How Did Joseph Smith Translate the Book of Abraham

Authors

Stephen O. Smoot
John Gee
Kerry Muhlestein
John S. Thompson

Keywords

Book of Abraham, Joseph Smith papyri, translation

Abstract

Multiple sources associated with the coming forth of the Book of Abraham spoke of Joseph Smith “translating” the text from the papyri he acquired. The Prophet himself used this language to describe his own activity with the text. For example, an entry in his journal under the date November 19, 1835, indicates the Prophet “spent the day in translating” the Egyptian records. In an unpublished editorial that was apparently meant to be printed in the March 1, 1842, issue of the Times and Seasons (the issue that saw the publication of the first installment of the Book of Abraham), Joseph Smith signaled his desire to “contin[u]e to translate & publish [the text] as fast as possible [until] the whole is completed.” What was published with the Book of Abraham was a preface announcing it as “A Translation Of some ancient Records that have fallen into our hands . . . purporting to be the writings of Abraham.”

Recommended Citation

Smoot, Stephen O.; Gee, John; Muhlestein, Kerry; and Thompson, John S. (2022) "How Did Joseph Smith Translate the Book of Abraham," BYU Studies Quarterly: Vol. 61: Iss. 4, Article 4.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/vol61/iss4/4