Book of Abraham Manuscript, circa July–circa November 1835–B [Abraham 1:4–2:2]
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Source Note
Book of Abraham, [, Geauga Co., OH, ca. July–ca. Nov. 1835]; English in the handwriting of ; hieratic and unknown characters in unidentified handwriting (likely Parrish); six pages; Book of Abraham Manuscripts, CHL. Includes archival markings.Three leaves, the first leaf measuring 12½ × 7⅝ inches (32 × 19 cm) and the second and third leaves measuring 12½ × 7¾ inches (32 × 20 cm). The first leaf is unruled, and the second leaf is ruled with thirty-seven blue lines that are now mostly faded. Both the first and second leaves were originally part of two larger sheets that were cut in half; the other halves of the two larger sheets are now the first and second leaves of Book of Abraham Manuscript–A. Each page bears a vertical line drawn in graphite. These lines form a margin on the left side of each page, ranging in width from ¾ to ⅞ inch (2 cm). Characters from the Book of Breathing for Horos, from the Egyptian Alphabet documents or the Grammar and Alphabet volume, and possibly from other unknown sources were copied in the margins. It appears that paginated the entire manuscript.At some point, the leaves were folded in half, perhaps for storage. Some of the edges of the leaves are worn, and there is some staining and foxing on the leaves. By the late nineteenth or early twentieth century, the pages of this document were labeled in blue ink with the letters S, R, Q, P, N, and O. The handwriting in which this labeling is inscribed is similar to that of early-twentieth-century apostle James E. Talmage. It appears that the leaves may have been stored out of order at the time the labeling was completed, since the letter labels are out of alphabetical order. This document was presumably stored with the Egyptian material mentioned in periodic inventories of the Historian’s Office, which suggests continuous institutional custody.
Footnotes
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1
See Fragment of Book of Breathing for Horos–A, between 238 and ca. 153 bc.
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2
“Schedule of Church Records. Nauvoo 1846,” [1]; “Inventory. Historian’s Office. 4th. April 1855,” [1]; “Historian’s Office Inventory, G. S. L. City March 19, 1858,” [1]; “Historian’s Office Catalogue Book March 1858,” [7], Historian’s Office, Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904, CHL; see also Historian’s Office, Journal, 17 Oct. 1855.
Historian’s Office. Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904. CHL. CR 100 130.
Historian’s Office. Journal, 1844–1997. CHL. CR 100 1.
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Historical Introduction
created this version of the Book of Abraham, which is closely related to Book of Abraham Manuscript–A, the version created by . Evidence suggests that large portions of this version and Book of Abraham Manuscript–A were created and revised simultaneously. The similarities in the revisions to the manuscripts suggest that Williams and Parrish created these texts by taking down dictation and perhaps by copying from a nonextant version of the Book of Abraham. The heading found at the beginning of Book of Abraham Manuscript–B, which reads “sign of the fifth degree of the first <second> part”, is similar to headings found in the Grammar and Alphabet volume and the Egyptian Alphabet documents, which indicates that this manuscript was associated with JS’s efforts to study the Egyptian language, though the nature of that relationship is uncertain. Because Parrish’s handwriting is larger than Williams’s, this version contains three leaves instead of Williams’s two. It also includes less of the Book of Abraham text than does the Williams manuscript. Later, Parrish copied this version into a volume, the first page of which bears twenty-one lines of prefatory material inscribed by .Unless otherwise indicated in the annotation, Book of Abraham Manuscript–B and Book of Abraham Manuscript–A contain the same text, as well as the same cancellations and insertions. Differences in spelling, capitalization, and punctuation between the two manuscripts are not noted. Because Book of Abraham Manuscript–C was not created alongside the other two versions, differences between it and Book of Abraham Manuscript–B are not tracked closely in the annotation to this version.
Footnotes
| ✦1 | sign of the fifth degree of the second part |
| ✦ [2] S | I sought for mine appointment unto the priesthood according to the appointment of God unto the fathers concerning the seed |
| ✦ [3] | my fathers having turned from their righteousness and from the holy commandments which the Lord their God had given unto them unto the worshiping of the gods of the heathens. |
| ✦ [4] | utterly refused to hearken to my voice for their hearts were set to do evil and were wholly turned to the God of Elkkener and the god of Zibnah and the god of mahmachrah and the god of Pharoah King of Egypt. |
| Therefore they turned their hearts to the sacrafice of the heathens in offering up their children unto these dumb Idols, and harkened not unto my voice, but endeavoured to take away my life, by the hand of the priest of Elkkenir | |
| —— | |
| ✦ [5] | the priest of Elkkener was also the priest of Pharaoh now at this time, it was the custom of the priest of Pharaoh the King of Egypt to offer up, upon the altar which was built in the land |
Cite this page
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Document Information
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Footnotes
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1
TEXT: Book of Abraham Manuscript–C does not have this line, which is not part of the later Book of Abraham text. This line is apparently related to similar titles in the Egyptian Alphabet documents and the Grammar and Alphabet volume, though the characters here do not appear in those documents.
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This letter was inserted in blue ink in unidentified handwriting.
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2
TEXT: Book of Abraham Manuscript–A and –C have “mackrah”. Book of Abraham Manuscript–C also has “and the god of Koash” after this god’s name.
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3
TEXT: A fold in the paper may have worn away the ink of an inscribed “o”.
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4
TEXT: Faint ink after “v” in “endeavoured” may be “=” or “-” or a terminal flourish for “v”.
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5
TEXT: Fold obscures final letters. Possibly “Elkkener”.
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6
TEXT: Book of Abraham Manuscript–A has “Elk=Keenah”.
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7
TEXT: Fold in the paper obscures “h”.
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