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Joseph Smith's Explanations of Facsimile 1 of the Book of Abraham
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Joseph Smith's Explanations of Facsimile 1 of the Book of Abraham
Summary: This page will discuss Joseph Smith's Explanations of Facsimile 1 of the Book of Abraham.
| Facsimile 1 | Joseph Smith's Explanation | Modern Egyptologists' Explanation | Commentary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fig. 1 | The Angel of the Lord | Some say that this is the "ba-spirit" of Hor: the owner of this papyrus. Others say it the ba-spirit Osiris, miscopied with the head of a bird rather than that of a human. | Angels were part of the larger spiritual world of the Egyptians. They could transform themselves into "falcons, phoenixes, herons, geese, swallows, ibises, vultures, [or] other birds." They could "could cause health, sickness, childbirth, financial distress, or general malady. They could also send dreams, lead men and women, do work, fight demons, light lamps, kill, move ships" as well as "open doors, travel through fire, loose bonds, drive away crocodiles, snakes, vultures, pigs, cockroaches, and other undesirable creatures, control water, winds, fire, and enemies, brings bread, water, beer, and other foods."[1] Joseph Smith's identification of this bird as an angel of the Lord fits within the overall context of how angels are represented in ancient Egyptian literature. |
| Fig. 2 | Abraham fastened upon an altar. | The prone image of Hor, according to some, or Osiris, according to others. | Pearl of Great Price Central has documented the connections that Latter-day Saint scholars have made between Osiris and Abraham in antiquity. As summarized by Kerry Muhlestein, "there are enough instances where Abraham appears in contexts normally occupied by Osiris that we must conclude the Egyptians saw some sort of connection."[2] |
| Fig. 3 | The idolatrous priest of Elkenah attempting to offer up Abraham as a sacrifice. | The jackal-headed Anubis, god of mummification, extending his hand to ensure the resurrection of the mummy of the deceased Osiris ... Although most of Anubis' head is now missing, the back of his wig still appears above his shoulder and his dark skin is evident | Pearl of Great Price Central has demonstrated that "the identification of this figure as a priest is not outside the realm of possibility from an Egyptological perspective." In an article for BYU Studies, Stephen O. Smoot, John S. Thompson, Kerry Muhlestein, and John Gee have documented that Elkenah was indeed a Mesopotamian deity. Elkenah is never mentioned in the Bible as the name of a deity. However, Joseph Smith was somehow able to determine that this deity existed and was worshipped from the time of Abraham to the time of Jesus Christ. Both of Joseph Smith's identifications make sense from an Egyptological perspective. |
| Fig. 4 | The altar for sacrifice by the idolatrous priests, standing before the gods of Elkenah, Libnah, Mahmackrah, Korash, and Pharaoh. | A customary, "lion-headed" funeral bier. | No comment at this time. |
| Fig. 5 | The idolatrous god of Elkenah. | The deity Qebehseneuf, protector of the intestines. | See commmentary on this under Fig. 3. |
| Fig. 6 | The idolatrous god of Libnah. | The deity Duamutef, protector of the stomach. | While we are as of yet uncertain why Joseph Smith identified Duamutef with another deity, the name of the Mesopotamian deity Libnah is attested anciently.[3] |
| Fig. 7 | The idolatrous god of Mahmackrah. | The deity Hapy, protector of the lungs. | While we are as of yet uncertain why Joseph Smith identified Hapy with another deity, the name Mahmackrah as the name of a Mesopotamian deity is attested anciently.[4] |
| Fig. 8 | The idolatrous god of Korash. | The deity Imsety, protector of the liver. | While we are as of yet uncertain why Joseph Smith identified Imsety with another deity, the name Korash as the name of a Mesopotamian deity is attested anciently. That deity was "involved in cursing those seen as disobedient to the king, who were destroyed, which parallels Abraham 1:5‒13."[5] |
| Fig. 9 | The idolatrous god of Pharaoh. | According to some, this is the god Horus. According to others, it is the crocodile who aided in the collection of the dismembered limbs of Osiris. | A powerful case can be made that the "god of Pharaoh" was the ancient Egyptian deity Sobek. Sobek was often depicted as a crocodile. As summarized by Wikipedia, "Sobek was also associated with pharaonic power, fertility, and military prowess, but served additionally as a protective deity with apotropaic qualities, invoked especially for protecting others from the dangers presented by the Nile." That a Pharaoh would turn to this idolatrous god seems reasonable. Sobek was often depicted as a simple crocodile. Images of his crocodile form can also be found on Wikipedia. This is, simply, a bullseye for the Book of Abraham. |
| Fig. 10 | Abraham in Egypt. | A libation table with a spouted vessel and Nile water lily or lotus flowers, bearing wines, oils, etc. Common in Egypt. | Hugh Nibley has shown that the lotus flower could represent virtually anything in ancient Egyptian iconography. Specifically, the lotus could serve as a welcome gift from host to guest.[6] Perhaps this could be an appropriate sign for Abraham, a sojourner in Egypt. |
| Fig. 11 | Designed to represent the pillars of heaven, as understood by the Egyptians. | A 'niched-brick' palace facade, called a “serekh”. Originally an architectural feature that became an artistic convention for the decoration of the dado of sacred wall scenes. | No comment at this time. |
| Fig. 12 | Raukeeyang, signifying expanse, or the firmament over our heads; but in this case, in relation to this subject, the Egyptians meant it to signify Shaumau, to be high, or the heavens, answering to the Hebrew word, Shaumahyeem. | A stream of Nile water, shown by the hatched lines. | The crocodile swims in water. Ancient Egyptian conceptions of heaven identified it as a "heavenly ocean."[7] The ancient Hebrews did as well. As Genesis records, "God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so" (Genesis 1:7). "Shamau" has, as of yet, not been identified to be an Egyptian word. "Raukeeyang" and "Shaumahyeem" are transliterations of Hebrew words. |
Notes
- ↑ John Gee, "'There Needs No Ghost, My Lord, Come from the Grave to Tell Us This': Dreams and Angels in Ancient Egypt," SBL S20-110, (2004), Egyptology and Ancient Israel Section.
- ↑ Kerry Muhlestein, “Abraham, Isaac, and Osiris-Michael: The Use of Biblical Figures in Egyptian Religion, A Survey,” in Achievements and Problems of Modern Egyptology: Proceedings of the International Conference Held in Moscow on September 29–October 2, 2009, ed. Galina A. Belova (Russian Academy of Sciences, Center for Egyptological Studies, 2009), 251.
- ↑ John Gee, "Four Idolatrous Gods in the Book of Abraham," Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 38 (2020): 142.
- ↑ Gee, "Four Idolatrous Gods," 143–45.
- ↑ Gee, "Four Idolatrous Gods," 145–49.
- ↑ Hugh Nibley, Abraham in Egypt (FARMS, 1981), 444–50.
- ↑ Erik Hornung, “Himmelsvorstellungen,” Lexikon der Ägyptologie, 7 vols. (Harrassowit, 1977–1989), 2:1216. John Gee, “A New Look at the Conception of the Human Being in Ancient Egypt,” in "Being in Ancient Egypt”: Thoughts on Agency, Materiality and Cognition, ed. Rune Nyord and Annette Kjølby (Archaeopress, 2009), 6–7, 12–13.