BYU Studies

One of the more memorable contributions of the Book of Abraham is its depiction of Kolob—which, in recent years, some Latter-­day Saint scholars have sought to situate in the ancient world. This episode describes some of the tantalizing points that favor the authenticity of the name and concept of Kolob. From BYU Studies Quarterly , volume 61, number 4 .

One of the astronomical terms defined in the Book of Abraham is Shinehah, which is said to be the sun (Abr. 3:13). What is the sun's significance in ancient Egyptian tradition? Is there evidence that Shinehah is an authentic ancient word? From ⁠⁠ BYU Studies Quarterly, volume 61, number 4⁠⁠ .

The Book of Abraham is noteworthy for its description of what is sometimes called “Abrahamic astronomy.” Scholars looking at the astronomical portrait in chapter 3 have described at least three models for its interpretation. From ⁠ BYU Studies Quarterly, volume 61, number 4⁠ .

A careful reading of the Book of Abraham reveals a recurring theme of Abraham as a seer, or someone who sees or otherwise has a visual interaction with divine manifestation. This episode reviews some of the overt and subtle ways that the text expands on this theme. From BYU Studies Quarterly, volume 61, number 4 .

The Book of Abraham portrays God as instructing Abraham to call Sarai his sister when they came to Egypt in order to preserve his life. Was identifying her as his sister an outright falsehood or a misleading ambiguity? Do any other Abrahamic accounts include this detail? From BYU Studies Quarterly , volume 61, number 4 .

The Abrahamic Covenant, as presented in the Book of Abraham, follows the pattern of other ancient treaties and covenants from Abraham's day. Recognizing the covenant's structure in the Book of Abraham not only helps ground it in the ancient world, but can increase our understanding of its content. From BYU Studies Quarterly , volume 61, number 4.

Scholars believe that the "plain of Moreh" found in the King James Version was a mistranslation by the original King James translators. It would be better rendered as the "oracle oak," an ancient Canaanite cult site. Although the Book of Abraham uses the mistranslated name from the KJV, the correctly translated name fits well into Abraham's account found in the Pearl of Gre...

The Book of Abraham's account of Abraham's sojourning speaks of the souls that Abraham and his family had "won" in Haran (Abraham 2:15). These souls may be converts who pledged, or covenanted, to follow Abraham—thus portraying him as an exemplary missionary. From BYU Studies Quarterly , volume 61, number 4 .

On two occasions in the Book of Abraham, the Lord reveals to Abraham his true name: Jehovah. Why is it significant that the Lord twice revealed his true name to Abraham, and why is there a running motif on the importance of names throughout the text? Reading these passages in an ancient Near Eastern (and especially ancient Egyptian) context helps answer this question. View the full article in ⁠ BY...

From BYU Studies Quarterly , volume 61, number 4 . The Book of Abraham describes how “the land of Egypt [was] first discovered by a woman, who was the daughter of Ham, and the daughter of Egyptus” (Abr. 1:23). This genealogy reflects the names of the characters as printed in the March 1, 1842, issue of the Times and Seasons . However, in the Kirtland-era Book of Abraham manuscripts, Ham’s wife is...

The first chapter of the Book of Abraham contains a short detail about Pharaoh, the king of Egypt being "a descendant from the loins of Ham, and a partaker of the blood of the Canaanites by birth” (Abr. 1:21). This detail may appear odd at first glance but might make some historical sense for Abraham’s time and circumstances. From ⁠ BYU Studies Quarterly , volume 61, number 4⁠ .

In the first chapter of the Book of Abraham, the priest of Pharaoh offered sacrifices on an altar "by the hill called Potiphar's Hill" (Abraham 1:10). This episode discusses the site of Potiphar's Hill as a cult center. Sites like this are known to have existed across the ancient Near East, and the little we know about Potiphar's Hill from the Book of Abraham appears to fit t...

The opening chapter of the Book of Abraham mentions a location called "the plain of Olishem" (Abraham 1:10). Was Olishem a real place? From ⁠ BYU Studies Quarterly , volume 61, number 4⁠ .

From BYU Studies Quarterly , volume 61, number 4 . The opening chapter of the Book of Abraham identifies "the god of Pharaoh" as being one of the idolatrous gods worshipped by Abraham's kinsfolk. In figure 9 of Facsimile 1 of the Book of Abraham, this god is depicted as a crocodile. Is there any evidence for who this god might have been and whether he was worshipped in Abraham's...

From BYU Studies Quarterly , volume 61, number 4 . As told in the Book of Abraham, Abraham was nearly sacrificed by a "priest of Elkenah" before he was saved by the angel of the Lord (Abraham 1:6). Does Elkenah correspond with a Canaanite deity? This episode reviews archaeological evidence for Elkenah's worship.

From BYU Studies Quarterly , volume 61, number 4 . The Book of Abraham begins with an account of Abraham nearly being sacrificed to the idolatrous gods of his kinsfolk. The form of sacrifice was said to be "after the manner of the Egyptians" (Abraham 1:11). This episode talks about archaeological evidence for human sacrifice in Egypt.

From BYU Studies Quarterly , volume 61, number 4. Abraham was not the only author of an autobiographical text in the ancient Near East. A first-person narrative about a ruler named Idrimi shares similar features to the text of the Book of Abraham. In this episode, the authors compare the Book of Abraham with Idrimi's autobiography and other ancient biographical texts.

From BYU Studies Quarterly , volume 61, number 4 . This episode discusses how additional information from the Book of Abraham gives us a potentially more accurate idea of where the city of Ur (Abraham’s homeland) was located.

From BYU Studies Quarterly , volume 61, number 4 . Members of The Church of Jesus Christ, including prominent members, have attempted to justify the former policy preventing Black Latter-day Saints from receiving the priesthood or temple ordinances by appealing to the scriptures, including the Book of Abraham. There is, however, no known evidence that suggests that Joseph Smith or Brigham Young us...

From BYU Studies Quarterly , volume 61, number 4 . It is clear that Joseph Smith’s inspired translation of the Book of Abraham was connected to the Egyptian papyri he acquired in summer 1835. However, less clear is the precise relationship between the Book of Abraham text and the papyri. There are three main theories, which are summarized in this episode: (1) Joseph Smith used the papyri fragments...

From BYU Studies Quarterly , volume 61, number 4 . Historically, skeptics have alluded to documents known as the Kirtland Egyptian Papers to cast doubt on the authenticity of the Book of Abraham. These documents fall into two categories: Book of Abraham manuscripts and Egyptian-language manuscripts. This episode clarifies the differences between the two groups of manuscripts, including their conte...

From volume 61, number 4 of BYU Studies Quarterly : In early July 1835, Joseph Smith acquired some Egyptian papyri from which he claimed to translate the Book of Abraham. From historical evidence and the papyrus fragments that were returned to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-­day Saints in November 1967, we can piece together a profile of what papyri the Prophet is known to have possessed.

From volume 61, number 4 of BYU Studies Quarterly : This episode describes how Joseph Smith's methods of translating ancient scripture expand the meaning of "translation" beyond its strictly academic definition to encompass divine revelation. No first-person account exists to describe exactly how Joseph Smith produced the translation of the Book of Abraham, but we can find clues in t...

The Book of Abraham is considered holy scripture by Latter-day Saints. Scholars have explored the book from various perspectives and have made compelling arguments for its authenticity. This issue of BYU Studies is designed to introduce Latter-day Saints to the Book of Abraham from an academic perspective and provide a reliable guide that can be used to understand it better. 

BYU Studies editor Tina Hawley describes Joseph W. Geisner's Writing Mormon History: Historians and Their Books .