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The Book of Abraham and Joseph Smith's Hebrew Classes with Rabbi Joshua Seixas
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The Book of Abraham and Joseph Smith's Hebrew Classes with Rabbi Joshua Seixas
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Summary: Critics of the book of Abraham have long sought to establish that Joseph Smith plagiarized from various sources to create it. One of these alleged sources is the class in Hebrew Joseph Smith took starting in 1836 with Joshua Seixas as his teacher. Critics note that there are striking similarities between the transliteration system used in Seixas’ class and the book of Abraham.
The Similarities are Real
The first thing that we will note is that the similarities are indeed real. Below is a table of the Hebrew words that appear in the book of Abraham as well as how those words appear in both the book of Abraham and Sexias’ grammar book.[1]
| Book of Abraham Transliteration | Manual Hebrew Grammar (1834) Transliteration |
|---|---|
| Raukeeyang (Facsimile 1, Fig. 12; Fac. 2, Fig. 4) | raukeeyagn |
| Shaumau (Fac. 1, Fig. 12) | shaumau |
| Shaumahyeem (Fac. 1, Fig. 12) | shaumayeem |
| Kokob (Abraham 3:13) | kokaub |
| Kokaubeam (Abraham 3:13, 16) | kokaubeem |
| Hah-ko-kau-beam (Fac. 2, Fig. 5) | hakokaubeem |
| Gnolaum (Abraham 3:18) | gnolaum |
But the influence does not stop there. Kerry Muhelstein and Megan Hansen write:
The influence of Joseph’s grammar, authored by Rabbi Seixas, is also evident in the creation account portrayed in Abraham 4 and 5. Phrases like “organized and formed” (Abraham 4:1) instead of “created,” “expanse,” instead of “firmament,” “heavens” (Abraham 4:1) instead of “heaven,”and “empty and desolate” (Abraham 4:2) as opposed to “without form and void” are all phrases Joseph likely picked up from his Hebrew study and some of which he referenced elsewhere. Even an apparent use of the Hebrew hiphil verb form is present in Abraham 4:4. Various words and phrases which were clearly influenced by Joseph Smith’s Hebrew studies are used throughout the entire narrative of chapters 4 and 5. The same is true of representing creation being brought about by “gods” instead of “God,” something that Joseph Smith argued could be demonstrated in the Hebrew name for God. These elements are so thoroughly interwoven in the text of Abraham 4 and 5 that it is difficult to imagine them as glosses. Rather, they seem to represent integral features of the text.[2]
What Do The Similarities Mean?
Notes
- ↑ See Stephen O. Smoot, “Joseph Smith Jr. as a Translator: The Book of Abraham as Case Study,” Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 64 (2025): 357.
- ↑ Kerry Muhlestein and Megan Hansen, “'The Work of Translating': The Book of Abraham's Translation Chronology,” in Let Us Reason Together: Essays in Honor of the Life’s Work of Robert L. Millet, ed. J. Spencer Fluhman and Brent L. Top (Religious Studies Center; Salt Lake City: 2016), 150.