Eyewitness accounts associated with the Joseph Smith Papyri
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Eyewitness accounts associated with the Joseph Smith Papyri have been analyzed extensively to understanding the content, purpose and meaning of the Book of Abraham, a canonized text of the Latter Day Saint movement. In 1835, Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, came into possession of four mummies, two papyrus rolls, and various papyrus fragments, which Smith said contained the writings of the ancient biblical patriarchs Abraham and Joseph.
The papyrus and mummies were presumed burned in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, but fragments of the papyri were rediscovered in 1967. There are several dozen known eyewitness accounts from before the fire, which have become essential to understanding how much was lost, and which papyri the Book of Abraham came from. The intent and meaning of each eyewitness have been highly scrutinized, and in some cases vigorously debated.[1]
Eyewitness Accounts Prior to Joseph Smith's Possession
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Date | Author | Source Document | Notes |
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April 1833 | W. E. Horner M.D. | Reproduced in Times and Seasons 2 May 1842 | |
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The last signatory, Samuel G. Morgan, was almost certainly listed incorrectly, and should have been Samuel George Morton.[3] This unsolicited certificate of authenticity was given by leading doctors of Philadelphia to Michael Chandler. Chandler made a placard of this certificate and would display this along with the mummies and papyri, including at Kirtland.[4][page needed] | |||
06 Jul 1835 | Michael Chandler | Certificate | Given prior to the sale of the mummies and papyri to Joseph Smith |
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Eyewitness Accounts in the Kirtland Era 1835–1838
[edit]Date | Author | Source Document | Notes on Source |
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sometime in 1836 | Sarah Studevant Leavitt | History produced from an autobiography in 1919 | |
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On the extant papyri, there is nothing that resembles a ladder, nor is any story of Jacob in the published Book of Abraham, indicating content on the destroyed papyri.[7] | |||
Date of event: 6 Dec 1837[8] Date recorded: ca. 1936 | Luman Andros Shurtliff | Biography | Biography compiled by an unknown editor from journals around 1936, written in first person.[9] |
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Shurtliff was incorrect about the number of mummies (there were four).[11] This quote provides evidence that the papyri were cut up and pasted onto sheets of paper by late 1837.[1] Dan Vogel feels the quote is too ambiguous to draw conclusions, but that if Shurtliff really was referring to the cut up sheets, this would be evidence that the Book of Abraham was translated from some of the cut up sheets, and not the remaining roll of papyrus.[12] |
Eyewitness Accounts in the Missouri Era 1838–1839
[edit]Date | Author | Source Document | Notes |
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1838-1839 | Henry Tressler | Deseret Weekly News letter to the editor | As recorded by Foster W. Jones, who interviewed Tressler in 1897, when he was 86 years old. |
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Prior to September 1838 | Anson Call | Autobiography of Anson Call, as recorded in a Master's Thesis | A recollection years later. |
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Oliver Cowdery was not in good standing at this time and would not have been present at this gathering, indicating that Anson Call remembered the episode incorrectly.[15] This quote has been used to indicate that the Book of Abraham was much longer than what we currently have, suggesting that the Book of Abraham translation had reached a farther point than previously thought.[16] The editors of the Joseph Smith Papers gave the following possibilities for the length of time it took to read the manuscript:[17]
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Date of reminiscence: Winter of 1838–1839 Recorded in 1882[18] | Henry Asbury, a resident of Quincy, Illinois | Memoir | |
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This is the only known evidence that the mummies and papyri were in Quincy, Illinois[19] The year the Mormons were expelled was remembered incorrectly, the events occurred in 1838–1839, not 1837–1838.[20] |
Eyewitness Accounts in the Nauvoo Era 1839–1844
[edit]Date | Author | Source Document | Notes |
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Date of Event: 5 May 1841 Date Recorded: 1848 | Williams Ivan Appleby[21] | Journal | |
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19 Feb 1843 | Charlotte Haven | Letter | Published first in 1890. |
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25 Apr 1844 | Josiah Quincy Jr. | Book | Published first in 1883. |
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Date of event: Between November 1843 and June 1844[1] | Benjamin Ashby (1828-1907)[25] | Autobiography | Recollected decades after the event |
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Ashby was a 15 years old convert and recent arrival to Nauvoo to at the time he viewed the mummies and papyri. Egyptologist Kerry Muhlestein sees this quote as possible evidence that Book of Abraham was taken from a long roll, "It is not fully clear but it appears that his reference to “the original papyrus” refers to the long roll as the source."[1] |
Eyewitness Accounts After the Death of Joseph Smith 1844–1871
[edit]Date | Author | Source Document | Notes |
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September 1846 | unknown | Letter, republished anonymously as "M" in a Quaker magazine | |
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This quote demonstrates an ongoing confusion over the gender of the mummies, where two male and two female are referenced here.[28] There are no fish on the surviving fragments of papyri, further evidence of sections that are no longer extant.[29] Egyptologist John Gee argues that phrase "the pasted deciphered sheets on the leaves of a book" refers to a copy of Joseph Smith's translation, not the original fragments of papyri.[30] | |||
Recollection from between 1852 and 1856 | Jerusha Walker Blanchard, Granddaughter of Hyrum Smith | 1922 Relief Society Magazine[31] | Recalled in a 1922 interview |
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Used as second-hand evidence that the Book of Abraham was written from a scroll, not the pasted fragments of papyri.[1] |
Joseph Smith Journal Entries
[edit]Date | Location | Notes | |
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1 Oct 1835 | Kirtland, Ohio | Originally found in 1835–1836 Journal, reproduced in other places with slight variants, including the History 1838–1856[32] | |
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There are entries on astronomy in three Egyptian Alphabet Documents (including one in Joseph Smith's handwriting), and in the Grammar and Alphabet of the Egyptian Language that could be what is mentioned as a "system of Astronomy".[33] The "system of astronomy" has been pointed to by apologists as evidence that the Book of Abraham chapter 3[34] had been translated before the Grammar and Alphabet of the Egyptian Language was produced, which is important for establishing the theory that the Kirtland Egyptian Papers were a reverse translation of the Book of Abraham.[35][36] | |||
1 Oct 1835 | Kirtland, Ohio | Originally found in 1835–1836 Journal | |
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19 Nov 1835 | Kirtland, Ohio | Originally found in 1835–1836 Journal | |
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20 Nov 1835 | Kirtland, Ohio | Originally found in 1835–1836 Journal | |
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24 Nov 1835 | Kirtland, Ohio | Originally found in 1835–1836 Journal | |
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25 Nov 1835 | Kirtland, Ohio | Originally found in 1835–1836 Journal | |
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This is the last entry that mentions translating until March 1842. Based on textual evidence it is believed that Abraham 1:1 through Abraham 2:18 was translated at this point.[41] | |||
26 Nov 1835 | Kirtland, Ohio | Originally found in 1835–1836 Journal | |
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The History of the Church repeats this entry but instead uses the term "translation" instead of "transcribing". There are several transcriptions of Egyptian characters that this could refer to in the Kirtland Egyptian Papers.[42] | |||
8 Mar 1842 | Nauvoo, Illinois | ||
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9 Mar 1842 | Nauvoo, Illinois | ||
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This is the last entry that mentions translation.[44] |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Muhlestein, Kerry "A Careful Examination of the Eyewitness Accounts Associated with the Joseph Smith Papyri" Journal of Mormon History, Vol. 42, No. 4 (October 2016), pp. 31–50
- ^ "Times and Seasons" (Nauvoo, Hancock Co., IL), 2 May 1842, vol. 3, no. 13, pp. 767–782.
- ^ Wolfe, S. J., & Singerman, R. (2009). Mummies in nineteenth century America: ancient Egyptians as artifacts. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co page 104
- ^ Peterson, H. D. (2008). The story of the book of Abraham: mummies, manuscripts, and Mormonism. Springville, UT: CFI.
- ^ "Certificate from Michael Chandler, 6 July 1835", p. [72], The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed August 27, 2019
- ^ History of Sarah Studevant Leavitt, copied by Juanita Leavitt Pulsipher Archived December 7, 2008, at the Wayback Machine (1919), 3.
- ^ Hauglid, Brian M. A Textual History of the Book of Abraham: Manuscripts and Editions, vol. 5: Studies in the Book of Abraham. Provo, Utah: BYU Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship. 2011 307 pages.
- ^ "Full biography". Archived from the original on March 30, 2012. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
- ^ "Discover Yale Digital Content". Archived from the original on August 23, 2019. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
- ^ Luman Andros Shurtliff, Biographical Sketch of the Life of Luman Andros Shurtliff, typescript in L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, Provo.
- ^ Jensen, Robin Scott, Richard E. Turley Jr., and Riley M. Lorimer, eds. Revelations and Translations, Volume 2: Published Revelations. Vol. 2 of the Revelations and Translations series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Dean C. Jessee, Ronald K. Esplin, and Richard Lyman Bushman. Salt Lake City: Church Historian's Press, 2011. page xix
- ^ Dan Vogel, Truth of the Book of Abraham (Part 7) - The Lost Papyrus Theory, YouTube.
- ^ "Deseret Weekly | 1897-07-31 | Page 17". newspapers.lib.utah.edu. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
- ^ Duane D. Call, "Anson Call and His Contributions Toward Latter-day Saint Colonization" (master's thesis, Brigham Young University, 1956), 32-33
- ^ Peterson, H. D. (2008). The story of the book of Abraham: mummies, manuscripts, and Mormonism. Springville, UT: CFI. page 134
- ^ Peterson, Daniel C. (1992). "Susan Easton Balck, ed., Stories from the Early Saints: Converted by the Book of Mormon". Review of Books on the Book of Mormon 1989–2011. 4 (1): 5. ISSN 2156-8030.
- ^ Jensen, Robin Scott, and Brian M. Hauglid, eds. Revelations and Translations, Volume 4: Book of Abraham and Related Manuscripts. Facsimile edition. Vol. 4 of the Revelations and Translations series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Ronald K. Esplin, Matthew J. Grow, Matthew C. Godfrey, and R. Eric Smith. Salt Lake City: Church Historian's Press, 2018. page xxvii note 109.
- ^ Asbury, Henry (1882). Reminiscences of Quincy, Illinois: Containing Historical Events, Anecdotes, Matters Concerning Old Settlers and Old Times, Etc. D. Wilcox & Sons, printers.
- ^ Ray L. Huntington and Keith J. Wilson, "From Kirtland, Ohio, to Far West, Missouri: Following the Trail of the Mormon Mummies", Religious Educator 2, no. 1 (2001): 94–103.
- ^ Henry Ashbury, "Reminiscences of Quincy, Illinois, 1882", in Jay Todd, The Saga of the Book of Abraham (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1968), 208.
- ^ "Appleby, William Ivins". www.josephsmithpapers.org. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
- ^ Charlotte Haven, "A Girl's Letters From Nauvoo," Overland Monthly 16/96 (December 1890):622-624 Found at http://thebookofabraham.blogspot.com/2015/10/a-girls-letters-from-nauvoo-charlotte.html
- ^ Josiah Quincy Jr. "Figures of the Past" University Press John Wilson and Son, Boston 1883
- ^ Milan D. Smith Jr., "That Is the Handwriting of Abraham" Dialogue Journal, pp 167-169
- ^ "Autobiography of Benjamin Ashby (1828-1907)". Archived from the original on April 13, 2020. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
- ^ 32Benjamin Ashby, Autobiography, 1970, 40, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah. Found online at:http://www.boap.org/LDS/Early-Saints/BAshby.html Archived April 13, 2020, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Correspondence dated September 1846 in the Friends' Weekly Intelligencer 3 (October 3, 1846), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
- ^ H. Michael Marquardt (2013). "Lucy Mack Smith on Mummies and Papyri" (PDF). Retrieved September 8, 2019.
- ^ "Egyptian Papyri, circa 300 BC–AD 50," The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed August 31, 2019, https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/egyptian-papyri-circa-300-bc-ad-50/1
- ^ Gee, John. Journal of the Book of Mormon and Other Restoration Scripture 21/1 (2012): 60–65
- ^ a b The Relief Society Magazine:Organ of the Relief Society of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Salt Lake City: LDS Church. 1922.
- ^ "History, 1838–1856, volume B-1 [1 September 1834–2 November 1838]". Retrieved December 7, 2023.
- ^ a b "Journal, 1835–1836". Retrieved December 7, 2023.
- ^ "Abraham 3". www.churchofjesuschrist.org. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
- ^ Gee, John. "Eyewitness, Hearsay, and Physical Evidence of the Joseph Smith Papyri". In The Disciple as Witness: Essays on Latter-day Saint History and Doctrine in Honor of Richard Lloyd Anderson, edited by Stephen D. Ricks, Donald W. Parry, and Andrew H. Hedges, 175–217. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 2000.
- ^ Hugh Nibley, "A New Look at the Pearl of Great Price", Improvement Era 71 (March 1968): 17–18
- ^ "Journal, 1835–1836", p. 7, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed August 26, 2019, https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/journal-1835-1836/8
- ^ a b "Journal, 1835–1836", p. 47, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed August 26, 2019, https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/journal-1835-1836/48
- ^ "Journal, 1835–1836", p. 49, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed August 26, 2019, https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/journal-1835-1836/50
- ^ a b "Journal, 1835–1836", p. 50, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed August 26, 2019, https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/journal-1835-1836/51
- ^ Essay by H. Michael Marquardt found in Ritner, R. K. (2013). The Joseph Smith Egyptian papyri: a complete edition ; P. Js 1-4 and the hypocephalus of Sheshonq. Salt Lake City: The Smith Pettit Foundation. page 29
- ^ Hauglid, B. M. (2010). A textual history of the Book of Abraham: manuscripts and editions. Provo, UT: Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship/Brigham Young University. pg. 216 footnote 21
- ^ a b "Journal, December 1841–December 1842". Retrieved December 7, 2023.
- ^ Hauglid, B. M. (2010). A textual history of the Book of Abraham: manuscripts and editions. Provo, UT: Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship/Brigham Young University. pg. 221