The Message of the Joseph Smith Papyri: An Egyptian Endowment

The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley #16

by Hugh Nibley

This is the first — and still the only book-length commentary on the Joseph Smith Papyri. In this long-awaited new edition, with expanded text and numerous illustrations, Professor Nibley shows that the papyri are not the source of the Book of Abraham. Rather than focusing on what the papyri are not, as most commentators have done, Nibley masterfully explores what the papyri are and what they meant in ancient times. He demonstrates how these ancient Egyptian papyri contain a message that is of particular interest to Latter-day Saints.

Genres: Religion, Lds, Nonfiction, History, Church, Egyptology, Mormonism

857 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

Hugh Winder Nibley was one of Mormonism's most celebrated scholars. Nibley is notable for his extensive research and publication on ancient languages and culture, his vigorous defense of doctrines of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and for frankly discussing what he saw as the shortcomings of the LDS people and culture.

A prolific author and professor of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University, he was fluent in over ten languages, including Classical Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Egyptian, Coptic, Arabic, German, French, English, and Spanish languages. He also studied Dutch and Russian during World War II.

In addition to his efforts as a scholar, Nibley was well known for writings and lectures on LDS scripture and doctrinal topics, many of which were published in LDS Church magazines. His book “An Approach to the Book of Mormon” was used as a lesson manual for the LDS Church in 1957.

Reviews

[Jeremy Orbe-Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Utterly outstanding. Far from the traditionally morbid death-obsessed picture most of us have of the Egyptians, Hugh Nibley shows that the so-called "Funerary" text of the Book of Breathings was actually an Initiation ritual for the living. This book should be absolutely required reading for any LDS.

With his always-fluid writing style, Nibs takes us smoothly through the entire Endowment recorded in the papyri, packing in the extensive cultural commentary necessary to provide the context which any "true" translation must take place within.

The Nature and Purpose of the Book is explained, which is to preserve the ba ("soul"), acting as a sort of passport letter - an intimate document which the Initiate refers to throughout the ritual, following in the path of Osiris ("King of the Living"), the first Initiate. After passing through various degrees of glory, he undergoes rebirth by the heavenly mother, through purification rites in preparation to entering the Temple - the waters of life and baptism being the memory of birth-waters and embryonic transformations.

Special garments are worn to stand upon the Stone of Truth; then the Creation Drama is replayed, including the creation of man (which is really resurrection from a spiritual death from a preexisting state). The plurality of Gods is revealed, including Atum (the Egyptian version of the Hebrew Adam), and Amon, the "Hidden One" at the Center. Certain names and ritual meals are presented. Our sun inseminates the world with light; Temples are seen as observatories to take one's bearing on the universe, nestled among the sun, moon, and stars.

Next - my favorite part - the Garden Story, in which the Lady in the Tree Initiates the search for Wisdom (no hint of Original Sin, here). The archetypal Garden is seen as the peace of the Sacred Space, existing wherever any Temple does. The Serpent, playing an integral role of providing Opposition In All Things starts the Human Couple on their Journey (the fire of the Flaming Sword which closes off the pathway is to turn away the Accuser who would be miserable there, not to bar the Lovers who take part in the Sacred Marriage.)

In the world of Mortality, they try to find their way home on the Long Road Back, with their dog Wepwawet opening the ways. This leads to the Triumph Coronation, with every man and woman a Priest and Priestess in their ceremonial regalia. This grants them admission along the Fearful Passage through the Darkness and Gates, where the Arrested Sacrifice must be acknowledged to combat various monsters of Sin and, finally, Death itself.

After the weighing of the Heart, the Tombs and Cosmic Boats are seen as the wombs of the Heavenly Mothers. Finally comes the wrapping of the body and the stepping through the Veil with an Embrace leading to Vindication, the Reconciliation with family, friends, and spouse, and deification of all.

Appendixes include excerpts from the Dead Sea Scrolls, Odes of Solomon, The Pearl, Pistis Sophia, Cyril of Jerusalem, and a favorite of mine, the Gospel of Philip. Amazing black and white illustrations on nearly every page supervised by Michael Lyon, and some great full-color plates reproducing the Joseph Smith Papyri and selected hieroglyphics.

This is a bit tangential to the rest of the book, but: I especially appreciated Nibley's emphasis on the divine offices of Ma'at, Hathor, Isis, and Nut. Ostensibly "monotheistic" interpretations of various religions have downplayed the extent to which a plurality of Gods - including females - have shaped the earliest texts of their traditions, before Hellenization and the Alexandrian schools made the One Disembodied Unmoved Mover philosophically fashionable.

The compilation of texts rewritten and formed into our Hebrew Bible was heavily biased in favor of a masculinist perspective which severely distorted the historical record through retroactive scribal ascriptions of idolatry. Rather than the "pagan blasphemy" condemned by later Imperialist Church Fathers, we see that oftentimes the same divine personage can be referred to by many different epithets across different locations, leading to cross-cultural confusion when it is thought to be detrimental to faith to recognize the same stories taking place with seemingly different character-names.

This also ties in nicely with the Diffusionist and Structuralist schools of comparative religion (currently out of fashion, and undeservedly so), where seemingly-unrelated religions are all descended from a common source. The incoherent abstract philosophical monotheism and panentheism which has spread into so much religious thought today is, quite simply, incapable of dealing with the historical evidence of diffusion.

For instance, references to the Divine Council have been been reformulated into earthly Judges, the Asherah Tree of Life has been transformed into a polluted abomination rather than a vital and respected Temple fixture (with astonishing parallels throughout the ancient world), the Healing Serpent of the Goddess and the Caduceus has been conflated with the lying snake impostor, the Goddess Shaddai (the One of the Breast, using the Akkadian metaphor of "mountains") has been anonymously subsumed into male deity, Lady Wisdom who danced with the Most High before the foundation of the world has been relegated to a mere metaphor despite Enoch's warnings, the Holy Ghost whose symbol is the Venus Dove has been integrated into an incomprehensible trinitarianism, etc.

In this book, Nibley recounts the Garden Story in which the Goddesses are just as integral as the Gods, just as Joseph Smith did in his restoration of the Pearl of Great Price and the Sacred Temple Marriage. Humans are "male and female", organized of preexisting material into the image of the Gods; Mormonism is the highest form of Humanism, which is what makes it so inspiring.

[Jaren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating, albeit tediously written, account that offers much-needed context to Smith's documents. That Nibley's religious experience subjects him to confirmation bias when he readily observes the similarities between Egyptian and contemporary Mormon temple rituals is negated by his exhaustive research and thorough sourcing. In short, his voice is but one added to a long list of egyptologists, most of whom agree with his interpretations. Readers who are not members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will find the book tiresome, unless they have a grounded interest in egyptology. Most Mormons will not enjoy it either. However, if you've got a scholarly or historical interest and want to know more about the context of canonical Mormon scripture, you won't be disappointed.

[Lydia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not a liesurely read but a fascinating study if you take time....I literally ended up having to set aside a half hour to an hour a day to get through this. I read with my tablet next to me so that when Nibley made a quick side comment I could look it up and learn more about that Egyptian god, ritual, etc... I love how he included the different translators interpretations of many Book of Breathings. It gave a much bigger picture. There were little nuggets throughout but my favorite and easiest to read were the last chapter or two and the appendices. I have since checked out a couple other books of his he referred to since the cover related but different topics. Interesting insight into Egyptian beliefs/rituals from an LDS perspective.

[Jackpeck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Its Hugh Nibley so it is hard to understand, but it is full of wonders if you search a bit

[Cory Jensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book took me a long time to read and finish, largely because it assumes that the reader has much more background and understanding of the topic than I did at the onset. I found myself continually leaving this book to research and better understand a subject and then returning to this book before I could understand what Nibley was arguing. I'm sure some of the scholarship has been updated in the years that followed but this is an outstanding work overall.

[Jacqueholst · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read. Nibley at his best. Highly recommended. Nobody compares with Hugh Nibley when it comes to making ancient manuscripts understandable and clear. I bought this many year ago when it was first published. Almost wore it out over the years. Just added the updated version to my Kindle library and enjoyed it again. Everything I was looking for was still included.

[Benji Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you can make it through Nibley's circuitous descriptions, you can appreciate that even his intellect paled by comparison to Joseph's illuminated task to teach - not as the world teaches - and convey ancient texts in ways that linguists do not practice.

[Rebecca Davidson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Out of date analysis.

[Nathan Shumate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of course, it's so long and involved that by the time I've read to the end, I've forgotten the beginning... but at least I finished it this time!

[Noelle M · Rating 5 out of 5]

The point of antique ritual theater came together when I read this piece of work back in the middle 1970s. Mircea Eliade observed that symbols speak not just to the human intellect but to the whole person. I not only read this book, but I experienced it. Merlin Myers said symbols are packets of "cosmic" information that transcend the limitations of time and place. Both men's ideas jump out of Nibley's text. It set the foundation for the undergraduate paper I wrote comparing and contrasting 7 well known fairy tales with nearly identical mythological works. The pleas of Greek literature came into sharp focus as a result of my contact with this piece of work. The mythologies of two southwest Indian tribes read with crystal clarity, and the rituals of the Islamic hajj, and the physical plants of both Delphi and Eleusis make perfect sense as the stages for Greek myths. Ptolemy Tompkins' reasoning about Maya rituals at the time of contact with the Spaniards made sense. Nibley elucidated the topics addressed by Claud Levi-Strauss and Rudolf Otto, and he indirectly but succinctly answered profound questions about the New Testament posed by Albert Schweitzer and H. G. Wells and other protestant theologians interested in the hoary Aramaic concept of "malkutha." The original edition gets 10 stars as far as I am concerned.

[Vivian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Here lies more than one is ever likely to want to know about ancient egyptian rites. Nibley is certainly an apt researcher, but all the citations crediting other scholars in this blow by blow narrative certainly hedged up the way for this reader. There were some wee smackerals of interesting historical bits -- that even might make for a good film (how the mummies were found and passed through hands, etc). Now, if someone would just go to the trouble of creating a documentary from this vast sea of information, I believe I could digest it in such a format.

So glad I obtained this through Inter-library loan, so as to "hold my feet to the fire" so-to-speak and get me through this. I do confess to a bit of "summit fixation" and always hoping for some kind of pay-off for tenaciously reading this over-size ambitious treatise.

[Bonnie Atkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished reading pieces of this - so helpful. Further scholarship has shed more light on this and helped us understand the processes Joseph went through to bring us these records. I think that's very important to consider, because there is a lot of supposition, and a lot of misunderstanding. I think Nibley's foundation was crucial for other scholars, and I appreciate that he was speaking out of a different time than later scholars like John Gee and was responding from a different scholarly niche. His contributions are profound. So grateful we have these writings preserved (both the papyri and Nibley's.)

[Andre · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are proud that Hugh Nibley signed our copy of this excellent book on the writings of Abraham (from the LDS "Pearl of Great Price"). Dr. Nibley is the acknowledged expert on both the writings of Abraham and Moses found in the LDS scripture the Pearl of Great Price.

I once asked Dr. Nibley how many languages does he speak and he said (after adding them up in his mind) "15 or 16 not counting another 3 or 4 that I can read and write but don't really feel I know them". That is one brilliant scholar.

[Jake · Rating 1 out of 5]

Although Nibley has a great sense of humor, and is extremely well-read in a number of languages, when he starts talking about proof for Mormon scripture he uses shoddy scholarship.

To understand Nibley's approach to scholarship, see:
Salmon, Douglas F. "Parallelomania and the Study of Latter-day Scripture: Confirmation, Coincidence, or the Collective Subconscious? Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 33, no. 2 (Summer 2000): 129-156.

[Doris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I worked on this one from time to time for a LONG time. I finally skimmed through the rest and called it good. I realize this book is not meant as a leisurely read. It is very academic. For me, it became most useful to skip to the parts that interested me and to read those more thoroughly. It was very interesting, but not for a lay reader, in my opinion. It goes way too in depth for the normal reader. It is targeted far more towards serious scholars of ancient Egypt.

[Karrie Higgins · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's classic Hugh Nibley. Sure, I know the controversies, etc. etc., but I read Hugh Nibley because I enjoy him and the way he thinks. All controversies aside, the man was a genius, and it's such a pleasure peeking into his thought process. When I read Nibley, I always feel like I'm curled up at Grandpa's feet by the fireplace or something. I particularly loved reading about the Opening of the Mouth ceremony. Also, it's a gorgeous, hefty book with plenty of illustrations and footnotes.

[Kody Mitcham · Rating 5 out of 5]

True Hugh Nibley style. A bit dry but jam-packed with rich content and insight to a often confusing and avoided topic in LDS theology. Great to read and for use as a reference.
Although this is a good book to keep on hand for the serious inquisitor it is not for beginners! there is a lot of information included on each page that must be carefully digested to truly understand its import.

[Rae · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite book written by Hugh Nibley. I read it first in high school (my mother had a copy of the original book which then fell out of favor and print) and have dipped into it many times over the years. Not an easy read but well worth the effort required.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book on the Joseph Smith Papyri, difficult to undestand at times, but when yout ake the time to understand what Nibley is saying it is amazing. Diffinately a more difficult read, but worth it.

[Dr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beefy.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've only read parts of it. Difficult to understand, Nibley was so brilliant it is hard to bend my brain around it.

[Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read the original at 18. Reading the second incarnation more slowly now that I have a better grasp of what to look for.

[Sharman Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very dense, not easy for laymen, but some very interesting parallels between Egyptian, early Christian, and Mormon rituals.

[Adam Hiatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A difficult read. To be read slowly and methodically, with pondering and prayer a bit at a time. If you do you will gain much insight and enlightenment.

[Stephanie Aylworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, your eyes just haven't been the same, Joseph Are you bad at dealing with the fame, Joseph?

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal and interesting. Have a desire to learn Egyptian hieroglyphics. The appendices were very interesting. Easiest to read and follow Hugh Nibley book I've come across.

[Oscar Fernandez]

Excelent book!

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow, this one is really dry and tough, but I managed to read most of it. I am not sure why, though.

[Jessi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Facinating!