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Joseph Smith's Explanations of Facsimile 3 of the Book of Abraham
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Joseph Smith's Explanations of Facsimile 3 of the Book of Abraham
Summary: This page will discuss Joseph Smith's Explanations of Facsimile 3 of the Book of Abraham. Of Facsimile 3, Joseph Smith said that it is "Abraham . . . reasoning upon the principles of Astronomy, in the king's court." According to modern Egyptologists, the Facsimile depicts Hor's life being weighed by the gods prior to his permission to enter into eternal life and salvation.
Approaching Facsimile 3
There are a few things to keep in mind when approaching the explanations to Facsimile 3.
First, "[f]acsimile 3 has always been the most neglected of the three facsimiles in the Book of Abraham. Unfortunately, most of what has been said about this facsimile is seriously wanting at best and highly erroneous at worst."[1] This has been remedied in recent years, with much work dedicated to situating Facsimile 3 in its ancient Egyptian context.[2]
Facsimile 3 contains three explanations related to the characters written above the Figures. Keep in mind that these characters have been copied by Ruben Hedlock from the papyrus that originally contained this scene. That copy may not be very reliable. We will explain the significance of this more in the commentary below.
Facsimile 3
| Facsimile 3 | Joseph Smith's Explanation | Modern Egyptologists' Explanation | Commentary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fig. 1 | Abraham sitting upon Pharaoh’s throne, by the politeness of the king, with a crown upon his head, representing the Priesthood, as emblematical of the grand Presidency in Heaven; with the scepter of justice and judgment in his hand. | Label for Osiris (text to the right of figure 1 of Facsimile No. 3): Recitation by Osiris, Foremost of the Westerners, Lord of Abydos(?), the great god forever and ever(?). | Abraham sitting upon Pharoah's throne, by politeness of the king. Scripture Central has documented the connections that Latter-day Saint scholars have made between Osiris and Abraham in antiquity. As summarized by Kerry Muhlestein, "there are enough instances where Abraham appears in contexts normally occupied by Osiris that we must conclude the Egyptians saw some sort of connection."[3] |
| Fig. 2 | King Pharaoh, whose name is given in the characters above his head. | The goddess Isis. The label above her head reads: "Isis the great, the god's mother." | Assuming that this figure is indeed Isis (there is a considerable amount of doubt to be raised about that identification), Scripture Central has documented plenty of evidence to show that her identification with Pharaoh isn't surprising at all from an Egyptological perspective. Why would Joseph Smith identify a figure that is clearly female as male? |
| Fig. 3 | Signifies Abraham in Egypt as given also in Figure 10 of Facsimile No. 1. | Altar, with the offering of the deceased, surrounded with lotus flowers, signifying the offering of the defunct. | Hugh Nibley has shown that the lotus flower could represent virtually anything in ancient Egyptian iconography. The lotus could serve as a welcome gift from host to guest.[4] Perhaps this could be an appropriate sign for Abraham, a sojourner in Egypt. |
| Fig. 4 | Prince of Pharaoh, King of Egypt, as written above the hand. | The goddess Maat. According to one Egyptologist, the text above her hand reads "Ma'at, mistress of the gods." According to another, it reads "Ma‘at, Lady of the West." | The differing translations of the characters as well as the fact that Joseph Smith identified a figure that is clearly female as male should give us pause in concluding that we know who this character is. |
| Fig. 5 | Shulem, one of the king’s principal waiters, as represented by the characters above his hand. | Hor, the deceased. The text above his hand reads: "Osiris Hor, justified forever." | The name "Shulem", as well as a plausible association with that name and the function of being a royal butler, is attested in antiquity.[5] The poor copying done by Ruben Hedlock as well as the dissimilarity between the characters in the Facsimile and the characters usually used to render the name Hor should give us pause in concluding everything we need to know about the identity of this figure. |
| Fig. 6 | Olimlah, a slave belonging to the prince. | Anubis | No commentary at this time. |
Notes
- ↑ John Gee, “Facsimile 3 and Book of the Dead 125,” in Astronomy, Papyrus, and Covenant: Proceedings of the 1999 Book of Abraham Conference, ed. John Gee and Brian M. Hauglid (Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 2005), 95.
- ↑ Gee, "Facsimile 3 and Book of the Dead 125," 95–105; Quinten Zehn Barney, “The Neglected Facsimile: An Examination and Comparative Study of Facsimile No. 3 of The Book of Abraham” (master’s thesis, Brigham Young University, 2019).
- ↑ Kerry Muhlestein, “Abraham, Isaac, and Osiris-Michael: The Use of Biblical Figures in Egyptian Religion, A Survey,” in Achievements and Problems of Modern Egyptology: Proceedings of the International Conference Held in Moscow on September 29–October 2, 2009, ed. Galina A. Belova (Russian Academy of Sciences, Center for Egyptological Studies, 2009), 251.
- ↑ Hugh Nibley, Abraham in Egypt (FARMS, 1981), 444–50.
- ↑ John Gee, "Shulem, One of the King's Principal Waiters," Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 19 (2016): 383–95.