Joseph Smith's Explanations of Facsimile 1 of the Book of Abraham

Home > Book of Abraham Sandbox > Joseph Smith’s Explanations of the Facsimiles > Joseph Smith's Explanations of Facsimile 1 of the Book of Abraham

Joseph Smith's Explanations of Facsimile 1 of the Book of Abraham

Summary: Critics of Joseph Smith and the Book of Abraham try to discredit Joseph Smith's explanations of the Facsimiles. This page responds to the criticisms of Joseph Smith's explanations of Facsimile 1. This page will outline Joseph Smith's explanations, the explanations of mainstream Egyptologists, and then add commentary.

Joseph Smith's explanations of Facsimile 1 are routinely compared with those of mainstream Egyptologists. Critics usually lay out a table contrasting the different explanations. Below we reproduce that table and then add commentary to respond to critiques.

Assessment of Facsimile No. 1
Figure Joseph Smith's explanation[1] Explanation by Egyptologists
1 The Angel of the Lord. "The ba-spirit Osiris, miscopied with the head of a bird rather than that of a human"[2]
2 Abraham fastened upon an altar. "The prone image of Osiris"[3]
3 The idolatrous priest of Elkenah attempting to offer up Abraham as a sacrifice. "The jackal-headed Anubis, god of mummification, extending his hand to ensure the resurrection of the mummy of the deceased Osiris ... Although most of Anubis' head is now missing, the back of his wig still appears above his shoulder and his dark skin is evident"[4]
4 The altar for sacrifice by the idolatrous priests, standing before the gods of Elkenah [sic], Libnah, Mahmackrah, Korash, and Pharaoh. "the customary lion-headed funerary bier"[5]
5 The idolatrous god of Elkenah. One of "the four 'canopic jars' [representing] falcon-headed Qebehsenuf, protector of the intestines"[6]
6 The idolatrous god of Libnah. "One of "the four 'canopic jars' [representing] jackal-headed Duamutef, protector of the stomach"[7]
7 The idolatrous god of Mahmackrah. "One of "the four 'canopic jars' [representing] baboon-headed Hapy, protector of the lungs"[8]
8 The idolatrous god of Korash. "One of "the four 'canopic jars' [representing] human-headed Imsety, protector of the liver"[9]
9 The idolatrous god of Pharaoh. "The crocodile who aided in the collection of the dismembered limbs of Osiris"[10]
10 Abraham in Egypt. "A typical offering stand with a spouted vessel and Nile water lily flowers"[11]
11 Designed to represent the pillars of heaven, as understood by the Egyptians. "A 'niched-brick' facade, originally an architectural feature ... that became an artistic convention for the decoration of the dado of sacred wall scenes"[12]
12 Raukeeyang, signifying expanse, or the firmament over our heads; but in this case, in relation to this subject, the Egyptians meant it to signify Shaumau, to be high, or the heavens, answering to the Hebrew word, Shaumahyeem. "A stream of Nile water (show by hatched lines)";[13] "The word Shauman (sic) is not Egyptian, and the Hebrew word Template:Lang [i.e. shamayim] is badly copied)[14]
Joseph Smith's Explanations of Facsimile 1 Mainstream Egyptological Interpretation Commentary
Fig. 1. The Angel of the Lord. The spirit or “ba” of Hôr (The deceased fellow)
Fig. 2. Abraham fastened upon an altar. The deceased: His name was “Hôr”
Fig. 3. The idolatrous priest of Elkenah attempting to offer up Abraham as a sacrifice. Anubis
Fig. 4. The altar for sacrifice by the idolatrous priests, standing before the gods of Elkenah, Libnah, Mahmackrah, Korash, and Pharaoh. A common funeral bier or "lion couch"
Fig. 5. The idolatrous god of Elkenah. Qebehseneuf Why Joseph Smith attached the name of the idolatrous god Elkenah to this canopic jar is uncertain. However, John Gee and others have identified Elkenah as an idolatrous deity worshipped by ancient Mesopotamians.[15] There is no mention of a god named "Elkenah" in the Bible. There is a mention of Elkanah who was the husband of Hannah and father of Samuel, but no mention of a god named Elkenah.
Fig. 6. The idolatrous god of Libnah. Duamutef
Fig. 7. The idolatrous god of Mahmackrah. Hapy
Fig. 8. The idolatrous god of Korash. Imsety
Fig. 9. The idolatrous god of Pharaoh. This is the god “Horus”
Fig. 10. Abraham in Egypt. A libation table bearing wines, oils, etc. Common in Egypt.
Fig. 11. Designed to represent the pillars of heaven, as understood by the Egyptians. A palace facade, called a “serekh”
Fig. 12. Raukeeyang, signifying expanse, or the firmament over our heads; but in this case, in relation to this subject, the Egyptians meant it to signify Shaumau, to be high, or the heavens, answering to the Hebrew word, Shaumahyeem. This is just the water that the crocodile swims in.


Notes

  1. ↑ Facsimile No. 1, off-site
  2. ↑ Ritner, Robert K. (2013). The Joseph Smith Egyptian Papyri: A Complete Edition. Salt Lake City, UT: Signature Books. ISBN 9781560852209..
  3. ↑ 117.
  4. ↑ 113
  5. ↑ 113
  6. ↑ 113–14.
  7. ↑ 113–14.
  8. ↑ 113–14.
  9. ↑ 113–14.
  10. ↑ 114.
  11. ↑ 114.
  12. ↑ 114.
  13. ↑ 114.
  14. ↑ "Deveria as quoted in Stenhouse (1873), pp. 510–19.
  15. ↑ John Gee, "Four Idolatrous Gods in the Book of Abraham," Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 38 (2020): 140–42; Stephen D. Ricks, “Historical Plausibility: The Historicity of the Book of Abraham as a Case Study,” in Historicity and the Latter-day Saint Scriptures, ed. Paul Y. Hoskisson (Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2001), 75; Kevin L. Barney, “On Elkenah as Canaanite El,” Journal of the Book of Mormon and Other Restoration Scripture 19, no. 1 (2010): 22–35.
Retrieved from "https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/answers/index.php?title=Joseph_Smith%27s_Explanations_of_Facsimile_1_of_the_Book_of_Abraham&oldid=264035"