Book of Abraham

Book of Abraham
Abraham, Joseph Smith, Reuben Hedlock · Public domain · source
Title	Book of Abraham
Caption	Facsimile of a vignette from Egyptian papyri associated with the text
Language	English (translation)
Author	Joseph Smith (translator)
Genre	Religious scripture
Published	1842
Publisher	Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Book of Abraham

The Book of Abraham is a religious text produced in the early 1840s by Joseph Smith associated with the Latter Day Saint movement, presented as a translation of Egyptian papyri and incorporated into Latter-day Saint scripture; it has shaped doctrine, influenced art, and generated sustained scholarly debate involving Egyptology, textual criticism, and religious history. The text is tied to figures and institutions such as Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, Emma Smith, Oliver Cowdery, John Taylor, Parley P. Pratt, Orson Pratt, Sidney Rigdon, Wilford Woodruff, Heber J. Grant, Joseph F. Smith, and organizations including the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Community of Christ, Hyrum Smith, and collections like the Joseph Smith Papers Project.

Introduction

The Book of Abraham appears within the canon of the Pearl of Great Price and is presented as a revelation recounting scenes from the life of the patriarch Abraham, interweaving cosmology, priesthood narratives, and temple themes; it is closely associated with the production of facsimiles drawn from Egyptian papyri that entered Joseph Smith's possession, and with figures such as Michael Chandler, Kirtland, Hiram Page, New York (state), Kirtland Temple, Nauvoo, and the early nineteenth-century Mormon milieu. Its presence in Latter-day Saint scripture situates it alongside works like the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants.

Origin and Translation History

The provenance of the papyri central to the work involves the traveling antiquities collector Michael Chandler and the purchase of Egyptian papyrus fragments in Kirtland, Ohio in 1835; Joseph Smith claimed to translate the material in a process linked to revelations received in Kirtland Temple and Nauvoo, Illinois. The manuscript history includes contributions from scribes such as Oliver Cowdery, W. W. Phelps, Willard Richards, and John Whitmer, and archival trajectories through institutions like the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the New York Historical Society, the Church Archives, and the Brigham Young University collections. Key witnesses and commentators include Emma Smith, Martin Harris, Reuben Hedlock, Edward Stevenson, Charles Anthon, and later custodians including Wilford Woodruff and scholars such as Hugh Nibley, Sidney B. Sperry, Richard P. Howard, John Gee, and Graham Hancock.

Contents and Themes

The narrative presents Abraham's experiences, visions of pre-mortal councils, cosmological descriptions, and priesthood ordinances, framed by facsimiles and vignettes derived from Egyptian iconography; themes intersect with figures and concepts drawn from Genesis, Moses (prophet), Melchizedek, Priesthood (Latter Day Saints), Temple ordinances, Pre-mortal existence, and patriarchal narratives connected to Abraham (biblical patriarch), Isaac, Jacob, and Melchizedek (biblical figure). The text’s cosmology references celestial motifs resonant with writings of Emanuel Swedenborg, Isaiah, Book of Jubilees, 2 Enoch, and pseudepigraphal traditions, and engages ritualistic elements resonant with practices at the Kirtland Temple and Nauvoo Temple.

Historical and Cultural Context

Produced during the Second Great Awakening and the American Restorationist milieu, the Book of Abraham emerged amid encounters with antiquities, rising antiquarianism, and transatlantic Egyptomania that engaged collectors, scholars, and public exhibitions such as those associated with Michael Chandler and the broader circulation of Egyptian artifacts in cities like New York City and Philadelphia. The work reflects interactions with contemporary print culture, religious revival leaders such as Charles Grandison Finney, debates over biblical authority involving figures like Thomas Paine, and American interest in ancient Near Eastern studies influenced by scholars connected to institutions such as Brown University, Yale University, Harvard University, and Oxford University.

Controversies and Scholarly Analysis

Controversy centers on the identification and translation of the surviving papyri fragments and reconciliation of Joseph Smith's translation claims with modern Egyptology; leading critics and scholars include The Joseph Smith Papers Project, Kurt Sethe, Champollion's legacy, James H. Breasted, John A. Wilson, T. G. Pinches, Michael D. Rhodes, Kerry Muhlestein, Robert K. Ritner, Hugh Nibley, Richard P. Howard, Dan Vogel, Fawn M. Brodie, and Jerald and Sandra Tanner. Debates feature textual analysis, provenance studies, carbon dating, paleographic assessments, and comparative readings with documents like the Book of Abraham papyri, the Joseph Smith Papyri collection, and published facsimiles; institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the New York Metropolitan Museum have been focal points for archival research. Scholarly positions range from apologetic interpretations proposing lost portions and revelatory translation theories to critical reconstructions arguing for misattribution and nineteenth-century composition influenced by contemporary sources like View of the Hebrews and popular antiquarian literature.

Role in Latter-day Saint Theology

Within the theology of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and related Restorationist bodies, the Book of Abraham informs doctrines concerning the nature of God, pre-mortal councils, the eternal patriarchal priesthood, and temple symbolism; it has been cited by leaders such as Brigham Young, Joseph F. Smith, Heber J. Grant, Gordon B. Hinckley, and Russell M. Nelson in discourses on priesthood lineage, cosmology, and temple ritual. Liturgical and pedagogical uses appear across manuals, General Conference (LDS Church), seminary curricula administered by The Church Educational System (CES), and devotional literature produced by institutions such as Deseret Book and BYU Studies.

Reception and Influence

The Book of Abraham has influenced Latter-day Saint art, architecture, and ritual practice, inspiring visual motifs in Nauvoo Temple iconography, illustrations by artists like C. C. A. Christensen, and scholarly collections at Brigham Young University Museum of Art, LDS Church History Library, and Community of Christ Library-Archives. Reception spans devotional appropriation, academic criticism, and popular portrayals encountered in media referencing figures like National Geographic Society exhibitions, documentary filmmakers, and authors across apologetic and critical traditions. The text continues to be a site of interdisciplinary research connecting scholars from Egyptology, Religious Studies, History of Religions, and participants in the communities led by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Community of Christ.

Category:Latter Day Saint texts Category:Joseph Smith Category:Pseudepigrapha