Commentary on the Book of Abraham Bibliography

The Book of Abraham Bibliography lists items that are currently under copyright protection.  All public domain material is posted on this site separately, and is therefore, not included. The bibliography collection is somewhat selective since there is a considerable volume of online material that discusses the Book of Abraham, and an exhaustive compilation would be overly redundant.  Much of this online material is repetitive and adds nothing new to the conversation; accordingly, the collection is subjective, but is believed to be a fair representation of meaningful publications (online or otherwise).  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 in numerous posts going forward.

Inevitably, I expect that at least two questions will result from posting 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.

In response to the first question, I should reiterate my purpose, as stated in the Introduction. 

The Book of Abraham is a true book of scripture.  It is not the purpose of this site to test the truthfulness of that claim.  The truthfulness of the Book of Abraham, as well as any other book of scripture, can only be ascertained privately by revelation from the Lord.

The purpose of this site is to study the Book of Abraham.  This includes the book's teachings, history (discovery, translation, publications), related commentaries, historical approaches, apologetics, and other contextual studies.  Part of documenting the related apologetics includes knowing and understanding the critical arguments (D&C 123, especially vs. 4-6); however, there is more to it than this.  Having a witness from the Spirit that the book is inspired, we are to seek further knowledge in relation to the subject.  It is not justified for us to dismiss all critic's arguments simply because they have a prejudice against the scriptures and against Joseph Smith, rather, let us dismiss their prejudice, and evaluate the merits of any meaningful arguments.  By so doing, we may better understand the strength of our own position, and reassess any weaknesses in our assumptions regarding the Book of Abraham.  Different perspectives may shed light in certain areas which could augment our understanding through the fruits of other's research and expertise. 

In response to the second question, I should reiterate what I have stated above.

The shear volume of Book of Abraham information on the web is far too much to keep up with or attempt to document. However, and more significantly, the large majority of websites critiquing the Book of Abraham, in my experience, do not provide any unique contributions to the study of the subject.  Most of these sites simply repeat the same arguments made by others who are included in the bibliography.  Some of these sites purposefully distort the arguments to present Joseph Smith in a negative light.  They also manipulate their research in presenting their position on the Book of Abraham and Joseph Smith to achieve a pre-determined outcome.  In other words, they use "cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive" (Ephesians 4:14).  Further, this bibliography primarily focuses on published works, with few exceptions. 

If my bibliography is deficient because it does not include meaningful research, please let me know, and upon reviewing the material, I will consider updating the page. 

"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things..." (John 14:26)