Book of Abraham Manuscript, circa July–circa November 1835–C [Abraham 1:1–2:18]
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Source Note
“Translation of the Book of Abraham written by his own hand upon papyrus and found in the CataCombs of Egypt,” [, Geauga Co., OH, ca. July–ca. Nov. 1835]; English in the handwriting of and ; hieratic and unknown characters in unidentified handwriting (likely Parrish and Phelps); ten pages; Book of Abraham Manuscripts, CHL. Includes archival markings.Five leaves, measuring 12¼ × 7⅝ inches (31 × 19 cm). Each leaf is ruled with thirty-four blue lines that are now faded. The leaves were part of a blank book of unknown size and page count. Each page bears a vertical line drawn in black ink along the left side of the page, creating a margin that ranges in width from ¾ to 1⅛ inches (2–3 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 all ten pages. Sometime after Parrish finished inscribing the pages, the leaves were simultaneously cut from the volume, and portions of some of the characters copied into the left margin were cut off. The irregular cuts along the left side of the rectos of the leaves align with each other. At some point, the leaves were rolled up for storage, though there is also a single fold in the middle of the pages, perhaps made for storage.This version was likely contained in the collection of Egyptian papers that was transported to , Illinois, when the Saints moved there, but it was separated from the collection for an unknown reason and was retained by JS’s wife following JS’s death in 1844. In 1847, Emma Smith married Lewis C. Bidamon; following their deaths (in 1879 and 1891, respectively), the manuscript was inherited by Bidamon’s son, Charles E. Bidamon, who sold it to the Mormon collector Wilford C. Wood in 1937. Later that year, Wood donated the document to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
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
In 1864, a pamphlet from the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (now Community of Christ) argued that Emma Smith had “been honored of God, in being the chosen instrument to preserve in safety the new translation of the Bible, of the Book of Abraham, of Enoch, together with all the sacred records of the Church.” (Address to the Saints in Utah, 27.)
Address to the Saints in Utah. . . . San Francisco: Turnbull and Smith, 1864.
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3
See Charles E. Bidamon, Wilmette, IL, to Wilford C. Wood, Woods Cross, UT, 28 June 1937, in Evans, “Illinois Yields Church Documents,” 543, 565; “Documents Obtained by Wilford Wood,” Deseret News (Salt Lake City), 21 July 1937, 13; Wilford C. Wood, Woods Cross, UT, to Heber J. Grant, [Salt Lake City], 24 Dec. 1937, microfilm; Wilford C. Wood to Austin Pond, Logan, UT, 7 Aug. 1939, microfilm, Wilford C. Wood Collection of Church Historical Materials, CHL.
Evans, Richard L. “Illinois Yields Church Documents.” Improvement Era 40, no. 9 (Sept. 1937): 543, 565, 573.
Deseret News. Salt Lake City. 1850–.
Wilford C. Wood Collection of Church Historical Materials. Microfilm. CHL. MS 8617.
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Historical Introduction
Book of Abraham Manuscript–C is the most complete -era text of the Book of Abraham (containing what is now Abraham 1:1–2:18) and the only version created by two scribes. It was copied into a blank book, suggesting it was viewed as a more permanent text.The first twenty-one lines of the text were inscribed by and are found in no other -era manuscript; the remainder of the manuscript was inscribed by . The title of this manuscript—“Translation of the Book of Abraham written by his own hand upon papyrus and found in the CataCombs of Egypt”—differs from that of the other two versions. It is unclear if Phelps copied from an earlier version of the Book of Abraham or if the portion of this manuscript that is in Phelps’s handwriting is the first iteration of that text. The prefatory material inscribed by Phelps is closely related to the English explanations of characters found in the Grammar and Alphabet volume.After the twenty-one lines inscribed by , acted as scribe for the remainder of the text. It appears that Parrish copied from his earlier version of the Book of Abraham, checking it against Book of Abraham Manuscript–A. It also appears that another nonextant text may have been used as a source text. Though it is possible that this version was copied from a nonextant leaf of Book of Abraham Manuscript–A, ink change and scribal errors suggest that the remainder of the portion of the Book of Abraham text copied by Parrish in this version was dictated—perhaps read from a written text or dictated by JS.
Footnotes
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1
See Grammar and Alphabet of the Egyptian Language, ca. July–ca. Nov. 1835.
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2
Book of Abraham Manuscript–C incorporated insertions and did not recopy cancellations from Book of Abraham Manuscript–B. For example, “that is lying before you” under character 7 in Book of Abraham Manuscript–B is not present in Book of Abraham Manuscript–C. In one instance where Parrish and Williams differ, under character 13, Book of Abraham Manuscript–C initially followed Book of Abraham Manuscript–B and then inserted a word to align with Book of Abraham Manuscript–A, which was more complete.
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3
There is one unique reading in this version (“and the god of Koash”) that appears in no other version.
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4
See Historical Introduction to Book of Abraham Manuscript, ca. July–ca. Nov. 1835–A [Abraham 1:4–2:6].
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5
This would match Parrish’s recollection that JS dictated the Book of Abraham to him. (Warren Parrish, Kirtland, OH, 5 Feb. 1838, Letter to the Editor, Painesville [OH] Republican, 15 Feb. 1838, [3].)
Painesville Republican. Painesville, OH. 1836–1841.
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1
| Mahmackrah and the god of Koash and the god of Pharaoh King of Egypt, therefore they turned their hearts to the sacrafice of the heathens, in offering up their Children unto these dum Idols, and hearkened not unto my voice, but endeavoured to take away my life by the hand of the priest of Elkkener. | |
| ✦ [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 of chaldea for the offering unto these strange gods, both men women and children, and it came to pass, that the priest made an offering unto the god of Pharaoh, and also unto the god of Shagreel, even after the manner of the Egyptians. |
| (now the god of Shagreel was the Sun) even a thank offering of a child did the priest of Pharaoh offer upon the altar which stood by the hill called Potiphers hill at the head of the plain of Olishem. | |
| ✦ [6] | now this priest had offered upon this altar three Virgins at one time who were the daughters of Onitah, one of the royal descent directly from the loins of Ham; these Virgins were offered up because of their virtue, they would not bow down to worship gods of wood or of stone, |
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