Origins of the Book of Abraham

Seeking answers to our questions can draw us closer to Jesus Christ if we apply sound principles. Studying reliable sources is important when seeking answers to gospel-related questions. See the topic “Consult Reliable Sources” to explore more tips on answering questions.

Overview

The book of Abraham is a book of inspired scripture given by revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith. It follows the biblical account of the ancient patriarch in some respects and adds important information about his life and teachings. It contains profound truths about the nature of God, His relationship to us as His children, and the purpose of this life.

This book of scripture was revealed to Joseph Smith beginning in 1835 at a time when he was studying some ancient Egyptian papyri the Saints had purchased. Many people saw the papyri, but no eyewitness account of the translation process exists. Only small fragments of the long papyrus scrolls once in Joseph’s possession exist today. The relationship between the Egyptian writings on those papyri and the scriptural text we have today is not known.

Joseph Smith may have translated the book of Abraham from portions of the papyrus that are now missing, or his study of the papyrus may have served as a catalyst leading to a revelation about Abraham. In either case, Joseph did not translate the book by conventional means. Speaking of the translation of the Book of Mormon, the Lord said, “You cannot write that which is sacred save it be given you from me.” The same principle applies to the book of Abraham.

The truth and value of the book of Abraham cannot be settled by scholarly debate. Its status as scripture lies in the eternal truths it teaches and the powerful spirit it conveys. Each of us can study its teachings and pray for confirmation from the Holy Ghost that its message is from God.

Related gospel study guides:

“Prophets”
“Revelation”
“Truth”

Exploring Your Questions

How did Joseph Smith translate the book of Abraham?

The Prophet Joseph Smith did not explain how he translated the book of Abraham. We know that he and others carefully studied the Egyptian papyrus scrolls the Church acquired, but he did not understand ancient Egyptian or have access to tools that could help him translate the text by conventional means. Joseph’s associates recalled simply that the translation was revealed by God. As John Whitmer observed, “Joseph the Seer saw these Record[s] and by the revelation of Jesus Christ could translate these records.” Sources suggest that Joseph Smith may have used a seer stone while he dictated the text of the book of Abraham.

Most of the papyri that were in Joseph’s possession are now lost, though some fragments have survived. They consist of two fragments of the Book of Breathing for Horos; four fragments and several scraps of the Book of the Dead for Semminis; and a fragment from the Book of the Dead for Nefer-ir-nebu. Both Latter-day Saint and non–Latter-day Saint Egyptologists agree that the characters on these fragments do not match the translation given in the book of Abraham.

Some Latter-day Saints believe that the text of the book of Abraham was found on the papyri that are now missing. Others conclude that Joseph’s study of the papyri prompted a revelation about key events and teachings in the life of Abraham, much as he had earlier received a revelation about the life of Moses while studying the Bible. According to this view, the papyri acted as the catalyst for a revelation about Abraham.

The Church does not take a position on these theories. It simply affirms that the translation was accomplished by revelation. Like the Book of Mormon, the book of Abraham came forth by “the gift and power of God.”

What is the relationship between the book of Abraham and the Egyptian language documents?

From July 1835 to November 1835, Joseph Smith and his scribes created several documents related to the characters on the Egyptian papyri. These include what are known as the “Egyptian Alphabet Documents” and the “Grammar and Alphabet of the Egyptian Language.” The documents appear to be part of a quest by Joseph and others to understand ancient languages and concepts so they could connect to a sacred past. Joseph Smith and his scribes copied characters from the papyri and other sources into these documents and suggested multiple explanations (called “degrees”) for each character. These explanations do not generally match scholarly interpretations.

Joseph Smith and his contemporaries did not explain how these documents relate to the book of Abraham. Some scholars believe they were an attempt to learn Egyptian using the already revealed portions of the book of Abraham text. Others conclude that Joseph and his associates created the Egyptian language documents as part of the process through which Joseph received revelation—by “study[ing] it out in [his] mind” first. Still others believe that neither of these theories is correct.

Does the book of Abraham use language from the King James Version of the Bible?

The King James Version (KJV) of the Bible had a profound effect on the English language. It was especially well known to people in Joseph Smith’s time. Revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants frequently include phrases found in the KJV. So do the translations of the Book of Mormon, book of Moses, and book of Abraham. It is natural that KJV language or even words and phrases from other sources known to Joseph Smith would appear in these scriptures. The Lord explained that He gives revelation to His servants “after the manner of their language, that they might come to understanding.” Joseph’s language was strongly influenced by the culture in which he lived and especially by his familiarity with the KJV.

Several passages from Abraham’s narrative overlap with the book of Genesis. Though these passages include some phrasing from the familiar biblical account, they also contain significant differences that can enrich our understanding.

What do we know about Joseph Smith’s explanations of the book of Abraham facsimiles?

The book of Abraham includes three print illustrations, known as facsimiles, which are based on images on the papyri. These facsimiles were included when the book of Abraham was first published in 1842. Joseph Smith’s explanations of the images were published alongside the facsimiles. The illustrations are referenced in the book of Abraham text. For example, Abraham 1:12 refers to “the representation at the commencement of this record,” meaning Facsimile 1.

Most of the explanations Joseph published with the facsimiles do not match the interpretations of modern Egyptologists. However, scholars have noted some parallels. For example, Joseph Smith described the four figures in figure 6 of Facsimile 2 as “this earth in its four quarters.” Other scholars have similarly interpreted identical figures in other ancient Egyptian texts. Facsimile 1 contains a crocodile deity swimming in what Joseph Smith called “the firmament over our heads.” Scholars have similarly identified Egyptian conceptions of heaven as “a heavenly ocean.”

We don’t know how the facsimiles relate to the text. There is evidence that some Jewish authors during the era in which the papyri were created adapted and incorporated Egyptian drawings and stories into their own sacred texts, including those relating to Abraham. It is possible that these illustrations were repurposed in a similar way.

Has the Church been transparent about what we know about the papyri and their contents?

Yes. Throughout its history, the Church has publicly shared its knowledge about the Egyptian texts that are related to the book of Abraham. The Church had two Egyptian papyrus rolls and fragments of a third from 1835 to 1847. During that period, the papyri were regularly shown to the public. After Joseph Smith’s death, Emma Smith and her second husband sold them to a man named Abel Combs, who divided them into at least two collections and sold them to other parties. Many were lost. When the Church obtained the remaining papyrus fragments from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City in 1967, it published an announcement of the acquisition and images of the fragments in the Deseret News and in the Church’s magazine of that time, the Improvement Era. These articles discussed the fragments’ origin and their relation to what was identified at the time as the Egyptian funerary Book of the Dead.

From that time forward, Church leaders gave some scholars direct access to the papyrus fragments, and both Latter-day Saint and non–Latter-day Saint scholars published translations and analyses of them. Only a small portion of the two papyrus rolls and various papyrus fragments held by Joseph Smith are known to have survived. In 2018, the Joseph Smith Papers published new images and analyses of all these fragments.

How many of the papyrus fragments are missing today?

Scholars generally agree that the papyri now in existence represent only a fraction of the two original scrolls and other fragments originally acquired by Joseph Smith and the Church. Researchers have used different methods for estimating the original length of the scrolls. Their estimates of what we have today range from as little as 2.5 percent to as much as 30 or 45 percent of the papyrus in Joseph’s possession.

Why does the book of Abraham claim to be written by Abraham’s own hand?

When the book of Abraham was first published in 1842, it opened with an explanation that read: “A translation of some ancient Records that have fallen into our hands, from the Catacombs of Egypt, purporting to be the writings of Abraham, while he was in Egypt, called the Book of Abraham, written by his own hand, upon papyrus.” An early manuscript version of the book of Abraham contains a similarly worded introduction. The introduction as it exists today was probably created when the book of Abraham was published in 1842. Similar introductions were included with the publication of a few of Joseph Smith’s other revelation texts.

Analysis shows that the papyri were written between the third and second centuries BC, long after Abraham lived. This dating does not disprove the content of the book of Abraham. Many ancient texts that exist today are copies of copies. Similarly, the book of Abraham could have been recopied multiple times over the centuries but still claim Abraham as its author.

Is the book of Abraham consistent with what we know about the ancient Near East?

The book of Abraham contains details that are not found in the Bible but are consistent with the literature of the ancient world. For example, some names of people and places are similar to names that have been found in ancient records. The “plain of Olishem,” for instance, has been connected by some scholars to a town in northwestern Syria called Ulisum. This is a very plausible match for Olishem following standard linguistic practices. Similarly, the god of Elkenah has been suggested by some Latter-day Saint scholars to represent a shortened form of the divine title El Koneh Artzu, which is known from a variety of northwest Semitic inscriptions and means something like “El, Creator of the Earth.”

Some of the general themes and the narrative structure of the book of Abraham parallel stories from ancient non-biblical sources. These include Abraham’s father, Terah, being an idolater; a famine striking Abraham’s hometown; and an angel rescuing Abraham from human sacrifice at the hands of an Egyptian pharaoh. Ancient texts also refer to Abraham instructing the Egyptians about the heavens. For example, Eupolemus, who lived under Egyptian rule in the second century BC, wrote that Abraham taught astronomy and other sciences to the Egyptian priests. A third-century BC papyrus from an Egyptian temple library mentions the name Abraham with an illustration similar to Facsimile 1 in the book of Abraham. Some of these details about Abraham’s life were generally unknown in Joseph Smith’s day.

While these examples are compelling, there are also many examples of Joseph Smith’s interpretations of the facsimiles that are not consistent with what we currently know about the ancient world. While acknowledging there is much we do not understand about the translation process, it is important to remember that the truth and value of the book of Abraham cannot be settled by scholarly debate concerning the book’s translation. Reading the book of Abraham, pondering its content, and praying about its teachings can help you gain a spiritual witness of its eternal value.

How can I gain a testimony of the book of Abraham and other scriptures revealed to Joseph Smith?

There is much we don’t know about the way the book of Abraham was revealed to Joseph Smith. But in many ways, our questions about the process are less important than the question of whether God revealed new scripture to Joseph Smith. This is a matter of faith. The best way to receive spiritual confirmation to this question is to read the book of Abraham, ponder the truths it reveals, put its teachings into practice, and seek a witness from the Holy Ghost. This process can help us draw nearer to Jesus Christ. That is the ultimate test of the value of the book of Abraham.

Learn more

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