Muhlestein explains background of JS Papyri and discusses ways JS's interpretation of Facsimile 1 make sense from an Egyptological perspective.

Date
2013
Type
Academic / Technical Report
Source
Kerry Muhlestein
LDS
Hearsay
Direct
Secondary
Reference

Kerry Muhlestein, “The Religious and Cultural Background of Joseph Smith Papyrus I,” Journal of the Book of Mormon and Other Restoration Scripture 22, no. 1 (2013): 20–33

Scribe/Publisher
Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
People
Kerry Muhlestein
Audience
Reading Public
PDF
Transcription

Throughout its history, ancient Egyptian religion showed a remarkable capacity for adopting new religious ideas and characters and adapting them for use in an already existing system of worship. This process continued, and perhaps accelerated, during the Groco-Roman era of Egyptian history. Egyptian priests readily used foreign religious characters in their rituals and religious formulas, particularly from Greek and Jewish religions. Religious texts demonstrate that Egyptian priests knew of both biblical and nonbiblical accounts of many Jewish figures--especially Jehova, Abraham, and Moses--by about 200 BC. Knowing this religio-cultural background helps us understand how the priest in Thebes who owned Joseph Smith Papyrus I would have been familiar with stories of Abraham.

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