Book of Abraham

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The Book of Abraham
IE Jan1968 cover.jpg
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Joseph Smith Papyri:

Book of Abraham content:

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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

Production of the Book of Abraham

  • Timeline—
    A timeline of events related to the Book of Abraham and Kirtland Egyptian Papers (Link)
  • "By his own hand"—
    Critics claim that the Book of Abraham's claim to have been written by Abraham's "own hand upon papyrus" is falsified since the papyrus dates to after the Abrahamic period. (Link)
  • Joseph Smith Papyri—
    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. (Link)
    • Kirtland Egyptian Papers—The Kirtland Egyptian Papers (KEP) are a collection of documents written by various individuals, mostly dating to the Kirtland period of Church history (early- to mid-1830s), constituting some sort of study documents relating to the Joseph Smith Egyptian Papyri. (Link)
    • Facsimilies—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. A number of criticisms relate to the three facsimiles associated with the Book of Abraham. (Link)
  • Book of Abraham plagiarism accusations—
    Critics claim that contemporary sources were used by Joseph Smith as sources for the Book of Abraham. (Link)

Content of the Book of Abraham

  • Astronomy and the Book of Abraham—
    The Book of Abraham makes several references to astronomy which draw criticism. These articles address specific issues related to Book of Abraham astronomical concepts. (Link)
    • Relationship between Kolob and the Sun—The Book of Abraham states that “the sun [is said] to borrow its light from Kolob through the medium of Kae-e-vanrash, which is the grand Key, or, in other words, the governing power (Abraham Fac 2,Fig 5),” while astrophysics has shown that “The Sun shines ... because of thermonuclear fusion. It does not get its light from any other star.” (Link)
    • Revolution Time—Critics of Mormonism claim that "LDS doctrine regarding astronomy is permeated with references to time being measured, or 'reckoned' according to a star's or planet's rate of rotation. Furthermore, this 'reckoning of time' is a prime distinguisher in terms of 'greatness.' From the standpoint of modern cosmology, this makes no sense at all. Rates of rotation are largely arbitrary, and of little comment or concern from a fundamental point of view."
  • Kolob—
    What is Kolob? I've heard that Mormons believe God lives there. (Link)
  • Why would Abraham lie?—
    Critics ask, "Why God would encourage Abraham & Sarah to lie in Abraham 2:24? Isn't lying a sin according to the 10 commandments? Why did God tell Abraham and Sarah to lie when 2 Nephi condemns liars to hell?" (Link) (Link)

Evidences of the Book of Abraham

Cover of the January 1968 issue of the Improvement Era, the Church's official magazine of the time. Note the color photograph of the recovered Facsimile 1.

Video

The Book of Abraham: Dealing with the Critics, Michael Rhodes, 2003 FAIR Conference
ABCs of the Book of Abraham, Michael Ash, Kevin Barney, 2004 FAIR Conference
Authentic Ancient Names & Words in the Book of Abraham & Related Kirtland Egyptian Papers, John Tvedtnes, 2005 FAIR Conference
Book of Abraham 201: Papyri, Revelation, and Modern Egyptology, Mike Ash, 2006 FAIR Conference

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