Facsimile 1: Recumbent on sacrificial alter: Abraham
Standing: the idolatrous priest of Elkenah
Bird = angel of the Lord
Below sacrificial altar separate idolatrous gods
Facsimile 2: Centre and top = Kolob
Top right: God sitting on throne
Lower third: Earth
Facsimile 3: Abraham sitting on throne
King Pharaoh standing behind
Prince of Pharaoh, Shulem & Olimlah before Abraham
It is difficult to deal seriously with Joseph Smith’s impudent fraud. His facsimile from the Book of Abraham No 2 is an ordinary hypocephalus, but the hieroglyphics upon it have been copied so ignorantly that hardly one of them is correct.
Number 3 is a representation of the Goddess Maat leading the Pharaoh before Osiris, behind whom stand the Goddess Isis. Smith has turned the Goddess into a king and Osiris into Abraham. Dr A H Sayce, Oxford University
It may be safely said that there is not one single word that is true in these explanations. W M Flinders Petrie, London University
Joseph Smith’s interpretation of these cuts is a farrago of nonsense from beginning to end. Egyptian characters can now be read almost as easily as Greek, and five minutes’ study in an Egyptian gallery of any museum should be enough to convince any educated man of the clumsiness of the imposture. Dr Arthur C Mace, Department of Egyptian Art assistant curator Metropolitan Museum of Art New York
So why don’t any of these numbers consist of real Egyptian characters ...? Obviously, Joseph Smith didn’t know real Egyptian! The only Egyptian characters Smith used that were genuine Egyptian characters were those he borrowed from the papyri. The papyri were quite obviously grammatical and not mathematical so there is no reason to suspect Joseph Smith would borrow characters from the papyri while ascertaining Egyptian numbers. This meant Joseph Smith had to rely on ‘revelation’ in order to divine the Egyptian numbers. That Masonic symbols were integrated therein is hardly surprising since these Masonic symbols represented numbers. Kevin Graham, board post 10th August 2010 ‘Thoughts on Doomsday’s Aftermath’, of Kirtland Egyptian papers
Abraham Chapter 1: The Egyptian priest sacrifices whoever he can lay hands on, and in v11 wastes three virgins. No doubt the Sun-God was grateful, but the early mention of virgins is an insight into the mind of Joseph Smith. In v10 we meet the usual obsession with seed, a common Book of Mormon theme captured from the Bible. In v12 Abraham says: ‘I will refer you to the representation at the commencement of this record’ – a nineteenth-century form of words. In v15 an angel loosens Abraham’s bands, a recognisable Joseph Smith theme. In v18 we meet again the useless intensifier even (as found in the Book of Moses). Abraham claims to have a record of his fathers, again an adopted theme found in the early Book of Mormon. esias
Even the thank-offering of a child did the priest of Pharaoh offer upon the altar which stood by the hill called Potiphar’s Hill, at the head of the plain of Olishem. Book of Abraham 1:10
Abraham Chapter 2: In v1 the Lord, presumably with nothing better to do, waxes the famine. At v5 many flocks have remained despite the famine! At v6 the Lord appears unto Abraham with seemingly no problem. And v7 the Lord is intent on boasting how big he is, ‘the earth is my footstool’ – all very impressive (and again a Book of Mormon theme). The Lord comes up with Sarah calling herself Abraham’s sister – showing that the Lord (Jesus?) has a nicely developed sense of deception. esias
Now the Lord God caused the famine to wax sore in the land of Ur, insomuch that Haran, my brother, died; but Terah, my father, yet lived in the land of Ur, of the Chaldees.
But I, Abraham, and Lot, my brother’s son, prayed unto the Lord, and the Lord appeared unto me, and said unto me: Arise, and take Lot with thee; for I have purposed to take thee away out of Haran, and to make of thee a minister to bear my name in a strange land which I will give unto thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession, when they hearken to my voice.
And the Lord appeared unto me in answer to my prayers, and said unto me: Unto thy seed will I give this land. Book of Abraham 2:1&6&19
Facsimile 2 is from a common Egyptian funeral text, but not for Joseph. esias
Abraham Chapter 3: In v3 and v9 The Kolob-sun governs planets like the Earth! A Urim and Thummin allows Abraham to see the stars and talk to God. Kolob circuits at a thousand years – making Kolob a super-star. In v5 and v7 the moon is accounted greater than the earth because it revolves slower and because of its directness above the Earth – news to modern astronomers! Why does the Lord deem it necessary that Abraham needs to know the timings of the planets? Perhaps at force here is the dark energy astronomers have been looking for! In v11 Abraham talks to the Lord apparently with no problem. In v23 God in Heaven gathers his elect and makes them rulers, thereby setting the measure of favouritism that is most objectionable – how must the rest have felt! The Lord differentiates himself from Jesus, who is most like unto God – does God mean the one who looks most like Him, or is Jesus the most like-minded in fascism? esias
And I, Abraham, had the Urim and Thummim, which the Lord my God had given unto me, in Ur of the Chaldees;
And the Lord said unto me: These are the governing ones; and the name of the great one is Kolob, because it is near unto me, for I am the Lord thy God: I have set this one to govern all those which belong to the same order as that upon which thou standest.
And the Lord said unto me, by the Urim and Thummim, that Kolob was after the manner of the Lord, according to its times and seasons in the revolutions thereof; that one revolution was a day unto the Lord, after his manner of reckoning, it being one thousand years according to the time appointed unto that whereon thou standest. This is the reckoning of the Lord’s time, according to the reckoning of Kolob.
And he said unto me: This is Shinehah, which is the sun. And he said unto me: Kokob, which is star. And he said unto me: Olea, which is the moon. And he said unto me: Kokaubeam, which signifies stars, or all the great lights, which were in the firmament of heaven.
And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born. Book of Abraham 3:1&3&4&13&23
Facsimile 3 looks like a common Egyptian funeral text, but not for Joseph. esias
Abraham Chapter 4 (and Chapter 5): a dreary rehash of the Creation story (already given in Moses) – why would God give us this re-repeat? Answer: plagiarism is easier for Joseph Smith. Dig this English in v4: ‘And they (the Gods) comprehended the light, for it was bright’. Compared to what? Here we have the Gods doing the creating cf. God creates (as found in Moses). esias
And then the Lord said: Let us go down. And they went down at the beginning, and they, that is the Gods, organized and formed the heavens and the earth. Book of Abraham 4:1
But of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the time that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die. Now I, Abraham, saw that it was after the Lord’s time, which was after the time of Kolob; for as yet the Gods had not appointed unto Adam his reckoning. Book of Abraham 5:13
JOSEPH SMITH’S TRANSLATION of MATTHEW: esias
This purports to be a translation of the Bible – what original document did Joseph Smith translate? esias
Ironically, a warning against Joseph Smith is made in v5 and others: ‘And Jesus answered, and said unto them: Take heed that no man deceive you.
‘For many shall come in my name, saying – I am Christ – and shall deceive many.
‘And many false prophets shall arise, and shall deceive many.
‘For in those days there shall also arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch, that, if possible, they shall deceive the very elect according to the covenant.’ Haha.
Jesus speaks of gathering his elect (v37) which sounds like rank favouritism.
The Book of Matthew, Joseph Smith stylie, appears to be a random collection of Joseph’s restyled verses. esias
And except those days should be shortened, there should none of their flesh be saved; but for the elect’s sake, according to the covenant, those days shall be shortened.
Behold I speak for mine elect’s sake; for nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
And immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven shall be shaken.