to the egyptians by saying that his wife, sarai, was his sister. Abraham was not a settled man, nor was he a wanderer. A challenge to origins of the book of mormon and joseph smith. The method by which joseph smith produced the book of abraham. The book of genesis tells that god commanded him to move his people to canaan. The book of abraham was first published in 1842 and was canonized as part of the pearl of great price in 1880. Thus, there are two main sources for reconstructing the figure of father abraham.
Abraham s first son ishmael was the father of all arabicmuslim tribesdescendants, but abraham was jew. However, a great deal of material from the book of abraham was not included in genesis. Chandler discovered that in connection with two of the bodies, was something. This compilation of fascinating articles on the books of moses and abraham from the pearl of great price is selected from over fifty years of lds scholarship published by byu studies. In addition to theories about the origins of the indians, there were serveral stories which circulated about fabulous cities and kingdoms, located somewhere in north america. 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 book of abraham, the bible, and arabic papyri religious. Book of abrahamjoseph smith papyrifacsimilesfacsimile 1. Abraham is an extraordinary figure in that almost alone of the biblical characters he unites, or has the potential to unite, the three great monotheistic. Origin of the book of abraham the joseph smith papyri the kirtland egyptian papers book. Lds article addresses origin of book of abraham kuer 90. In the ancient near east a patriarch was the leader or ancestor of a family, but abraham exceeded this status by becoming the progenitor of one specific nation, the hebrews, as well as of other peoples.
In addition to these two pieces, i would refer the reader to just one additional source. The article translation and publication of the book of abraham details briefly both the process by which joseph smith produced the text of the book of abraham and the history of its appearance in print. Perhaps the most vital tool in the arsenal of critics of the church seeking to undermine the book of abraham and the calling of joseph smith as a prophet involves three puzzling book of abraham manuscripts, known as book of abraham manuscript a, b. Mormon handbook the book of abraham introduction in 1835 a traveling exhibit of egyptian mummies visited joseph smiths town. Many people saw the papyri, but no eyewitness account of the translation survives, making it impossible to reconstruct the process. The book of abraham, it is hardly necessary to say, is a pure fabrication. This gospel topic page is important because many people have had questions about the origin of the book of abraham but have had a difficult.
From the second half of the nineteenth century, the lds. Evidences of the ancient origin of the book of abraham. God told abraham, take your son, your only son isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one. Critics say it is a work of fiction created by smith, while some mormon apologists defend its authenticity. Abraham was a german jew believed to have lived between the 14 th and 15 th centuries. It is evident that the writings of abraham while he was in egypt, of which our printed book of abraham is a copy, must of necessity be older than. The book of abramelin the mage involves the passing of abraham s magical and kabbalistic knowledge to his son, lamech, and relates the story of how he first acquired such knowledge. The child of a slave was not an official son in those times. The recent web posting on the book of abraham by the church of jesus christ of. The method by which joseph smith produced the book of.
Debunking fairmormon letter to a ces director book of abraham. Recent discoveries and hebrew origins by leonard woolley. Studies of the books of moses and abraham author various authors compiler this compilation of fascinating articles on the books of moses and abraham from the pearl of great price is selected from over fifty years of lds scholarship published by byu studies. Book of origins part i covers chapters 1 25 of the total of 50 chapters of genesis. Unfortunately, in the printed book, the editors of the volume have subtly adopted a somewhat naturalistic viewpoint on book of abraham origins that leads to unacceptable bias in many subtle details and greatly limits the value of the volume in terms of understanding the book of abraham. Lds church publishes new web essay on book of abraham. Im an awardwinning author who has been publishing in this field for more than thirty years. Two thousand years and a hundred generations later, another abraham perishes, immolated in the fires of the warsaw ghetto. Indeed those were pagan traditions that existed and therefore the angel came with a lamb instead.
Dealing with the challenges requires faith, but such faith does not require ignoring such challenges. Among american heroes, lincoln continues to have a unique appeal for his fellow countrymen and also for people of other lands. This man, whose name may mean the father is exalted, was the first of the great patriarchs of israel. Abraham is the first of the three patriarchs of judaism. As the book of beginnings, it reveals the ageless plan within gods heart to have a people of his very own, set apart to worship him. The book of abraham issues translation problems mormonthink. This essay will guide the reader through the true origins of the book of abraham, deconstruct truth claims and just a few of the most commonly proffered theories put forth to salvage the scripture, ultimately showing that there is no factual evidence to support the idea of a translation in any sense of the word. The writings of abraham while he was in egypt, called the book of abraham, written by his own hand, upon papyrus.
I bought this book for interest in the person abraham. The mormon church hoped the book of abraham would vindicate joseph smith as a true prophet of god. Copies of the book of abraham from 1835 to today have included facsimile 1 as shown here, including the detailed description below it by joseph of what he. The book of genesis describes the story of abraham and his father, terah, as traveling along one of the northward routes along the euphrates. Melchizedek, in the old testament, a figure of importance in biblical tradition because he was both king and priest, was connected to jerusalem, and was revered by abraham, who paid a tithe to him. Abraham allegedly wrote in the book that he held the priesthood of god, centuries before the priesthood was instituted by moses. The book of abraham was purportedly translated from an egyptian manuscript purchased by the mormons from a travelling show in 1835, long before their trek to utah. The book of abraham, the bible, and arabic papyri written by brian m. Dec 26, 2016 the origin is egypt, circa 500 bc 50 ad, based on the grammar and writing style. A challenge to origins of the book of mormon a group of researchers contend that joseph smiths 1830 translation is based less on writings he found on gold plates than on the king james version of the bible. This cd or mp3 provides the background and overview of this first book of the torah and launch of the entire hebrew scriptures.
Part of the text describes abrahams journey from ur to canaan and egypt. He is considered by many historians to have been the greatest american president. Manuscripts and editions studies in the book of abraham brian m. The bible is relatively silent on the first few decades of abraham s life, telling us that he was the son of terach and husband of sarah, but not much else.
Abraham was a shepherd who lived in the city of ur, in mesopotamia. Hauglid, byu religious education reveiw magazine, fall 2011, page 6 during the last few years, new research has emerged concerning the book of abraham, the bible, and heretofore rather unknown byu arabic papyri. This paper shall demonstrate that the book of abraham presents numerous similarities to other jewish writings of that time. The book opens with a short mention of abraham, and then moves on to other topics. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Tucked safely in the hands of an egyptian mummy, its exact origins remain a mystery. The book of abraham has long fascinated readers, not only with its content but also with its mysterious origins. Abraham is a man whose character looms large in the history of islam, judaism, and christianity. Written by abraham himself, the book found its way into the hands of joseph smith by way of an elusive antiquities trader. Book of origins part i cd and workbook bible roads. According to the biblical book of genesis, abraham left ur, in mesopotamia.
645 228 193 1012 445 811 669 787 905 479 933 1361 1508 1401 767 1056 1346 1282 952 642 183 143 756 439 953 1246 871 692 1373