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Book of Abraham Excerpt and Facsimile 2, 15 March 1842 [Abraham 2:19–5:21]

Source Note

Book of Abraham excerpt and Facsimile 2 in “The Book of Abraham,” Times and Seasons, 15 Mar. 1842, vol. 3, no. 10, [719]–722. The facsimile was printed separately on an oversized sheet measuring 11⅞ × 8⅝ inches (30 × 22 cm). This sheet was tipped in, or pasted into, the issue and folded in half to fit evenly among the other leaves of the issue. For more complete source information, see the source note for Book of Abraham and Facsimiles, 1 Mar.–16 May 1842.

Historical Introduction

In March 1842 JS began publishing serial installments of the Book of Abraham—along with illustrations, known as facsimiles, copied from Egyptian papyri he acquired in 1835—in the periodical Times and Seasons. The representative sample selected for inclusion in this volume is taken from the second installment, printed in the 15 March 1842 issue of the Times and Seasons, which included a printed facsimile of one of the Egyptian texts.
In July 1835 traveling exhibitor arrived in , Ohio, with a collection of Egyptian antiquities, including four mummies and an assortment of papyri inscribed with hieroglyphic and hieratic characters and illustrations, known as vignettes. JS identified some of the writings as accounts of the biblical patriarchs Abraham and Joseph, and he and other investors purchased the collection for $2,400. Between July and late November 1835, JS produced manuscripts that represented a portion of what became known as the “Book of Abraham.” Though news of JS’s translation quickly spread through the church and the local community, only a select few of JS’s associates appear to have had firsthand knowledge of the Abraham text in 1835. Church leaders evidently planned to publish some of the Egyptian-related manuscripts in 1837, but those plans were aborted presumably when JS and other Latter-day Saints were forced to leave Kirtland for in 1838.
In late 1841 and early 1842, JS took steps that enabled him to resume his translation efforts and publish portions of the Book of Abraham in the Times and Seasons. In August 1841 JS delegated responsibilities associated with the “business of the church” to the in order to “relieve him so that he might attend to the business of translating.” In February 1842 he assumed editorship of the Times and Seasons and resumed translating portions of the Egyptian papyri in earnest. , who had been recently appointed to work alongside JS and in the , noted JS’s renewed translation efforts in a 19 February journal entry: “The Lord is Blessing Joseph with Power to reveal the mysteries of the kingdom of God; to translate through the Ancient records & Hyeroglyphics as old as Abraham or Adam.” In a circa 1 March 1842 unpublished draft of an editorial for the newspaper, JS conveyed his intention to publish serial excerpts from his translation of the Bible and the Book of Abraham, stating that he would “contin[u]e to translate & publish as fast as possible till the whole is completed.” The first installment of the Book of Abraham was published in the 1 March 1842 issue of the Times and Seasons and included thirteen verses. That installment was derived from the manuscripts originally produced in between July and November 1835.
Entries in JS’s journal indicate that he continued to translate and produce new content from the Egyptian papyri following the 1 March installment of the Book of Abraham. An 8 March entry states that he “Commenced Translating from the Book of Abraham, for the 10 No of the Times and seasons,” a reference to the upcoming 15 March issue. On the morning of 9 March, JS conducted church business and edited some content for the newspaper and then “continu[e]d the Translation of the Book of Abraham” in the afternoon. After taking a break to attend to other church business, he “continued translating & revising” later that day.
JS published nineteen more verses of the Book of Abraham in the 15 March 1842 issue of the Times and Seasons. These verses were likely derived from a manuscript that JS dictated the previous week. In his journal, characterized this installment as “the portion of the Book of Abraham that gave his account of Kolob, Oliblish, God siting upon his Throne The Earth other planets & many great & glorious things as revealed to Abraham through the power of the priesthood.”
In addition to publishing the verses from the Book of Abraham, the 15 March issue of the Times and Seasons included a printed facsimile of an Egyptian hypocephalus and an accompanying explanation. The hypocephalus from which the facsimile was copied is no longer extant. It appears that a portion of the hypocephalus was damaged or missing and that JS, church member , or someone else involved in the production of the facsimile used figures and hieratic characters depicted on other portions of the papyri to fill in the gaps. In late February 1842 JS commissioned Hedlock to carve woodcuts of the hypocephalus and two vignettes depicted on the papyri; the woodcuts were used to create the dies for the metal printing plates from which the three illustrations were printed. At least some portions of the explanation appear to be derived from earlier translation efforts. The hypocephalus and its attending explanation were eventually inserted as a gatefold between pages 720 and 721 in the 15 March issue of the Times and Seasons. According to , the 15 March issue was printed on 19 March, and it was presumably sent to subscribers and made available for sale in , Illinois, sometime within the next few days.
Following the publication of the Book of Abraham in the Times and Seasons, several people made observations about, brought attention to, or reprinted portions of the work. On the day the 15 March 1842 issue was printed, , who had been intimately involved in the publication, noted in his journal, “The truths of the Book of Abraham are truly edifying great & glorious which are among the rich treasures that are revealed unto us in the last days.” Three months later he wrote a letter to fellow apostle , informing him that “the Saints abroad manifest much interest in the Book of Abraham in the T[imes] & Seasons.” Pratt, who was head of the mission in and editor of the church-owned Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star, reprinted the Book of Abraham for his British readers with “much pleasure.”
Wider press coverage of the publication of the Book of Abraham ranged in tone from fascination to derision. On 2 April the New-York Tribune briefly acknowledged that “the Mormons have found a new book called the Book of Abraham” and that JS was translating it. On 3 April the New-York Herald republished the first installment of the book and two days later highlighted the publication of “another slice of the ‘Book of Abraham,’ embracing a synopsis of his geology and astronomy, illustrated with a curious map of the Mormon Solar System”—a reference to the second portion printed in the Times and Seasons. The same month, the Dollar Weekly Bostonian reproduced the first installment of the Book of Abraham; while acknowledging that reproducing the facsimile found in the first installment came at “some expense,” the editor asserted, “We care not for that so long as we please our patrons.” In July the Baptist paper Witness briefly acknowledged the content of the 15 March issue of the Times and Seasons and JS’s “blundering imitation of the history of Abraham.”
In 1851 included the Book of Abraham along with other revelatory texts JS produced in a collection titled The Pearl of Great Price, a revised version of which was canonized as church scripture in 1880.
See also Historical Introduction to Book of Abraham and Facsimiles, 1 Mar.–16 May 1842.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    For a more comprehensive treatment of the Book of Abraham and related documents produced in Kirtland, Ohio, and Nauvoo, Illinois, see The Joseph Smith Papers: Revelations and Translations, Volume 4.

  2. [2]

    See Book of Abraham Manuscripts, ca. July–ca. Nov. 1835.

  3. [3]

    William W. Phelps, Kirtland, OH, to Sally Waterman Phelps, Liberty, MO, 20 July 1835, in Historical Department, Journal History of the Church, 20 July 1835; Lyman, Journal, 11 July 1835; “Another Humbug,” Cleveland Whig, 5 Aug. 1835, [1]. JS did not translate in the conventional sense of the word. For more on JS’s use of the word translation as it applied to various projects, see “Joseph Smith Documents Dating through June 1831”; and “Joseph Smith as Revelator and Translator.”

    Historical Department. Journal History of the Church, 1896–. CHL. CR 100 137.

    Lyman, Amasa. Journals, 1832–1877. Amasa Lyman Collection, 1832–1877. CHL. MS 829, boxes 1–3.

    Cleveland Whig. Cleveland. 1834–1836.

  4. [4]

    Minute Book 1, 5 Nov. 1837. JS may have translated a portion of the Egyptian papyri in 1839. In fall 1839 church member Elizabeth Haven reported that during the October conference JS “related some very interesting facts which he has lately translated from the reccords which came with the Mummies.” (Elizabeth Haven, Quincy, IL, to Elizabeth Howe Bullard, Holliston, MA, 21, 28, and 30 Sept. 1839; 6–9 Oct. 1839, Barlow Family Collection, 1816–1969, CHL.)

    Barlow Family Collection, 1816–1969. CHL.

  5. [5]

    Building a new community and attending to the constant press of ecclesiastical and business responsibilities appear to have hindered JS’s translation work before that time. In June 1840 JS asked the Nauvoo, Illinois, high council to relieve him from such obligations so that he could “devote himself exclusively to those things which relate to Spiritualities of the church and commence the work of translating the ejyptian Records— the Bible,” and other revelations, but there is no evidence that he returned to translating at that time. (Memorial to Nauvoo High Council, 18 June 1840.)

  6. [6]

    “At a Special Conference of the Church,” Times and Seasons, 1 Sept. 1841, 2:521–522.

    Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.

  7. [7]

    Historical Introduction to Times and Seasons, 1 Mar. 1842; Woodruff, Journal, 3 and 19 Feb. 1842. JS reportedly had an office in Nauvoo, Illinois, that Parley P. Pratt described as “Josephs translating Room.” (Letter from Parley P. Pratt, 13 Mar. 1842.)

    Woodruff, Wilford. Journals, 1833–1898. Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898. CHL. MS 1352.

  8. [8]

    Editorial, ca. 1 Mar. 1842, Draft.

  9. [9]

    Book of Abraham and Facsimiles, 1 Mar.–16 May 1842.

  10. [10]

    See Book of Abraham Manuscripts, ca. July–ca. Nov. 1835.

  11. [11]

    JS, Journal, 8–9 Mar. 1842. On 9 March 1842 JS also wrote a letter to recent convert Edward Hunter, informing him that he was “now very busily engaged in Translating.” (Letter to Edward Hunter, 9 and 11 Mar. 1842.)

  12. [12]

    Only a single leaf of this manuscript is apparently extant. The leaf is numbered 7 and 8 on the recto and verso sides, respectively, and it begins and ends in incomplete sentences. These textual aspects of the leaf indicate that it was likely originally part of a larger manuscript. (Book of Abraham Manuscript, 8–ca. 15 Mar. 1842 [Abraham 3:18–26].)

  13. [13]

    Woodruff, Journal, 19 Mar. 1842.

    Woodruff, Wilford. Journals, 1833–1898. Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898. CHL. MS 1352.

  14. [14]

    A hypocephalus is a circular object made of papyrus, linen, wood, clay, or metal that Egyptians traditionally placed beneath the head of a deceased person before interment. (See Rhodes, “Joseph Smith Hypocephalus,” 1; Ritner, Joseph Smith Egyptian Papyri, 263; and Gee, “Towards an Interpretation of Hypocephali,” 332–334.)

    Rhodes, Michael D. The Joseph Smith Hypocephalus . . . Seventeen Years Later. FARMS Preliminary Reports. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1994.

    Ritner, Robert K. The Joseph Smith Egyptian Papyri: A Complete Edition, P. JS 1–4 and the Hypocephalus of Sheshonq. Salt Lake City: Smith-Pettit Foundation, 2011.

    Gee, John. “Towards an Interpretation of Hypocephali.” In Mélanges offerts à Edith Varga: “Le lotus qui sort de terre,” edited by Hedvig Györy, 325–334. Budapest: Musée Hongrois des Beaux- Arts, 2001.

  15. [15]

    See Facsimile Printing Plates and Published Book of Abraham, ca. 23 Feb.–ca. 16 May 1842.

  16. [16]

    JS, Journal, 23 Feb. 1842; 1 and 4 Mar. 1842; Woodruff, Journal, 21–26 Feb. 1842; Facsimile Printing Plates and Published Book of Abraham, ca. 23 Feb.–ca. 16 May 1842.

    Woodruff, Wilford. Journals, 1833–1898. Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898. CHL. MS 1352.

  17. [17]

    See Historical Introduction to Explanation of Facsimile 2, ca. 15 Mar. 1842; and Historical Introduction to Grammar and Alphabet of the Egyptian Language, ca. July–ca. Nov. 1835.

  18. [18]

    Woodruff, Journal, 19 Mar. 1842.

    Woodruff, Wilford. Journals, 1833–1898. Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898. CHL. MS 1352.

  19. [19]

    Woodruff, Journal, 19 Mar. 1842.

    Woodruff, Wilford. Journals, 1833–1898. Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898. CHL. MS 1352.

  20. [20]

    Wilford Woodruff, Nauvoo, IL, to Parley P. Pratt, Liverpool, England, 18 June 1842, Parley P. Pratt, Correspondence, CHL.

    Pratt, Parley P. Correspondence, 1842–1855. CHL. MS 897.

  21. [21]

    “The Book of Abraham,” Millennial Star, July 1842, 3:33–36 [Abraham 1:1–2:18]; “The Book of Abraham,” Millennial Star, Aug. 1842, 3:49–53 [Abraham 2:19–5:21]; [Parley P. Pratt], Editorial, Millennial Star, July 1842, 3:46.

    Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. Manchester, England, 1840–1842; Liverpool, 1842–1932; London, 1932–1970.

  22. [22]

    News Item, New-York Tribune (New York City), 2 Apr. 1842, [2].

    New-York Tribune. New York City. 1841–1842.

  23. [23]

    “The Mormons—a Leaf from Joe Smith,” New York Herald (New York City), 3 Apr. 1842, [2]; “More Prophecy,” New York Herald, 5 Apr. 1842, [2].

    New York Herald. New York City. 1835–1924.

  24. [24]

    The article was reprinted in the Times and Seasons as “The Mormons—Joe Smith, the Prophet,” Times and Seasons, 16 May 1842, 3:796–797.

  25. [25]

    “Mormon Blasphemy,” Witness (Pittsburgh, PA), July 1842, 34. Samuel Williams, the editor and publisher of the Witness, published an inflammatory tract titled Mormonism Exposed several weeks later. (“Mormonism Exposed,” Iron City, and Pittsburgh Weekly Chronicle, 28 May 1842, [3]; 4 June 1842, [1]–[2]; 11 June 1842, [1]–[2].)

    The Witness. Pittsburgh. 1842.

    Iron City, and Pittsburgh Weekly Chronicle. Pittsburgh. 1841–1845.

  26. [26]

    Pearl of Great Price, 1851 ed., 18–29; Pearl of Great Price, 1878 ed., 55; “Fiftieth Semi-annual Conference,” Deseret News (Salt Lake City), 13 Oct. 1880, 588; Crawley, Descriptive Bibliography, 2:234–238.

    The Pearl of Great Price: Being a Choice Selection from the Revelations, Translations, and Narrations of Joseph Smith, First Prophet, Seer, and Revelator to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Liverpool: F. D. Richards, 1851.

    The Pearl of Great Price: Being a Choice Selection from the Revelations, Translations and Narrations of Joseph Smith, First Prophet, Seer, and Revelator to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: Latter-day Saints’ Printing and Publishing Establishment, 1878.

    Deseret News. Salt Lake City. 1850–.

    Crawley, Peter. A Descriptive Bibliography of the Mormon Church. 3 vols. Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1997–2012.

Page 721

it came to pass that it was from evening until morning, that they called night; and it came to pass that it was morning until evening, that they called day: and this was the second time, that they called night and day.
26. And the Gods ordered, saying, let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the earth come up dry, and it was so, as they ordered; and the Gods pronounced the earth dry, and the gathering together of the waters, pronounced they great waters: and the Gods saw that they were obeyed.— And the Gods said, let us prepare the earth to bring forth grass; the herb yielding seed; the fruit tree yielding fruit, after his kind, whose seed in itself yieldeth its own likeness upon the earth; and it was so even as they ordered. And the Gods organized the earth to bring forth grass from its own seed, and the herb to bring forth herb from its own seed, yielding seed after his kind, and the earth to bring forth the tree from its own seed, yielding fruit, whose seed could only bring forth the same, in itself, after his kind; and the Gods saw that they were obeyed. And it came to pass that they numbered the days; from the evening until the morning they called night. And it came to pass from the morning until the evening they called day; and it was the third time.
27. And the Gods organized the lights in the expanse of the heaven, and caused them to divide the day from the night; and organized them to be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and for years; and organized them to be for lights in the expanse of the heaven, to give light upon the earth; and it was so. And the Gods organized the two great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night; with the lesser light he set the stars, also; and the Gods set them in the expanse of the heavens, to give light upon the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to cause to divide the light from the darkness. And the Gods watched those things which they had ordered, until they obeyed. And it came to pass, that it was from evening until morning, that it was night; and it came to pass that it was from morning until evening, that it was day; and it was the fourth time.
28. And the Gods said let us prepare the waters to bring forth abundantly the moving creatures that hath life; and the fowl that they may fly above the earth, in the open expanse of heaven. And the gods prepared the waters that they might bring forth great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters were to bring forth abundantly after their kind; and every winged fowl after their kind; and the Gods saw that they would be obeyed, and that their plan was good. And the Gods said we will bless them and cause them to be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, or great waters; and cause the fowl to multiply in the earth. And it came to pass that it was from evening until morning, that they called night; and it came to pass that it was from morning until evening, that they called day; and it was the fifth time.
29. And the Gods prepared the earth to bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle and creeping things, and beast of the earth after their kind; and it was so as they had said. And the Gods organized the earth to bring forth the beasts after their kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after their kind; and the Gods saw they would obey. And the Gods took counsel among themselves, and said, let us go down, and form man in our image, after our likeness, and we will give them dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing, that creepeth upon the earth. So the Gods went down to organize man in their own image, in the image of the Gods, to form they him, male and female, to form they them: and the Gods said we will bless them. And the Gods said we will cause them to be fruitful, and multiply and replenish the earth, and subdue it, and to have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. And the Gods said, behold, we will give them every herb bearing seed that shall come upon the face of all the earth, and every tree which shall have fruit upon it, yea the fruit of the tree, yielding seed to them we will give it, it shall be for their meat; and to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, behold we will give them life, and also we will give to them every [p. 721]
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Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Book of Abraham Excerpt and Facsimile 2, 15 March 1842 [Abraham 2:19–5:21]
ID #
789
Total Pages
5
Print Volume Location
JSP, D9:251–264
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