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. Last time i checkedit wasnt the critics that canonized the book of abrahamit was the members of the mormon church. The book of abraham is part of the pearl of great price, which mormons consider scripture. Lds apologetics and the battle for mormon history christian. The book of mormon tells of the people of jared, consisting of several families from the tower of babel, who migrated to america from the old world before abrahams time. Funerary texts, commonly referred to as the books of breathing, were regularly. Among the early book of abraham relatedmanuscripts that have survived from the days of joseph smith are a number of papers collectively referred to as the kirtland egyptian papers kep.
Joseph smith later translated those plates into what is now known as the book of mormon. In the introduction of the book of mormon, smith states that it is the record of gods dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the americas, which also contains the fullness of the everlasting. As for the difference between good and bad apologetics, i see the term apologetics in and of itself of having a negative connotation. You may wish to ask your mormon acquaintance to consider the following authoritative statements by their earlier and present prophets.
It is certainly not the intention, either of apologetics press or the author of this article, to insult, demean, or misrepresent mormons. The book of abraham is a book of lds scripture that joseph smith translated from a collection of ancient egyptian papyri the church purchased. Ashments book, the use of magical papyri to authenticate the book of abraham. An essay on the churchs website, titled translation and historicity of the book of abraham, explains. The book of abraham is a work produced between 1835 and 1842 by the latter day saints. Thousands of mormons left the church as the result of this discovery, while thousands more are completely unaware of this important piece of evidence. First, its doctrine often agrees with traditional christian beliefs in sometimes surprising ways and at other times undermines the bible and traditional christianity. Updated 122395 includes the smithsonian letter on the book of mormon. We have actual evidence that joseph smith was lying to mormons when he invented his new scripture the book of. Finally, he examines each of the facsimiles and discusses what egyptology says about the kinds of things found in the joseph. The book of abraham, it is hardly necessary to say, is a pure fabrication.
These pages were written while the saints lived in kirtland, ohio, and were recorded in the general time frame that joseph was translating the book of abraham. The book of mormon purports to be an inspired and accurate translation of an ancient historical narrative covering more than a thousand years. Dec 23, 2015 the false translation of the book of abraham, therefore, casts serious doubt on the book of mormon as well, forever debilitating josephs claim he was a true, inspired prophet of god. Smith once called the book of mormon the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion smith, 1902, 4. Extremely authoritative listing of criticisms and apologetic rebuttals. Robert ritners epic takedown of the lds churchs book of abraham essay. The book of mormon is one of four books accepted and promoted by the church of jesus christ of latterday saints lds the mormon church as scripture. Smith who had claimed to have translated the book of mormon from golden plates. The prophet had 11 witnesses of the plates and there were witnesses to the translation as well.
The book of mormon, and the quran ca021 2 timothy 3. Chase calls truths of the gospel of jesus christ that were previously unknown to church members of joseph smiths day. This translation was done by the power of god through special means. The papyri were acquired by members of the lds church in the 1830s in kirtland. Additionally, the book of mormon is in opposition to current mormon theology. Brief overview of the history of the book of abraham why the critics say it is problematic what workarounds apologists have. For many mormons, an examination of the book of abraham and its true history. The evidence is thoroughly detailed in an insiders view of mormon origins, chapter 1. Is the mormon my brother white, james r 9781599251202. Joseph smiths interpretation of these cuts is a farrago of nonsense from beginning to end.
On the other hand, the book of mormon easily is exposed as fiction when compared to and contrasted with the bible, which mormons claim is the word of god. Research resources books while the publishers of apologetics index operate from an orthodox, evangelical christian point of view, the intent of this site is to provide research resources from a variety of perspectives. Next, he discusses what we know about the translation process and the publication of this ancient book of scripture. Apologetics press the bible versus the book of mormon. Among the early bookofabrahamrelatedmanuscripts that have survived from the days of joseph smith are a number of papers collectively referred to as the kirtland egyptian papers kep. Joseph smith began the translation in 1835 after obtaining some egyptian papyri. Bill reel and radiofreemormons podcast parts 1, 2, and 3 introduction to book of abraham manuscriptsjoseph smith papers. This claim, of course, contradicts the above claim of. Simply put, if both the bible and the book of mormon were inspired by god, then they never would contradict each other.
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. Today we explore the book of abraham in radio free mormon style. Cuts 1 and 3 are inaccurate copies of well known scenes on funeral papyri, and cut 2 is a copy of one of the magical discs. Two professors in january 2019 shared their insights on the book of abraham based on their years of study in preparing a major volume on the subject for the joseph smith papers project. Its validity as scripture depends on its being historically authentic. Modern egyptology has discredited mormon scriptures such as the book of abraham, which depicts the patriarchs journey to egypt.
The theology of the book of mormon an introduction to the. The false translation of the book of abraham, therefore, casts serious doubt on the book of mormon as well, forever debilitating josephs claim he was a true, inspired prophet of god. The book of mormon s most spectacular recorded event was a postresurrection appearance of jesus christ himself among the nephite people 3 nephi 11. The books were readily available to joseph in the nauvoo library. Mormon apologetics never offers anything substantial, but instead usually ends up side stepping the issue altogether and presenting a straw man.
Fairmormon is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing welldocumented answers to criticisms of the doctrine, practice, and history of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. This december, he and robin jensen, from the church history department, released the joseph smith papers volume dedicated to the book of abraham. Thus the lds contends that the book of mormon is another testament of jesus christ. The content of the book of abraham, which joseph worked on for seven years, is essentially 100% accounted for by his use of five 19th century sources. The book of abraham has close affinities to a large. An inspired translation of the writings of abraham.
Egyptian books of breathing, the mormon book of abraham, and. With the resurfacing of the same papyri he used to do his book of abraham translation and the fact that he did not in any way do it correctly should be proof enough that joseph smith lied about his abilities from god. Chandler came to kirtland to exhibit some egyptian mummies. To find them search for fair mormon book of abraham on youtube. If the events it records did not happen, and if it is actually modern rather than ancient in origin, then the book of mormon cannot be the word of god. Discover the basic beliefs and values of the religion of mormonism from a christian perspective, and learn how it differs from christianity. Mormon apologist hugh nibleys opinion on what the original title of some. Fairmormon faithful answers to criticisms of the lds church. An immediate response from many of them is that it is a word with negative connotationsthat people are apologizing for the church. Thanks especially to the internet, several latterday saint lds, mormon apologetics groups have made it their business to actively defend the historicity of the book of mormon and the book of abraham as well as uphold the integrity of early mormon leaders.
The bible and the book of mormon cannot both contain the fullness of the everlasting gospel as mormons claim, for they are contradictory. This fact he tries to deny when he says, the book of abraham is not like the book of mormon. This is a clear attempt to say that it doesnt matter if the book of abraham is true or not, and insinuating that it might not be. Bill reel once again joins us and we proceed to lay out the following. Thirtysix pages of this volume were devoted to an article by l. These two books were connected by the man who said he was divinely gifted as a translator. As a former apologist not a former mormon, i am just. See my linebyline debunking of apologetics in the book of abraham section of debunking fairmormon. Answer no this book asks a question and then answers it with facts from the bible which christians exclusively use versus facts from the more evolved books than the bible which the mormons exclusively use such as the doctrine and covenants, book of abraham, book of mormon, etc.
The amount of scholarship in mormon studies increased after world war ii. Joseph smith claimed that an angel appeared to him and revealed the location of some golden plates on which was written the account of the ancient people of the americas. The book of mormon tells of the people of jared, consisting of several families from the tower of babel, who migrated to america from the old world before abraham s time. Yeah sure, just as soon as mormon apologetics admit that the book of abraham is a fraudyour getting close to doing sobut come on just come clean and admit it.
The book of abraham is a work produced between 1835 and 1842 by joseph smith based. For example, the egyptian character for water was misunderstood to cover two entire verses of the book of abraham. In the introduction of the book of mormon, smith states that it is the record of gods dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the americas, which also. One official explanation as to why the original 1830 edition of the book of mormon was filled with grammatical mistakes and content blunders isprinters errors. A portion of the papyri used by joseph smith as the source of the book of abraham. It is also accepted as scripture by the reorganized church of jesus christ of latter day saints and dozens of other lds splinter sects note 1 the other books considered to be scripture by the lds church are.
The translation was published serially in the times and seasons beginning march 1, 1842, at nauvoo, illinois. Jun 11, 2009 thanks especially to the internet, several latterday saint lds, mormon apologetics groups have made it their business to actively defend the historicity of the book of mormon and the book of abraham as well as uphold the integrity of early mormon leaders. This book provides a clear and powerful response to the new atheists whose attacks on christianity, scripture, and the historicity of jesus have become mainstream. His travels include nearly being sacrificed by an evil priest and later being honored by the pharaoh. His statement that the book of abraham is not like the book of mormon because there is no verse in it that says, if you pray about it you can find out if it is true or not is laughable. Explores the joseph smith papyrus and demonstrates that joseph smiths claim that he had translated the book of abraham from it was a fabrication. The mormon church hoped the book of abraham would vindicate joseph smith as a true prophet of god. Pettit foundation, 2011, released in paperback by signature books in 20 with differing. The papyri which joseph smith said he translated the book of abraham from have been exposed to be nothing more than funeral texts from ancient egypt at least eight egyptologists and semitists have studied the papyri and. I was recently contacted by a member of the church who was ready to abandon his testimony after listening to a seminar at byu from the neal a. Apologetics press the book of mormon and the ancient evidence.
The history of the book of abraham begins in july of 1835. Is the mormon my brother essentially answers the question of whether mormons are christians. I think i have proof that mormonism is not true youtube. Book of mormon, and preserved from making any errors. None of the characters on the papyrus fragments mentioned abrahams name or any of the events recorded in the book of abraham. Mormons hoped the rediscovery and retranslation would validate the book of abraham and joseph s ability to translate the book of mormon. Three difficult questions for mormons catholic answers. The word apologist is often seen by members who are just learning about the issues found on mormonthink. Mormon and nonmormon egyptologists agree that the characters on the fragments do. Second, the critics do not deal with the issues arising from the book of abraham that latterday saints care about.
The bogus book of abraham is one of four canonized books of mormon scripture. Good and bad apologetics by common consent, a mormon blog. Resources on the book of abraham from ubwv549s site. A survey of the controversy surrounding mormon founder joseph smiths claim that he translated the book of abraham from an ancient egyptian papyrus. How the book of abraham exposes the false nature of. Therefore, unlike many other websites that deal with the issues we address, many topics on this site include links to christian, nonchristian and. The book of mormon is a sacred text of the latter day saint movement, which adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the american continent from approximately 2200 bc to ad 421.
The documentary history of the church a mormon record gives the perspective of joseph smith in the following statements. No lds apologist can any longer afford to continue ignoring the obvious. It was first published in march 1830 by joseph smith as the book of mormon. Today, mormons use the book of mormon in much the same way that christians use and study the bible. 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. As with the book of mormon and other translation projects that joseph smith worked on, the book of abraham cannot be defended in any way as the result of provable or scientific information about abraham or the ancient world. I found something which was refreshing to read from an lds member, dr. Apologetics press the book of mormon and the ancient.
The problems encountered here are devastating to the credibility of mormonism. Critical appraisal of the book of abraham wikipedia. How the book of abraham exposes the false nature of mormonism. The book of abraham is an 1835 work produced by latter day saints lds movement founder.
How the text of the book of mormon was brought to us was a witness to the prophets status as seer and translator as is the book of abraham. In this chapter we will examine another book of the mormon scriptures called the book of abraham. While their position within mormon studies is debated, mormon apologetics have a tradition dating back to parley p. Mormon and nonmormon egyptologists agree that the characters on the fragments do not match the translation. The lost book of abraham is a documentary film that investigates one of the books in the canon of mormon scripture called the book of abraham. Lds apologist undermines the book of abraham mormon chronicle. The book of mormons most spectacular recorded event was a postresurrection appearance of jesus christ himself among the nephite people 3 nephi 11. This interview focuses on the book perspectives on mormon theology apologetics. What do latter day saints believe about god, jesus, gospel. Mormon and nonmormon egyptologists agree that the characters on the fragments do not match the translation given in the book of abraham, though there is not unanimity, even among nonmormon scholars, about the.
This article is the first installment in a twopart critique of the book of mormon. Dec 01, 2008 is the mormon my brother essentially answers the question of whether mormons are christians. Book of abraham apologetics dan vogel signature books the long awaited day. There are many proofs that joseph smith was a false prophet, but mormons typically will not accept them. How to answer jehovahs witnesses and mormons frank chacon, jim burnham on. They served as the basis for joseph smiths book of abraham, published in nauvoo. In the second quote, he is referring to the book by his own hand upon papyrus by charles larson, which most mormons would consider an antimormon book. An account written by the hand of mormon upon plates taken from the plates of nephi, who claimed that it had been. In the last chapter, we saw some of the problems mormonism faces with the book of mormon and archaeology. See mormonthinks thorough overview of the book of abraham. By ravi zacharias ravi zacharias is perhaps the bestknown christian apologist of our day, and many are familiar with rzim, his apologetics ministry.
He talks about lds apologetics how lds members defend the book of abraham. He has been a prominent book of abraham apologists, publishing in farms and other byu outlets. Debunking fairmormon letter to a ces director book of abraham. Foundation for ancient research and mormon studies, 7, no. Hugh nibley, one of the lds churchs most prolific apologetic authors. Enjoy these problems are not controversial, they are established. We have actual evidence that joseph smith was lying to mormons when he invented his new scripture the book of abraham.
The book of abraham issues translation problems mormonthink. Joseph smith said that the book of mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to god by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book history of the church, vol. Some of these extrabiblical elements were available in apocryphal books or. Therefore, unlike many other websites that deal with the issues we address, many topics on this site include links to christian, nonchristian and secular research resources. It suggests starting with a preset conclusion in mind around which one bends facts and evidence to conform to the said conclusion. The book of abraham was first published in 1842 by joseph smith, founder of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. The mormon church hoped the book of abraham would vindicate joseph smith as. In an early book of scripture brought forth by joseph smith, the creation account consistently refers to the singular when speaking of god and creation. Translation and historicity of the book of abraham university of.
Lds apologist hugh nibley and brigham young university egyptologists john l. But i guess that is sort of what selfidentified mormon apologists do. The theological and religious teachings of the book of mormon are important in three respects. Apr 08, 2017 historical background to the book of abraham. This misunderstanding also might relate to the issue of the gold plates being large enough to house the book of mormon, the lost 116 pages, and the untranslated sealed portion. The book of mormon fails every attempt to evaluate it objectively. Examples include the nature of the priesthood, an understanding of the cosmos. The book of abraham text is a source of some distinct latter day saint doctrines, which mormon author randal s. Much like the book of mormon, josephs translation of the book of abraham was. The lds church, african americans, and the lifting of the priesthood ban, 19452015 matthew harris mormonism among christian theologies brian birch and grant underwood oxford. He first looks at how the book of abraham came to exist and how the papyri ended up with joseph smith.
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