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Historical Plausibility: The Historicity of the Book of Abraham as a Case Study
Posted: Wed Jun 14, 2023 11:57 pm
by hauslern
Here is a paper by Gee and Ricks on the Book of Abraham looking for evidence for figures in the facsimiles. Others believe the Book of Abraham was given by revelation. They ask the question in the affirmative if its historicity is plausible. Scholars doubt the existence of Abraham pointing out anachronisms for example the domestic use of camels.
https://rsc.BYU.edu/historicity-latter- ... case-study
Re: Historical Plausibility: The Historicity of the Book of Abraham as a Case Study
Posted: Thu Jun 15, 2023 12:54 am
by drumdude
Towards the end of the essay wrote:What is at stake if the Book of Abraham is jettisoned as unhistorical? Most Latter-day Saints do not turn to the Book of Abraham for astronomical information, nor do they generally quote the facsimiles in sacrament meeting talks. Rather, they turn to the Book of Abraham because it contains the clearest statement on the preexistence, the most concise statement of the purpose of life, and the most comprehensive and succinct version of the Abrahamic covenant. Furthermore, Abraham’s stirring quest is scarcely matched anywhere. These are truly pearls of great price that Latter-day Saints are loath to trade for the mess of pottage that the critics offer them in exchange. What motivated the pioneers to undertake all that labor and to face all those hazards was not dim hope or wishful thinking about legends but a burning witness about what was really, historically true, a testimony of the canon of scriptures of the Latter-day Saints and the Prophet who revealed them.
What does it matter if Joseph Smith made up the whole religion, as long as we get to enjoy heaven in the afterlife that he created out of whole cloth?
I'd love to know who thinks that kind of logic is comforting. Besides DCP of course.