Out of the Dust: Ancient Semitic in Egyptian Pyramids?

Authors

Paul Y. Hoskisson, Brigham Young University
Michael D. Rhodes

Keywords

Ancient Near East, Egypt, Book of Mormon, Language, Reformed Egyptian, Pearl of Great Price, Book of Abraham

Abstract

An announcement made in Jerusalem—claiming that parts of the text found in the pyramid of Wenis were ancient Semitic and not Egyptian—could have implications applicable to the Latter-day Saints. If the claim proves to be true, these spells would be one of the oldest attestations of any Semitic language. Egyptologists have tended to reject the possibility of influence from non-Egyptians, but the existence of these Semitic lines would force them to reconsider that possibility. The reverse would also have to be considered, supporting the Book of Mormon’s suggestion that the Hebrews adopted Egyptian script to write Hebrew. However, the assertion has only been made and has yet to be proven.

BYU ScholarsArchive Citation

Hoskisson, Paul Y. and Rhodes, Michael D. (2007) "Out of the Dust: Ancient Semitic in Egyptian Pyramids?," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies: Vol. 16: No. 1, Article 9.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jbms/vol16/iss1/9