Resources Related to the Book of Abraham

LDS FAQ Index

Part 1 of the Book of Abraham FAQ: The Facsimiles and Other Issues

Part 2 of the Book of Abraham FAQ: The Facsimiles and Other Issues

Part 3: Ancient Records Offer New Support for the Book of Abraham

– A brief survey of the vast body of ancient documents that confirm numerous details in the Book of Abraham that are not found in the Bible, and could not have been known to Joseph Smith. The primary source for this page is Traditions about the Early Life of Abraham, edited by John A. Tvedtnes, Brian M. Haugid, and John Gee (Provo, Utah: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 2001), which I strongly recommend. This book provides easy access to many dozens of ancient documents to let the reader see if the details in the Book of Abraham were primarily random fantasies of Joseph Smith, or if it is related to information about Abraham known in ancient times. The evidence for authenticity is truly noteworthy.

Evidence for the antiquity of Joseph’s Book of Abraham–a compilation of key information, courtesy of FAIRMormon.org.

Kevin Barney’s 2013 article, “The Book of Abraham” gives an excellent overview.

A Most Remarkable Book: My Review of an Excellent DVD on the Book of Abraham

The Lost Book of Abraham: Investigating a Remarkable Anti-Mormon Claim – a paper by Ben McGuire on the FAIRLDS.org Website that reviews an anti-LDS film entitled The Lost Book of Abraham: Investigating a Remarkable Mormon Claim.

Kerry A. Shirts’ “Mormonism Researched” Pages – back at last! One of my favorite LDS writers is back online, featuring loads of great research on the LDS scriptures, including the Book of Abraham, and related topics. See, for example, his article, “Abraham 3:13 – Shinehah – the Sun: Joseph Smith Shines Through on This One Also.” Can the critics explain this one away?

Video: Suspecting Joseph Smith for Allegedly Sloppy Restoration of Facsimile 2? – Kerry Shirts reveals the desperate nature of an argument from Charles Larson.

Book of Abraham: “By his own hand” – a FAIRWiki article discussing the claim that the Book of Abraham is bogus because it makes the impossible claim that it was written by Abraham’s own hand instead of by a much later Egyptian scribe.

Judging and Prejudging the Book of Abraham by Hugh W. Nibley

The Book of Abraham Online at lds.org – includes Facsimile 1, Facsimile 2, and Facsimile 3.

The Book of Abraham Project – a project at BYU dealing with the documents and criticisms of the Book of Abraham. Be sure to see the page Criticisms of Joseph Smith and the Book of Abraham.

John Gee’s review of Charles M. Larson’s anti-Mormon book, By His Own Hand upon Papyrus: A New Look at the Joseph Smith Papyri, (Grand Rapids: Institute for Religious Research, 1992).

Michael Rhodes’ review of By His Own Hand upon Papyrus



The Joseph Smith Hypocephalus: Twenty Years Later by Michael D. Rhodes. This article provides an excellent discussion of Facsimile #2 and the amazingly reasonable commentary of Joseph Smith, which could not have been fabricated based on scholarly knowledge in the 1830s. Critics will have a hard time explaining how Joseph Smith was able to offer such plausible commentary.

1968 thesis by Rabbi Nissim Wernick entitled “A Critical Analysis of the Book of Abraham in the Light of Extra-Canonical Jewish Writings.

The Case for the Phantom Papyri by Kevin W. Graham. This is an excellent article summarizing evidence that the papyrus fragments found in 1967 were only part of the collection Joseph Smith had, and were NOT the documents used to translate the Book of Abraham.

The Jewish Origin of the Book of Abraham by Jonathan Moyer, a scholarly paper exploring the ancient Jewish roots of the Book of Abraham.

The Book of Abraham: Ask the Right Questions and Keep On Looking” by Larry E. Morris, FARMS Review, vol. 16, 2004. A review of “The Breathing Permit of Hor’ Thirty-four Years Later,” Dialogue 33/4 (2000): 97-119.” by Robert K. Ritner.

The Neal A. Maxwell Institute (formerly Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies). The Maxwell Institute offers many resources to better understand LDS scriptures and to refute anti-Mormon claims.

Top Ten Reasons I Believe the Book of Abraham

Ryan Larsen discusses the Book of Joseph vs. the Book of Abraham – did the scrolls include a second book of scripture from Joseph? Ryan Larsen explains why that may be an errant assumption.

A Critical Analysis of the Book of Abraham in the Light of Extra-Canonical Jewish Writings – Rabbi Nissim Wernick’s 1968 thesis completed at BYU. Provides lots of useful information from ancient sources that are aligned with the Book of Abraham.

Jeff Lindsay’s Book of Mormon Evidences Page

Intro to the Book of Mormon

Introduction to the LDS Church

Jeff Lindsay’s home page

Index of pages at JeffLindsay.com