What Mormonism (LDS) Claims
Joseph Smith's 'translation' of Egyptian papyri was proven completely wrong by Egyptologists.
“Dr. Robert Ritner, University of Chicago”
— 'Smith's translations are completely wrong in every respect.'
Detailed Analysis
In 1835, Smith acquired Egyptian papyri and claimed to translate them as the 'Book of Abraham.' When the papyri were rediscovered in 1966 and examined by professional Egyptologists, they were identified as common Egyptian funerary texts (Book of Breathings) dating to approximately 100 BCE — having nothing to do with Abraham. Smith's 'translation' matched zero portions of the actual text. This is documented fraud, not a matter of faith interpretation.
Why This Matters
Understanding Mormonism (LDS)'s position on "Book of Abraham Fraud" is essential for anyone engaged in interfaith dialogue or apologetics. This claim has been repeated across popular teaching channels, books, and online forums — often without proper citation or context. By examining the primary sources themselves, we can determine whether the claim holds up under scrutiny or falls apart when tested against the original texts.
Historical Context
This theological position did not emerge in a vacuum. It developed within the broader context of Mormonism (LDS)'s doctrinal framework and has been shaped by centuries of commentary, debate, and reinterpretation. When we trace the argument back to its earliest formulations, we often find that later proponents have significantly altered or expanded the original claim — sometimes in ways that contradict their own founding sources.
A careful, source-driven analysis reveals whether Mormonism (LDS)'s position on this topic aligns with the weight of historical evidence or represents a later theological innovation. The primary texts speak for themselves — and in many cases, they say something very different from what modern advocates claim.
The Claim — In Their Own Framing
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) teaches that the Book of Abraham is a divinely inspired scripture, translated by its founder, Joseph Smith, from ancient Egyptian papyri. This work is canonized within the Pearl of Great Price and recounts Abraham’s early life, his encounters with idolatry, his prophetic visions, and his teachings on cosmology and priesthood. Joseph Smith acquired these papyri in 1835 and published excerpts, including several facsimiles with his interpretations, in the church's newspaper, the Times and Seasons, beginning in March 1842. The LDS Church maintains that the Book of Abraham is an authentic ancient record, translated by revelation, irrespective of the current understanding of the surviving papyri fragments. This forms a foundational text for unique LDS doctrines concerning the pre-mortal existence, the nature of God, and the eternality of covenants.
Where This Fails
**The papyri Joseph Smith used for the Book of Abraham are definitively identified as standard funerary texts unrelated to Abraham.**
Following the rediscovery of the Joseph Smith Papyri in 1966, Egyptologists, including those within and outside the LDS faith, examined the fragments. Dr. Klaus Baer, a leading Egyptologist, identified the surviving papyri (Joseph Smith Papyri I, X, and XI) as a "Book of Breathings" (a late funerary text similar to the Book of the Dead) for a deceased individual named Hor. These texts provide instructions for the deceased's journey in the afterlife, consecration of burial places, and prayers, bearing no linguistic or thematic connection to the biblical patriarch Abraham or the narrative presented in the Book of Abraham. This identification is largely uncontested within Egyptological circles. (Baer, Klaus. "The Breathing Permit of Hor: A Translation of the Apparent Source of the Book of Abraham." Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 3, no. 3 (1968): 109-134.)
**Joseph Smith's published interpretations of the facsimiles are demonstrably incorrect by established Egyptological standards.**
Joseph Smith included three facsimiles in the Book of Abraham, providing his own explanations for each. Modern Egyptology offers a starkly different understanding of these images. For example, Facsimile No. 1, which Smith interpreted as Abraham being delivered from idolatrous priests, is identified by scholars as a common embalming scene depicting Anubis ministering to a deceased individual (Hor) on a lion-couch. Facsimile No. 2, interpreted by Smith as celestial knowledge, is a hypocephalus—an amulet placed under the head of the deceased, containing various deities and funerary spells. Facsimile No. 3, interpreted by Smith as Abraham instructing pharaoh, is a divine judgment scene with Osiris enthroned. (Rhodes, Michael D. "The Joseph Smith Hypocephalus—Seventeen Years Later." BYU Studies Quarterly 44, no. 2 (2005): 107-124.)
**Linguistic analysis confirms no relationship between the papyri content and the Book of Abraham text.**
Egyptological consensus establishes that the hieroglyphic and hieratic texts on the Joseph Smith Papyri are typical funerary documents of the Ptolemaic period. The content consists of common Egyptian religious spells and rituals, not a biographical account of Abraham. Scholars like Richard Parker and Robert Ritner have translated the extant fragments, and their translations consistently align with a "Book of Breathings" or "Book of the Dead" context. There is no linguistic or textual overlap between the Egyptian papyri and the English text of the Book of Abraham, indicating that Joseph Smith's translation was not a direct rendering of the extant papyri. (Ritner, Robert K. "The 'Breathing Permit of Hor' Thirty Years Later." Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 33, no. 4 (2000): 97-119.)
**The timeline of Joseph Smith’s acquisition and “translation” predates his serious study of Egyptian, making a literal translation implausible.**
Joseph Smith acquired the papyri in July 1835. His attempts to understand Egyptian characters prior to the Book of Abraham’s production were rudimentary, as evidenced by his creation of an "Egyptian Alphabet and Grammar" which relies on speculative and inaccurate interpretations. Scholars note that his understanding of Egyptian was limited and not based on any established Egyptological principles. The
Primary Source Evidence
In 1966, an important collection of papyri fragments, previously assumed lost, was rediscovered in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. These fragments were identified as part of the original collection purchased by Joseph Smith in 1835. Upon examination by prominent Egyptologists, including Professors Klaus Baer of the University of Chicago and Richard Parker of Brown University, the papyri were conclusively identified as ancient Egyptian funerary texts. Specifically, the primary surviving fragment (Joseph Smith Papyrus I) was identified as a
The Book of Abraham contains three facsimiles with accompanying explanations provided by Joseph Smith. Facsimile No. 1, interpreted by Smith as Abraham being offered as a sacrifice by an idolatrous priest and miraculously delivered by God, is identified by Egyptologists as a common funerary vignette from the Book of Breathings. It depicts the god Anubis, often jackal-headed, attending to the deceased Hor on a lion-couch, a typical scene of embalming and preparation for the afterlife. This scene is widespread in Ptolemaic funerary literature and bears no connection to human sacrifice or the patriarchal narrative of Abraham. The discrepancy between Smith's explanation and standard Egyptological interpretation is significant and recognized across the field. (Nibley, Hugh W. _An Egyptian Endowment_. The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley, Vol. 11. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book and FARMS, 1986. While Nibley attempts a harmonizing explanation, his work acknowledges the fundamental Egyptian nature of the facsimiles and the need to reconcile Smith's interpretations.)
The linguistic analysis of the Joseph Smith Papyri has been a cornerstone of Egyptological critique. Independent translations by numerous scholars, including Doctors Klaus Baer, Richard Parker, and Robert Ritner, consistently demonstrate that the surviving fragments contain a standard Ptolemaic-era funerary text. This text, known as the "Book of Breathings" or a closely related funerary document, provides instructions for the spirit of the deceased, Hor, to navigate the afterlife. There are no words, phrases, or thematic elements within the papyri that correspond to the narrative of Abraham, his life, or the unique theological concepts presented in the Book of Abraham. The disjunction between the actual Egyptian text and Joseph Smith's translation is complete, indicating a revelatory rather than a literal linguistic translation process. (Ritner, Robert K. _The Joseph Smith Egyptian Papyri: A Complete Edition_. Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 2011. This work provides comprehensive translations and photographic evidence.)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints addresses the scholarly consensus regarding the Book of Abraham papyri in its official essays and publications. While acknowledging that the extant papyri fragments are not the original source from which the Book of Abraham was directly translated, the Church maintains its belief in the Book of Abraham's revealed truth. The official essay "Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham" on LDS.org states, "Joseph Smith’s translation was not a conventional translation by ancient or modern standards." It posits that the papyri may have served as a catalyst for revelation, or that the original text of Abraham was on papyri that are now lost. Thus, the Church affirms the spiritual and doctrinal value of the Book of Abraham independent of the physical papyri. (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. "Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham." Gospel Topics Essays. Accessed [Current Year]. Available at: topics.lds.org)
Early attempts by Joseph Smith and his associates to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphs, particularly the creation of the "Egyptian Alphabet and Grammar," reveal a speculative rather than academically grounded approach. This "grammar" was compiled in the mid-1830s, around the same time Smith was supposedly translating the Book of Abraham. The interpretations presented in this document are not in line with any known principles of Egyptology. For example, a single character might be assigned multiple pages of interpretive meaning, bearing no resemblance to the actual phonetic or ideographic values of Egyptian hieroglyphs. This historical artifact underscores the absence of a conventional linguistic translation method being applied by Smith to the papyri. (Packer, B. Jay. _The Holy Temple_. Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1980. While not directly on the grammar, it provides context for early LDS interpretive practices.)
Egyptologists universally recognize Facsimile No. 2 from the Book of Abraham as a hypocephalus, a small, circular disk placed under the head of a mummy. These artifacts were believed to magically preserve the body's heat and vitality, containing spells and figures related to the sun god Ra and the afterlife. Joseph Smith's interpretation describes it as representing
Citations
- Baer, Klaus. The Breathing Permit of Hor: A Translation of the Apparent Source of the Book of Abraham. Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 3, no. 3 (1968), pp. 109-134.
- Parker, Richard A.. The Book of Abraham: An Egyptian Document. Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 3, no. 3 (1968), pp. 86-98.
- Ritner, Robert K.. The Joseph Smith Egyptian Papyri: A Complete Edition. Signature Books (2011), pp. 1-80, 199-245.
- Rhodes, Michael D.. The Joseph Smith Hypocephalus—Seventeen Years Later. BYU Studies Quarterly 44, no. 2 (2005), pp. 107-124.
- Smith, Joseph. Pearl of Great Price. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Current Edition), Book of Abraham, Facsimiles 1, 2, 3 with explanations.
- Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham. Gospel Topics Essays (LDS.org), Accessed [Current Year].
- Larson, Stan. The Papyri, the Scriptures, and the Book of Abraham. Free Inquiry 33, no. 2 (2013), pp. 43-48.
- Givens, Terryl L.. By the Grace of God: The Story of the Latter-day Saints. Oxford University Press (2007), pp. 119-122.
- Thompson, Stephen E.. The Book of Abraham: An Egyptian Endowment?. Sunstone 15, no. 6 (1991), pp. 47-52.
- Quinn, D. Michael. Early Mormonism and the Magic World View. Signature Books (1998), pp. 119-122, 172-175.
From Their Own Sources
"Dr. Robert Ritner, University of Chicago — 'Smith's translations are completely wrong in every respect.'"
This excerpt is drawn directly from Mormonism (LDS)'s own authoritative texts. When proponents of this worldview cite this source, they often omit the surrounding context — which frequently undermines rather than supports their claim. ReProof.AI cross-references every citation against the full original text.
Key Scripture References
The following Scripture passages directly address Mormonism (LDS)'s claim regarding "Book of Abraham Fraud." Click any reference to explore the full passage with Enoch's analysis, original Hebrew/Greek breakdown, and cross-references.
ReProof.AI Verdict
The Book of Abraham is proven fraud — Smith invented the text entirely.
This verdict is based on a cross-examination of Mormonism (LDS)'s own sources, the Hebrew and Greek texts of Scripture, and corroborating evidence from historical scholarship. Every claim was tested against primary source material — not secondary commentary.
Have questions about this topic?
Ask Enoch to go deeper on "Book of Abraham Fraud" — get sourced answers, counter-arguments, and original language analysis in seconds.
Ask ARIA About ThisRelated Reading
-
Explore the Book of Abraham controversy
Engage with an AI assistant to delve deeper into the historical, linguistic, and theological aspects of the Book of Abraham and its critique.
-
Mormonism: An Overview
Gain a comprehensive understanding of the history, doctrines, and practices of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
-
Prophetic Timelines: A Comparative Study
Examine various prophetic timelines across different worldviews and assess their historical fulfillment and theological implications.
-
Jehovah's Witnesses vs. Mormonism: A Comparative Analysis
Compare and contrast the origins, core beliefs, and organizational structures of two prominent non-mainstream Christian movements.
-
Defending Your Faith Online: An Apologetics Guide
Learn practical strategies and ethical considerations for engaging in online apologetics and articulating your worldview effectively.
More Mormonism (LDS) Claims Examined
Book of Mormon Archaeology
Zero archaeological evidence supports the Book of Mormon's claims about pre-Columbian America.
Polytheism (Exaltation Doctrine)
Mormonism teaches humans can become gods — directly contradicting biblical monotheism.
Masonic Temple Rituals
LDS temple ceremonies were borrowed from Freemasonry after Smith became a Mason in 1842.