The Book Of Abraham'S Origin

[Olavarria]

Here is my theory about the origin of the Book of Abraham, it's purely speculative but here we go:

1)I believe that Abraham wrote the Book of Abraham in some Semitic language, other than Hebrew(Ugaritic, Eblaite, Akkadian).

2)Somehow, the BoA made it's way into Judea. During it's stay in Judea, the book was redacted into Hebrew. This Book of Abraham eventually became part of the P source. I say this because the BoA's creation account is mostly like the P creation account in Genesis and because P was written by an Aronid priest, which is relevant given the BoA's obsession with priesthood authority.

3)Somehow, the Book of Abraham made it's way into Egypt. Maybe it got their via the Jewish community in Elephanitine Egypt. They were a conservative/polytheistic group and their views may have found justification in the BoA.

4)Somehow, the BoA came into the hands of Egyptian priests at around 300bc. The book was translated into Egyptian and/or Greek, with a lioncouch vignette at the beginning and a presentation scene at the end, unaccompanied by an unattached hypocephalus, presumably used by the priestly Egyptian owners to make sense of the astronomy by comparing it to something they already understood. I say this because it is at this time Hecataeus is supposed to have gone to Egypt and written "On Abraham and the Egyptians". Its after this time that the non-Biblical stories about Abraham start popping up and the earliest pop up in Egypt.

5)The lion couch vignette and presentation scene are attached to the HBOB, the HBOB and a hypocephalus come into the position of the Prophet Joseph and act as a catalyst for a revelation that is the BoA. OR, a copy of the BoA is attached to the HBoB etc.

Edited October 28, 2011 by Pedro A. Olavarria

[altersteve]

4)Somehow, the BoA came into the hands of Egyptian priests at around 300bc. The book was translated into Egyptian and/or Greek, with a lioncouch vignette at the beginning and a presentation scene at the end, unaccompanied by an unattached hypocephalus, presumably used by the priestly Egyptian owners to make sense of the astronomy by comparing it to something they already understood. I say this because it is at this time Hecataeus is supposed to have gone to Egypt and written "On Abraham and the Egyptians". Its after this time that the non-Biblical stories about Abraham start popping up and the earliest pop up in Egypt.

I think the Book of Abraham's translation into Egyptian could explain why it talks about "the Gods" instead of, for example, "members of the Godhead." Just an idea that probably doesn't make a lot of sense, but I'm tired and I can't be bothered to type coherently at the moment lol

[Robert F. Smith]

1)I believe that Abraham wrote the Book of Abraham in some Semitic language, other than Hebrew(Ugaritic, Eblaite, Akkadian).

Good point. Abraham couldn't speak Hebrew because the language did not yet exist. Abe may have spoken a Northwest Semitic language such as Amorite, or an early Aramaean tongue.

2)Somehow, the BoA made it's way into Judea. During it's stay in Judea, the book was redacted into Hebrew. This Book of Abraham eventually became part of the P source. I say this because the BoA's creation account is mostly like the P creation account in Genesis and because P was written by an Aronid priest, which is relevant given the BoA's obsession with priesthood authority.

Excellent suggestions. The complete absence of the E source in the BofA, along with the dominance of the J source certainly suggests that Judahites had control of the BofA for a long period (whether in Egypt or Judah). The P source is certainly present, but only secondary to J. Naturally the transmitted text (in whatever language) would have to be translated and updated to be comprehensible to later generations, and this would most likely have been effected within a Jewish sectarian group.

3)Somehow, the Book of Abraham made it's way into Egypt. Maybe it got their via the Jewish community in Elephanitine Egypt. They were a conservative/polytheistic group and their views may have found justification in the BoA.

There were likely continuous, or nearly continuous Israelite/Jewish settlements in Egypt from at least the time of Joseph. Certainly there were continuous Canaanite settlements in Egypt from before the time of Abraham (particularly at Avaris in the Delta), and Canaanite was the common language spoken by both Israelite and pagan Canaanite during that period, whatever linguistic developments had taken place over time. So the BofA need not have left Egypt, though that is possible.

4)Somehow, the BoA came into the hands of Egyptian priests at around 300bc. The book was translated into Egyptian and/or Greek, with a lioncouch vignette at the beginning and a presentation scene at the end, unaccompanied by an unattached hypocephalus, presumably used by the priestly Egyptian owners to make sense of the astronomy by comparing it to something they already understood. I say this because it is at this time Hecataeus is supposed to have gone to Egypt and written "On Abraham and the Egyptians". Its after this time that the non-Biblical stories about Abraham start popping up and the earliest pop up in Egypt.

The BofA may have been composed in Egyptian at the outset by Abraham himself. If not, it might certainly have been rendered in Egyptian during the long centuries of sojourn of the Israelites in Egypt during the second millennium B.C., possibly the time when the Brass Plates of Laban likewise began to be recorded in Egyptian. The Abraham stories (and Enoch, etc.) were likely kept alive by subterranean Judaism, and the huge post-Exilic Jewish diaspora in Egypt (along with their Aramaean kinfolk) tended toward some degree of syncretism in any case. Your comment on Hecataeus is thus certainly relevant.

5)The lion couch vignette and presentation scene are attached to the HBOB, the HBOB and a hypocephalus come into the position of the Prophet Joseph and act as a catalyst for a revelation that is the BoA. OR, a copy of the BoA is attached to the HBoB etc.

The late vignettes are mere vehicles by which to communicate more esoteric or hidden meaning unique to the Jewish source -- something opaque to any Egyptian priest. What Abraham himself may have used is lost in the mists of time.

[William Schryver]

Pedro,

My thinking (which I acknowledge to be about 8 parts well-reasoned speculation blended with 2 parts data) is very similar to yours.

I do want to make one remark in relation to Bob's statement "the late vignettes." It is my understanding that, while the lion couch scenes and hypocephali are of Greek/Roman-era origin, the "presentation" (judgment) scene vignette is apparently much older in its origin. I find that rather significant, considering its meaning in more ancient times (as I have learned of it from David Bokovoy and other sources).

I also think that people neglect to consider the significance of the Jewish presence and influence in Thebes at the time when Hor lived, and when the materials were produced that eventually came into Joseph Smith's possession.

[Olavarria]

Although I'm an agnostic on papyrus and KEP issues, I believe that during Hor's lifetime an Egyptian edition of the BoA existed.

I think that edition had a lioncouch at the start and a presentation scene at the end, with a hypocephalus being used as a visual aid for the benefit of Egyptian readers. So, I'm a a catalyst man, with Joseph's explanations of the facsimilies being what they represented when attached to the BoA.

[Robert F. Smith]

Although I'm an agnostic on papyrus and KEP issues, I believe that during Hor's lifetime an Egyptian edition of the BoA existed.

I think that edition had a lioncouch at the start and a presentation scene at the end, with a hypocephalus being used as a visual aid for the benefit of Egyptian readers. So, I'm a a catalyst man, with Joseph's explanations of the facsimilies being what they represented when attached to the BoA.

That is certainly one possible scenario. I can imagine that an Egyptian scribe might have found the story worthy of copying and inclusion on one of his papyri -- even if as a curiosity. How he might have gotten hold of such a Jewish document is a reasonable question, but not one we could easily answer at this remove. The illustrations would have been as much for Jewish as Egyptian readers, although probably only the Jewish readers might have been able to comprehend the esoteric meanings.

[LeSellers]

How [an Egyptian scribe] might have gotten hold of such a Jewish document [as the Book of Abraham] is a reasonable question, but not one we could easily answer at this remove.

No too difficult to envision a response, though.

Abraham was in the Egyptian court as an honored guest. His writings would have been in the national archive, readily available to any official scribe.

Lehi

[Mike Reed]

My theory is that Joseph did as most masons of his day did: misinterpreted an artifact and attributed masonic/biblical significance to it. John Fellows interpreted a lion couch scene as typifying Hiram Abiff. Question is, was Joseph worried that Egyptian scholars would one day disprove his interpretation? I don't think so. He probably believed (as others did) that Egyptian could have at least three layers of meaning. One of which required a gift to understand.

[wenglund]

My theory is that Joseph did as most masons of his day did: misinterpreted an artifact and attributed masonic/biblical significance to it. John Fellows interpreted a lion couch scene as typifying Hiram Abiff. Question is, was Joseph worried that Egyptian scholars would one day disprove his interpretation? I don't think so. He probably believed (as others did) that Egyptian could have at least three layers of meaning. One of which required a gift to understand.

For those interested, here is a link to John Fellow's book on Religious Dogmas and Customs: Egyptians, Pythagoreans, and Druids, 1835.

Thanks, -Wade Englund-

Edited November 3, 2011 by wenglund

[Mike Reed]

For those interested, here is a link to John Fellow's book on Religious Dogmas and Customs: Egyptians, Pythagoreans, and Druids, 1835.

Thanks, -Wade Englund-

Thanks for posting the link Wade. Lots of good stuff in this volume. Fellows also claims that masons have the rod, but lost its power.

Edited November 3, 2011 by Mike Reed

[wenglund]

For those interested, here is a link to John Fellow's book on Religious Dogmas and Customs: Egyptians, Pythagoreans, and Druids, 1835.

A .pdf version of the book is available here:

http://www.coloradofreemasons.org/pdfDocuments/library/ExpositionOfTheMysteries.pdf

Thanks, -Wade Englund-

[Mike Reed]

A .pdf version of the book is available here:

http://www.coloradofreemasons.org/pdfDocuments/library/ExpositionOfTheMysteries.pdf

Thanks, -Wade Englund-

A searchable pdf version is also on googlebooks.

[wenglund]

Thanks for posting the link Wade. Lots of good stuff in this volume. Fellows also claims that masons have the rod, but lost its power.

Evidently, Fellow relies heavily on Abbe Pluche's book on History of Heaven. I am looking for that book online, but I have yet to find it. Have you seen it?

Thanks, -Wade Englund-

[Mike Reed]

Evidently, Fellow relies heavily on Abbe Pluche's book on History of Heaven. I am looking for that book online, but I have yet to find it. Have you seen it?

Thanks, -Wade Englund-

Here you go: http://books.google.com/books?id=wK7F3f2BVgYC&printsec

[wenglund]

Here you go: http://books.google....2BVgYC

Is there an English version?

Thanks, -Wade Englund-

[Mike Reed]

Is there an English version?

Thanks, -Wade Englund-

There are english versions, but there doesn't seem to be one available online. You might want to try worldcat, and see if a library near you has a copy available. Otherwise, you can buy it on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/considered-according-philosophers-compared-doctrines/dp/1171091680