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1 Chapter 1 : The Book of Abraham Issues - Translation Problems Abraham Abraham was born in Bath, the son of Jacob Abraham, an optician, and moved to Liverpool "during the war years". (1) I have assumed that he was born about â, for he advertized as an optician at 8 Lord Street in Donl Peterson full marks for really digging in and pulling together some of the missing pieces of this fascinating slice of LDS history. He was clearly an able and eager researcher, and I appreciate everything he did in order to compile this book. I ended up learning quite a few things about the papyrus and mummies which inspired Joseph Smith to create the Book of Abraham that I had not previously known. Even so, chapter 20, in whi This book had promise, but was ultimately unfulfilling. Even so, chapter 20, in which Peterson attempts to answer some of the more serious questions about the Book of Abraham, could not have been a more bitter disappointment. The world has known since that the remaining portions of the papyrus include nothing relating to Abraham or Joseph whatsoever. In dealing with these serious issues which have only gotten more serious as more studies have been published. You can side with Elder Holland and say, as he did, "What got translated got translated into the word of god. Peterson could have taken all of this more seriously, but he passed off all the criticisms as "anti-mormon" and moved on. It was unfortunate because I really did enjoy the preceding 19 chapters. Donl Peterson starts his research around the time the mummies were discovered in Egypt by an Italian named Lebolo, and Peterson makes his way across the continents and oceans until the mummies with the papyri that were discovered wrapped up with the mummies came into the possession of Joseph Smith. Joseph Smith started to translate the documents and found, to his great joy, that they contained records written by the patriarch Abraham and his great-grandson Joseph. Oliver Cowdery said that the writings contained "volumes" of scripture, and William West claimed that the printed material could be longer than the Bible. Some of the mummies, along with some of the scrolls and papyri, ended up in a museum in Chicago just prior to the great fire of Everything was assumed to have been destroyed in the fire Atiya found some of the papyri fragments in the bowels of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The museum subsequently gave the fragments to delighted church officials. The author ends the book with a question: However, my testimony definitely is not dependent on a literal translation of the papyrii. Donl Peterson, a researcher, historian, and professor at BYU. He describes in great detail the story behind the Pearl of Great Price, most specifically the Book of Abraham, which was translated by Joseph Smith, Jr. He also takes on much of what has been said and written against the Book of Abraham, and very effectively points out the errors in what these critics have to say. This book is of inter This is an amazing book which documents the research of H. This book is of interest to not only members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Mormons, but also anyone interested in Egyptian history, or history in general. Seriously, some Egyptian men dressed up as women? This book is about the mummies and scrolls. Page 1

2 Chapter 2 : Abraham Abraham and partnerships They were published earlier, with some differences in style, in Brian M. Hauglid, A Textual History of the Book of Abraham: Manuscripts and Editions (Provo, UT: Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, Brigham Young University, ). See this page in the original publication. The Pearl of Great Price consists of a diverse collection of sacred works that are accepted as scripture by Latter-day Saints. The article Pearl of Great Price: Contents and Publication offers an overview of the individual texts in the collection as well as details about the history of how the documents were brought together and were then received as scripture by Church members. The article titled Pearl of Great Price: Literature briefly treats the variety of literary features that characterize the Pearl of Great Price. Pearl of Great Price: Contents and Publication Author: Richards, then president of the British Mission and a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, in response to requests from converts for further information about their new church. It also incorporated certain extracts from the Doctrine and Covenants sections 20,, and 27, thirteen untitled statements previously published in the Times and Seasons in March and now known as the Articles of Faith, and a poem titled "Truth" that later became the LDS hymn "Oh Say, What Is Truth? In the edition of the Pearl of Great Price, these excerpts were untitled. The edition added the titles "Visions of Moses" chap. These revelations were first printed in Church newspapers between and Clark, pp. Soon after he began studying the rolls, he produced a record of the life of the patriarch Abraham and a description of the creation of the world similar to that in Genesis and the Book of Moses. It is certain that the materials incorporated into the books of Moses and Abraham were extracts and that more information was available than has ever been included in the printed editions of the Pearl of Great Price. When additional changes were made-including page size and format-another vote in reaffirmed the acceptance of the Pearl of Great Price as scripture. Talmage, later a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, under assignment of the First Presidency, divided the work into chapters and verses, added some titles such as "The Book of Moses", and eliminated some portions, such as the materials also published in the Doctrine and Covenants. These changes were formally approved by Church membership at the October conference of In these two revelations were transferred to the Doctrine and Covenants as sections and For example, Enoch hears and describes the personified soul of the earth alliteratively as the "m other of m en" agonizing from the bowels of the earth that she is "w eary" of "w ickedness. Also remarkable is the artistic control of tone throughout the narrative of joseph smith-history. Despite his having been the victim of severe persecution, Joseph objectively selects connotative words that allow the readers to discover for themselves the abuse he had suffered. In describing the deep schisms among the sects in his village, he skillfully calls into question the "great love" and "great zeal" of the clergy in their efforts to have everybody "converted," as they were "pleased to call it. The final verse in the Pearl of Great Price addresses the value of artistry not only in writing but also in all aspects of life. Bibliography Clark, James R. The Story of the Pearl of Great Price. Salt Lake City, Studies in Scripture, Vol. Donl, and Charles D. The Pearl of Great Price: Review of The Word of God: Essays on Mormon Scripture. BYU Studies 31 Summer Page 2

3 Chapter 3 : Egypt, papyri and manuscripts all part of the newest Joseph Smith Papers - Church News The Book of Abraham was canonized in by the LDS Church as part of the Pearl of Great Price. Thus, it forms a doctrinal foundation for the LDS Church and Mormon fundamentalist denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement. Eleven mummies and several papyri were discovered near the ancient Egyptian city of Thebes by Antonio Lebolo between and Chandler eventually purchased the mummies and artifacts and began displaying them, starting in Philadelphia. A promotional flyer created by Chandler states that the mummies "may have lived in the days of Jacob, Moses, or David". Phelps and Oliver Cowdery as scribes, I commenced the translation of some of the characters or hieroglyphics, and much to our joy found that one of the [scrolls] contained the writings of Abraham, another the writings of Joseph of Egypt, etc. Most of the writing in the book was written not by Smith but rather by a scribe taking down what Smith said. First, the characters on the papyri were transcribed onto the left-hand side of the book. Next, a postulation as to what the symbols sounded like was devised. Finally, an English interpretation of the symbol was provided. Williams acted as scribes. Michael Marquardt, "It seems clear that Smith had the Bible open to Genesis as he dictated this section [i. Even though nothing in the Book of Abraham explicitly connects the line of Pharaoh and Ham to black Africans, [43] this passage was used as a scriptural basis for withholding the priesthood from black individuals. Cannon, a member of the First Presidency, began using the story of Pharaoh as a scriptural basis for the ban. Chase notes, "With divine help, Abraham was able to gain greater comprehension of the order of the galaxies, stars, and planets than he could have obtained from earthly sources. I have set this one to govern all those which belong to the same order as that upon which thou standest. The LDS Church website explains: Prior to coming to earth, individuals existed as spirits. Once certain spirits i. Mormon and non-mormon Egyptologists agree that the characters on the fragments do not match the translation given in the book of Abraham, though there is not unanimity, even among non-mormon scholars, about the proper interpretation of the vignettes on these fragments. Louis Museum in Louis Museum, these artifacts were purchased by Joseph H. Wood and found their way to the Chicago Museum in about, and were promptly put on display. In the s the MMA decided to raise money by selling some of its items which were considered "less unique". Among these were the papyri that Heusser had sold to the museum several decades earlier. Wilson stated that the recovered fragments indicated the existence of at least six to eight separate documents. Since its publication in, the Book of Abraham has been a source of controversy. They have also asserted that damaged portions of the papyri have been reconstructed incorrectly. 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 which in the late Egyptian period were placed under the heads of mummies. There were about forty of these latter known in museums and they are all very similar in character. The translation of the papyri by both Mormon and non-mormon Egyptologists does not match the text of the Book of Abraham as purportedly translated by Joseph Smith. Edward Ashment notes, "The sign that Smith identified with Abraham [ He said that one scroll contained "the writings of Joseph of Egypt". Based on descriptions by Oliver Cowdery, some, including Charles M. Page 3

4 Chapter 4 : Pearl of Great Price - The Encyclopedia of Mormonism The Book of Abraham tells a story of Abraham's life, travels to Canaan and Egypt, and a vision he received concerning the universe, a pre-mortal existence, and the creation of the world. Three-fourths of the original hieroglyphics inscription appears to have survived, and counterclockwise reads: Joseph said it represents God sitting upon his throne. Egyptologists say that this is the god "Min. His erect penis is clearly shown. It has since been restored in our current versions. Note, even LDS apologists admit that this figure, with the erect penis, is the god Min. Min is Not God! In this small tract we cannot discuss all the evidence that now exists regarding the Book of Abraham, the papyri that have been found, and the various explanations put forward by defenders of Joseph Smith. Instead, we wish to look at just one aspect of the Book of Abraham, Facsimile 2 found on the front of this tract, and even more specifically, one section of this drawing and what it really means. Pearl of Great Price, marked and explained by Joseph Smith as figure 7: Represents God sitting upon his throne, revealing through the heavens the grand Key-words of the Priesthood; as, also, the sign of the Holy Ghost unto Abraham, in the form of a dove. Is this indeed a representation of the one true God sitting upon His throne revealing the grand Key-words of the priesthood? Was Joseph Smith a man ahead of his time, able to decipher Egyptian writings in a time when scholarship was just starting to get a clue on the topic? The object that Joseph Smith included in the Book of Abraham is, in reality, a "hypocephalus," a common item of Egyptian funeral literature all of the facsimiles in the Book of Abraham are drawn from common Egyptian funerary documents. Many examples of this kind of hypocephalus are to be found. One of the many pagan gods pictured in this hypocephalus is shown above as it appears in the current edition of the LDS Scriptures. Egyptologists tell us that this is the god "Min. Min is the god of the procreative forces of nature. Joseph Smith told us that the Egyptian god Min was in point of fact the one true God. And what is Min doing? Joseph tells us that he is revealing the grand Key-words of the priesthood, with the sign of the Holy Ghost in the form of a dove before him. In reality, he is holding up the "divine flail" in one hand and is being approached by the figure Joseph Smith identified as the Holy Ghost in the form of a dove. So, Joseph had to restore the picture. Did he do so correctly? No, he did not. The figure to the right provides us with the proper scene from another hypocephalus Leyden AMS The being that is approaching Min is not the Holy Ghost in the form of a dove; it is yet another ithyphallic figure, specifically, a serpent, probably the Egyptian God Nehebka, presenting to Min the wedjat- eye, the symbol of good gifts. Hugh Nibley, has written of Min: As the supreme sex symbol of gods and men, Min behaves with shocking promiscuity, which is hardly relieved by its ritual natureâ His sacred plants were aphrodisiacalâ and he is everywhere represented as indulging in incestuous relationships with those of his immediate family; he had the most numerous and varied religious entourage of all the gods, consisting mostly of his huge haremâ The hymns, or rather chanting of his worshippers were accompanied with lewd dancing and carousingâ to the exciting stimulus of a band of sistrum-shaking damsels Abraham in Egypt, p. It must be remembered that Joseph Smith said that this figure represented God sitting on His throne! Incredible as it may seem, intelligent, well-read LDS are fully aware of the true nature of the hypocephalus, including the presence of Min and Nehebka the vast majority of LDS, however, are not. How do they explain this? In the process he demonstrated his own inability as a "prophet, seer and revelator," for he grossly misidentified each of the items not only in this Facsimile, but in the other two as well. But to grasp at this straw is to ignore the Biblical testimony to the one true God. Isaiah saw God upon His throne in Isaiah 6: God reveals the worship of these gods to be an abomination that brings His wrath Jeremiah The Bible has nothing but contempt for the gods of Egypt, which would include the abominable figure of Min, identified by Joseph Smith as his God. As God Himself said: Actually, god-figures in ancient Egyptian art can usually be identified by their headdress as well as the writing associated with the figure. But, in general, each god has a unique headdress that identifies them. Figure 2 King Pharaoh, whose name is given in the characters above his head. This figure is not only a woman, instead of a man, but it is the goddess Isis, Page 4

5 wife of Osiris. The object in her hand is probably an ankh drawn slightly incorrectly, which is the symbol of life and resurrection. The words above Figure 2 read: One should note that it is also found in Facsimile 2, figures 2 and 3, who are also gods. Figure 4 Prince of Pharaoh, King of Egypt, as written above the hand. Again, Joseph got the gender wrong. This is a woman, not a man, and she is the goddess Maat, goddess of justice â identified by the feather on her head and the writing above her hand. She is leading the deceased figure 5 into the presence of Osiris. The text above Maat reads: As already mentioned, this is actually the deceased, wearing the traditional cone of perfumed grease and lotus flower on his head. True to his 19th-century American point of view, Joseph identified the only "black" person in the drawing as a slave. However, this figure is undoubtedly Anubis, guide of the dead, who is there to support the deceased. He has helped the deceased complete his journey, and assisted him in the use of the spells that were contained in his funeral book. The words above Anubis read: It seems clear that we are entering the afterlife in this vignette, rejoining the souls that have entered before us. Egyptologist Klaus Baer provides this information about facsimile No. A Journal of Mormon Thought, Autumn, pp. Behind Osiris stands Isis 2, and in front of him is an offering-stand 3 with a jug and some flowers on it. Over the whole scene is a canopy with stars painted on it to represent the sky. The scene comes from a mortuary papyrus and is similar to, but not identical with the scenes showing judgment of the deceased before Osiris such as P. It is a summary in one illustration of what the Breathing Permit promised: The deceased, after successfully undergoing judgment is welcomed into the presence of Osiris. The texts, poorly copied as they are, carry us one step further. As far as it can be made out, the line of hieroglyphics below the scene reads. By analyzing the engraving plate, which he believes is made from lead and not a woodcut as commonly reported, clearly indicates that figure 6 in facsimile 3 was altered before the prints of it were made and inserted in the copies of the Book of Abraham we all have today. Figure 6, which Joseph declared is Olimlah, a slave belonging to the prince, was in fact the jackal-headed god Anubis. Enlarged photos of the engraving plates seem to indicate that the snout of the jackal head was scraped away. What likely happened was that the person that first made the engraving plate copied the image exactly as shown on the original papyri. Facsimile 3 research site: Press it and change the zoom setting and it will change the view. Page 5

6 Chapter 5 : Pearl of Great Price (Mormonism) - Wikipedia The book of Abraham has long fascinated readers, not only with its content but also with its mysterious origins. Written by Abraham himself, the book found its way into the hands of Joseph Smith by way of an elusive antiquities trader. Tucked safely in the hands of an Egyptian mummy, its exact. Preliminary research by R. Derek Wood on The Daguerreotype in Liverpool in A notice in the Birmingham Advertiser of 24 October found by Peter James showed that after spending five weeks in London followed by six days in Birmingham, the mysterious Ste Croix from Paris was due to go on October 29,, to Liverpool. Only some small amount of research of Liverpool publications was done, but it was enough to show that it would not be a simple task to find out what happened when Ste Croix reached Liverpool. Not enough was known about Abraham to form a definitive publication, but as some interest has been expressed by other persons in the discovery of more information here presented is a preliminary and still incomplete report on Liverpool in During the fourth week of October three newspapers in Liverpool carried a similar advertisement concerning demonstration of Daguerreotype apparatus and views. These rival weeklies were published on different days of the week, so it was in the Liverpool Courier that the advertisement first appeared on Wednesday, 23 October. Two days later a slightly different version was on the front page of The Liverpool Mercury and then the following day of Saturday, 26 October in the Liverpool Chronicle. Daguerre, with a view of Paris from the Quai de la Megisserie, and the process of using this interesting Instrument. Maybe Abraham was in turn appointed agent for Giroux cameras to be imported from Paris after orders had been placed with him. Liverpool would presumably be a convenient place to ship apparatus directly from France. The end of October seems to have been a time of cultural activity in Liverpool. This would obviously be a useful period in which to demonstrate the daguerreotype camera, the process, and new pictorial opportunities opened up by it. Apart from the above advertisement, slightly varied between 23 and 26 October, the only other small item regarding the daguerreotype in appeared in the next issue of The Liverpool Courier on Wednesday, 30 October: Maybe it was not something actually undertaken by Abraham? Dancer [7] lived in Liverpool in the s and s and was a business associate of Abraham. In consequence of this I had six weeks of hard work Being a practical optician, the camera used was one of my own construction That same day I left Liverpool for London, taking on of my best pictures. The result of the comparison was very gratifying to me. Abraham had nothing to display taken by himself. Their stock will embrace an extensive assortment of Optical Mathematical, Surveying and Mining Instruments Unfortunately nothing of substance about him has been published, he appears to have received little attention. Except that is by Frederic Luther, who assembled a file on Abraham during his many years of study published from to! Dancer and the history of microfilm. Indiana, USA, to R. Letter dated 21 October regarding Abraham Abraham of Liverpool. Dear Derek, Thank you for your letter of 1 October. I am sorry to be so tardy in answering it, but each year finds me going ever more slowly in all respects. I am honored by your suggestion that we might collaborate on an article or two. He deserves far more research than I was able to give him, as he had only a 6-year association with John Benjamin Dancer, my subject. Coincidentally, his brother Maurice Morris? But, a trio of ads which ran about the time that Abraham and Dancer would have agreed to move into the Manchester market greatly intrigued me; yet I could see no way I could track down any results of the ads. Remember that Dancer, with his own optical business ACTIVE in Liverpool, helped his older competitor, Abraham, design and market a new cheap but excellent microscope in Liverpool; that they opened the Manchester branch on 21 June ; and that Dancer found immediate, enthusiastic acceptance of his microscopes among the Manchester scientific elite. He sold John Dalton his first quality microscope before Dalton died in This offers an excellent Investment, as the Profits mey be considerably increased by a steady Person taking an active part in the Business. Unexceptionable references will be given and required. Applications to be made by letter addressed to T. The capital required will be very moderate, as the stock is small and well assorted,. Also Jean Haynes genealogist Page 6

7 of Harpenden, Herts. I [FL] have only a typed copy, made for me by L. Ardern on 24 January I was unable to locate a source for a photocopy of the article. John Benjamin Dancer, Microscopist. It will be seen in his endnote No. The full title of this book is The Rise of Provincial Jewry: Jewish Monthly, and there is a copy in the British Library, shelf-mark aa Court, History of the Microscope, London Roth, Plate opposite p. Page 7

8 Chapter 6 : Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham The following images are from the first printing of the Pearl of Great Price, published by Elder Franklin D. Richards, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, in Liverpool, England, in Excepting the title page, preface, and contents, only the Book of Abraham is included. 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 was first published in and was canonized as part of the Pearl of Great Price in The book originated with Egyptian papyri that Joseph Smith translated beginning in Many people saw the papyri, but no eyewitness account of the translation survives, making it impossible to reconstruct the process. The relationship between those fragments and the text we have today is largely a matter of conjecture. Read Moreâ We do know some things about the translation process. The word translation typically assumes an expert knowledge of multiple languages. Joseph Smith claimed no expertise in any language. The Lord did not require Joseph Smith to have knowledge of Egyptian. By the gift and power of God, Joseph received knowledge about the life and teachings of Abraham. On many particulars, the book of Abraham is consistent with historical knowledge about the ancient world. But even this evidence of ancient origins, substantial though it may be, cannot prove the truthfulness of the book of Abraham any more than archaeological evidence can prove the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt or the Resurrection of the Son of God. According to the book of Abraham, the covenant began before the foundation of the earth and was passed down through Adam, Noah, and other prophets. Life did not begin at birth, as is commonly believed. Prior to coming to earth, individuals existed as spirits. Origin of the Book of Abraham The powerful truths found in the book of Abraham emerged from a set of unique historical events. In the summer of, an entrepreneur named Michael Chandler arrived at Church headquarters in Kirtland, Ohio, with four mummies and multiple scrolls of papyrus. Due partly to the exploits of the French emperor Napoleon, the antiquities unearthed in the catacombs of Egypt had created a fascination across the Western world. These artifacts had been uncovered by Antonio Lebolo, a former cavalryman in the Italian army. Lebolo, who oversaw some of the excavations for the consul general of France, pulled 11 mummies from a tomb not far from the ancient city of Thebes. Lebolo shipped the artifacts to Italy, and after his death, they ended up in New York. A group of Latter-day Saints in Kirtland purchased the remaining artifacts for the Church. In these inspired translations, Joseph Smith did not claim to know the ancient languages of the records he was translating. Some of his translations, like that of the Book of Mormon, utilized ancient documents in his possession. Other times, his translations were not based on any known physical records. Another manuscript, written by Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, has Egyptian characters followed by explanations. Neither the rules nor the translations in the grammar book correspond to those recognized by Egyptologists today. Whatever the role of the grammar book, it appears that Joseph Smith began translating portions of the book of Abraham almost immediately after the purchase of the papyri. He soon knew what they were. The papyri were divided up and sold to various parties; historians believe that most were destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire of The fragments included one vignette, or illustration, that appears in the book of Abraham as facsimile 1. Joseph Smith had published the facsimiles as freestanding drawings, cut off from the hieroglyphs or hieratic characters that originally surrounded the vignettes. The discovery of the fragments meant that readers could now see the hieroglyphs and characters immediately surrounding the vignette that became facsimile 1. Mormon and non-mormon Egyptologists agree that the characters on the fragments do not match the translation given in the book of Abraham, though there is not unanimity, even among non-mormon scholars, about the proper interpretation of the vignettes on these fragments. These fragments date to between the third century B. Of course, the fragments do not have to be as old as Abraham for the book of Abraham and its illustrations to be authentic. Ancient records are often transmitted as copies or as copies of Page 8

9 copies. The record of Abraham could have been edited or redacted by later writers much as the Book of Mormon prophet-historians Mormon and Moroni revised the writings of earlier peoples. The opposite could also be true: Some have assumed that the hieroglyphs adjacent to and surrounding facsimile 1 must be a source for the text of the book of Abraham. But this claim rests on the assumption that a vignette and its adjacent text must be associated in meaning. In fact, it was not uncommon for ancient Egyptian vignettes to be placed some distance from their associated commentary. In April, Joseph received a revelation for Oliver Cowdery that taught that both intellectual work and revelation were essential to translating sacred records. Records indicate that Joseph and others studied the papyri and that close observers also believed that the translation came by revelation. The loss of a significant portion of the papyri means the relationship of the papyri to the published text cannot be settled conclusively by reference to the papyri. This view assumes a broader definition of the words translator and translation. Rather, the physical artifacts provided an occasion for meditation, reflection, and revelation. They catalyzed a process whereby God gave to Joseph Smith a revelation about the life of Abraham, even if that revelation did not directly correlate to the characters on the papyri. Evidence suggests that elements of the book of Abraham fit comfortably in the ancient world and supports the claim that the book of Abraham is an authentic record. The book of Abraham speaks disapprovingly of human sacrifice offered on an altar in Chaldea. Some victims were placed on the altar as sacrifices because they rejected the idols worshipped by their leaders. People who challenged the standing religious order, either in Egypt or in the regions over which it had influence such as Canaan, could and did suffer execution for their offenses. The book of Abraham contains other details that are consistent with modern discoveries about the ancient world. Facsimile 1 and Abraham 1: This deity is not mentioned in the Bible, yet modern scholars have identified it as being among the gods worshipped by ancient Mesopotamians. In the book of Abraham, God teaches Abraham about the sun, the moon, and the stars. For example, Eupolemus, who lived under Egyptian rule in the second century B. Other details in the book of Abraham are found in ancient traditions located across the Near East. The book of Abraham imparts profound truths about the nature of God, His relationship to us as His children, and the purpose of this mortal life. The truth of the book of Abraham is ultimately found through careful study of its teachings, sincere prayer, and the confirmation of the Spirit. Page 9

10 Chapter 7 : Pearl of Great Price - Mormonism, The Mormon Church, Beliefs, & Religion - MormonWiki The book of Abraham has long fascinated readers, not only with its content but also with its mysterious origins. Written by Abraham himself, the book found its way into the hands of Joseph Smith by way of an elusive antiquities trader. He claimed to have inherited them from his uncle, Antonio Lebolo, an Italian "celebrated traveler" who obtained them from the catacombs of Egypt. Subsequent to his murder in, his family sold the mummies and papyrus to a museum. They ended up in Chicago in a museum that was destroyed by the great fire in In, a researcher at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City discovered some papyrus fragments that had been part of the collection sold to Joseph Smith. This book traces the remarkable story of the mummies and papyrus from Antonio Lebolo to destruction in the Chicago fire, as well as the rediscovery of the papyrus fragments. For many years, the only information on the mummies was from a statement given by Michael Chandler, which posed some interesting questions. How did an Irishman inherit mummies from an Italian? What was an Italian doing with mummies in the first place? What were they doing in America and why in the middle of the American frontier? Further interesting questions are: What happened to the mummies and papyrus after? What details do we know about the translation of the Book of Abraham? Donl Peterson addresses all these questions in his book. There he oversaw digs looking for Egyptian artifacts and was allowed to keep some of the finds for himself. How Michael Chandler ended up with them is less clear. While Peterson has found a lot of interesting information, there are still holes in the account that he was not able to decipher during his research. It is possible that new sources will turn up that shed more light on the history. This was an interesting book both for the new details I learned about the coming forth of the Book of Abraham and for the detective work associated with finding these details. It was a good way to wrap up his book. I enjoyed reading this book and learning more about the Book of Abraham. Always wanted to learn more about the back story of how we got the pearl of great price. Mar 15, James Badger rated it it was ok This book had promise, but was ultimately unfulfilling. Donl Peterson full marks for really digging in and pulling together some of the missing pieces of this fascinating slice of LDS history. He was clearly an able and eager researcher, and I appreciate everything he did in order to compile this book. I ended up learning quite a few things about the papyrus and mummies which inspired Joseph Smith to create the Book of Abraham that I had not previously known. Even so, chapter 20, in whi This book had promise, but was ultimately unfulfilling. Even so, chapter 20, in which Peterson attempts to answer some of the more serious questions about the Book of Abraham, could not have been a more bitter disappointment. The world has known since that the remaining portions of the papyrus include nothing relating to Abraham or Joseph whatsoever. In dealing with these serious issues which have only gotten more serious as more studies have been published. You can side with Elder Holland and say, as he did, "What got translated got translated into the word of god. Peterson could have taken all of this more seriously, but he passed off all the criticisms as "anti-mormon" and moved on. It was unfortunate because I really did enjoy the preceding 19 chapters. Donl Peterson starts his research around the time the mummies were discovered in Egypt by an Italian named Lebolo, and Peterson makes his way across the continents and oceans until the mummies with the papyri that were discovered wrapped up with the mummies came into the possession of Joseph Smith. Joseph Smith started to translate the documents and found, to his great joy, that they contained records written by the patriarch Abraham and his great-grandson Joseph. Oliver Cowdery said that the writings contained "volumes" of scripture, and William West claimed that the printed material could be longer than the Bible. Some of the mummies, along with some of the scrolls and papyri, ended up in a museum in Chicago just prior to the great fire of Everything was assumed to have been destroyed in the fire Atiya found some of the papyri fragments in the bowels of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The museum subsequently gave the fragments to delighted church officials. The author ends the book with a question: However, my testimony definitely is not dependent on a literal translation of the papyrii. Donl Peterson, a researcher, historian, and professor at BYU. He describes in great detail the story Page 10

11 behind the Pearl of Great Price, most specifically the Book of Abraham, which was translated by Joseph Smith, Jr. He also takes on much of what has been said and written against the Book of Abraham, and very effectively points out the errors in what these critics have to say. This book is of inter This is an amazing book which documents the research of H. This book is of interest to not only members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Mormons, but also anyone interested in Egyptian history, or history in general. Seriously, some Egyptian men dressed up as women? This book is about the mummies and scrolls. Page 11

12 Chapter 8 : Abraham Saqui (I) The first published criticism against the Book of Abraham was printed in, the same year as the Book of Abraham was initially published in the Times and Seasons, and subsequently in the Millennial Star. Kidder' book offers no insightful contributions regarding the Book of Abraham, rather, it is purely satirical. Life[ edit ] Booth was born at Blackwell, near Alfreton, Derbyshire, on 20 May ; while he was young, the family moved to Annesley Woodhouse, Nottinghamshire, where his father had taken a small farm as a tenant of the Duke of Portland. The eldest of a large family, Booth worked on the farm to age 15, with sporadic schooling. Then, working on a stocking-frame, he was able to support himself and get some further elementary education. He opened a school at Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire. In, when the Baptists first gathered into churches, Booth became superintendent of the Kirkby Woodhouse congregation, but not their pastor. He changed views, from General Baptist to Particular Baptist, and seceded. Soon after, he began to preach on Sundays at Sutton-in-Ashfield, Chesterfield, and elsewhere in the Midland towns and villages, still keeping his school. He accepted the call, and was ordained on 16 February It led, in after his death, to the setting up of Stepney Academy in East London. A marble tablet was erected to his memory in the Prescot Street chapel, where he had been pastor 35 years. Henry Venn, reading it in manuscript, journeyed to Nottinghamshire to see him, and a lifelong friendship resulted. The preface to the first edition and also to the second edition,, was by Venn; there were nine English, one Edinburgh, and three American editions. Other editions followed in and These two works were also translated and printed abroad. In he published An Apology for the Baptists, a work written to oppose the principle of mixed communion. In he published Glad Tidings to Perishing Sinners, which went to four more editions, and in Pastoral Cautions. Commerce in the Human Species, published by the Abolition Society, The Amen to Social Prayer,, 2nd edition, Divine Justice essential to the Divine Character, Elegy on James Hervey ; and funeral sermons and addresses. He wrote articles published in the Baptist Magazine for and In his last days, when unable to preach, he wrote essays, and two days before his death one on The Origin of Moral Evil; these were published in Posthumous Essays, She died four years before him, and he left several children. A Genetic History of Baptist Thought: Mercer University Press, Page 12

13 Chapter 9 : Book of Abraham - Wikipedia The book of Abraham was first published in and was canonized as part of the Pearl of Great Price in The book originated with Egyptian papyri that Joseph. Since, he has been writing about rare Mormon documents. Since, half of all new discoveries in Mormon history have been by him. I live in Jackson County, Missouri, where this rarest Mormon book was printed in My Past Purchases The church library, archives, and museum is open to any researcher by appointment. I am also working endlessly to get the most important parts of my collection online in PDF format. I have a site entitled inephi. I have photographically reprinted more than one hundred faithful books published during the lifetime of Joseph Smith. As of, I have purchased, books and other Mormon items. I am qualified and interested in purchasing anything that you offer to me. Book of Mormon, approximately copies, many with the References supplement, one signed by Joseph Smith Jr. Whitney, one in treed calf, and one bound in Kirtland, Ohio. Every copy of this book is unique and I am seeking additional copies. The Kirtland, Ohio Book of Mormon, approximately 25 copies, including one belonging to the witness Hiram Page, one bound in ornate red morocco as a presentation by Oliver Cowdery to his family, one copy belonging to Joseph Smith, some copies in treed calf, and many other copies including some in a deluxe binding with tiny gold Kirtland trumpet devices stamped on the boards. The Nauvoo, Ill. Book of Mormon, approximately 50 copies, including one owned by Luck Mack Smith, one signed by Nauvoo bishop George Miller, and copies representing more than three different printings from Cincinnati and Nauvoo. The Liverpool, England Book of Mormon, approximately 50 copies, including one belonging to Lucy Mack Smith in a presentation binding, and other presentation copies. Book of Mormon, approximately 20 copies, including a copy from Emma Hale Smith. A fine selection of Books of Mormon from, and the s, s, and s, including a fine copy signed by Brigham Young, a copy signed by John Taylor, a copy of the first Utah edition, and a copy of the first Smith family edition from Plano, Ill. The Doctrine and Covenants Kirtland, Ohio, approximately 25 copies, including four in presentation bindings, one signed and annotated by Sidney Rigdon, another by David Whitmer, one belonging to Joseph Smith, and the fourth in an Oliver Cowdery family presentation binding in full red morocco; and many other copies in plain brown sheep or treed calf including a second Smith copy handed down in the family. The Doctrine and Covenants Nauvoo, Ill. A fine selection of copies of the Doctrine and Covenants from through the s, s, and, printed in Liverpool England, up through a copy of the first Utah edition. Hymns The Mormon Sacred Hymns Kirtland, Ohio, seven copies, including one in an Oliver Cowdery family presentation binding in full red morocco, in the finest condition known for this book. Adams; and two by the church led by James J. Strang and ; and from the s one edition printed by William Bickerton, one offshoot edition printed in Kirtland, Ohio, and two more editions printed by Emma Smith after the death of her husband. The Pearl of Great Price, many copies of the first edition, including a half-dozen in original salmon colored wrappers. Newspapers from all the divergent leaders, including George M. Rare broadsides from the s, some unique in the Mormon bibliographies, and some of those unique ones printed in early frontier Nauvoo. Bennett; and an pamphlet about his martyrdom; Parley P. As of I have discovered a second copy of this with front and rear wrappers. All three of John E. An uncut copy of James J. Manuscripts Documents signed by Joseph Smith Jr. Phelps, Emma Smith, Brigham Young, and others. A letter from Brigham Young giving his sympathies to the family of a victim of the Mountain Meadows Massacre. The original indictment of Joseph Smith Jr. The official Nauvoo court Mormon record book from A trial of Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon in, unpublished anywhere. The Chronicles of Voree, a rare manuscript record in the hand of James J. Manuscript depositions from the Order of Enoch trial held in Voree, Wisconsin. A collection of postmarks from Nauvoo, Illinois in the s, plus a collection of postmarks from Palmyra, New York in Art The photo album of Julia Murdock Smith, the sister of the prophet, with carte-de-visite images of the wife and each of the children of Joseph Smith. A carte-de-visite collection of a neighbor of the children of Joseph Smith, who had rare images Page 13

14 of all of the Smith family including unique portraits of the sisters of Joseph Smith. Another large carte-de-visite collection from the Joseph Smith family, including images of Joseph Smith, his brothers, and his sisters. The Sutcliffe Maudsley family collection with the majority of extant Maudsley images of Nauvoo residents, including William Smith, the brother of the prophet. The Book of Mormon belonging to Sutcliffe Maudsley, containing his original first image of Joseph Smith from which all other profiles were made. Bronze images of Joseph Smith by Maudsley, from wall art to lapel pins. A full-color needlepoint sampler of the New Jerusalem Temple at Jackson County, Missouri, as it was planned in, made by a Mormon girl living in Nauvoo in A painting by the Nauvoo artist David W. Rogers of his grandchildren playing at Winter Quarters. A pastel chalk drawing of Joseph Smith Jr. Two pencil sketches of the Nauvoo temple by Seth Eastman. Early oil paintings of Nauvoo, Ill. The original daguerreotype of King James J. Strang, and the original daguerreotype of his Castle. A tintype of the young sons of Joseph Smith Jr. Strang, and numerous other early church figures. The earliest known photographs of the Kirtland temple, taken fifteen years earlier than any other known photographs. A collection of albumens, and multiple unique custom stereoviews of Nauvoo homes that are no longer standing. A collection of photographs taken by the Joseph Smith family in the s at Palmyra and Kirtland. A collection of lantern plates of the first Mormon temple in Kirtland, Ohio, and other scenes of historical sites and people including some taken in Nauvoo, Far West, and other places. A collection of original prints of scenes from contemporary Kirtland and Nauvoo, including important images of the Temples; and, as an example, an otherwise unknown scene of Joseph Smith Jr. The chandelier from the Joseph Smith council room where the first Relief Society meetings and first secret endowments were held. A moon-stone from a pilaster base of the Nauvoo temple. A sun-stone piece or trumpet-stone from a pilaster capital of the Nauvoo temple, and numerous other pieces traded to me by the LDS Church but not yet received. A piece of the chain that held Joseph Smith Jr. A collection of Kirtland bank notes some in uncut sheets, anti-bank notes, and Nauvoo House stock certificates, including money signed by Joseph Smith Jr. Mormon furniture such as letter boxes and tool chests, including a trunk belonging to Lyman Wight, and boxes from Beaver Island. To make an appointment to see my collection, visit my Contact Information page. Mormon Americana Newsletter Subscribe your address to my occasional newsletter about Mormon Americana: Page 14