“…with W.W. Phelps and Oliver Cowdery as scribes, I commenced the translation of some of the characters or hieroglyphics, and much to our joy found that one of the rolls contained the writings of Abraham, another the writings of Joseph of Egypt, etc., – a more full account which will appear in its place, as I proceed to examine or unfold them. Truly we can say, the Lord is beginning to reveal the abundance of peace and truth.” (History of the Church 2:236)
Whenever I see parts of the Mormon scripture trying to pawn off Egyptian writings as a holy message from God, the words of Isaiah come to mind. I always wonder if any Mormon has seen what Isaiah wrote, and if so, what’s their response to God’s warning?
Isaiah 29:3-4; “And thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be, as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust. 5 Moreover the multitude of thy strangers shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones shall be as chaff that passeth away: yea, it shall be at an instant suddenly.”
Yesterday we read about the awful predicament Joe Smith had gotten himself into with the façade of looking like a prophet. Not only did he prophesy falsely about the Holy Spirit, but to make matters worse, he contradicted himself in the process. Confusion reigns when someone fights against the Lord…
Today we’re looking at a few more of Smith’s false prophecies.
In 1835 Joe Smith purchased two rolls of Egyptian papyri from traveling salesman, Michael Chandler and claimed he had translated its contents. The Church canonized Smith’s phony translation in 1880, and placed the Book of Abraham in a collection of five books they dubbed ‘The Pearl of Great Price’. History of the Church 2:235-236
The Book of Abraham is a compilation of prophecies about Egypt, Abraham, the Pharaohs, and other random historical people we read about in the Bible and elsewhere. It’s rich with anachronisms, and events that are historically false.
We’ve listed three items of interest from Abraham chapter one below so let’s get started!
Abraham 1:8, 20, 23; “Now, at this time it was the custom of the priest of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, to offer up upon the altar which was built in the land of Chaldea, for the offering unto these strange gods, men, women, and children…
This didn’t happen. Egypt made and provided many libations to their gods, but human sacrifice wasn’t part of their repertoire outside of the 1st Dynastic Period (c. BC 3100 – 2700). After this time, they sacrificed animals such as bulls, goats, etc. Also as an FYI: Abraham lived c. BC 1800.
‘…20 Behold, Potiphar’s Hill was in the land of Ur, of Chaldea. And the Lord broke down the altar of Elkenah, and of the gods of the land, and utterly destroyed them, and smote the priest that he died; and there was great mourning in Chaldea, and also in the court of Pharaoh; which Pharaoh signifies king by royal blood…’
According to Britannica.com the word pharaoh didn’t come into use until the 18th Dynastic Period (c. BC 1539-1292) and was never used as a formal title for the king. It actually wasn’t used as a title until the use of the Hebrew Bible came about. Until that time the official title for a pharaoh consisted of five names, each of which was preceded by titles of their gods.
Given this explanation, it’s easy to see Smith’s claims are as bogus today as they were when he tried to pass it off in the mid 19th century.
Also noteworthy is the absence of any Egyptian god known as Elkanah.
‘…23 The land of Egypt being first discovered by a woman, who was the daughter of Ham, and the daughter of Egyptus, which in the Chaldean signifies Egypt, which signifies that which is forbidden.’
The website of ancientegypt.eu defines the name Egypt this way –
“Egypt is a country in North Africa, on the Mediterranean Sea, and is among the oldest civilizations on earth. The name ‘Egypt’ comes from the Greek Aegyptos which was the Greek pronunciation of the Egyptian name ‘Hwt-Ka-Ptah’ (which means “House of the Spirit of Ptah”, who was a very early God of the Ancient Egyptians). In the early Old Kingdom, Egypt was simply known as ‘Kemet’ which means ‘Black Land’ so named for the rich, dark soil along the Nile River where the first settlements began.”
Given this explanation of Egypt’s historical residents, and the meaning of its name, it’s impossible for Smith’s claims to be valid.
As a side note to this, there’s one more item of interest –
I came across an entry in the History of the Church where Smith publicly chastised someone when they disagreed with his opinion on the Egyptian papyri. It serves as another example that when you disagree, you’re in the wrong, not them.
History of the Church 2:329-330;
“The Prophet Reproves a Young Lady. Saturday, 12.—Spent the forenoon in reading. About twelve o’clock a number of young persons called to see the Egyptian records. My scribe exhibited them. One of the young ladies who had been examining them, was asked if they had the appearance of antiquity. She observed, with an air of contempt, that they had not. On hearing this, I was surprised at the ignorance she displayed, and I observed to her, that she was an anomaly in creation, for all the wise and learned that had examined them, without hesitation pronounced them ancient. I further remarked, that it was downright wickedness, ignorance, bigotry and superstition had caused her to make the remark; and that I would put it on record. And I have done so, because it is a fair sample of the prevailing spirit of the times, showing that the victims of priestcraft and superstition would not believe though one should rise from the dead.” – Joseph Smith, December 12, 1835
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