Book of Abraham
A range of articles and resources to assist the investigation of Joseph Smith's controversial claim that he discovered and translated a lost record of the biblical patriarch Abraham. Includes color photos of the surviving Joseph Smith papyri, articles by Mormon and non-Mormon Egyptologists, and free download of a 240-page book that surveys the history of the Book of Abraham controversy.
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Start here for a simple, clear overview of the basic issues concerning the Book of Abraham.
Genesis is authentic; the Book of Abraham is not.
Robert K. 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 Church’s official website. Professor Ritner’s response originally appeared as a PDF document on the University’s Oriental Institute website. His response is reposted here with Professor Ritner’s kind permission.
Lost Book of Abraham
For a limited time the producer is offering a free copy on request to current members of the LDS Church.
A documentary film that examines Joseph Smith's controversial claim of recovering and translating a lost book of the biblical patriarch Abraham. Available on DVD and VHS.
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for current LDS members only
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Additional Resources
A Paper by Edward H. Ashment, Mormon Egyptologist
Seymour Bloom's observations and critiques of Mormon apologist and Egyptologist John Gee's defense of the Book of Abraham.
compared with parallels in published sources available to Joseph Smith in early 19th century America
Statements regarding his Egyptian papyri and translation of the Book of Abraham
from a papyrus scroll dating to Abraham's time?
A response to a 2003 FAIR lecture by Mormon Egyptologist Michael Rhodes entitled “The Book of Abraham: Dealing with the Critics.”
By His Own Hand Upon Papyrus
A book review of By His Own Hand Upon Papyrus, written by Charles Larson, reviewed by Joel B. Groat
The complete text of By His Own Hand Upon Papyrus, in HTML format, available to read online or offline. A landmark book that has helped hundreds if not thousands of Mormons realize that Joseph Smith was not an inspired translator. By His Own Hand upon Papyrus was the first book to include full-color photographs of the Joseph Smith Papyri. May be downloaded free.
View scanned images of the Egyptian papyrus scroll from which Joseph Smith claimed to translate the Book of Abraham, as well as the original Book of Abraham translation manuscript.