Difference between revisions of "Question: Could Joseph Smith translate Egyptian?"
(→‎At that time, nobody could translate Egyptian - the only way Joseph could translate would be through revelation)
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Some critics claim that Joseph did know Egyptian because of an 1844 publication entitled "Appeal to the Freemen of the State of Vermont, the 'Brave Green Mountain Boys,' and Honest Men". However, this publication was written by W.W. Phelps and not Joseph Smith as has been well-documented by Samuel Brown.<ref> Brown, Samuel "The Translator and the Ghost Writer: Joseph Smith and W.W. Phelps" Full article found [http://ssrn.com/abstract=1107013 here].</ref>
 
Some critics claim that Joseph did know Egyptian because of an 1844 publication entitled "Appeal to the Freemen of the State of Vermont, the 'Brave Green Mountain Boys,' and Honest Men". However, this publication was written by W.W. Phelps and not Joseph Smith as has been well-documented by Samuel Brown.<ref> Brown, Samuel "The Translator and the Ghost Writer: Joseph Smith and W.W. Phelps" Full article found [http://ssrn.com/abstract=1107013 here].</ref>
  
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It is crucial to note that besides just apologetic work defending the Book of Abraham from criticisms, LDS scholars have actually mustered considerable evidence for the antiquity of the text. This evidence ranges from authentic ancient cultural, linguistic, and geographical details in the text, <ref>Hugh Nibley, Abraham in Egypt (Provo, Utah: FARMS, 2000; An Approach to the Book of Abraham, 375–468; Paul Y. Hoskisson, “Where Was Ur of the Chaldees?” in The Pearl of Great Price: Revelations from God, ed. H. Donl Peterson and Charles D. Tate, Jr. (Provo, Utah: Religious Studies Center at Brigham Young University, 1989), 119–136; John Gee and Stephen D. Ricks, “Historical Plausibility: The Historicity of the Book of Abraham as a Case Study,” in Historicity and the Latter-day Saint Scriptures, ed. Paul Y. Hoskisson (Provo, Utah: Religious Studies Center at Brigham Young University, 2001), 63–98; John Gee and Kerry Muhlestein, “An Egyptian Context for the Sacrifice of Abraham,” Journal of the Book of Mormon and Other Restoration Scripture 20, no. 2 (2011): 70–77; John Gee, "Abraham and Idrimi," Journal of the Book of Mormon and Other Restoration Scripture 22, no. 1 (2013): 34–39; Kevin L. Barney, "On Elkenah as Canaanite El," Journal of the Book of Mormon and Other Restoration Scripture 19, no. 1 (2010): 22–35.</ref>  to authentic ancient cosmological concepts, <ref>John Gee, William J. Hamblin, and Daniel C. Peterson, “‘And I Saw the Stars’: The Book of Abraham and Ancient Geocentric Astronomy,” in Astronomy, Papyrus, and Covenant, ed. John Gee and Brian M. Hauglid (Provo, Utah: FARMS, 2005), 1–16; Kerry M. Muhlestein, “Encircling Astronomy and the Egyptians: An Approach to Abraham 3,” The Religious Educator 10, no. 1 (2009): 33–50. Further research showing the convergence between the Book of Abraham and ancient Egyptian, Canaanite, and Babylonian cosmology is forthcoming.</ref>  to ancient stories about Abraham not found in the Bible that share common themes and details with the Book of Abraham. <ref>John A. Tvedtnes, Brian M. Hauglid, and John Gee, eds., Traditions About the Early Life of Abraham (Provo, Utah: FARMS, 2001); John Gee, “An Egyptian View of Abraham,” in Bountiful Harvest: Essays in Honor of S. Kent Brown, ed. Andrew C. Skinner, D. Morgan Davis, and Carl Griffin (Provo, Utah: Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, 2011), 137–156; Hugh Nibley, Abraham in Egypt, passim.</ref>
 
  
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This isn't to say that this evidence proves the Book of Abraham is true, but rather that before critics merely dismiss it, they should first consider the evidence in favor of the Book of Abraham.
 
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Detailed responses:
 
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Link to:
 
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http://josephsmithpapers.org/intro/introduction-to-egyptian-material
 
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http://josephsmithpapers.org/intro/revelations-and-translations-series-introduction
 
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http://josephsmithpapers.org/intro/introduction-to-book-of-abraham-manuscripts
 
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http://www.fairblog.org/2013/08/08/new-research-on-the-book-of-abraham/
 
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http://www.fairblog.org/2013/06/27/the-book-of-abraham/
 
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http://www.fairblog.org/2013/03/06/reverend-spalding-strikes-again-a-response-to-internet-criticism-of-kerry-muhlesteins-book-of-abraham-videos/
 
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http://www.fairblog.org/2012/08/21/the-book-of-abraham-and-continuing-scholarship-ask-the-right-questions-and-keep-looking/
 
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http://www.fairblog.org/2011/10/07/a-most-remarkable-book-supplementary-reading/
 
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http://en.fairmormon.org/Book_of_Abraham
 
 
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Revision as of 15:46, 29 November 2018

FAIR Answers—back to home page

Question: Could Joseph Smith translate Egyptian?

At that time, nobody could translate Egyptian - the only way Joseph could translate would be through revelation

Joseph couldn't translate Egyptian. At that time, nobody could translate Egyptian. Joseph was able to receive the text of the Book of Abraham in the same manner that he did for the Book of Mormon, by revelation.

Some critics claim that Joseph did know Egyptian because of an 1844 publication entitled "Appeal to the Freemen of the State of Vermont, the 'Brave Green Mountain Boys,' and Honest Men". However, this publication was written by W.W. Phelps and not Joseph Smith as has been well-documented by Samuel Brown.[1]



Notes

  1. ↑ Brown, Samuel "The Translator and the Ghost Writer: Joseph Smith and W.W. Phelps" Full article found here.
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