Book of Abraham

disputed · current teaching

The Church's Gospel Topics essay offers two non-literal possibilities: the Book of Abraham came from a now-missing portion of the scrolls, or the papyri acted as a catalyst for revelation rather than as a literal source text. Critics argue that the surviving documents link Joseph Smith's text to the Hor papyrus and that the catalyst view departs from Joseph Smith's own description of a translation.

Needs human verification

disputed · not applicable

Joseph Smith's published explanations of the three Book of Abraham facsimiles differ from how Egyptologists read the same scenes. Facsimile 1, for example, is a standard embalming and resurrection scene of Osiris with Anubis, and damaged areas of Facsimiles 1 and 2 were restored in ways critics say do not match the Egyptian originals. Faithful scholars respond that the facsimiles may have been reinterpreted or adapted in antiquity.

Needs human verification

documented fact · current teaching

The church's essay says no eyewitness account of the translation survives, only small fragments of the scrolls remain, and the relationship between those fragments and the Book of Abraham text is largely a matter of conjecture.

Needs human verification

documented fact · not applicable

Egyptologists who have translated the surviving Joseph Smith papyri identify them as ordinary Egyptian funerary texts: a Book of Breathings (the "Sensen" text) made for a priest named Hor, and Book of the Dead scrolls for two women. The texts do not mention Abraham. This identification goes back to the 1912 Spalding inquiry, in which Egyptologists rejected Joseph Smith's facsimile explanations, and to Klaus Baer's 1968 translation of the Hor papyrus; Robert K. Ritner's later complete edition builds on it and argues that the facsimile explanations do not match Egyptological readings. The Church's Gospel Topics essay accepts that the surviving fragments do not contain the text of the Book of Abraham.

Needs human verification

disputed · historical event

The Kirtland Egyptian Papers, including the 1835 Grammar and Alphabet of the Egyptian Language, pair characters from the Hor papyrus with passages of Book of Abraham text. Critics read them as evidence of Joseph Smith's translation method from the surviving papyrus. Faithful scholars such as John Gee and Kerry Muhlestein argue they were a later or parallel project by associates and not the translation source. Brian Hauglid, co-editor of the Joseph Smith Papers volume on these documents, later moved away from that apologetic position.

Needs human verification

disputed · not applicable

Whether the Egyptological identification of the fragments settles the Book of Abraham's status as scripture is disputed. The church's essay says scholarly debate does not settle the book's veracity. Critics often treat the identification as decisive against a conventional translation. Faithful readings include revelation and missing-text theories. Those are interpretations, not the same as a completed Egyptian translation of the surviving fragments.

Needs human verification

documented fact · historical event

The church's essay says the Book of Abraham was published in 1842, canonized in the Pearl of Great Price in 1880, and originated with Egyptian papyri Joseph Smith began working with in 1835.

Needs human verification

religious belief · current teaching

The church's Gospel Topics essay says the church embraces the Book of Abraham as scripture.

Needs human verification

interpretation · current teaching

Asked how the Book of Abraham was translated, Holland said the result is "the word of God" but that he did not understand the "vehicle" and knew no Egyptian. Critics see an evasion of the papyri problem; defenders see an honest answer consistent with the Church's essay.

Needs human verification

disputed · historical event

The 1843 Kinderhook plates were a hoax; the CES Letter argues a journal account shows Joseph Smith began to translate one, which faithful sources dispute.

Needs human verification

documented fact · scripture

Abraham 3 describes Kolob as a great star nearest the throne of God, set to govern the stars and planets of the same order as the earth, and says one revolution of Kolob is a day to the Lord, equal to a thousand years of earth time.

Needs human verification

disputed · historical event

Whether nineteenth-century popular astronomy shaped the Book of Abraham's Kolob material is debated. Thomas Dick's The Philosophy of a Future State (American edition 1829) speculated that all systems revolve around a vast central body that could be called the throne of God, and the Church's Messenger and Advocate reprinted a different chapter of Dick's book in December 1836, before the Book of Abraham was published in 1842. Believing writer William E. Dibble instead compared Abraham 3 with ancient Pythagorean astronomy in 1973, calling his own comparison speculation. Influence has not been demonstrated either way.

Needs human verification

Abraham 3 (Pearl of Great Price)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints · 1842

Abraham 3 says Abraham, using the Urim and Thummim, saw the stars and that one great star, Kolob, is nearest to the throne of God and set to govern all the stars and planets of the same order as the earth. One revolution of Kolob is a day to the Lord, equal to a thousand years of earth time, and the chapter ranks heavenly bodies by slower reckonings of time up to Kolob (verses 2-10, 16). The rest of the chapter turns to eternal spirits or intelligences, the premortal council, Abraham being chosen before birth, and the choice of a redeemer (verses 18-28). Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Gospel Topics Essay: Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Event date discussed: 1835

This Gospel Topics essay says the church embraces the Book of Abraham as scripture. The book was published in 1842 and canonized in the Pearl of Great Price in 1880. It originated with Egyptian papyri that Joseph Smith began working with in 1835. The essay says no eyewitness account of the translation survives, only small fragments of the long scrolls remain, and the relationship between those fragments and the published text is largely a matter of conjecture. It says the book's value is not settled by scholarly debate alone. Summary, not a quotation. 1835 is when the work with the papyri began, not the essay's publication date.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Introductory Note, Pearl of Great Price

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints · The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints · current

The Church's introduction to the Pearl of Great Price. It says the first compilation was made in 1851 by Franklin D. Richards and that the Pearl of Great Price was canonized on October 10, 1880. These dates anchor the timeline for Joseph Smith-History and the Book of Abraham.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Kinderhook Plates (Church History Topics)

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Event date discussed: 1843

This Church History topic says the Kinderhook plates, brought to Nauvoo in 1843, were a hoax made by local men, that one account reports Joseph Smith commented on them, and that there is no evidence he produced a translation. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Kinderhook Plates Brought to Joseph Smith Appear to Be a Nineteenth-Century Hoax

Stanley B. Kimball · Ensign · 1981-08

Writing in the Ensign, historian Stanley Kimball reports that scientific tests on the one surviving plate showed it was made with nineteenth-century methods, confirming the Kinderhook plates as a hoax. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Latter Day Saints' Messenger and Advocate, December 1836 (vol. 3, no. 3)

Kirtland, Ohio (Church periodical); scan via Internet Archive · 1836-12

The December 1836 issue of the Church's Kirtland newspaper reprinted a chapter from Thomas Dick's Philosophy of a Future State (Section X, on the absurdity of supposing the thinking principle in man will ever be annihilated), introduced by the editor as reasoning worth the reader's attention. That shows Latter-day Saint readers had seen Dick's work years before the Book of Abraham was published in 1842; the excerpt itself is about the soul's survival, not the Throne of God passage. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

A Translation of the Apparent Source of the Book of Abraham (The Breathing Permit of Hor)

Klaus Baer · Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought · 1968

The first full translation of the Hor papyrus, by a University of Chicago Oriental Institute Egyptologist who was not a Latter-day Saint and who had tutored Hugh Nibley. Baer identifies the text as a Book of Breathings (Sensen text) for a priest named Hor and finds no mention of Abraham. It is the baseline for later studies, including Ritner's.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Independent Egyptological scholarship. Not an official Church source.

Grammar and Alphabet of the Egyptian Language, circa July-circa November 1835

Joseph Smith, W. W. Phelps, Oliver Cowdery · Church Historian's Press (Joseph Smith Papers) · 1835

The main Kirtland Egyptian Papers document: a bound volume pairing Egyptian characters, many copied from the Hor papyrus, with explanations and degrees of meaning. Critics and apologists both cite it in arguments about how the Book of Abraham was produced.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Primary document transcribed by the Joseph Smith Papers (Church Historian's Press).

Joseph Smith, Jr., as a Translator

Franklin S. Spalding (ed.), with responses from Egyptologists including Petrie, Breasted and Sayce · Arrow Press (Salt Lake City) · 1912

Episcopal Bishop Franklin Spalding sent the Book of Abraham facsimiles to leading Egyptologists, who replied that Joseph Smith's explanations did not match the standard Egyptian funerary scenes. It is the earliest Egyptological verdict on the facsimiles, decades before the papyri resurfaced in 1967.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Independent inquiry by an Episcopal bishop; framed as a test of Joseph Smith's claims. Not an official Church source.

Revelations and Translations, Volume 4: Book of Abraham and Related Manuscripts

Robin Scott Jensen and Brian M. Hauglid, eds. · The Joseph Smith Papers (Church Historian's Press) · 2018

A documentary edition reproducing the Egyptian papyri fragments, the Book of Abraham manuscripts, and the Egyptian alphabet and grammar documents, with editorial introductions on how the texts were produced. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

The "Breathing Permit of Hor" Thirty-Four Years Later

Robert K. Ritner · Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought

Event date discussed: 1967

Dialogue, an independent scholarly journal, published Robert K. Ritner's article on the Breathing Permit of Hor. The article discusses the Joseph Smith papyri as a Book of Breathings made for a man named Hor, after fragments were given to the church in 1967. Academic source, not a church statement. The article's publication date was not stored here because it was not confirmed in the seed review. 1967 is the fragment transfer, not the article date. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

The Facsimiles of the Book of Abraham: A Reappraisal

Edward H. Ashment · Sunstone · 1979

A measured study of the three facsimiles by a former Church translation employee. Ashment compares Joseph Smith's explanations and the restorations to Facsimiles 1 and 2 with standard Egyptian iconography and finds they do not match the Egyptian originals.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

The Joseph Smith Egyptian Papyri: A Complete Edition

Robert K. Ritner · Signature Books · 2013

Event date discussed: 1967

Robert K. Ritner's complete edition, published by Signature Books in 2013, is an Egyptological translation of the surviving Joseph Smith papyri. The publisher describes those papyri as funerary documents, including the Breathing Permit of Hor, Books of the Dead, and the hypocephalus of Sheshonq. Ritner argues that Joseph Smith's explanations of the facsimiles do not match Egyptological readings. This is scholarship, not a church statement. The 1967 date is the rediscovery and transfer of fragments, not the book's publication date. This library does not copy his translation. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Egyptological scholarship. Not an official church source.

The Joseph Smith Papers

Church Historian's Press

The Joseph Smith Papers is a documentary editing project that publishes Joseph Smith's papers, journals, revelations, and related records. It is the place to read specific primary documents. This library entry is the project home, not a transcription of any one document, and it is not an argument for or against the church. Use a specific document page before citing a narrow factual claim. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Primary-document project published by the Church Historian's Press. Not a view-from-nowhere commentary.

The Philosophy of a Future State

Thomas Dick · New York: G. & C. & H. Carvill · 1829

Scottish writer Thomas Dick's popular Christian astronomy book argues from reason and science that the soul survives death. It says no matter is ever annihilated, so the thinking principle in man will not be either (Section X), and pictures an immense universe of inhabited worlds. In a passage titled Throne of God (pp. 249-250) it says astronomers think all systems may revolve around one common centre, a vast central body that could fittingly be called the throne of God and the capital of the universe. This 1829 New York printing is the American edition. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Nineteenth-century source cited in debates over possible influences on Book of Abraham astronomy. It does not mention Joseph Smith or Kolob.

This World: The Mormon Candidate (incl. Jeffrey R. Holland interview)

John Sweeney · BBC · 2012-03-27

BBC documentary on Mitt Romney and the Church. In it Holland says "We do not have penalties in the temple," then "We used to" when pressed; says shunning "is not one of our practices"; and says of the Book of Abraham that he does not understand the "vehicle" of translation and knows no Egyptian.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

An Introduction to the Book of Abraham

John Gee · BYU Religious Studies Center / Deseret Book · 2017

The leading faithful Egyptologist's book-length case for the Book of Abraham. Gee argues that the surviving fragments are only part of a longer scroll and that the source text is missing, discusses the facsimiles, and points to ancient Abraham traditions.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Faithful-apologetic scholarship. Not an official Church statement.

Assessing the Joseph Smith Papyri: An Introduction to the Historiography of their Acquisitions, Translations, and Interpretations

Kerry Muhlestein · Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship · 2016

An overview of how the papyri were acquired, translated and interpreted, written from a faithful position. Muhlestein argues the surviving fragments are not necessarily the Book of Abraham's source and that the Kirtland Egyptian Papers do not show the translation method.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Faithful-apologetic scholarship. Not an official Church statement.

Book of Abraham (FAIR Answers)

FAIR · FAIR · n.d.

FAIR's topic hub on the Book of Abraham, with responses on the papyri, the facsimiles, the Kirtland Egyptian Papers, and the catalyst and missing-scroll theories.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Faithful apologetics. Written to defend Church claims. Not peer-reviewed and not an official Church source.

FAIR overview of the CES Letter

FAIR · FAIR

FAIR, at fairlatterdaysaints.org, publishes a faithful-apologetic overview of the CES Letter and further responses to its arguments. FAIR describes the letter as Jeremy Runnells's doubts about church history and doctrine. FAIR is not The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is not an official church statement. Its replies can be useful as faithful counter-argument and still have to be checked against primary documents. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Faithful-apologetic. Not an official church statement.

How did Elder Holland respond during a BBC interview when asked how the Book of Abraham was translated? (FAIR Answers)

FAIR · FAIR · n.d.

FAIR argues Holland's "I don't know" answer is honest and consistent with the Gospel Topics essay, and that the papyri mismatch has been public since 1968.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Faithful apologetics. Written to defend Church claims. Not peer-reviewed and not an official Church source.

Interpreter Foundation

Interpreter Foundation

The Interpreter Foundation publishes faithful-apologetic scholarship on Latter-day Saint scripture and history. It is not an official church publisher. This entry identifies the organization. It should not be cited as proof of a narrow factual claim unless a specific article is added to the library. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Faithful-apologetic publisher. Not an official church statement.

The Book of Abraham and Pythagorean Astronomy

William E. Dibble · Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought · 1973

Writing in Dialogue (vol. 8, no. 3), William E. Dibble compares the astronomy of Abraham 3 and Facsimile 2 with the ancient Pythagorean system of Philolaus, in which the earth and other bodies revolve around a central fire called the throne of Zeus. He notes parallels such as a governing body near God's throne and ranked times of revolution, but says at the outset that his comparison and his reading of the scripture should be treated as speculation and suggestion for further research. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Believing author offering an ancient parallel; he labels his own comparison speculative.

Book of Abraham Apologetics: A Review and Critique

Dan Vogel · Signature Books · 2021

A thorough critique of the main faithful defenses of the Book of Abraham: the catalyst theory, the missing-scroll theory, and the view that the Kirtland Egyptian Papers were a later project. Vogel engages Gee, Muhlestein and the Hauglid-Gee debate and argues the surviving documents tie Joseph Smith's text to the Hor papyrus.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Critical scholarship. Argues against Church truth claims. Not an official Church source.

By His Own Hand Upon Papyrus: A New Look at the Joseph Smith Papyri

Charles M. Larson · Institute for Religious Research · 1992

A popular critical synthesis with color photographs of the papyri. It covers the restored portions of Facsimile 1, how the Kirtland Egyptian Papers connect to the Hor papyrus, and the Egyptological identification of the fragments, and argues that the Book of Abraham is not a translation of them.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Critical advocacy from an evangelical Christian ministry. Argues against Church truth claims. Not peer-reviewed.

CES Letter

Jeremy Runnells · cesletter.org · 2013

The CES Letter, by Jeremy Runnells, is a public critical document, first circulated as a letter to a Church Educational System director. It gathers objections about the Book of Abraham, the Book of Mormon, First Vision accounts, plural marriage, the priesthood and temple restriction, and other topics. It is critical advocacy, not a primary historical edition and not a church publication. Claims in it should be checked against the underlying documents, including the Joseph Smith Papers and the church's own essays. This library does not copy the letter. The 2013 date is the commonly cited origin year and still needs confirmation. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Critical advocacy. Not a primary source.

CES Letter: Book of Abraham

Jeremy Runnells · CES Letter

The CES Letter's Book of Abraham section argues that the recovered papyri are common Egyptian funerary texts, that Egyptologists read the three facsimiles very differently from Joseph Smith's explanations, and that the text contains King James phrasing and astronomical ideas from Joseph Smith's era. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Critical advocacy. Argues against Church truth claims. Not peer-reviewed and not an official Church source.

CES Letter: Kinderhook Plates and Translator Claims

Jeremy Runnells · CES Letter

This section argues that the 1843 Kinderhook plates were a hoax and that a journal account of Joseph Smith partly translating one of them undercuts his claims to translate ancient records. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Critical advocacy. Argues against Church truth claims. Not peer-reviewed and not an official Church source.

MormonThink: The Book of Abraham Issues

MormonThink · MormonThink

MormonThink's Book of Abraham page sets out the papyri, the facsimile interpretations, and the catalyst and missing-scroll theories offered by apologists, with critics' responses. Summary, not a quotation.

Summary, not a quotation · needs human verification

Critical website. Presents critic and apologist views but is written to raise problems with Church claims. Not peer-reviewed.