The Book of Abraham-It's Genuineness Established (George Reynolds - Millennial Star 1879)

The Pearl of Great Price was originally published in 1851, in London, England, by Apostle Franklin D. Richards.  It wasn't until 1878 that it was printed in the United States, and subsequently canonized by the church in 1880. In connection with the republication of the book in 1878, Elder George Reynolds wrote a book offering "a few chapters written to prove its genuineness and divine origin."  This was believed to be beneficial as "very little has ever been said by the Elders of the Church in advocacy of its claim as an inspired record..." Additionally, Elder Reynolds stated that "while the people of God have said or written little in its defense, there have been those opposed to the revelations of God in these days, who have vigorously attacked it, who have styled its language "gibberish," and classed it among the "pious frauds" that have so often disgraced the history of religion, Christian and heathen."1 Elder Reynolds' response to these accusations forms the first apologetic and scholarly approach to discussing the Book of Abraham and Joseph Smith's translation thereof. 

His response was published piecemeal in London, England, in the Latter-Day Saints' Millennial Star.  During that same year, it was published as a booklet in Salt Lake City, Utah; all this amongst his legal difficulties relating to the practice of plural marriage. In 1878, Reynolds noted in his journal that he was studying outside "authorities" in relation to Abraham and other subjects.2  On January 6, 1879, Elder Reynolds was convicted in the famous Reynolds v. the United States case;3 the same day the first issue of Reynolds treatment on the Book of Abraham appeared in the Millennial Star.  The publication of his book in the Millennial Star is provided below.

Jules Remy - A Journey to Great Salt Lake City

As related by Elder George Reynolds in the Millennial Star in 1879, Jules Remy and Julius Brenchley visited Utah in 1855. On their return home to Paris, France, they brought with them a copy of The Book of Abraham,1 "which they placed in the hands of "a young savant of the Museum of the Louvre, M. Theodule Deveria," with the request that he would translate it. This he attempted to do. Messrs. Remy and Brenchley afterwards published an account of their travels, and embodied therein M. Deveria's soi-disant translation."2 This translation of the facsimiles into French was published by Jules Remy in 1860 in Paris, France, being his second volume relating to his "Journey to the Land of the Mormons." The next year an English addition appeared in print, "scrupulously revised," and retitled, A Journey to Great Salt Lake City.3

The first LDS response to the French publication came from Louis Bertrand, the LDS Mission President over France at that time. Bertrand was converted to the Gospel through John Taylor, and Bertrand substantially assisted Elder Taylor in translating the Book of Mormon into French. Bertrand's response to Remy was included in his book entitled Memoire's D'un Mormon [Memoirs of a Mormon], published in Paris, France, in 1862.

The extent of Remy's publication seems to have had limited circulation among the Latter-day Saints because this issue wasn't addressed again in print until George Reynold's response was published in 1879, six years following T.B.H. Stenhouse's publication of The Rocky Mountain Saints.4 Stenhouse plagiarized Remy's book by reproducing Deveria's translation of the Book of Abraham facsimiles which he then compared with Joseph Smith's explanations of the same. Stenhouse's publication is the most frequently used source by critics of Joseph Smith regarding translation of the Book of Abraham. Although Remy's book only includes one illustration of the facsimiles, Stenhouse's book includes all three (along with Deveria's translation of each). Many online and printed sources that are antagonistic of Joseph Smith still use Deveria's 150 year old translations as their primary support for critiquing Joseph's ability to translate.

The English publication of Remy's book is available below.

Reponse to Daniel Kidder - Times and Seasons

Subsequent to the publication of Mormonism and The Mormons, a response, written by the paper's editor, was published in the Times and Seasons in September 1842.1 It is apparent that the writer of this response did not deem Kidder's satire of the Book of Abraham worthy of specific comment. Kidder's book is compared to other's attacks against Joseph Smith and the Church, and is recognized as just another instance wherein the Saints will be blessed for having been falsely spoken of for Christ's sake. Kidder's book marks the first published criticism of the Book of Abraham, and Facsimile 1 associated therewith.  The response to his book is included below, which is an extraction from the Times and Seasons:

 

Jules Remy - Voyage Au Pays Des Mormons

As related by Elder George Reynolds in the Millennial Star in 1879, Jules Remy and Julius Brenchley visited Utah in 1855. On their return home to Paris, France, they brought with them a copy of The Book of Abraham, "which they placed in the hands of "a young savant of the Museum of the Louvre, M. Theodule Deveria," with the request that he would translate it. This he attempted to do. Messrs. Remy and Brenchley [sic] afterwards published an account of their travels, and embodied therein M. Deveria's soi-disant translation."1 This translation of the facsimiles into French was published by Jules Remy in 1860 in Paris, France, being his second volume relating to his "Journey to the Land of the Mormons." The next year an English addition appeared in print, "scrupulously revised," and retitled, A Journey to Great Salt Lake City.2

The first LDS response to this French publication came from Louis Bertrand, while serving as the Mission President over France. Bertrand was converted to the Gospel through John Taylor, and Bertrand substantially assisted Elder Taylor in translating the Book of Mormon into French.  Bertrand's response to Remy was included in his book entitled Memoire's D'un Mormon [Memoirs of a Mormon], published in Paris, France, in 1862. 

The extent of Remy's publication seems to have had limited circulation among the Latter-day Saints because this issue wasn't addressed again in print until George Reynold's response was published in 1879, six years following T.B.H. Stenhouse's publication of The Rocky Mountain Saints.3 Stenhouse plagiarized Remy's book by reproducing Deveria's translation of the Book of Abraham facsimiles which he then compared with Joseph Smith's explanations of the same.

The original publication of Remy's book in French is available below.  No translation is attempted, however, since the English version is also available online.

Mormonism and The Mormons - Daniel Kidder

The first published criticism against the Book of Abraham was printed in 1842, the same year as the Book of Abraham was initially published in the Times and Seasons, and subsequently in the Millennial Star. Kidder' book offers no insightful contributions regarding the Book of Abraham, rather, it is purely satirical. Kidder was educated at Wesleyan University, which he completed in 1836, before entering into the ministry. He published several books during his life, including his anti-Mormon publication entitled Mormonism and The Mormons: A Historical View of the Rise and Progress of the Sect Self- Styled Latter-Day Saints.1  His comments are the sort of standard ad hominem attacks characteristic of the time and culture in which his publication took place. He simply dismisses the subject without any serious consideration, using satire as his tool to achieve his purpose. 

A response to the book came in a subsequent publication of the Times and Seasons. The respondent did not deem Kidder's satire of the Book of Abraham important enough for specific comment; rather, the response addresses the book as a whole.

Excerpts from Daniel Kidder's book, relating to the Book of Abraham, is included below:

Mémoires D’un Mormon, by Louis A. Bertrand

Memoirs Of A Mormon, written by Louis Alphonse Bertrand, was published in Paris, France, in 1862. Bertrand was a convert of John Taylor's, and assisted the future prophet in translating the Book of Mormon into French. Additionally, he was involved with the church periodical L'Etoile du Deseret [The Star of Deseret] while serving as a Mission President over France. For biographical information on Brother Betrand,1 visit here and here.

Within Bertrand's book, he discusses the two volume publication of Jules Remy's, Voyage Au Pays Des Mormons (translated into English and published in two volumes as A Journey to Great Salt Lake City), which included a translation of the Book of Abraham facsimiles, and marked the first published scholarly criticism against Joseph Smith's explanations provided for the figures in the facsimiles.  Bertrand's response to Remy and Deveria is provided below (including translation from French into English).

My thanks to Michael W. Homer for directing me to this reference, and to Griffin Cammack for providing some assistance in translating the text.

Commentary on the Book of Abraham Bibliography

This Book of Abraham Bibliography primarily references articles and books that are currently under copyright protection and links to some limited online material. Publications in the public domain are posted on this site separately as documents. This bibliographic collection is intentionally selective because there is a considerable volume of material online that discusses the Book of Abraham, and an exhaustive compilation would be unnecessarily redundant. Much of the material online provides no meaningful contribution to the discussion and simply repeats the discussions and assertions already posited in the articles that are included in this collection. Accordingly, while this collection is subjective, I believe it fairly represents meaningful publications (online or otherwise) regarding the Book of Abraham.  There are also numerous references to Abraham and teachings from the Book of Abraham from General Conferences over the last 180+ years, which would require an entirely separate bibliography. I hope to accomplish this some day; in the meantime, Apostolic and other General Authority teachings on, or from, the Book of Abraham will be discussed separately in individual posts.

Inevitably I expect that at least two questions will result from referencing certain information in the bibliography. First, fellow Latter-day Saints may ask why I am including literature that is decidedly anti-Mormon; and second, critics may inquire as to why I have not included information contained on their sites, or other sites critical of the Book of Abraham. In order to preempt these questions, I will respond to both.

A Collection of Hypocephali

Last updated May 18, 2012

Egyptian Museum in Cairo1

There are approximately 100 known hypocephali that have been preserved.2 The following images are provided for convenience in comparing the similarities and differences between each hypocephalus. Some images are public domain, having been published in books, journals, and periodicals where copyrights have expired. Other images are used by permission and are copyright protected; my sincere appreciation to those who have allowed me the privilege of posting these pictures. Any contributions to this post by way of submitting additional pictures taken or renditions thereof, will be greatly appreciated, and contributions will, of course, be attributed to the provider. Eventually I'd like to have all known hypocephali available posted online here.

Appreciating Hypocephali as Works of Art and Faith

Appreciating Hypocephali as Works of Art and Faith
by Michael Lyon

A transcript of an address delivered on March 24, 1999 in the FARMS Book of Abraham Lecture Series. This paper is posted by permission, courtesy of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, Brigham Young University; my sincere appreciation for allowing me to post this article, in its entirety.

The Book of Abraham: Its Authenticity Established as a Divine and Ancient Record

The Pearl of Great Price was originally published in 1851, in London, England, by Apostle Franklin D. Richards.  It wasn't until 1878 that it was printed in the United States, and subsequently canonized by the church in 1880. In connection with the republication of the book in 1878, Elder George Reynolds wrote a book offering "a few chapters written to prove its genuineness and divine origin."  This was believed to be beneficial as "very little has ever been said by the Elders of the Church in advocacy of its claim as an inspired record..." Additionally, Elder Reynolds stated that "while the people of God have said or written little in its defense, there have been those opposed to the revelations of God in these days, who have vigorously attacked it, who have styled its language "gibberish," and classed it among the "pious frauds" that have so often disgraced the history of religion, Christian and heathen."1 Elder Reynolds' response to these accusations forms the first apologetic approach to discussing the Book of Abraham and Joseph Smith's translation thereof. 

His response was published piecemeal in London, England, in the Latter-Day Saints' Millennial Star.  During that same year, it was published in book format, in Salt Lake City, Utah; all this amongst his legal difficulties relating to the practice of plural marriage. In 1878, Reynolds noted in his journal that he was studying outside "authorities" in relation to Abraham and other subjects.2 On January 6, 1879, Elder Reynolds was convicted in the famous Reynolds v. the United States case;3 the same day the first issue of Reynolds treatment on the Book of Abraham appeared in the Millennial Star. The publication of his book by the Deseret News Printing and Publishing Establishment, Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1879, is provided below.

Times and Seasons - Book of Abraham

The original publication of the Book of Abraham was printed in the Church's periodical the Times and Seasons, Volume 3, Numbers 9, 10, and 14.

Millennial Star Notice - Publication of the Pearl of Great Price (1851)

The following notice, regarding publication of The Pearl of Great Price appeared in The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, Volume 13, Issue 14 (July 15, 1851). Elder Franklin D. Richards was the newest member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles at this time, and was serving as the British Mission President and editor of the Millennial Star, when he printed this notice relating to his forthcoming publication (see 1851 Pearl of Great Price document).

The Pearl of Great Price - 1851

The following images are from the first printing of the Pearl of Great Price, published by Elder Franklin D. Richards, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, in Liverpool, England, in 1851. Excepting the title page, preface, and contents, only the Book of Abraham is included.

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Note: The entire Pearl of Great Price [1st Ed. 1851] is available online now. See Here.

The Book of Abraham in the Millennial Star (1842)

The following pages are from The Latter-Day Saints' Millennial Star, Volume 3, Numbers 3 (July 1842) and Number 4 (August 1842). This publication of the Book of Abraham followed the original installments printed in the Times and Seasons a few months previous. Facsimiles 2 and 3 were never published in the Millennial Star; the rest of the material, however, is consistent with the Times and Seasons publication.

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