Book of Abraham Apologetics: A Review and Critique

by Dan Vogel

Said to have been dictated by Joseph Smith as a translation of an ancient Egyptian scroll purchased in Kirtland, Ohio, in 1835, the Book of Abraham may be Mormonism’s most controversial scripture. Decades of impassioned discussion began when about a dozen fragments of Smith’s Egyptian papyri, including a facsimile from the Book of Abraham, were found in the New York Metropolitan Museum in 1966. The discovery solved a mystery about the origin of the Egyptian characters that appear in the various manuscript copies of the Book of Abraham from 1835, reproduced from one of the fragments. Some LDS scholars devised arguments to explain what seemed to be clear evidence of Smith’s inability to translate Egyptian. In this book, Dan Vogel not only highlights the problems with these apologetic arguments but explains the underlying source documents in revealing detail and clarity.

Genres: Nonfiction, Mormonism

287 pages, Paperback

Published March 15, 2021

Reviews

[Christopher Angulo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vogel gets into some serious weeds with this book. I thought it would be a casual read about apologetic approaches to the Book of Abraham. Definitely not casual, and definitely thorough. I enjoyed this approach to the Book of Abraham much more than Gee's approach.

[Julie Calder]

Comprehensive Exposition of Book of Abraham Apologetic Theories

This book is worth having just to have a comprehensive review in one place. Vogel details the how and why of the creation of the Book of Abraham. He shows how it is tied to the Egyptian papyri now in possession of the LDS church. He provides interesting detail to include the BoA's use of Joseph Smith's "Adamic" language, how the BoA was used to introduce Smith's concepts of patriarchal priesthood, and how problems in Missouri related to slavery influenced BoA elements on race.

The book addresses the apologetics espoused by Hugh Nibley, John Gee, and Kerry Muhlestein. It also touches on the newer "catalyst" theory.


Vogel demonstrates his analysis is true to the historical record which highlights the absurdity of the approaches taken by apologists trying to distance the Joseph Smith's Book of Abraham from the Egyptian papyri.

[Brian Stuy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seldom does one find a look at a book of scripture with such depth and precision as Vogel's look at what insiders see in the Book of Abraham. Vogel approaches the arguments of apologists from many different angles, showing at each turn how often these arguments for faith are built using only pieces (or fragments of pieces) of the historical record, providing inaccurate or misleading conclusions that are contradicted by a view from the whole picture provided by witnesses and historical context. It was fascinating to see Vogel take a piece of evidence held up as an example of "faith-promoting" scholarship, and by providing the background and full picture of that evidence show that it does not in fact say what one thought it does.

A first-class treatment.

[Mike Rudolph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dan Vogel = always a good read

Dan researches well and presents the subject in a readable manner, one of my favorite authors.
Looking forward to his”next”.

[John Forsyth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic deep dive into the last few apologetic arguments that attempt to bolster the authenticity of the Book of Abraham.