Who was Shulem?

[_Danna]

How about Kerry A. Shirts? Here he links Min and Yahweh while discussing the hypocephalus:

G. A. Wainwright informs us that the bull was also a symbol of the Egyptian ithyphallic god Min. See his article "Some Celestial Associations of Min," in "Journal of Egyptian Archaeology," 21(1935). Min had many characteristics of the Old Testament God Yahweh, including being a storm God, being King of the Rain CLoud, being invisible, Amun, who was equated with Min, also had the Ram as his sacred animal, as did Yahweh. The sacrifice of the Min bull was white in color. Min conquered all lands as did Yahweh for the Israelites. Min was also terribly interested in procreation, as was the Old Testament God El. Frank Moore Cross, Jr., in his magnificent book "Canaanite Myth and Hebrew Epic," shows that El was considered the Father of the Gods, whose consort was Asherah, and in fact El was polygamous!, See. pp. 15, 22, 116, 183f, among others. He also shows how in Ezekiel's allusions to the voice of Sadday being noisy that Sadday's voice is obviously thunder and is accompanied by lightning. The weapon of the ithyphallic Min was the thunderbolt and lightning, as it was that of Zeus in the Greek pantheon, see also G. A. Wainwright's magnificent article "The Origin of Storm Gods in Egypt," in "JEA," Dec. 1963: 13-20, and his article "The Emblem of Min," in "JEA", 17(1931): 185-195.

John Gee disagrees while reviewing Allen J. Fletcher. A Study Guide to the Facsimiles of the Book of Abraham. But Fletcher identifies Figure 7 with Min.

Wiki has a number of references. and identifies Figure 7 with Min.

This is what Godcheckersays about Min:

MIN: God of Lettuce and Sex.

This fertility God is a very popular phallic deity. He is mostly depicted as a stick man — with one of the sticks sticking out somewhat crudely. Taking part in a sexy threesome with QADESH and RESHEP, he has a plumed headdress and in his right hand he holds a whip. Best not to ask why.

[_thews]

Hope this isn't a hijack, but in Zeezrom's other thread (Why Osiris used as symbol for Abraham) we have this gem about misty water colored feelings from Hamba Tuhan ...

http://www.mormonapologetics.org/topic/ ... ge__st__20

I'm a professional historian in the final stages of my PhD. Working with isses of the past is what I do. History is messy by nature and rarely has the answers we think it should. With all due respect, I would suggest to you that the answers to your questions are not to be found by wrestling with the past. At all. They are to be found in the present. The Restoration left us with a significant artefact, one which can be tested and experienced right here, right now. As Christ Himself once said to some people who were unsure if He was teaching what the Father really wanted, 'If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.'

The Prophet Joseph was both sympathetic to your plight and provided the key to resolving it: 'If I had not experienced what I have, I should not have believed it myself.'

Let me put this another way, if I may: Do you think that a man or woman who is in frequent communion with God wastes much time wondering if the prophets and apostles ever talk with Him?

Note that aside from all the feel-good drama brought about by brainwash, there isn't a single fact mentioned to substantiate anything to the question asked, and there's good reason it isn't, and that's because it's all wrong. What this so-called "historian" is made of is a big steaming pile of feelings that he is somehow correct while all the facts indicate that he is in fact wrong. In a nutshell, the answer he provides is a question... a question that is avoiding the initial question asked, and that's because the initial question asked has no valid answer from a Mormon perspective. It's hacks like this bogus "historian" that keep the Mormon lie machine fueled.

[_Paul Osborne]

Hey Zeez,

Have you discovered Min yet?

Oh my goodness. Really? Has this been verified by scholars?

I always thought that was his other arm. In fact, I assumed it was temple oriented.

You know, hence the comments we are seeing on MA&D.

Yes, it is the phallus of Min, a quite large phallus indeed. The handiwork of the woodcut production of the Mormon Facsimile doesn’t do justice to the size and scope of God’s penis. The First Presidency has been embarrassed by it but have learned to deal with it by simply not talking about it. Luckily, the First Presidency in their generosity has allowed the latest versions of the LDS Facsimile to maintain a hard phallus for everyone to see. Let us urge President Monson to allow the phallus to remain in LDS scripture so that we can all be reminded that God has one.

Paul O

[_zeezrom]

Thanks Danna!

So much for thinking there was a connection to symbols in the temple!

[_Paul Osborne]

Reiterating what I said above: the primary focus of Joseph Smith's interaction with the papyri was to receive, via direct revelation, the text of the Book of Abraham. All that occurred after that text was received must be regarded as a secondary effort on the part of the Prophet to provide meaning to the illustrations that accompanied that text.

Bear me your testimony, boy, that you know this to be true. Make me laugh! You dare tell Joseph Smith what is his secondary effort and what MUST be is outrageous. You, truly, are an apostate. Joseph Smith would have excommunicated your ass on the spot.

Paul O

[_Paul Osborne]

Nowhere have I suggested that the revealed text of the Book of Abraham should not be in the canon.

The revealed Explanations of Facsimile No. 3 are in canon. Eat them, William, and they shall be bitter in your mouth. They are in your canon because Joseph Smith lied and the First Presidencies to follow were duped by him. Isn’t that delicious? Your prophet being exposed as a liar and the First Presidency is duped.

DUPED! I want you to look at this picture, William. Look hard. See how your First Presidency has no real power of discernment. Kimball the blind fool! He is no prophet, nor could he read the name Shulem in the Facsimile. I curse Kimball in the name of Jesus Christ. Rebuked!

[_Paul Osborne]

Quite to the contrary, (and, I suppose, in this respect I am expressing a difference of opinion with my good friend Professor Gee) I believe (as do others who have recently expressed their opinions on this question) that the Book of Abraham is an integral component of the canon and the source of many of the most distinctive doctrines of the restored gospel. It is most definitely a "pearl of great price" and I am personally convinced that it was restored via direct revelation from the Almighty.

Indeed, you differ with professor Gee. He looks down on you. He is a PhD with a real education and you embarrass him.

Pearl of great price? Does that include assuming that black people are automatically considered slaves? There is your pearl, William. Joseph Smith used his worldly wisdom in assuming a black person in ancient imagery would be a slave. He did not receive this idea from God. He got it from the corner of his own head. I rebuke Joseph Smith in the name of Jesus Christ!

Paul O

[_Jersey Girl]

Nowhere have I suggested that the revealed text of the Book of Abraham should not be in the canon.

The revealed Explanations of Facsimile No. 3 are in canon. Eat them, William, and they shall be bitter in your mouth. They are in your canon because Joseph Smith lied and the First Presidencies to follow were duped by him. Isn’t that delicious? Your prophet being exposed as a liar and the First Presidency is duped.

DUPED! I want you to look at this picture, William. Look hard. See how your First Presidency has no real power of discernment. Kimball the blind fool! He is no prophet, nor could he read the name Shulem in the Facsimile. I curse Kimball in the name of Jesus Christ. Rebuked!

Sometimes I feel so sad for you folks. Seriously.

[_Paul Osborne]

As for the facsimiles and the explanations attached to them, while I do not consider them to have been appropriately canonized, I still consider them (as I wrote above) as "much more an affirmation of Joseph Smith's prophethood than evidence against it."

You are an apostate. Write a letter to President Monson and tell him that you don’t consider the Facsimile containing a black man for a slave to be in LDS canon. Do it, William. You’ve already joined the apostates, William. I feel your spirit.

Yes, I feel it.

Paul O

[_Paul Osborne]

Although I predicted this late development almost four years ago on the old FAIR board, I am nonetheless chagrined by Paul Osborne's "fall from grace," which has been both precipitous and stunningly self-destructive in its scope. I will continue to hold out hope that he will yet find his way back into full faithfulness in the prophet of the restoration. I suppose I am even vain enough to hope that the eventual publication of my voluminous findings vis-a-vis the Kirtland Egyptian Papers will serve to both enlighten him and motivate him to pursue repentance and reconciliation.

Your publication will serve no purpose other than to embarrass John Gee and the church. You will loose your faith and fully evolve into the apostate that you are. You deserve to be excommunicated by Joseph Smith for denying his revelations. The name Shulem is contained in the characters and the world of Egyptology is wrong.

Wouldn’t you like to get high, William? You know you would. I know what you want. Satan told me everything about you. He sees you. He watches you every minute! You belong to him now!

Paul O