I will include an open response to his explanation. He then tried to use the translation as a way to figure out the egyptian, which didnt work and which might have been more focused on by some other men like w. Major chronology problems in book of abraham life after. Why doesnt the translation of the egyptian papyri found in. The book of abraham issues translation problems mormonthink. Ces letter is one latterday saint s honest quest to get official answers from the lds church on its troubling origins, history, and practices. For lds, the two biggest problems that arise are 1 the text found just next to what we call facsimile 1 in the papyrus fragment that the church owns is not the story of abraham, but is rather from an egyptian funerary text. The book of abraham is a sacred text to the latterday saints, in the same way the koran is to moselms. The book of abraham expands upon the nature of the priesthood in the latter day saint movement, and it is suggested in the work that those who are foreordained to the priesthood earned this right by valor or nobility in the premortal life. Its puzzling that the churchs essay not only omits the most important evidence bearing on the papyris relation to the book of abraham, but also propounds the above misleading and easilyrefuted arguments. Mormon and nonmormon egyptologists agree that the characters on the fragments do not match the translation given in the book of abraham.
Joseph smith and the lds church for over 170 years have claimed that the book of abraham is a translation of a portion of the papyri scrolls purchased by the church in 1835 kirtland, ohio, and that this portion contains the writings of abraham written by abraham s own hand. Why doesnt the translation of the egyptian papyri found. Jeremy runnells was offered an opportunity to discuss his own doubts with a director of the church educational system ces and was assured that his doubts could be resolved. Many of the problems addressed in these books were not entirely clear until i read tom fergusons. Tight vs loose translation theories and why they matter. While translating the book of mormon, he used the urim and thummim rather than dictionaries and grammars of the language. The lds reaction to these issues is confined to a few citations in the section on the.
Following the release of the new saints book from the lds church. Explores the joseph smith papyrus and demonstrates that joseph smiths claim that he had translated the book of abraham from it was a fabrication. Mormon handbook the book of abraham since abraham lived before moses, who authored the torah the first five books of the old testament, it would make the papyrus older than the book of genesis. Mormon essays publishes links to the recent essays written by the church of jesus christ of latterday saints, or the mormon church. Abraham refers to a picture in the text of the book of abraham abr. Why doesnt the translation of the egyptian papyri found in 1967.
Major chronology problems in book of abraham 02032018 by lifeafterministry abraham 3. However, there are some serious problems associated with this assumption. Gospel topics essay, translation and historicity of the book of abraham at lds church official website. Of all the issues, the book of abraham is the issue that has both fascinated and disturbed me the most. Mormon and non mormon egyptologists agree that the characters on the fragments do not match the translation given in the book of abraham. Ritners response to the book of abraham essay general. Dna studies annotated problems with deuteroisaiah in the book of mormon. It is evident that writings of abraham while he was in egypt, of which our printed book of abraham is a copy, must of necessity be older than original text of genesis. For many, the book of abraham is problematic, a real shelfbreaker. Yet, the latterday saint view of the work is never given a clear airing. It is evident that the writings of abraham while he was in egypt, of which our printed book of abraham is a copy, must of necessity be older than. An open response to an apologists explanation of the book of. Translation and historicity of the book of abraham response. In fact, part of the outer border of facsimile two in the book of abraham has some of these unrelated fragments inserted in it.
Criticism of mormonismwebsitesmormonthinkthe book of abraham. There is no reason why faithful latterday saints must reject joseph smith or the book of abraham, although there still are questions and issues without easy answers at the moment. Yet, the latterday saint view of the work is never given a. My latest read was an ldsrelated book, john gees newly published an introduction to the book of abraham salt lake city and provo, ut. Below is a summary of quotes from the article, with my comments in parenthesis. More book of abraham problems seymour bloom writes as you most certainly know, the mormon apologists cannot adequately answer the criticisms of the book of abraham. The lds church canonized the book of abraham by unanimous vote of the first presidency and the quorum of the 12 in 1880. My next comment that follows, will be on a subject that ive not yet heard in mormon discussions of criticism or apologetic writings. I saw this on my facebook feed, curious is people have seen this yet, it is a response by robert ritner specifically to the lds gospel topics essay on the book of abraham. Feb 05, 2014 there are lots of things that could be said about the book of abraham. What do you think of the lds churchs book of abraham. Criticism of mormonismwebsitesmormonthinkthe book of. The veracity and value of the book of abraham cannot be settled by scholarly debate concerning the books translation and historicity, a new lds church essay concludes.
The author notes that, egyptologists have found the source material for the book of abraham to be nothing more than a common pagan egyptian funerary text for a deceased man named hor in 1st century ad. This is not to imply that baer supports the lds position on the book of abraham. The relationship between the book of abraham and the joseph smith egyptian papyri continues to receive scholarly attention from the oriental institute of the university of chicago. How the book of abraham exposes the false nature of. If only the lack of reference to abraham were the problem, yet virtually everything smith translated or sketched relating to the text and facsimiles is incorrect. For example, in an article previously on the byu site and linked from here with the title criticisms of joseph smith and the book of abraham, there is a very weak rebuttal to.
The lds church acknowledges in its gospel topics essay. The dishonesty of mormon apologetics on facts are the. Before we go any further, i must comment on the word embraces. After reading jeremys letter, the director promised him a response. Although the picture found as facsimile one in the book of abraham stands at the beginning of the book of breathings, this does not necessarily mean that it belongs to the text. F or many mormons, an examination of the book of abraham and its true history becomes the most significant stumbling block to joseph smiths claim as a prophetic translator of ancient languages. We now have the churchs official answers and we now have one of the worlds most respected egyptologists direct response to the churchs new answers. Mormon apologists have attempted to give some possible answers to the problems surrounding the book of abraham. Both lds and nonlds scholars agree the pieces of papyrus scroll we have today were those possessed by joseph smith and used to produce the book of abraham. The book of abraham also introduced the first and only scriptural basis for denying the priesthood to blacks the authors of mormonthink makes the following claim.
Fascinating circular footnotesone of the things i love about blogging and writing occasional articles for the interpreter, meridian magazine or other places is the ability to get rapid feedback from those with different perspectives and other sources of information. Just this last week, the church reemphasized the importance of its new essays in addressing thorny doctrinal topics. A comprehensive list of the problems with mormonism. These articles address specific issues related to book of abraham astronomical concepts. Translation and historicity of the book of abraham a response. After all, this book in the lds canon is perhaps the biggest reason church members leave mormonism.
Criticism of mormonismonline documentsletter to a ces. The book of abraham was translated by joseph smith from some ancient egyptian papyri and is part of the cannon of lds scripture. The above donut chart shows percentages of the book of abraham section of letter to a ces director that fairmormon is in agreement, disagreement, and neutral on if one assumes that fairmormons undisputed silence is acceptance of the facts, fairmormon agrees with 90. The back and latterday saint blogs is a portal for mainstream blogs about the church. Official church response to book of abraham problems ensign, july 1988, page 51. While translating the book of mormon, he used the urim and thummim rather. With the book of abraham problems, the shelf fell finally and swiftly off the wall. Historicity of the book of abraham, the lds church suggests the relationship of these documents to the book of abraham is not fully understood. Historicity of the book of abraham that none of the characters on the papyrus fragments mentioned abraham s name or any of the events recorded in the book of abraham. Contrary to what some mormon apologists claim or imply, a person does not have to be an egyptologist or a scholar with a phd to clearly understand the book of abraham problems and challenges to joseph smiths claims of being a translator. The papyri are not old enough to be what joseph claimed, and they dont say what joseph claimed.
Joseph first translated the book of abraham by the power of god. The book of abraham, found in the pearl of great price, is considered to be canonical by the lds church. Lds and non lds egyptologists and both groups have indicated clearly that the scrolls are funerary texts that have nothing to do with abraham. In just words we explain the problems with joseph smith and the book of abraham and then detail why the lds apologetic responses. This book is aimed for a broad audience with an interest in the book of abraham. The book of abraham is a book of lds scripture that joseph smith translated from a collection of ancient egyptian papyri the church purchased. Lds church publishes new web essay on book of abraham. This page deals primarily with the question of the source of the book of abraham now available online at lds. Many of the problems addressed in these books were not entirely clear until i read tom fergusons biography and by his own hand. More recently the lds church has softened its position on the book of abraham.
Part 2 deals with the content of the book and joseph smiths comments on three egyptian drawings that have been attached to the published book of abraham. My latest read was an lds related book, john gees newly published an introduction to the book of abraham salt lake city and provo, ut. It is evident that writings of abraham while he was in egypt, of which our printed book of abraham is a copy, must of necessity be. Translation and historicity of the book of abraham university of. An open response to an apologists explanation of the book. Thousands of years ago, the prophet nephi learned that one purpose of the book of mormon was to establish the truth of the. The book of abraham papyri a half century later today is the 50th anniversary of the dramatic front page of the november 27th 1967 deseret news, revealing that the lds church had received from the metropolitan museum of art some of the. If the papyri were the record of abraham while he was in egypt, they would be the oldest extant manuscript of biblical material. The dating of the associated documents and their relationship to the book of abraham text thus become evidence for one position or another. Mormon and nonmormon egyptologists agree that the characters on the fragments do. As you most certainly know, the mormon apologists cannot adequately answer the criticisms of the book of abraham.
I already knew what fairmormon and other unofficial mormon apologists answers to these issues were and it was their answers that pushed me further down my. This ensign article is the closest thing to an official response to the problems with the book of abraham. There is no excuse for 21st century latterday saints to remain ignorant, unclear or confused on the facts and problems of the book of abraham. Translation and historicity of the book of abraham a.
Ritner, like before, wants to insist that lds members must believe abraham himself wrote the text, and what we have is a perfect copy of what abraham wrote, and since there are elements in the text after abraham, therefore this book is false. Disproves lds claims that joseph smith received the book of abraham through revelation and proves that joseph smiths source for his translation was a pagan egyptian text, the book of breathings. Lds essay on polygamypolyandry in kirtland and nauvoo annotated lds essay. Professor ritners response originally appeared as a pdf document on the universitys oriental institute website. The essays seek to explain the events in an easy to understand format for both members of the church and other individuals that may be interested in mormon history. The book of abraham is easily the most esoteric book in the latterday saint canon. The book of abraham skinny frequently, when reading a discussion on the lds problem of the book of abraham, the apologists and critics beat around the bushconfusing the reader. The essay is mostly a historical recap of the churchs treatment of blacks regarding the priesthood and few things are really explained. We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell. In other words, it was a common breathing permit that the egyptians buried with their dead. Deseret book and byu religious studies center, 2017. Recently, i was forwarded a response received by a concerned member who wrote his byu professor of ancient scripture regarding the book of abraham problem.
He did it with the book of mormon, book of abraham, and the temple rituals. The lds church issued a new article on the book of abraham on its official website in 2014, arguing that it does not matter that the text of the book of abraham does not match the text of the papyri translation and historicity of the book of abraham a response mormons in transition. How can the mormon church leaders embrace the book of abraham. Explaining the problems with the book of abraham and explaining why the apologetics lostlong scroll or catalyst theory can not be reconciled with the evidence and book itself in just 1,000 words. Response to claims made on mormonthink page the book of abraham jump to subtopic. Oct 24, 2017 the book of abraham was translated by joseph smith from some ancient egyptian papyri and is part of the cannon of lds scripture. In this article, egyptologist robert ritner responds to that article. For example, in an article previously on the byu site and linked from here with the title criticisms of joseph smith and the book of abraham, there is a very weak rebuttal to the charge that joseph smith filled in portions of. May 27, 2015 book of abraham historicity problems indie mormon posted on may 27, 2015 by steve otteson august 27, 2016 the book of abraham is considered scripture by the lds church and is found in the pearl of great price, one of the four standard works that make up lds scripture canon.
The dishonesty of mormon apologetics on facts are the problem obfuscation is the strategy. The professor holds a phd in the field of ancient scripture and provided the following response. The gospel topic page addresses all of these difficult issues. Joseph smith and the lds church for over 170 years have claimed that.
How the book of abraham exposes the false nature of mormonism. The lds church has done its best to respond to two difficult problems with the book of abraham papyri. In a nutshell, fragments of the papyri joseph used in his translation of the boa were discovered in 1967, and upon inspection by competent egyptologists, the characters turn out to have little to do with the text of the book of abraham. May 15, 2017 the dishonesty of mormon apologetics on lds. The little volume of scripture known as the book of abraham will someday be recognized as one of the most remarkable documents in existence. The book of abraham was canonized in 1880 by the lds church, and it remains a part of the larger scriptural work, the pearl of great price. The church released its official response to the book of abraham in its. Lds essay on the book of mormon translation annotated lds essay on the book of mormon. Fortunately, the lds church is now making fairmormon and their unofficial. Searching for parallels to explain problems away march 24, 2020 a response to a recent social media post about how the church was positioned by god for the coronavirus outbreak. As a true believer, i had read nibleys the joseph smith papyri and abraham in egypt.
The restoration of the fulness of the gospel of jesus christ. The lds church has done its best to respond to two difficult problems with the book of abraham. Translation and historicity of the book of abraham. Ritner, a leading egyptologist at the university of chicago and an expert on the joseph smith papyri, responds to the 2014 article on the book of abraham that appeared on the lds churchs official website.
Each of these approaches can be held by faithful latterday saints. Over time, latterday saints have proposed two basic ways of thinking about the relationship between the book of abraham text and. The kep shouldnt condemn joseph as it was a completely separate endeavor. Find messages of christ to uplift your soul and invite the spirit. The lds church admits on their website that the book of abraham is not a translation of the papyri joseph claimed it was a translation of.
For instance, on a webpage previously housed at byu, a farms author avoids the most obvious question that any lds person would have regarding facsimile 2. Book of abraham historicity problems indie mormon posted on may 27, 2015 by steve otteson august 27, 2016 the book of abraham is considered scripture by the lds church and is found in the pearl of great price, one of the four standard works that make up lds scripture canon. Official website of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. Explaining the problems with the book of abraham and explaining why the apologetics lostlong scroll or catalyst theory can not be reconciled with the evidence and book itself. The book of abraham also introduced the first and only scriptural basis for denying the priesthood to blacks, the churchs official position until 1978. The churchs essay on this topic attempts to reconcile the problematic nature of the book of abrahams origin with the doctrinal importance of its contents. An essay on race and the priesthood was added on 128 in the topical guide of the website. My primary concern is that the views of both sides of the issue regarding the boas accuracy and authenticity taint the core articles objectivity. The relationship between the book of abraham and the joseph smith egyptian papyri continues to receive scholarly attention from the.
The papyri are not old enough to be what joseph claimed, and they dont say what. The book of abraham narrative clearly demonstrates the manner in which the lds church has worked diligently to massage the facts to continue to defend its truth claims. Debunking fairmormon letter to a ces director book of abraham. The church of jesus christ of latterday saints embraces the book of abraham as scripture. It introduces what scholars call a catalyst theory to hypothesize how smith created the text through revelation from god, being inspired by the papyri artifacts. Ritners response to lds statement on the book of abraham. Many of the essays address controversial issues from the churchs history. There are a lot of resources giving the orthodox lds response to the boa issue. More book of abraham problems seymour bloom writes. The lds church issued a new article on the book of abraham on its official website in 2014, arguing that it does not matter that the text of the book of abraham does not match the text of the papyri joseph smith said he had translated. Debunking fairmormon letter to a ces director book of. And there stood one among them that was like unto god, and he said unto those who were with him. The second approach suggests that, as a result of this study, joseph received the text of the book of abraham by revelation.
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