The Book of Abraham
Papyri and Joseph Smith
There are many proofs that Joseph Smith was
a false prophet, but Mormons typically, will not accept them. From the biblical evidence
that contradicts Mormon theology, to the contradictions within its own history and
doctrine, proofs abound. But Mormons, completely dedicated to their religion and their
testimony, cannot and will not see the evidence. They rely not on biblical evidence, not
on historical evidence, but rather trust a 'testimony' that Mormonism is the restored
church and Joseph Smith its true prophet.
One of the tests of whether or not a belief is grounded in
reality is whether or not it can be proven to be true or false. If someone says, "I
don't care what evidence you show me, I will always believe," then that person's
faith is not rooted in reality. And since Christianity is a religion of history,
crucifixion, resurrection, an empty tomb, etc., it is a religion rooted in reality. If it
could be proven beyond doubt that Jesus did not rise from the dead, then Christianity is a
false religion. Likewise, if it could be proven that Joseph Smith was a false prophet,
then Mormonism is a false religion. It just so happens that there is such a proof.
The Book of Abraham
Joseph Smith claimed that an angel appeared to him and
revealed the location of some golden plates on which was written the account of the
ancient people of the Americas. Joseph Smith later translated those plates into what is
now known as the Book of Mormon. This translation was done by the power of God through
special means. Joseph Smith, being the Lord's chosen instrument, became the prophet of the
Mormon church, held the office of Seer. A Seer, according to the Book of Mormon in Mosiah
8:13, can translate records that are untranslatable. Hence, Joseph Smith was able to
translate the golden plates into the Book of Mormon. But his Seer abilities did not stop
there.
In July of 1835, an Irishman named Michael Chandler brought
an exhibit of four Egyptian mummies and papyri to Kirtland Ohio, then the home of the
Mormons. The papyri contained Egyptian hieroglyphics. In 1835 hieroglyphics were
unreadable.
As Prophet and Seer of the Church, Joseph Smith was given
permission to look at the papyri scrolls in the exhibit and to everyone's shock, revealed
that "one of the rolls contained the writings of Abraham, another the writings of
Joseph of Egypt" (History of the Church, Vol. 2: 236. July 1835). The Church
bought the exhibit for $2400. Joseph finished the translation of the Book of Abraham some
time later, but the book of Joseph was never translated. The papyri were lost soon
afterwards and thought to have been destroyed in a fire in Chicago in 1871. There was,
therefore, no way to validate Joseph's translation. If the papyri were re-discovered and
translated it would either prove or disprove the abilities of Joseph as a prophet of God.
After all, he was supposed to be a prophet and have the abilities of a Seer as the Book of
Mormon and the Book of Abraham supposedly proved.
In October of 1880 The Pearl of Great Price, a collection
of writings, which contained the book of Abraham, was recognized as scripture by the
Mormon Church.
The Papyri are found
To every one’s surprise, in 1966 the papyri were
rediscovered in one of the vault rooms of the New York’s metropolitan Museum of Art.
The Deseret News of Salt Lake City on Nov. 27, 1967 acknowledged the rediscovery of the
papyri. On the back of the papyri were "drawings of a temple and maps of the
Kirtland, Ohio area."1 There could be no doubt that this was the original
document from which Joseph Smith translated the book of Abraham.
With the papyri rediscovered and Egyptian hieroglyphics
decipherable since the late 1800's, it would then be an easy task of translating the
papyri and proving once and for all that Joseph Smith was a prophet with the gift of
"Seer" as he and the Mormon church have claimed. This would then prove the truth
of the Book of Mormon and the Book of Abraham and would vindicate Joseph Smith as a true
prophet of God.
What do the Experts say?
Joseph Smith copied three drawings from the Egyptian scrolls, labeled them Facsimile No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3, and incorporated them into the Book of Abraham with explanations of what they were. Egyptologists have viewed the drawings and found Joseph Smith's interpretation of them to be wrong. But, the Mormons, in defense of the sacred book, maintained that the Facsimiles alone were not sufficient to prove that Joseph Smith was erring in his translating abilities. With the rediscovery of the papyri, not only were there the same drawings in the scrolls, but so was the text from which Joseph Smith made his translation. It was now possible to absolutely determine the accuracy of Smith's translating abilities.
Facsimile No. 1
Joseph Smith said that Facsimile No. 1 was of a bird as the
"Angel of the Lord" with "Abraham fastened upon an altar," "being
offered up as a sacrifice by a false priest. The pots under the altar were various gods
"Elkenah, Libnah, Mahmackrah, Korash, Pharaoh," etc.
In reality, this is "an embalming scene showing the
deceased lying on a lion-couch."2
In the original papyri, this drawing is attached to
hieroglyphics (See figure A) from which Joseph derived the beginning of the book of
Abraham which begins with the words, "In the Land of the Chaldeans, at the residence
of my father, I, Abraham, saw that it was needful for me to obtain another place of
residence"(1:1). In reality, the hieroglyphics translate as, "Osiris shall be
conveyed into the Great Pool of Khons -- and likewise Osiris Hor, justified, born to
Tikhebyt, justified -- after his arms have been placed on his heart and the Breathing
permit (which [Isis] made and has writing on its inside and outside) has been wrapped in
royal linen and placed under his left arm near his heart; the rest of the mummy-bandages
should be wrapped over it. The man for whom this book was copied will breath forever and
ever as the bas of the gods do."3
"It is the opening portion of an Egyptian Shait en
Sensen, or Book of Breathings . . . a late funerary text that grew out of the earlier and
more complex Book of the Dead." "This particular scroll was prepared (as
determined by handwriting, spelling, content, etc.) sometime during the late Ptolemaic or
early Roman period (circa 50 B.C. to A.D. 50)."4
Figure A
Figure A is a professional reconstruction of the original
(Figure B). Note the hieroglyphics on the right side from which Joseph Smith began his
translation of the Book of Abraham.
In actuality, it "depicts the mythical embalming and
resurrection of Osiris, Egyptian god of the underworld. Osiris was slain by his jealous
brother Set, who cut up his body into 16 pieces and scattered them....The jackal-headed
god Anubis is shown embalming the body of Osiris on the traditional lion-headed couch so
that he might come back to life..."5
Figure B
Figure B (to the right) shows a reprint of the actual
papyrus used by Joseph Smith
Note the areas where the Papyrus has been lost. It is in
these that Joseph Smith "finished" the drawing resulting in Facsimile No. 1. His
restoration, according to Egyptologists, reveals a complete lack of understanding of
Egyptian practice and theology.
Facsimile No. 2
As is explained by Joseph Smith and included in the Pearl
of Great Price, the second drawing contains different scenes which Joseph Smith
interpreted. They vary: "Kolob, signifying the first creation, nearest to the
celestial, or the residence of God." "Stands next to Kolob, called by the
Egyptians Oliblish, which is the next grand governing creation near to the celestial or
the place where God resides." "God, sitting upon his throne, clothed with power
and authority." "...this is one of the governing planets also, and is said by
the Egyptians to be the Sun, and to borrow its light from Kolob through the medium of
Kae-e-vanrash, which is the grand Key..."
But again scholarship disagrees with Joseph’s
rendition. "It is actually a rather common funerary amulet termed a hypocephalus,
so-called because it was placed under (hypo) a mummy’s head (cephalus). Its purpose
was to magically keep the deceased warm and to protect the body from desecration by grave
robbers."6
Facsimile No. 3
According
to Smith, this drawing shows "Abraham sitting upon Pharaoh’s throne, by the
politeness of the king, with a crown upon his head, representing the Priesthood...King
Pharaoh, whose name is given in the characters above his head...Signifies Abraham in
Egypt...Olimlah, a slave belonging to the prince..."
But this is not what the Egyptologists say is the meaning
of the Facsimile No. 3 is. Instead, it shows, "the deceased being led before Osiris,
god of the dead, and behind the enthroned Osiris stands his wife Isis."7
Conclusion
It should be quite obvious that present scholarship has
revealed that Joseph Smith did not translate the Book of Abraham by the power of God as he
had claimed. It follows that if he did not translate the Book of Abraham by the power of
God, then it would be very easy to conclude that he did not translate the Book of Mormon
by the power of God either.
When Joseph first gave his translation, hieroglyphics were
undecipherable. Today they are. He was safe in saying anything he wanted to and there
would be no way of proving him wrong. But with the resurfacing of the same papyri he used
to do his Book of Abraham translation, and the fact that he did not in any way do it
correctly, should be proof enough that Joseph Smith lied about his abilities from God. He
has been shown to be a false prophet.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
For some really good and extensive information on the Book of Abraham, please go to
http://www.irr.org/mit/boapage.html_______________________
1Improvement Era, January 1968, p. 25; as cited in "..by His Own Hand Upon Papyrus" by Charles M. Larson, Institute for Religious Research, Grand Rapids, MI 49505-4604, 1992.
2Joseph Smith Among the Egyptians, by Wesley P. Walters. 1973, Reprinted by Utah Lighthouse Ministry, Box 1884, Salt Lake City, Utah 84110.
3Dr. Klaus Baer, The Breathing Permit of Hor. A Translation of the Apparent Source of the Book of Abraham, p. 119-120 as cited in Joseph Smith Among the Egyptians, by Wesley Walters.
4Larson, Charles M., by his own hand upon papyrus, Institute for Religious Research, Grand Rapids, Mich. 1992, p. 62.
5Larson, p. 102.
6Larson, p. 104.
7Walters, p. 29.
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Matthew J. Slick, 2002