A couple of years ago i heard rumors of each mormon. What follows is an unbalanced, critical, but honest examination of a deceptive website antimormonism is discrimination, persecution, hostility or prejudice directed at members of the latter day saint movement, particularly the church of jesus christ of latterday saints lds church. How the book of abraham exposes the false nature of mormonism. I also have read most of mormonthink and having come from a protestant church that studies the cults, can say without doubt that. The 1835 book of abraham manuscript ms 2 begins with a onesentence introduction. A translation and commentary, which was the second volume in the series entitled studies in the book of abraham by the foundation for ancient research and mormon studies farms at brigham young university.
Growing up mormon part 4 finding out about the book of. Part 2 deals with the content of the book and joseph smiths comments on three egyptian drawings that have been attached to the published book of abraham. Is it merely more apologetics, or is there something. Why were afraid of mormons bu today boston university. In the twentieth century there were two events that put the authenticity of the book of abraham as an ancient text and not a modern pseudepigraphon in doubt. Criticism of mormonismwebsitesmormonthinkthe kinderhook. Includes color photos of the surviving joseph smith papyri, articles by mormon and nonmormon egyptologists, and free download of a 240page book that surveys the history of the book of abraham controversy. In 1912, a letter about the book of abraham was published by arthur cruttenden mace, assistant curator in the department of egyptian art in new yorks metropolitan museum of art. This claim is false the book of abraham does not discuss abraham s practice of polygamy. Abraham chapter 1 speaks of this occasion directly. For example, the book of abraham section only brings up one issue which is that the papyri only date to about 100 bc vs the time of abraham at 2000 b. The introduction to the book of abraham still maintains it was translated from the papyrus, by joseph smith pearl of great price, the book of abraham, introduction.
Pages in category mormonthink the following 200 pages are in this category, out of 423 total. What follows is an unbalanced, critical, but honest examination of a deceptive website. Egyptologist robert ritner with a devastating new takedown of the book of abraham essay update to mormonthink response. Explores the joseph smith papyrus and demonstrates that joseph smiths claim that he had translated the book of abraham from it was a fabrication. Translation of the book of abraham written by his own hand upon papyrus and found in the catacombs of egypt18 beginning with the first publication of the book of abraham in the march 1, 1842 edition of the 20 20. It is a name found in early manuscripts of the book of abraham but it did not make it into the printed version. Jun 27, 20 the book of abraham comprises five chapters of text and three facsimiles of vignettes from the papyri collection, together with josephs proffered explanations. Disproves lds claims that joseph smith received the book of abraham through revelation and proves that joseph smiths source for his translation was a pagan egyptian text, the book of breathings. Ironically, antilds website mormonthink thinks it is exposing joseph smith as some sort of fraud by. In 1836, smith taught that the curse of ham came from god, and that it demanded the legalization of slavery. Today we explore the book of abraham in radio free mormon style. Jun 07, 2018 download here on this episode, we wrap up our logical deconstruction of the book of abraham.
They were an attempt by the church to satisfy those with challenging questions about certain aspects of history and doctrine. Episode 106 book of abraham logical pt 2 naked mormonism. Criticism of mormonismwebsitesmormonthinkthe book of. Dec 18, 2019 it is a name found in early manuscripts of the book of abraham but it did not make it into the printed version. Joseph smiths interpretation of these cuts is a farrago of nonsense from beginning to end. The church of jesus christ of latterday saints embraces the book of abraham as scripture. The book of abraham the book of abraham is a book of lds scripture that joseph smith translated from a collection of ancient egyptian papyri the church purchased. A real egyptologist robert ritner takes down the church. Peggy fletcher stacks story, plans for an lds temple in shanghai may have hit an obstacle, reflects some decent investigation and a good understanding of how things work in china. Book of abraham doctrinepolicy from joseph smiths time until 2012, the introduction to the pearl of great price pogp stated that the boa was translated from the papyrus by joseph smith, meaning a literal translation. The book of abraham narrative clearly demonstrates the manner in which the lds church works diligently to massage or reinterpret inconvenient facts to continue. Translation and historicity of the book of abraham. Little fanfare was made of these essays and they remain largely unread by the church membership. Dec 25, 2005 new book on joseph smiths seer stones 8 august 2016.
Boa pg 524527 go to unit 31, lesson 152 the lesson manual doesnt say anything that addresses the real problem with the boa which is that egyptologists state that joseph smiths translations. We focus our petrifying gaze on the essay titled, translation and historicity of the book of abraham, the lds churchs official statement on this challenging piece of mormon scripture. This book was also later canonized as mormon scripture. Brief overview of the history of the book of abraham why the critics say it is problematic what workarounds apologists have created to deal with those criticisms why those workarounds are dead ends evidences apologists share why. The book of abraham is not central to the restored gospel of christ. The recent web posting on the book of abraham by the church of jesus christ of latter day saints hereafter the lds church represents new reflection on a document whose authenticity as verifiable history is now officially acknowledged to be in serious dispute. New video explores the historical believability of the book of. Mormonthink will be responding to this essay in the near future. The book of abraham is the only scripture in all of the christian faiths that has canonized the idea of cains descendants being black. Sep 19, 2016 by jonathan cannon sep 19, 2016 agency, atonement, book of abraham, featured, natural theology, transhumanism 0 comments. Among the early book of abraham relatedmanuscripts that have survived from the days of joseph smith are a number of papers collectively referred to as the kirtland egyptian papers kep. The recently modified description creates ambiguity regarding the origin and nature of the text.
The book of abraham by common consent, a mormon blog. It was the very first book that i personally bought that made me question the churchs truth claims. V smith 265 tmcb brigham young university provo, ut 84602. The previous description of the book of abraham read, a translation from some egyptian papyri that came into the hands of joseph smith in 1835, containing writings of the patriarch abraham. Truth of the book of abraham part 3 egyptian alphabets. A translation of some ancient records, that have fallen into our hands from the catacombs of egypt. The only reasonable explanation is that joseph smith used the facsimiles as visual cues to fabricate the parts of the book of abraham story that were not already described in the book of. Book of abraham latest video by dan vogel 1, may 2018.
The most recent jsp revelations and translation vol. This is still the best and most objective look at the book of abraham issue and very easy to read. The author is an assistant professor in the department of church history and doctrine at brigham young university. It is evident that the writings of abraham while he was in egypt, of which our printed book of abraham is a copy, must of necessity be older than.
The book of abraham supports the concept of polygamy as abraham took another wife as directed by the lord. The book of abraham is a work produced between 1835 and 1842 by joseph smith based, he said, on egyptian papyri purchased from a traveling mummy exhibition. As william clayton noted in his journal, joseph translated a portion of the kinderhook plates. But the problem with the book of abraham should be a major issue for everyone in terms of hard evidence and also reason and rationality. His significance was his contribution to the kingdom of god. The book of abraham is one of the canonized works of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. Alleged anachronisms in the book of abraham the book of abraham. Mar 26, 2012 the evidence against the book of abraham as a sacred text from god is compelling, but ill highlight only what i find most interesting in this blog. The book of abraham is a book of lds scripture that joseph smith translated from a collection of ancient egyptian papyri the church purchased. If the catalyst theory is correct, then god must be responsible for instructing smith to record verses in the book of abraham that incorrectly refer to. In the book of abraham, facsimile 2, figure 7, joseph smith identified the ithyphallic egyptian god min as representing god sitting upon his throne. This book, a record of the biblical prophet and patriarch abraham, recounts how abraham sought the blessings of the priesthood, rejected the idolatry of his father, covenanted with jehovah, married sarai, moved to canaan and egypt, and received knowledge about the creation.
The book of abraham, it is hardly necessary to say, is a pure fabrication. Rhodes published his ninetysevenpage book, the hor book of breathings. The book of abraham hope, faith, and reading glasses. The spirit has borne witness to me that the book of abraham is a true book of scripture. Mormonthink s the lost 116 pages of the book of mormon source quotes without critical or apologetic commentary this is the no spin version of the web page. The writings of abraham while he was in egypt, called the book of abraham, written by his own hand, upon papyrus. The relationship between the book of abraham and the joseph smith egyptian papyri continues to. Therefore, if abraham was truly the author of the book of abraham, it would be called the book of abram and no reference to the name abraham would be in it. It was not revealed to me how joseph translated, or what material he translated from, or any of the other issues associated with the book of abraham. A range of articles and resources to assist the investigation of joseph smiths controversial claim that he discovered and translated a lost record of the biblical patriarch abraham.
More mormon studies podcasts and supplemental content are on the way. The book of abraham issues translation problems mormonthink. Brief overview of the history of the book of abraham why the critics say it is problematic what workarounds apologists have created to deal with those criticisms why those workarounds are dead ends evidences apologists share why those. It does not talk of him taking another wife or lying about it. One thing that makes establishing the validity of the book of abraham so important is the doctrine that the book of abraham supports. Criticism of mormonismwebsitesmormonthink fairmormon. According to smith, the book was a translation of some ancient records. It is really interesting to note that god called abraham to a land not ruled by pagans, giving him the opportunity to serve god freely. An inspired translation of the writings of abraham. It might be the funniest thing in the world to me when someone tells me with absolute certainty that the book of mormon isnt true after having admitted never actually reading the book themselves. Response to claims made on mormonthink page the book of abraham jump to subtopic.
Joseph attempted to translate one of the characters on the plates by matching it to a similar character on the grammar and alphabet of the egyptian language gael, a document that was produced in the same timeframe as the book of abraham. An essay on the book of abraham is now in the topical guide of the website. These covered various topics from polygamy to the book of abraham. The lds church admits on their website that the book of abraham is not a translation of the papyri joseph claimed it was a translation of.
Text from kep matches book of abraham verses actual egyptian meaning 1. T the book contains a narrative about some of abrahams life as well as visions he had concerning the premortal life and the creation. Mormanity a blog for those interested in the church of. Book of abraham mormon stories mormon stories podcast.
Unfortunate news just reported in the salt lake tribune indicates that plans for a shanghai temple may have hit a bump in the road. To illustrate, he said that of all the scriptural citations in general conference since 1942, the book of abraham has been cited less than 1 percent of the time. I was thinking about the book of abraham and the facsimiles in it. Mormon and nonmormon egyptologists agree that the characters on the fragments do not match the translation given in the book of abraham. However, it was actually the book of abraham published in 1878 that omitted the words. Mormon handbook the book of abraham since abraham lived before moses, who authored the torah the first five books of the old testament, it would make the papyrus older than the book of genesis.
Book of abraham facts and challenging the facsimiles. Criticism of mormonismwebsitesmormonthinkthe book of abraham. Cuts 1 and 3 are inaccurate copies of well known scenes on funeral papyri, and cut 2 is a copy of one of the magical discs. Excellent documentation for the egyptian scholars and book of abraham can be found at. The official publication for news media, opinion leaders and the public article, church provides context for recent media coverage on gospel topics pages. I wonder if the same is also true of the book of abraham. Antimormonism is discrimination, persecution, hostility or prejudice directed at members of the latter day saint movement, particularly the church of jesus christ of latterday saints lds church.
As such, it is accepted by the church as the word of god, giving his divine instruction to man. It is also one of the most controversial issues in mormonism, responsible for many lifelong, faithful mormons questioning their religion. Ironically, antilds website mormonthink thinks it is exposing joseph smith as some sort of fraud by describing egyptus as an anachronism. Current claims the book of abraham was not translated from the papyri deny over 150 years of mormon teaching on the subject and the very words of joseph himself. Mormons dont know exist such as the book of mormon anachronisms, book of abraham translation, kinderhook plates.
Sarah of the bible call of abraham god then called abraham out of haran to the land of canaan. Watch new book of abraham video crossposted from pearl of great price central. The book of abraham is a work produced between 1835 and 1842 by joseph smith based. We know that not the hundredth part made it into the book of mormon heavenly fathers and the prophets polite way of telling us to pay attention, because every word is important. We attended a former mormon conference in 20 in salt lake city where kay burningham did a very interesting presentation entitled are mormon leaders above the law.
We provide all of the complete primary and secondary source quotes without any critics comment, apologetic rebuttal or our thoughts or editor comments sections. Ten questions and answers on the book of abraham mormons in. This was the second edition of the pearl of great price published before canonization by the lds church in 1880. Bill reel once again joins us and we proceed to lay out the following.
He goes into depth and step by step throws the lds essay under the bus. If the book of mormon is true, then joseph smith was a prophet. Book of abraham, documentary editing, forensic document examination, historicity, post. I return herewith, under separate cover, the pearl of great price. Dec 23, 2015 the introduction to the book of abraham still maintains it was translated from the papyrus, by joseph smith pearl of great price, the book of abraham, introduction. The book of abraham narrative clearly demonstrates the manner in which the lds church works diligently to massage or reinterpret inconvenient facts to continue to defend its. Dec 17, 2009 i was thinking about the book of abraham and the facsimiles in it. This page deals primarily with the question of the source of the book of abraham now available online at. The guys who did south park did book of mormon on broadway. The narrator devoted more space to abraham than to adam, cain, lamech, seth, enoch, noah, and shem combined. My friends over on the rational faiths blog were kind enough to interview me about the mormon studies podcast. Most of those citations are the seven verses in abraham 3.
These pages were written while the saints lived in kirtland, ohio, and were recorded in the general time frame that joseph was translating the book of abraham. How the book of abraham exposes the false nature of. An explanation and overview of the joseph smith papyri and their connection with mormon scripture. Lds and nonlds egyptologists and both groups have indicated clearly that the scrolls are funerary texts that have nothing to do with abraham. F or many mormons, an examination of the book of abraham and its true history becomes the most significant stumbling block to joseph smiths claim as a prophetic translator of ancient languages. On 5 september, 2016, a book entitled joseph smiths seer stones written by michael hubbard mackay will be available to the public. Fair provides an apologist response to the some of these criticisms. Abraham is our introduction to the nation of israel, but its far more than that. He warned those who tried to interfere with slavery that god could do his own work. Both reflect popular 19th century ideas, one about blacks, the other about american indians. Three meetings with a lds general authority, 2012 20 by grant palmer. Download here on this episode, we wrap up our logical deconstruction of the book of abraham. The book of abraham also says the curse came from noah. He told jehovah to make it, and jehovah got a bunch of other people together to do the real work.
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