Res Ipsa wrote: ↑Tue Sep 15, 2020 4:51 pm
That's a pretty amazing attempt to make something out of absolutely nothing.
Which is what apologists do sometimes to make it look like they really do have something to show for. Let's look again at the closing statement Muhlestein made and it becomes obvious he's not overly familiar with what Smith actually said and did.
Muhlestein wrote:Further, we cannot tell the extent to which Reuben Hedlock, the artist, was acting on Joseph Smith’s instruction and how much was his own initiative.
What? The big day of finally getting to publish the first installment of the Book of Abraham including Facsimile No. 1 which features Hedlock's reproduction of the
Sacrifice Scene and Muhlestein isn't sure to what extent Smith was involved? Come on, Muhlestein, this was the big day and you can be sure Smith (Editor in Chief) was breathing over the shoulders of everyone working at the press and would have supervised and approved Hedlock's design of the plate. Wilford Woodruff was very excited and recorded the events in his journal.
Woodruff wrote:Joseph has had these records in his possession for several years but has never presented them before the world in the English language until now, but he is now about to publish it to the world, or parts of it, by publishing it in the Times and Seasons for Joseph the Seer is now the Editor of that paper and Elder Taylor assists him in writing while it has fallen to my lot to take charge of the business part of the establishment. I have had the privilege this day of assisting in the setting the type for printing the first piece of the Book of Abraham that is to be presented to the inhabitants of the earth in the last days.
Woodruff wrote:We prepared a plate for making a cut at the commencement of the Book of Abraham which is to be published in the 9 No. of the 3 Vol. of the Times and Seasons.
Smith makes it perfectly clear, there can be no mistake about it, unbeknownst to Muhlestein, Smith was EXTENSIVELY involved in the production of the Facsimile plate of the Sacrifice Scene:
Joseph Smith wrote:During the afternoon I was at my office and the printing office, correcting the first plate or cut of the records of Father Abraham, prepared by Reuben Hedlock, for the Times and Seasons, and in council in my office, in the afternoon; and in the evening with the Twelve and their wives at Elder Woodruff's, at which time I explained many important principles in relation to progressive improvement in the scale of intelligent existence.
How much more clear can it be that Smith supervised and approved the plate which Hedlock crafted for publication?