A Textual History of the Book of Abraham
Manuscripts and Editions
In July 1835 at Kirtland Ohio, a traveling antiquities dealer brought to Joseph Smith, the Mormon Prophet, four Egyptian mummies and several rolls of papyri. Upon inspection Smith determined that one of the rolls contained a lost record of the patriarch Abraham. After purchasing these artifacts for $2400 Smith generated through translation five chapters that appeared during March 1842 in Nauvoo, Illinois in the Times and Seasons, a Mormon periodical, under the title “The Book of Abraham”. This book has since become a canonized text of scripture for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
A Textual History of the Book of Abraham: Manuscripts and Editions serves as a source book for interested researchers and scholars. It includes a brief introduction to the Book of Abraham and a detailed record of textual variants from the time it first appeared in the Times and Seasons until its latest edition (1981). This volume also produces for the first time typographic transcriptions with facing grayscale images of the surviving handwritten manuscripts of the Book of Abraham. Several appendices offer additional helpful resources such as contemporary accounts related to the translation of the Book of Abraham and a full set of color high-res images of the surviving Abraham manuscripts. A valuable reference tool for scholars interested in researching the textual history of the Book of Abraham.
About the Author
Brian M. Hauglid
Brian M. Hauglid (Ph.D., University of Utah) is associate professor of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University. He is series co-editor for Studies in the Book of Abraham, a member of the editorial board of the Eastern Christian Texts series, and co-compiler and co-editor (with John Tvedtnes and John Gee) of Traditions about the Early Life of Abraham (Provo, UT: FARMS, 2001). He has authored articles on Abraham, Islam, and other topics in ancient scripture.
About the Editor
John Gee
John Gee (Ph.D. in Egyptology, Yale University) is William "Bill" Gay Assistant Research Professor of Egyptology at the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, where he is a series editor for Studies in the Book of Abraham and a member of the editorial board of the Eastern Christian Texts series. He is also on the board of directors for the Aziz S. Atiya Fund for Coptic Studies at the University of Utah.
Publication Information
Subject: Ancient Near East
Publication Year: 2010
Language: English
ISBN 13: 9780842527743
Page Count: 307
Price: $ 89.95
Imprint: Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship