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

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

Summary: Critics say Joseph Smith's explanations of Facsimile 1 lack ancient parallels. This page discusses how mainstream Egyptologists interprets Facsimile 1. It also explores how Joseph Smith's explanations connect to the ancient world.

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Facsimile 1	Joseph Smith's Explanation	Modern Egyptologists' Explanation	Commentary
Fig. 1	The Angel of the Lord	Some say that this is the "ba-spirit" of Hor: the owner of this papyrus. Others say it the ba-spirit Osiris, miscopied with the head of a bird rather than that of a human.	Angels were part of the larger spiritual world of the Egyptians. They could transform themselves into "falcons, phoenixes, herons, geese, swallows, ibises, vultures, [or] other birds." They could "cause health, sickness, childbirth, financial distress, or general malady. They could also send dreams, lead men and women, do work, fight demons, light lamps, kill, move ships" as well as "open doors, travel through fire, loose bonds, drive away crocodiles, snakes, vultures, pigs, cockroaches, and other undesirable creatures, control water, winds, fire, and enemies, bring bread, water, beer, and other foods." The ancient Egyptians translated the term "ba-bird" into Greek as angelos, meaning angel. Joseph Smith's view of this bird as an angel of the Lord aligns with how angels appear in ancient Egyptian literature. As explained here, a human head would fit better here, but it doesn't take away from the authenticity of Joseph Smith's description .
Fig. 2	Abraham fastened upon an altar.	The prone image of Hor, according to some, or Osiris, according to others.	Stephen O. Smoot, John Gee, Kerry Muhlestein, and John S. Thompson have noted the connections that were made between Osiris and Abraham in ancient times. 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."
Fig. 3	The idolatrous priest of Elkenah attempting to offer up Abraham as a sacrifice.	The jackal-headed Anubis, god of mummification. Anubis extends his hand to bring about the resurrection of the mummy of Osiris. Although most of Anubis' head is now missing, the back of his wig still appears above his shoulder, and he clearly has dark skin.	Stephen O. Smoot, John Gee, Kerry Muhlestein, and John S. Thompson noted that identifying this figure as a priest is possible from an Egyptological view. Both of Joseph Smith's identifications make sense from an Egyptological perspective. See under Fig. 5 for commentary on the "god of Elkenah." The figure was likely Anubis. However, this doesn’t lessen the authenticity of Joseph Smith's explanation, as explained here.
Fig. 4	The altar for sacrifice by the idolatrous priests, standing before the gods of Elkenah, Libnah, Mahmackrah, Korash, and Pharaoh.	A customary, "lion-headed" funeral bier.	If the explanations to Figures 2 and 3 of this Facsimile are assumed to be authentic, then it makes little sense to say that Figure 4 cannot be a sacrificial altar. However, we still do not know whether ancient Egyptians interpreted the lion couch this way.
Fig. 5	The idolatrous god of Elkenah.	The god Qebehseneuf, protector of the intestines.	In a BYU Studies article, Stephen O. Smoot, John Gee, Kerry Muhlestein, and John S. Thompson showed that Elkenah was a Mesopotamian god. Elkenah is never mentioned in the Bible as the name of a deity. Elkanah is known as the name of the father of Samuel in the Bible, but not the name of a Mesopotamian god. Any of the names mentioned in connection to gods in Figures 5–9 might be the names of the gods themselves or of the places where a particular deity was worshipped. Readers should be aware of this as we proceed. We have more evidence that supports the former interpretation over the latter.
Fig. 6	The idolatrous god of Libnah.	The god Duamutef, protector of the stomach.	While we still do not know why Joseph Smith identified Duamutef with another deity, the name of the Mesopotamian deity Libnah appears in ancient sources.
Fig. 7	The idolatrous god of Mahmackrah.	The god Hapy, protector of the lungs.	While we still do not know why Joseph Smith identified Hapy with another deity, the name Mahmackrah as the name of a Mesopotamian deity appears in ancient sources.
Fig. 8	The idolatrous god of Korash.	The god Imsety, protector of the liver.	While we still do not know why Joseph Smith identified Imsety with another deity, the name Korash as the name of a Mesopotamian deity appears in ancient sources. That deity was "involved in cursing those seen as disobedient to the king, who were destroyed, which parallels Abraham 1:5–13."
Fig. 9	The idolatrous god of Pharaoh.	According to some, this is the god Horus. According to others, the crocodile is helping collect Osiris's dismembered limbs.	The presence of a crocodile is unique to Facsimile 1. As explained by John Gee, "Facsimile 1 has no close Egyptian parallels. All scenes said to be parallel to Facsimile 1 are missing at least two major elements, one of which is always the crocodile (fig. 9)." The other is the palace facade in Figure 11 (more on that below). A powerful case can be made that the "god of Pharaoh" was the ancient Egyptian deity Sobek. Sobek was often depicted as a crocodile. Sobek was linked to pharaohs, fertility, and military strength. He also acted as a protective deity. People called on him to guard against the dangers of the Nile. That a Pharaoh would turn to this idolatrous god seems reasonable. Sobek was often depicted as a simple crocodile. Images of his crocodile form can be found on Wikipedia.
Fig. 10	Abraham in Egypt.	A libation table with a spouted vessel and Nile water lily or lotus flowers, bearing wines, oils, etc. Common in Egypt.	Hugh Nibley has shown that the lotus flower could represent almost anything in ancient Egyptian art. Specifically, the lotus could symbolize a welcome gift from a host to his or her guest. Perhaps this could be an appropriate sign for Abraham, who was a guest and traveler in Egypt.
Fig. 11	Designed to represent the pillars of heaven, as understood by the Egyptians.	Originally, this was an architectural feature. It later became a common way to decorate the dado in sacred wall scenes.	Stephen O. Smoot writes: Another unique element in this lion couch vignette, these parallel, columned niches appear to depict the façade characteristic of Egyptian temples, tombs, and palaces. They also share a visual affinity with the serekh (srh) sign that bore one of the names of the Egyptian monarch. The Egyptian concept of the "pillars of heaven" (compare Job 26:11) appears in sources as ancient as the Old Kingdom, referring to the Egyptian belief that the sky was a solid firmament supported by pillars located at the four corners of the earth (compare Fac 2, Fig 6). These pillars were cosmic supports often represented artistically as a stylized Djed pillar, symbolizing stability and the strength required to uphold the heavens. In this respect, Figures 11–12 should be conjoined to get the full intended effect of this symbolism. Temple columns could, naturally, symbolize the upholding of the heavens in a manner congruent with the "pillars of heaven" described by Joseph Smith.
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.	A stream of Nile water is shown by the hatched lines.	The crocodile swims in the water. Ancient Egyptian conceptions of heaven identified it as a "heavenly ocean." The ancient Hebrews did as well. Genesis says, "God made the firmament and divided the waters below from the waters above: and it was so" (Genesis 1:7). "Shamau" and its plural "Shaumahyeem" are Hebrew words. They mean "heaven" or "heavens." "Raukeeyang" comes from the Hebrew word rāqîʿa. It means "expanse" or "firmament of the heavens."

Notes (click to expand)

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