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 (Paris, France, 1860; later translated into English and published in two volumes as, A Journey to Great Salt Lake City; London, England, 1861), which includes a translation of the Book of Abraham facsimiles, and marks 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.

Beginning with the first full sentence in the top paragraph:

Finally the book contains serious scientific objection against the work of Joseph.  We reproduce it without being mitigated by anything.

On July 5, 1835, the founder of Mormonism bought Egyptian mummies and papyrus, which he translated a dozen pages in the Times and Seasons in 1842 under the title: The Book of Abraham. "Translation of ancient records written on papyrus, from the catacombs of Egypt, have fallen into our hands, and which appeared to be written by Abraham when he was in Egypt.  Joseph Smith translated the papyrus.  We find in The Pearl of Great Price (Liverpool, 56 pages 8vo), the English translation of the writings of Abraham, with three facsimiles of the papyrus.  Mr. Remy has submitted these facsimiles for examination to Mr. Theodule Deveria, a young Egyptologist from the Louvre Museum, who found that these papyrus contained the funerary rituals of Osiris."  His published interpretation with respect to that of Joseph Smith, differs completely.  After this appeal to science, Remy concludes triumphantly with these words: "After the revelations that we have done, if the Mormons continue to believe that their prophet did not know how to lie, they agree, at least, that the divining power of the Urim-Thummim is not infallible." 

We see that the objection is more serious.  But

now that science has spoken, who will tell us that his verdict is final?  Who will undertake to prove to us that the rules laid down by Champollion to decipher Egyptian glyphs are immutable?  We do not know by what means Joseph has studied these papyri, which he has, moreover, translated a few pages.  There is, we confess frankly, a difficulty that the future will clarify without doubt.  But it goes too fast and too far in claiming to this incident secondary and rather obscure, a Waterloo Scientific Mormonism.  This Waterloo will be accomplished when a new Oedipus has explored, and deciphered the glyphic monuments scattered on the banks of the Hudson Bay to those of La Plata, and finding the invalidation of the facts attested by the Book of Mormon.  We expect this test with full confidence, hoping to civilization and to scholars of the ancient world the time and opportunity to do it.

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1 The image of Louis Bertrand is from The Improvement Era, 11/2 (Dec 1907):88

FAIR Conference 2010: Will Schryver and the Kirtland Egyptian Papers

My sincere appreciation to Brother Schryver for his remarkable presentation today at the 2010 FAIR Conference.  He has brought us up to new heights to take a fresh, informed look at the Kirtland Egyptian Papers.  I have embedded his public video (linked below) for convenience.

The Kirtland Egyptian Papers - Part 1 from William Schryver on Vimeo.


The Kirtland Egyptian Papers - Part 2 from William Schryver on Vimeo.

A couple comments and questions for consideration:

• Regarding "Egyptian" as the "pure language." I inferred from the presentation that the cypher (in the KEP) may have been used to safeguard the text of the Book of Abraham, the cypher being part of the "Egyptian," or the "pure language."  Interestingly, as mentioned in the presentation, code names were used in the published D&C revelations around this time to protect identities.  From the text of the Book of Abraham is the following statement: "Egyptus, which in the Chaldean signifies Egypt, which signifies that which is forbidden" (Abr 1:23).
• Perhaps there is a connection here, in that the cyphers were intended to protect the Book of Abraham from outsiders, as it may have been forbidden, similar to Moses 1:41-42.
• It was commented (in the Q&A at the FAIR Conference), that there are 5 or 6 letters that are arguably comparable with the Deseret Alphabet? I think this possibility deserves some investigation.
• William W.Phelps was strongly Anti-Masonic prior to joining the church.  It is interesting that he used the Masonic Cypher in writing a letter to his wife.  It appears that since joining the church, he reveresed his opinions on the Freemasons, perhaps because some influential members like Heber C. Kimball and Hyrum Smith were Masons.  I think a study of W.W. Phelps' connection with Masonry and Mormonism deserves further attention.
• It seems that Joseph Smith's writings amongst the Kirtland Egyptian Papers has been given little attention.  Since his scribes were heavily involved in the KEP, it may be interesting to study the little participation that Joseph Smith had in the matter.  I would like to see further attention given to what was written by others, vs. what was written by Joseph.
• When is a full treatment of this study going to be available?  These findings need further dissemination, especially in print. 

While these questions deviate from the presentation, the greatness of Brother Schryver's research and presentation opens doors for consideration of other indirectly related subjects.