Facsimile 3

Facsimile #3

Click to Read the Original CES Letter Claim

The following is a side-by-side comparison of what Joseph Smith translated in Facsimile 3 versus what it actually says according to Egyptologists and modern Egyptology:

	JOSEPH SMITH'S INTERPRETATION	MODERN EGYPTOLOGICAL INTERPRETATION
1.	Abraham sitting on Pharaoh's throne, by the politeness of the king, with a crown upon his head, representing the priesthood, as emblematical of the grand Presidency in heaven; with the scepter of justice and judgment in his hand	This is Osiris. Writing above figure: "Recitation by Osiris, Foremost of the Westerners." The "atef" crown also identifies him as Osiris
2.	King Pharaoh, whose name is given in the characters above his head	This figure is female, not male. Writing above figure: "Isis the great, the god's mother
3.	Signifies Abraham in Egypt as given also in Figure 10 of Facsimile No. 1.	This is a libation table (wine, oils, etc.)
4.	Prince of Pharaoh, King of Egypt, as written above the hand	This figure is female, not male. Writing above figure: "Maat, mistress of the gods"
5.	Shulem, one of the kings principal waiters, as represented by the characters above his hand	This is a deceased individual wearing the traditional cone of perfumed grease and lotus flower on his head. Writing above figure: "The Osiris Hor, justified forever"
6.	Olimlah, a slave belonging to the prince	Not a slave. This is Anubis, guide of the dead, who is there to support the deceased. Writing above figure: "Recitation by Anubis, who makes protection(?), foremost of the embalming booth, ..."

Sources:

Joseph Smith’s Translations: Facsimile 3 in Book of Abraham
Modern Egyptological Translations
FairMormon Facsimile 3 Apologetics (“There are LDS experts who believe the Book of Abraham is a genuine artifact, and that it testifies of Joseph Smith’s status as a prophet. Non-LDS experts obviously do not agree with that.”)

While the meaning of some of Joseph Smith’s interpretations have yet to be fully understood, only by assuming he should have duplicated modern Egyptologists’ views can critics allege he is in error.

Egyptologist John Gee has explained that there remains much work to be done on Facsimile 3:

"Facsimile 3 has always been the most neglected of the three facsimiles in the Book of Abraham. Unfortunately, most of what has been said about this facsimile is seriously wanting at best and highly erroneous at worst. This lamentable state of affairs exists because the basic Egyptological work on Facsimile 3 has not been done, and much of the evidence lies neglected and unpublished in museums. Furthermore, what an ancient Egyptian understood by a vignette and what a modern Egyptologist understands by the same vignette are by no means the same thing. Until we understand what the Egyptians understood by this scene, we have no hope of telling whether what Joseph Smith said about them matches what the Egyptians thought about them."

What an ancient Egyptian understood by a vignette and what a modern Egyptologist understands by the same vignette are by no means always the same thing. Until we understand what the Egyptians understood by this scene, we have no hope of telling whether what Joseph Smith said about them matches what the Egyptians thought about them.

Any observer can recognize that two of the figures in Facsimile 3 (King Pharoah and Prince of Pharoah) appear to be female, but Joseph Smith identified them as male. Critics may affirm these to be blunders, but it would be a simplistic interpretation in light of the more complex correlations the Prophet did make in his Abrahamic revelation. (Furthermore, forthcoming work by Egyptologist John Gee demonstrates that during the period the Joseph Smith Papyri were produced Egyptian artists were not always consistent in depicting the genders of the figures being represented, and so sometimes swapped male and female gender iconography.)

Each of the three Egyptian representations in the facsimiles that Joseph Smith said were associated with Abraham actually was associated with him by ancient Egyptians. This reality does not prove the Prophet to be a prophet, but it is a curious instance where Joseph was correct.

Given the nature of Ruben Hedlock's reproduction of Facsimile 3 (the original has not survived), some researchers doubt our ability to even read the hieratic labels to begin with, and insist that the best we can do is offer conjectural emendations of the labels based on comparative iconography.

Elements in Facsimile 3 (such as Abraham teaching astronomy to the Egytians) finds support in ancient apocryphal sources about the life of Abraham.

Critics are quick to point out understandable inconsistencies with his explanations of the Facsimiles. However, they do not attempt to deal with these significant instances of consistency.

A candid evaluation of the known facts reveals that a number of elements about the Facsimiles and text of the Book of Abraham are puzzling, a number are quite plausible, and a number are compelling.

See:

Facsimile 3 and Book of the Dead 125

All the Court's a Stage: Facsimile 3, a Royal Mumming