The Facsimiles of Abraham
(Very) Broad Overview
Translation vs Transmission
Often we confuse TRANSLATION with
TRANSMISSION (“literal translation”)
Transmission
Translation
Human organ for
detection
of light stimuli
Common representation
of cardiac organ
eye
heart (love)
I
LOVE
Adult female quadrupedal
ruminant mammal
ewe
YOU
Translation vs Transmission
“Head down by the Chatty stones to fire oranges at the Moose”
Transmission
Translation
Go to the arena and play hockey with Jason
Conveying meaning… that’s even harder…
Whose were they?
• Hor (Fac 1 & 3)
– Could be the (relatively
insignificant) Pharaoh who
ruled about 7 months at
about 1760 BC
• Sheshonq (Fac 2)
– Shishaq?
– Around 920 BC
– Fought Jerusalem (1 Kings
14:25; 2 Chr 12:1-12)
Abraham in Egypt?
• A papyrus scroll found in Thebes is very
interesting:
– Portrays a lion-couch scene
– The characters beneath
read, “Abraham who upon…”
Facsimile 1
A model for life
Abraham
?!?
• “Abraham fastened upon an altar”
• Egyptologists would immediately identify
this figure as Osiris - Not Abraham
• Not only because of the way it is drawn,
but because Osiris was usually the figure
being embalmed or sacrificed in these
scenes
• Does that matter?
Abraham or Osiris?
• The title Osiris is given to the deceased
• He was the dead and resurrected god...
• is like Osiris and therefore, by the Egyptian way of
thought, is Osiris.”
• That person takes on the gods attributes and actually
becomes the god!
Abraham or Osiris?
• symbols of Christ!
• Like the Egyptian dead were received to Osiris and
became like him… we become like Abraham who
became like God.
Two raised hands
• This position is peculiar for someone lying on a couch
or altar
• But when the figure is vertical it is more easily
identifiable.
• With hands raised and right foot forward, Abraham
has assumed a traditional position for offering a
prayer.
• Two hands raised is typical when deeply imploring
God
• No other known scene portrays the victim in this way
The Priest
• The idolatrous priest of Elkenah
attempting to offer up Abraham as a
sacrifice
• Critics would say that the facsimile is wrong
because this figure is always portrayed as the
Jackal-headed god Anubis
• The outfit is always seen on Anubis
• Anubis was most often the figure embalming
or sacrificing in these scenes
• Were Joseph & Reuben wrong?
Anubis
• Firstly, recall that this portion of the
facsimile was missing on the original
papyrus
• If we looked for this facsimile to be similar
to others of this kind then perhaps it would
indeed have been the head of Anubis
Anubis – mask?
1) Assume for the sake of argument that the head on
Facsimile 1 Figure 3 is correct. What are the
implications of the figure being a bald man? Shaving
was a common feature of initiation into the priesthood
from the Old Kingdom through the Roman period.
Since "Complete shaving of the head was another
mark of the priest" the bald figure would then be a
priest.
2) Assume on the other hand that the head on Facsimile
1 Figure 3 is that of a jackal,. We have representations
of priests wearing masks,
•
Thus, however the restoration is made, the individual
shown in Facsimile1 Figure 3 is a priest, and the entire
question of which head should be on the figure is moot
so far as identifying the figure is concerned.
“Hunefer's mummy, held up
by a priest wearing the
jackal's mask, while
Hunefer's widow weeps.”
4 canopic jars
Figure
Egyptian
Name
Part of
Body
5
Falcon
Qebehsenuef
Intestines Elkenah
East
6
Jackal
Duamutef
Stomach
Libnah
West
7
Ape
Hapy
Lungs
Mamackrah
North
8
Human Imsety
Liver
Korash
South
• Ezekiel 1:10, 10:14, Rev. 4:7
BoA Name
Direction
#
4 Canopic Jars - Elkenah
• Hawk-headed
• Hebrew word El-qanah, a name for 6 or more
persons (often Levites, cf. 1 Sam. 1:1-2. At
Gen. 14:19 we read "El Elyon qoneh shamayim
we'aretz," "El, the Exalted one, posessor
[Creator] of Heaven and Earth.“
• East
4 Canpoic Jars - Libnah
• WEST
• Libnah does mean White Land
• The idolatrous god of Libnah does have the mask
of Anubis
• The jackal-headed canopic figure does stand for
the West
• Anubis is the Lord of the West
• Anubis is also Lord of the White land
• White is the ritual color of the west
4 Canpoic Jars - Mahmackrah
• North
• Mah-mack-rah might have the Egyptian meaning
"who is mighty like Re."
• Mai-m-hqa meaning the lion is ruler. Our canopic
name would then be Mai-m-akr-ah which would
mean The lion Akr is great! Akr being the earth
god as lion
– Abraham is on the LION couch to be sure
4 Canpoic Jars - Korash
• South
• The last is Korash, and correlating to the South.
• Land of Cush?
– This is the region south of Egypt
The Crocodile
• The God of Pharaoh
• love-hate relationship with the animal.
• . . . the Egyptians ascribe honor and power to
crocodiles…, when they esteem such as are seized
upon… to be happy persons, and persons worthy of
God (Josephus)
The Crocodile
• Because of the exalted office of
the Pharaoh, anything that
warranted his homage was
regarded as a God.
• In the delta region of the Nile there
were a lot of crocodiles around
which the Egyptians had to be
especially careful.
• Since this was the most feared of
the animals it was the God chosen
to represent the King himself.
• The presence of the crocodile in
this scene clearly shows that this
scene involves human sacrifice
Cosmic Waters
• This word and the word written as "shamau"
are Hebrew words, their correct definitions
given by Joseph Smith.
• It is interesting that the plural of shamau
(written here as Shaumahyeem) is used,
apparently to indicate great distance.
• The slanted lines surrounding the figure of the
crocodile are indeed known to symbolize the
"heavenly ocean".
• Egyptians thought of heaven as a cosmic
ocean that must be traversed by ship
• More on this with facsimile 2…
The Sed Festival
• Periodically in the life of the king there was
a need for revitalization or renewal.
• “Sed” means renewal
• The Egyptians saw aging as a loss of
power and ability
• Sed Festivals were usually conducted
every 30 years and then perhaps every 3
years depending on the king and the
people’s impression of him
Renewal
• According to the Egyptians the only real way to
be renewed was to die and be resurrected
• Clearly, literally killing the king wasn’t too
appealing of an idea for him
• There was a method of renewal that not only
kept the king alive but furnished him with the
coveted renewal.
• This method was based on the principle of
substitution.
The Substitute
•
•
•
•
•
An enemy to the king
A stranger
Royal blood
Blond or red hair
Captured
Red or Blond hair?!?!
• The Egyptian religion was an “earnest imitation
of the true patriarchal order” because “they were
of that lineage by which they could not have the
right of the priesthood” (Abr 1:26-27)
• The Egyptians, being descendants of Ham were
of the lineage that could not hold the Priesthood
• One way to identify a person who could hold the
Priesthood was by their light color
The ritual
•
•
•
•
The victim is brought into the court
He is dressed in the king’s robes
He sits on the throne for three days
Then he is bound, set on the lion couch
altar
• The priest would kill the victim and put his
organs in the 4 canopic jars
Acquiring the power
• By sacrificing such a person the Pharaoh
would kill a true rival
• By eating the substitute’s flesh and blood
the Pharoah could become an heir of the
Priesthood (don’t forget about the
crocodile)
Facsimile 2
Instructions for the Deceased
Missing portions of
original version
Other Hypocephali
A hypo-what?!?!
• Hypocephalus. A Greek word, meaning
literally, below (hypo) the head (cephalus),
• Small, disk-shaped object made of papyrus,
stuccoed linen, bronze, gold, wood or clay
• Egyptians placed under the head of their
dead
• Its purpose was to magically cause the head
and body to be enveloped in flames or
radiance thus making the deceased divine
Where? Heliopolis.
• Jewish tradition indicates that Abraham
spent some time in Heliopolis
• teaching and debating the priests of
Pharaoh concerning such things as the
stars.
• Heliopolis lies about 10 miles northeast of
Cairo.
Abraham in Egypt?
• On another papyrus is the phrase,
“Abraham, the pupil of the eye of the
Wedjat”
– This phrase not only places Abraham in
Egypt, but ties him to the hypocephalus which
is made to represent the Wedjat Eye.
Abraham in Egypt?
• A pseudopigraphic text describes a similar
vision to what the PoGP details
– “I will ascend on the wings of the birds to
show you (what) is in the heavens, on the
earth and in the sea, in the abyss, and in the
lower depths, in the garden of Eden and in its
rivers, in the fullness of the universe. And you
will see its circles in all “ (Apocalypse of
Abraham 12:10)
Wedjat Eye
Eye of Horus
• Called the Wedjat Eye, Eye of Re, Eye of
Horus
• Representation of the knowledge and the
mind of God
• “The eye is the window into the mind”
• One of the meanings of “Horus” is “Eternal
Light”
• Crown of Pharaoh is also called the Eye of
Horus
Into the darkness…
• If it is an eye, with the middle being the pupil,
and the outer rim being the iris, why is it so
dilated?
• Doesn’t God dwell in Everlasting Light?
• Yes! His children are in a world of spiritual
darkness
• All of His work is directed toward us – for our
spiritual benefit
• Thus this document contains information that
pertains to God’s perspective of the Universe
Stars???
• Fig 1 – Kolob
– Earth is Jah-oh-eh
• Fig 2 – Stands next to Kolob, Oliblish
• Fig 5 – Enish-go-on-dosh (sun): governing
planet.
– Receives light through the medium of Kae-evanrash (governs 15 others).
– As also Floeese (moon)
– Kli-flos-is-es
– Hah-ko-kau-beam
•This is a sort of Light Line of Authority
•A greaterHah-ko-kah-beam
star holds keys or governing
power over lesser stars and planets
The Throne
Kae-evanrash
•All light
flows from the throne of God
of God
Enish-go-on-dosh
(Sun)
Kolob
Oliblish
Jah-oh-eh
(Earth)
Kli-flos-isis
Floeese (Moon)
Figure 1
• Seated deity with two heads (usually 4)
holding the symbols of life, dominion, and
stability.
• Two Apes (sometimes as many as 8) on
either side with moon-disks in an attitude
of adoration
• Two serpents on either side
Figure 1
• Seated in the very center
• Amon-Re
– Attributes of Re (sun), Shu (light), Geb (earth),
and Osiris (next world & resurrection)
Figure 1
• Kolob
– Nearest to God – Center of the Universe
– Semitic root QLB means “Heart” or “Center”
– Arabic qalb means “center, middle, midst”
– Arabic names of some of the brightest stars
including Antares, Regulus, and Canopis
Figure 1
• Joseph identified mentioned Ja-oh-eh as
meaning “O the Earth”
• In Egyptian “Yo-he” means “Oh Earth”
Figure 2
• Two-headed deity wearing the crown of
Amun (means “the Hidden One”)
• Jackal heads on his shoulders
• Holding the jackal standard of Wepwawet
(means “opener of the way”)
• Text to the left “The Name of this Mighty
God”
Figure 2
• “The name of this Mighty God”
– The Egyptians believed that every god and
goddess had a secret name. If anyone could
find out this name, he would have power over
the god or goddess
– So these names were known only to the god
or goddess and were to be kept very sacred
and secret.
– These names gave the god or goddess power
Figure 2
•
•
•
•
“Opener of the way” (cf. John 14:6)
Amun is the “Self-created”
Created all other gods
Agrees well with Joseph Smith's
interpretation
Figure 3
• Hawk-headed God with a sun-disk
• On either side is a Wedjat Eye (represents
light, protection, foresight)
• Holds the was-scepter (represents power
and authority)
Missing portions of
original version
Figure 3
• This figure was actually missing from the
hypocephalus Joseph Smith had
– It is an exact copy of a figure in the Book of
the Dead which he did have
– Much later we learned that this figure is found
in the same spot in most hypocephali
– The text to the left was not in the BoD
– Text reads “Divine Ship”
Figure 3
• Crown of Eternal Light
• All Seeing Eyes (Wedjat Eyes)
– D&C 38:2
• Passage to Eternal Life over the cosmic
waters
Figure 4
• A hawk in mummy wrappings with
outspread wings
– Outspread wings signify Horus who is the
personification of the sky
• The ship is called “the ship of 1000 cubits”
Figure 4
• In the festival of Sokar, a procession was
held in which the high priest would place
the Sokar-boat on a sledge and pull it
around the sanctuary.
• This procession symbolized the revolution
of the sun and other celestial bodies.
Figure 4
• “the ship of 1000 cubits long,”
• On the sarcophagus of the princess
Anchenneferibre is found a description of the
‘Khabas in Heliopolis’ and ‘Osiris in his ship of a
thousand.’
• The term Khabas . . . means ‘A Thousand is her
souls’ and refers to the starry hosts of the sky,
• Confirming again Joseph Smith's explanation
that it represents the ‘expanse of the heavens’
Figure 5
• A cow wearing a sun-disk common to
almost all hypocephali – a form of Hathor
– Personification of the original waters from
which the whole of creation arose
– Gave birth to the Sun
– Celestial mother by whom the sun is born
each day
Figure 5
• Lotus lady
– Presents a new lotus flower each day
– Indicates daily and annual renewal of the sun
• Hah-ko-kau-beam
– Kokob – “Star”
– Kokobim – “Stars”
– Hah – definite article (the)
Figure 6
• Four sons of Horus (same as in Fac 1)
– Represent the 4 cardinal points
• Lotus blossom
• Lion/Ape
• Ram
Figure 6
• This is precisely the import the Egyptians
gave the four canopic figures.
• Remember the directions, & other
representations
• Lion, Apes & plants
Figure 7
• “Washings, anointings, endowments, and the
communication of keys, [are essential to
enable one] to secure the fullness of those
blessings which have been prepared for the
Church of the Firstborn, and come up and
abide in the presence of Elohim in the eternal
worlds”. [TPJS, 237]
• [we] "have got to learn how to be Gods" and
"to be kings and priests to God, the same as
all the Gods have done before" [us]. [TPJS,
346-347]
Figures 12-15
• Largely destroyed and replaced by hieratic
symbols from another document.
Figure 7
• A seated god with a hawk’s tail holding a
flail
• A bird presenting a Wedjat eye
– Egyptians commonly portrayed the soul or
spirit as a bird
Figs 11-8
• Left Middle
– “O God of the
Sleeping Ones from
the time of creation.
O Mighty God. Lord
of heaven and earth,
of the hereafter, and
of his great waters,
may the soul of the
Osiris Shishaq be
granted eternal life.”
A problem??
• We know exactly what it says…
• Cannot be revealed unto the world…
…To be had in the Holy Temple
If the world can find out…
• Why not just tell us??
• Becoming a God. Gaining knowledge in
the holy places (Temple)
Transmission of the text
• Outer Edge
“I am the Provider in the Sun Temple in
Heliopolis. Most exalted and very
glorious. A virile bull without equal. That
Mighty God in the Sun Temple in
Heliopolis. May the Osiris Shishaq live
forever with that Mighty God in Heliopolis”.
Transmission of the text
In the own due time of the Lord…
• Bottom
– “May this tomb never be
desecrated, and may this soul
and its lord never be desecrated
in the hereafter.”
Facsimile 3
An endowment: True identities
Facsimile 3
• Abraham is reasoning upon the principles
of astronomy in the king’s court
– Josephus states that Abraham taught
astronomy to the Egyptians
– In recent years hundreds of documents
support this tradition
Facsimile 3
• Correct that the names are given in the
characters above their heads
• For ritual purposes Egyptian men
sometimes dressed as women
What’s happening?
• Hor is being introduced into the presence
of Osiris
• Hor has just passed through the hall of
judgment and, having been found worthy,
is introduced by Ma’at (goddess of Truth)
into the presence of Osiris
• Then Hor may live with Osiris in eternal life
and become a God himself.
Egyptian Endowment?
• Common to be disguised
• Ritual ceremonies where people dressed
in holy clothing (as the gods)
• Enacted a scene where they pass through
a judgment and if found worthy are able to
enter the presence of Osiris
The throne
• Notice the square on the throne (also in
Fac 2, fig 3 & 7)
– A square (such as a builder’s square) always
has perfect measurement
– Signifies correct judgment, absolute law and
truth
– Perfect government
– Cannot separate the throne from its occupant
Who is on the throne?
• Osiris sits on the throne
– Aka Greatest of all Egyptian Gods, King of
Eternity, King of Kings, The First-born Son
– Why would Joseph Smith call him Abraham?
Osiris on the throne?
• Osiris was a god who came to earth, was
brutally murdered and resurrected
• He ascended to reign over all living and
dead
• Had power over life and death
• “Thou art a king because thou art not to be
distinguished from Osiris”
Who is on the throne?
• So according to the story, Pharaoh tried to
kill Abraham because he wanted the
Priesthood
• The Lord miraculously saved Abraham
who was therefore more powerful than the
Pharaoh
• So perhaps he admired Abraham and
wanted all to learn what was taught in the
great vision of the cosmos
Who is on the throne?
• Pharaoh found some way to show the
people just how important these teachings
were
• Lending his authority to Abraham
• Whoever drew this event later was trying
to capture the Pharaoh’s respect for
Abraham, thus putting him on the
Pharaoh’s throne
Who is on the throne?
• Abraham:
– Has the priesthood
– Could not be put to death
– Is sitting on the king’s throne
• Authority, power over death,
greater than the king
• Must be Osiris
Other Characters
• Isis = Pharaoh
– “The one who knows all the names”
– Only a ritual god
– Name literally means “Of the Throne”
– Brilliant choice, because we may interpret that
although this character is not on the throne,
s/he still occupies it
A note about names…
• Why not just give the proper names?
– Given names
– Hidden names
• Tells us that there is an identity that is
deeper, and more correct than what is
portrayed by the given name
• Hint: D&C 130:11
Take home message…
•
•
•
•
Identity
Gaining and imparting knowledge
Renewal
Transmission vs Translation
–Like a parable
The Facsimiles of Abraham