Joseph Smith and the Book

Joseph Smith and the Book Of Mormons

Joseph Smith, Jr. was the fourth child of Joseph Sr. And Lucy Smack and born in Sharon, Vermont on December 23, 1805. The Smith family lived under arduous and unstable financial circumstances that compelled them to move in and around New England several times in those years (Wikipedia 2004). One of Joseph's legs got seriously infected when he was 7 years old and the doctors wanted to amputate it but the Smiths refused. He later recovered but he had to use crutches for several years and limped for the rest of his life (Wikipedia).

His parents both indulged in mysterious habits. His father, Joseph Sr., engaged in treasure hunting, witchcraft and superstition, while his mother was superstitious and observed and practiced extreme religiosity (Sisk 1992). Joseph followed their example and, even as a young boy, sought for hidden treasures like his father and became intensely interested in religion like his mother.

The Mormon Church would later say that Joseph spent much time seeking spiritual truth and so he attended church services in the area, including the Methodist and Baptist churches, but was unable to satisfy his search (Sisk 1992). Hopelessly confused and at a loss, Joseph asked God in prayer, "Who is right?" The Mormon Church believes that Joseph received the answer from God in a vision in 1820 (Sisk).

Other accounts had something else to say. Local court records, for example. Show that Joseph was tried and found guilty of money-digging activities with the use of a supposedly supernatural seer or peep brown seer stone to locate treasure under the soil (Wikipedia 2004). Those who came to his defense said that the court documents presented were either forged or changed to put Joseph in bad light and that treasure-digging was a folk habit, which Joseph did not exclusively practice His critics, however, insist on this court suit as early evidence of Joseph's deceptive nature and involvement in the occult. His advocates maintained that Joseph was not even present during the trial, which occurred only 10 years after the allegation.

Joseph's and his father's money digging practice consisted of special rituals and ceremonies for detecting and obtaining hidden or buried treasures guarded by evil spirits (Institute for Religious Research 1996). Their money-digging activities and the occult practices of the Smith family and relatives in the late 1700s and 1800s are likewise included in other documentations (Institute for Religious Research 1999). These records relate that Joseph would place a small and special rock in his hat and then pull the hat down to his face in order to block the light out. When this happened, Joseph claimed that he could see supernaturally and based on what he claimed to have seen, he guided those digging for buried treasure by observing the spirits guarding the treasure (International Research Institute). Joseph himself admitted having been a treasure or money digger but said that it was not quite profitable. He and his father persisted in the activity until 1826 when Joseph Jr. was arrested, charged and convicted for being a "glass-looker" and disorderly character (International Research Institute), according to the then prevailing Vagrant Act. This law defined a disorderly person as one who pretended to know palmistry, tell fortunes or locate lost things. The same court records said that no penalty was imposed on Joseph because it was his first offense (International Research Institute).

On January 18, 1827, Smith married Emma Hale after they eloped because Emma's family had disapproved of Joseph (Wikipedia 2004).

After his bout with the law, Joseph ceased public money-digging activities in 1827 to 1830, but continued to use his magic brown seer stone in private, such as when he claimed to have found the golden plates and written the Book of Mormon (International Research Institute 1999), for which he more intensely used his brown seer stone. This stone that has remained in the possession of the First Presidency of the Latter-Day Saints Church establishes the connection and continuity of Joseph's early occult practices and the beginnings of Mormonism, extending to the construction of the LDS temple and the development of its ceremony (International Research Institute).

The Mormon temple ceremonies are viewed to share common characteristics with occult rituals. Both are supposedly reveals by God from the beginning but distorted by apostasy; emphasize the unworthiness of initiates; include and perform washings and anointing, new names and garments; stress on members' vow of non-disclosure or secrecy; conduct "lesser" and "greater" rituals; dramatize rituals; observe an oath of chastity and require strict purity and virtue; use the sun, moon and stars as key symbols; perform rituals to help mortals attain godhood; and their leaders assume titles and offices of prophets, priests and kings (Quinn 1987 as qtd in International Research Institute 1999).

The Mormon Church believes that God's answer to Joseph's prayer and question was God the Father's appearance with His Son, Jesus Christ. In this appearance or vision, Joseph claimed that Jesus Christ told him that the true Church of Jesus Christ was then not on earth and that they had chosen Joseph to rebuild it (Intellectual Reserve 2004).

According to his followers, Joseph since then, worked hard in God's service to establish the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in building up or preparing His Kingdom on earth on the latter days. These followers hold fast that Jesus Christ directs His Church today through a prophet and they maintain that Joseph was and is that prophet (Intellectual Reserve). Among Joseph's many accomplishments, his followers consider his discipleship and witnessing or testimony of Jesus Christ as the most important. They also insist that those who decide to receive Joseph's testimony by the power of the Holy Ghost would know the truth of the work to which he was called and also receive the peace and happiness of the Savior Jesus Christ whom Joseph worshipped and served (Intellectual Reserve).

Joseph's followers relate how he received God's calling in that spring of 1820 when he retired and prayed in the woods for an answer. He prayed aloud and was suddenly overcome was some power, binding his tongue and thick darkness swallowing him up. At first, he was said to have feared that some demonic power was trying to destroy him, so he asked for God's deliverance. It was then that a "pillar of light" brighter than the sun shone over him and descended upon him. In that light, Joseph and his followers claimed that he saw God the Father and Jesus Christ, with God the Father calling him and pointing to Jesus Christ and saying, "This is my beloved son, hear him!" Joseph and his followers further claimed that one of the two personages, Jesus Christ, told him that all the religious sects were all wrong and "an abomination in his sight (Sisk 1992)."

They also testify that, three years later in another one of Joseph's visions, a light in his room enlarged into a personage, whom they describe as an angel named Moroni. The Church of the Mormon says that Moroni was a prophet in the American continent who was equivalent or parallel to the Palestinian prophets of the Bible. They relate that this brilliant angel they name as Moroni told Joseph that God wanted him to work on a book that was buried and written on gold plates. This book was supposed to contain an account of the former inhabitants of the American continent and that the fullness of the everlasting Gospel, as delivered by the Savior to those ancient inhabitants (Sisk 1992).

They add that Moroni also told Joseph that whoever possessed the two stones with the gold plates would be a "seer" or prophet who would use these stones to translate the golden plates. At this point, Moroni was supposed to have quoted Malachi, Isaiah, Joel and other scriptures through the night (Sisk 1992). They further testify that Joseph went to the place and found the plates but could not take them but wait for four years to pass. After four years, Joseph was allowed to take the plates and translate them. When translated, they say that Joseph passed the golden plates on to a messenger who came for them and then these were taken up to heaven (Sisk). They maintain that the translation Joseph wrote, using the two stones from the golden plates, is the Book of Mormon, which in their belief, the perfect word of God. In their eyes, Moroni's derisions and corrections of the Christian Bible corrupted and invalidated the Holy Book (Sisk).

Joseph eventually acquired a following, which he organized and indoctrinated. Fearing religious persecution, they chose to establish their religion in Nauvoo, Illinois where the group increased and prospered (Sisk 1992). In 1842, a certain man named John C. Bennett revealed the Mormons' practice of polygamy among themselves in an anti-Mormonism publication, and, in reaction, Joseph and his brother Hyrum burned down the printing press. The Smiths were later charged for the offense and jailed in Carthage, Illinois (Sisk). On June 27, 1844, hundreds swarmed the jail and brutally murdered the Smith brothers, leading their followers to conclude that they were martyred (Sisk).

At Joseph's death, Brigham Young was president of the Twelve Apostles of their church and became the leader of the largest faction within (Sisk 1992). Some who separated from Young's group formed their own, called the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, under the leadership of one of the brothers of Joseph Smith. In 1846, Young's group declared that the "saints" would leave Nauvoo and they settled in Utah the following year and, for the next 20 or so years, many moved to Salt Lake Valley to join those "saints (Sisk)." The growth was so tremendous that many ascribe greater magnetism to Young than to Joseph himself in attracting followers. It is noted that the current-day Mormon Church has millions of such followers and billions of dollars, realized from real estate, publishing, department stores and radio and television stations (Sisk).

Everything that Mormonism teaches or does is founded on the Book of Mormon. If this book is true and from God, then Mormonism is true. If not, then Mormonism is a false religion (Sisk 1992). The Book of Mormon is a collection of writings by prophets and historians about an ancient American civilization during the time of Christ and Mormon was supposed to be a great prophet and military leader of that time and civilization. Among his greatest accomplishments was the abridgement of the writings of earlier prophets, which he entrusted to his son Moroni, who added his own thoughts and then buried them in a hill for preservation (Sisk).

This Book is viewed as an account of two ancient civilizations in the American continent - one, which left the tower of Babel, and the other, which left Jerusalem around 600 BC. The first was led by Jared and his people were called Jaredites. They became extinct as punishment for their apostasy (Sisk 1992). The second group was composed of righteous Jews led by Nephri, later divided into the Nephites and the Lamanites, which warred against each other. The Book says that Jesus Christ visited the Nephites after His ascension and there preached the gospel, established baptism, the communion service, the priesthood and other mystical ceremonies (Sisk).

Mormons will say at one time that they believe in the King James version of the Holy Bible and, at another time, that it has been rendered inaccurate and corrupt so that the Mormon Church must translate or correct the inaccuracies before it can be considered truth (Sisk 1992). After making those "corrections" on the Bible, the Mormons add the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price, authored by Joseph Smith, to the "authorized scripture" of their Book. It also includes the Journal of Discourses, a series of sermons and lectures by the church's apostles and presidents from the date of its founding, which they claim as all coming directly from the mind of God (Sisk).

Not only does the Book of Mormon reveal occult influence but also that of freemasonry, as many critics and other observers point out. Joseph Smith himself admitted that he was a mason of the first degree in the Nauvoo Lodge, as contained in volume 4-page 551 of his "History of the Church.(Institute for Religious Research 1999).

Freemasonry has sharp impact also on Joseph's personal life and the Latter Day Saints temple ceremony. John L. Brooke, in his own work, noted the prevalence of Masonic fraternity lodges and chapters in Ontario County as background of Joseph's Book, particularly the discovery the golden plates in a stone vault on a hilltop. This is reminiscent of the myth of Royal Arch freemasonry concerning the prophet Enoch who was assumed to have been similarly and previously "instructed" in a vision to preserve Masonic mysteries by carving these mysteries in a golden plate. Enoch was believed to have the golden plate in an arched stone vault, which was marked with pillars and this golden plate was later discovered by King Solomon (Institute for Religious Research). Enoch also figured prominently in Joseph's cosmology.

The impact of Freemasonry on Joseph went further. In 1829, he told Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer and Martin Harris that, besides the golden plates, they would also see the Urim and Thummim on the priestly breastplate, the sword of Laban, and "miraculous directors (Institute for Religious Research 1999)." Cowdery and Joseph's wife Lucy would later describe three or four small pillars holding up the plates. All these had Masonic analogues on them (Institute for Religious Research). Moreover, Oliver Cowdery's father and brother were Royal Arch initiates and that Oliver himself was described as a mason. Joseph's wife Lucy also wrote in a manuscript in the 1840s that the Smith family tried to "win the faculty of Abrac, drawing magic circles, or sooth-saying," which indicated familiarity with Masonic manuals, the faculty of Abrac held as one of the Masonic mysteries (Institute for Religious Research).

The influence of freemasonry reached a height later in Joseph's personal life. Many of Mormon saints were masons, including Joseph's brother Hyrum, Heber C. Kimball, Elijah Fordham, Newel K. Whitney, James Adams and John C. Bennett. These mason-members petitioned the Grand Master of Illinois for permission to build a lodge in Nauvoo and it was granted on March 15, 1842, when new members, including Joseph, were inducted (Institute of Religious Research). He rose to the sublime degree right the following day.

The influence of his Masonic involvement was most pronounced in the ensuing development of the Mormon temple endowment ceremonies, which he introduced in less than two months after his entry into freemasonry. The president of the Mormon History Association, Dr. Reed Durham, expressed conviction that the study of masonry was essential in understanding Joseph Smith and the Church, considering that masonry pre-existed him and the Mormon Church (Institute of Religious Research 1999). Durham noted that Joseph's older brother Hyrum had already received the first three degrees of Masonry in Mount Moriah Lodge 112 of Palmyra, New York when Joseph was just getting initiated in the "presence of God (Durham as qtd in Institute of Religious Research)." The impact grew stronger after he became a member. The Endowment ceremony, which he introduced, was so sharply inspired by freemasonry that an observer referred to the ceremony as Celestial Masonry.

Masonic influence can also be inferred from the Nauvoo Temple design and architecture and the establishment of a Female Relief Society to include the women of the church (Institute of Religious Research 1999). The organization was viewed as Joseph's deliberate attempt at expanding Masonry in including the women. This happened in the Masonic Lodge room and only the day after Masonry was given to the men. Joseph's kind words to the women or sisters included Masonic-sounding, such as ancient orders, examinations, degrees, candidates, secrets, lodges, rules, signs, tokens, order of the priesthood and keys (Institute of Religious Research).

Durham also pointed to existing evidence that connects the beginnings of the Church to Masonic thought and influence. The entire political structure, including the Council of Fifty, the living constitution, the proposed flag, and the anointing and coronation of the king, links up with Masonic principles and ceremonies (Durham as qtd in Institute of Religious Research 1990). To him, the link was so inherent that Joseph must have first become a Mason and simply adapted, expanded or "glorified" freemasonry. Durham referred to Joseph's mission to restore all truth - the "mysteries" - and to incorporate these pieces into a whole. Now, these mysteries are part of the Priesthood in the Mormon Church, hence the Masonic influence on Joseph and his church is undeniable (Institute of Religious Research).

The overlap between occultism and Freemasonry within Mormonism is not unusual because Freemasonry itself developed out of the occult and occult rituals. What is striking was for Joseph and his followers to overlook the Bible's express prohibition of dabbling in the occult in Deuteronomy 18:9-12, such as in using divination, observing the times, enchanting or consulting with familiar spirits or necromancy (Institute of Religious Practice 1999).

The establishment of the Mormon Church by Joseph Smith occurred at the time of the Second Great Awakening of the revival movement in the early 1800s, starting in New York and spreading out until its disappearance in the 1840s (Klepp 2004). Vigorous preachers and large followings encamped themselves in tents where they held meetings for several days in an intensely religious atmosphere. Combined democratic idealism and evangelical Christianity screamed for moral regeneration by devoted Christians through reforms that would cleanse American society, especially in the industrializing North, of evils. These reforms included women's rights, temperance, educational improvements, the humane treatment of the mentally ill and the abolition of slavery (Klepp).

The Second Great Awakening was the overwhelming response to the series of social and political occurrences at the time. The abolitionist movement in the North contributed to the Civil War and, just before it, the North and the South territories were split on the issue of slavery and the religious denominations very much involved in the issue. With the Methodists favoring segregation and exhibiting racial hatred, African-Americans responded by forming the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia and the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in New York City early in the 19th century (Klepp 2004). Other African Episcopal, Lutheran and Baptist churches were also established afterwards.

In 1830, Joseph organized the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and since then, has had lasting denominational presence and influence in Utah (Klepp 2004). Other major sects included the Millerites, named after and headed by William Miller, who predicted the end of the world in 1844; the Church of Christ founded by Mary Baker Eddy in 1879; and the Pentecostal Movement in the early 20th century. Some Millerites who reinterpreted Miller's doctrines established the Seventh-Day Adventist Church in the middle 19th century. On the other hand, the Pentecostal Movement was a localized and a stricter form of fundamentalist faith the evolved from the Baptist and Methodist churches (Klepp). They often use charismatic preachers to rev wide audiences up.

The Mormons have many and different gods that control their respective worlds and who have gone up a hierarchy of godhood positions. Brigham Young taught this doctrine and that God had a father and mother (Sisk 1992). Mormons believe and teach that God was once a child and a mortal like each of us and just progressed on his way up by advancement through overcoming until he arrived at that highest point where he is now (Journal of Discourses as qtd in Sisk). That chance to advance and become gods is now available to the rest of those who believe, according to the Mormons. They also believe that God is not a spirit but consists of flesh and blood and is tangible like mortal man. They deny that doctrine of a triune God (Sisk).

They also preach that Jesus Christ is the spirit-son or creation of God, born of a physical union between God and Mary (Articles of Faith as qtd in Sisk 1992) and that he had more than one wife and many children. They hold that Jesus Christ had to go through these circumstances in order to be God (Journal of Discourses as qtd in Sisk). The Mormon Doctrine teaches that Satan was a brother of Jesus and that in the original spirit world, both Jesus and Satan offered to save human beings, but God accepted the offer Jesus Christ (Sisk).

Brigham Young preached that the blood of Jesus Christ or baptism cannot atone for some sins, which require the shedding of the sinner or offender's own blood (Sisk 1992). There have been reports of "blood-atoned" deaths in the early days of Mormonism between 1830 and 1870 (Journal of Discourses as qtd in Sisk).

The Mormon Church claims the priesthood and, thus, the authority of God. Likewise, the Church has the 12 apostles. It teaches that men pre-existed the spirit world before they were born and co-existed with God in innocence (Doctrine and Covenants as qtd in Sisk 1992). The Mormon's Doctrine of Salvation says that a man can become God and that they all be gods with all the power and the angels subject to them.

Marriages are solemnized at the temple and these are for time and eternity. The couple will remain married and have children on earth and in heaven (Sisk 1992). The Mormon Doctrine guarantees the husband's resurrection, but the wife's resurrection is the husband's option. It maintains that all men will be resurrected and be sent to one of three levels: the lowest is reserved to heathens, murderers, thieves and similar types of people; the middle level is for morally good people like Christians but who reject the Mormon Doctrine; and the celestial heaven, where Mormons will all go (Sisk).

The Mormon Doctrine says that salvation or eternal exaltation comes from faith, which is believing in God and in Jesus Christ; repentance; baptism by immersion in water; reception of the Holy Ghost or Spirit by the laying on of the hands of the Mormon priesthood; and by keeping all the commandments of God (Sisk 1992). It claims that Jesus Christ will physically and literally return to earth and that, during that time, the Jews and the Mormons will be gathered together in Zion County in Missouri. The whole earth, except the old and new Jerusalem, will be judged (Sisk). It declares that the lost tribes of Israel, now somewhere in the polar region, will be miraculously moved to Zion County and there to share the wealth of the Latter Day Saints

Critics have argued that Joseph could not have written the Book of Mormon all by himself but that he borrowed or plagiarized most of its contents from certain sources, such as the Bible, Ethan Smith's "A View of the Hebrews" and Solomon Spalding's "Manuscript Story (Bowman 1989)." Mormon apologists themselves no longer deny that Joseph copied whole chapters from Isaiah and other books in the King James version of the Bible, but justify that he did so only to simplify his difficult job of translating the Book of Mormon from the golden plates. But critics and other observers counter this justification by noting that the changes made were so few and minor that it becomes more apparent that Joseph copied the version to make his work easier (Institute of Religious Research 1999).

Besides the Holy Bible, the most important source used by Joseph in translating the Book of Mormons from the golden plates was "A View of the Hebrews" by Ethan Smith, a minister from Vermont, in 1823 (Bowman 1989). This book was about the American Indians who descended from the "lost tribes of Israel." The author called on Christians to evangelize the ancient Indians to fulfill the prophecies of the Bible, especially those found in the book of Isaiah. Researchers and scholars found many parallelisms between this book and the Book of the Mormon. Mormons reason that there are only a few similarities and more dissimilarities, which, in their opinion, disprove literary dependence. The scholars and researchers who reviewed the two books found approximately 61 parallels that only literary dependence can explain (Bowman).

Two Mormons argued that Joseph did not plagiarize Ethan Smith's book in noting that the only 8 out of 66 chapters of Isaiah were statistically insignificant. Critics, however, parried by saying that millions of books do not quote from Isaiah at all and that even if Joseph did not copy from Ethan Smith, he copied from Isaiah himself (Bowman 1989).

The other important source was the "Manuscript Story" by Solomon Spalding who wrote it in 1811 and then submitted the work to a publisher in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. A certain Sidney Rigdon or Joseph Smith either stole or copies the manuscript after it passed the hands of the publisher. Spalding died in 1816 and his widow was a leading witness who testified that the manuscript was copied by Rigdon (RLDS 2003) but that she received the original and passed it on to Doctor Hulbut and that was how the Book of the Mormon was believed to have been translated and Spalding's manuscript was used.

A so-called Mormon-hater, ED Howe, wrote a book entitled "Mormonism Unveiled" with the assistance of Doctor Hulbut. Mormons claim that the two were seeking revenge against the church of Jesus Chris of Latter Day Saints for excommunicating them because of indecent behavior and that Hurlbut was so incensed that it took the civil court to place him under bond just to prevent him from wounding or even killing Joseph (RLDS). The Mormons continue to relate that Hurlbut was a murderer by heart and whose intent was to inflict physical harm on Joseph and that Doctor Hurlbut got the Spalding manuscript from the widow and turned it over to Howe, who, in turn, concealed rather than published it to expose fraud. Instead, he simply secured affidavits from Spalding's brother and wife, Henry Lake, John Miller, Aaron Wright, Oliver Smith and others who found striking resemblance between Spalding's manuscript and the Book of Mormon (RLDS).

One antiquated source that presents itself as the only "direct evidence" that the Book of Mormon is an ancient document is the "Anthon transcript," a recently discovered piece of paper on which Joseph supposedly wrote down some of the characters he found on the golden plates (Bowman 1989). In his book, "Pearl of Great Price," Joseph Smith wrote that he gave this script or paper to Martin Harris who took it to a Columbia professor, Charles Anton. This professor was said to have certified to the correctness of its translation as "genuine" and exceptional. Harris said that he wanted to see the rest, but Joseph told him that he could not do so because the rest were still "sealed but similarly genuine Egyptian, Chaldaic, Assyriac and Arabic characters. At a latter time, Anthon denied having authenticating the transcript, but researchers who worked on this Anthon matter compared his transcript with Egyptian characters and American Indian scripts and found that Anthon's denial a lie (Bowman).

There exist many proofs that Joseph is a fake prophet and the strongest of them contradict Mormon theology itself, but the Mormons refuse to confront the evidence. They clearly do not rely on Biblical or historical evidence but on mere belief that Mormonism is the restored church of Jesus Christ and that Joseph Smith is its true prophet (Slick 2003). Joseph Smith and his followers claim that he translated the Book of Mormon from the golden plates through a gift of God. Being the supposed instrument of God, Joseph became the prophet of his church and assumed the office of Seer. The Book of Mormon defines a seer as one who can translate the untranslatable (Slick). If he was genuine, he should be able to translate the untranslatable, as his own Book says, but the case of the papyri says something else.

A certain Irishman named Michael Chandler brought an exhibit of four Egyptian mummies and papyri to Kirtland, Ohio in July 1835. The papyri were written in Egyptian hieroglyphics, which were still unreadable at that time. When he was allowed to read the papyri, he said that one of the rolls had the writings of Abraham and other, of Joseph of Egypt and this shocked those present in the exhibit (Slick 2003). He later finished translating the Book of Abraham, but not the book of Joseph. The papyri disappeared afterwards and were believed to have been burned in Chicago in 1871, leaving no evidence or way of validating Joseph's translation (Slick). In 1966, these lost papyri were rediscovered in a vault room at the New York metropolitan Museum of Art. The Desert News of Salt Lake City reported on November 27, 1967 that there were "drawings of a temple and maps of Kirtland in Ohio," which proved that this was the original document used by Joseph in translating the book of Abraham (Slick). Egyptian hieroglyphics became decipherable since the late 1800s, which made it easy to translate the papyri and prove the claims of Joseph's prophet status and his gift as seer and, consequently, the veracity of the Book of Mormon and the Book of Abraham.

Instead, experts say that Joseph Smith copied three of the drawings in the Egyptian scrolls he was allowed to look at, labeled them as facsimile numbers 1 to 3 and incorporated them into his Book of Abraham, with explanations of what they were supposed to be (Slick 2003). Egyptologists who later examined the drawings found Joseph's interpretations to be wrong. Mormons defend their book by claiming that the facsimiles were insufficient to substantiate Joseph's error in translating. The more recent rediscovery of the papyri made it possible to determine the accuracy of his claims.

Joseph said that facsimile number 1 was that of a bird as the "Angel of the Lord" with Abraham fastened upon an altar and "being offered up as a sacrifice by a false priest (Slick 2003). He named gods, such as "Elkenah, Libnah, Mahmackrah, Korash and Pharaoh," under the altar. But experts translate this simply as "an embalming scene showing the deceased lying on a lion-couch (Slick)."

Joseph begins his Book of Abraham with the line: "In the Land of the Chaldeans, at the residence of my father, I, Abraham, saw that it was needful for me to obtain another place of residence." Yet the hieroglyphics of the original papyri translate into: "Osiris shall be conveyed into the Great Pool of Khons - and likewise Osiris Hor, justified, born to Tikhebyt, justified - after his arms have been placed on his heart and the Breathing permit has been wrapped in royal linen and placed under his left arm near his heart, the rest of the mummy-bandages should be wrapped over it. The man for whom this book was copied will breathe forever and ever as the bas of the god do (Slick)." Egyptologists describe Joseph's restoration as completely lacking in understanding of Egyptian practice and theology (Slick).