Book of Abraham Apologetics: A Review and Critique
Book of Abraham Apologetics: A Review and Critique

Author: Dan Vogel

Publisher:

Published: 2021-02-26

Total Pages: 290

ISBN-13: 9781560852902

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Said to have been dictated by Joseph Smith as a translation of an ancient Egyptian scroll purchased in Kirtland, Ohio, in 1835, the Book of Abraham may be Mormonism's most controversial scripture. Decades of impassioned discussion began when about a dozen fragments of Smith's Egyptian papyri, including a facsimile from the Book of Abraham, were found in the New York Metropolitan Museum in 1966. The discovery solved a mystery about the origin of the Egyptian characters that appear in the various manuscript copies of the Book of Abraham from 1835, reproduced from one of the fragments. Some LDS scholars devised arguments to explain what seemed to be clear evidence of Smith's inability to translate Egyptian. In this book, Dan Vogel not only highlights the problems with these apologetic arguments but explains the underlying source documents in revealing detail and clarity.

Producing Ancient Scripture
Producing Ancient Scripture

Author: Michael Hubbard MacKay

Publisher:

Published: 2020-02-28

Total Pages: 440

ISBN-13: 9781607817383

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Joseph Smith, the founding prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and of the broader Latter-day Saint movement, produced several volumes of scripture between 1829, when he translated the Book of Mormon, and 1844, when he was murdered. The Book of Mormon, published in 1830, is well known. Less read and studied are the subsequent texts that Smith translated after the Book of Mormon, texts that he presented as the writings of ancient Old World and New World prophets. These works were published and received by early Latter-day Saints as prophetic scripture that included important revelations and commandments from God. This collaborative volume is the first to study Joseph Smith's translation projects in their entirety. In this carefully curated collection, experts contribute cutting-edge research and incisive analysis. The chapters explore Smith's translation projects in focused detail and in broad contexts, as well as in comparison and conversation with one another. Authors approach Smith's sacred texts historically, textually, linguistically, and literarily to offer a multidisciplinary view. Scrupulous examination of the production and content of Smith's translations opens new avenues for understanding the foundations of Mormonism, provides insight on aspects of early American religious culture, and helps conceptualize the production and transmission of sacred texts.