Common Pagan Funerary Text

Common Pagan Funerary Text

CES Letter Core Question

The surviving papyri from the Book of Abraham are Egyptian funerary texts.  Does this prove Joseph a fraud?

The author of The CES Letter fails to inform his readers that since the 1960s the Church has freely admitted that the papyri fragments currently in possession of the Church do not contain the Book of Abraham.

Both Mormon and non-Mormon scholars agree the available fragments contain the Book of Breathings.

The surviving fragments are just a portion of all the papyri Joseph possessed when he produced the Book of Abraham.

Photos of the papyri were found on the front cover of the Church’s Improvement Era magazine for January 1968. The opening article acknowledges that they may be from "The Book of the Dead."  Click here

500px-IE_Jan1968_cover

 

The author of The CES Letter is incorrect in his dating of the surviving papyri fragments. The fragments date some two to three centuries earlier than indicated in The CES Letter.

"Breathing Permit" is an inaccurate translation of what should be called "The Book of Breathings" or arguably the "Letter of Fellowship." 

Rather than this being mere trivia, the dating and name of the text have implications for our understanding of the significance of the text. It's small (but still important) details like these that betray the author's ignorance on the issue.


See:

Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham

Admission and Omission: What Is the Church’s Position on the Book of Abraham?

Some Puzzles from the Joseph Smith Papyri

New Light on the Joseph Smith Papyri

January 1968 Improvement Era with articles on the papyri  For entire issue Click here

 Telling the Story of the Joseph Smith Papyri

The Ancient Owners of the Joseph Smith Papyri

Book of Abraham/Joseph Smith Papyri/Church disclosure of "Book of the Dead"

A Guide to the Joseph Smith Papyri ("The Ancient Owners of the Papyri")

 

Additional Book of Abraham Resources: