Eyewitness accounts associated with the Joseph Smith Papyri

Eyewitness accounts associated with the Joseph Smith Papyri have been analyzed extensively to understanding the content, purpose and meaning of the Book of Abraham, a canonized text of the Latter Day Saint movement. In 1835, Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, came into possession of four mummies, two papyrus rolls, and various papyrus fragments, which Smith said contained the writings of the ancient biblical patriarchs Abraham and Joseph.

The papyrus and mummies were presumed burned in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, but fragments of the papyri were rediscovered in 1967. There are several dozen known eyewitness accounts from before the fire, which have become essential to understanding how much was lost, and which papyri the Book of Abraham came from. The intent and meaning of each eyewitness have been highly scrutinized, and in some cases vigorously debated.

Eyewitness Accounts Prior to Joseph Smith's Possession

DateAuthorSource DocumentNotes April 1833 W. E. Horner M.D. Reproduced in Times and Seasons 2 May 1842 Having examined with considerable attention and deep interest, a number of Mummies from the catacombs, near Thebes, in Egypt, and now exhibited in the Arcade, we beg leave to recommend them to the observation of the curious inquirer on subjects of a period so long elapsed; probably not less than three thousand year ago. The features of some of these Mummies are in perfect expression.— The papyrus, covered with black or red ink, or paint, in excellent preservation, are very interesting. The undersigned, unsolicited by any person connected by interest with this exhibition, have voluntarily set their names hereunto, for the simple purpose of calling the attention of the public to an interesting collection, not sufficiently known in this city. JOHN REDMAN COXE, M. D. RICHARD HARLAN, M. D. J. PANCOAST, M. D. WILLIAM P. C. BARTON, M. D. E. F. RIVINUS, M. D. SAMUEL G. MORGAN, M. D. I concur in the above sentiments, concerning the collection of Mummies in the Philadelphia Arcade, and consider them highly deserving the attention of the curious. W. E. HORNER, M. D."Times and Seasons" (Nauvoo, Hancock Co., IL), 2 May 1842, vol. 3, no. 13, pp. 767–782. The last signatory, Samuel G. Morgan, was almost certainly listed incorrectly, and should have been Samuel George Morton.Wolfe, S. J., & Singerman, R. (2009). Mummies in nineteenth century America: ancient Egyptians as artifacts. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co page 104 This unsolicited certificate of authenticity was given by leading doctors of Philadelphia to Michael Chandler. Chandler made a placard of this certificate and would display this along with the mummies and papyri, including at Kirtland.Peterson, H. D. (2008). The story of the book of Abraham: mummies, manuscripts, and Mormonism. Springville, UT: CFI. 06 Jul 1835 Michael Chandler Certificate Given prior to the sale of the mummies and papyri to Joseph Smith "This is to make known to all who may be desirous, concerning the knowledge of Mr. Joseph Smith, jr, in deciphering the ancient Egyptian hierogliphic <sic> characters, in my possession, which I have, in many eminent cities, shown to the most learned: And, from the information that I could ever learn, or meet with, I find that of Mr. Joseph Smith, jr. to correspond in the most minute matters.""Certificate from Michael Chandler, 6 July 1835", p. , The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed August 27, 2019

Eyewitness Accounts in the Kirtland Era 1835–1838 DateAuthorSource DocumentNotes on Source sometime in 1836 Sarah Studevant Leavitt History produced from an autobiography in 1919 We stayed at Kirtland about a week and had the privilege of hearing Joseph preach in that thing the Baptist said they called a meetinghouse [temple], which proved to be a very good house. We went into the upper rooms, saw the Egyptian mummies, the writing that was said to be written in Abraham's day, Jacob's ladder being pictured on it, and lots more wonders that I cannot write here, and that were explained to us.History of Sarah Studevant Leavitt, copied by Juanita Leavitt Pulsipher (1919), 3. On the extant papyri, there is nothing that resembles a ladder, nor is any story of Jacob in the published Book of Abraham, indicating content on the destroyed papyri.Hauglid, Brian M. A Textual History of the Book of Abraham: Manuscripts and Editions, vol. 5: Studies in the Book of Abraham. Provo, Utah: BYU Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship. 2011 307 pages. Date of event: 6 Dec 1837 Date recorded: ca. 1936 Luman Andros Shurtliff Biography Biography compiled by an unknown editor from journals around 1936, written in first person. "We examined the mummies, five in number, looked at the parchment or papyrus, as called in Egyptian language. The parchment appeared to be made of fine linen cloth, starched or sized with some kind of gum, then ironed smooth and written in charter, figures, hieroglyphics, and conveying the Egyptian language. These sheets were about eight by 12 inches. They were rolled, put in a gum case and laid on the breast of the leading men of the Egyptians. When the mummies were found, this record was on his breast. Their bodies seemed to be wound up each limb by itself, with several thicknesses of very fine cloth dipped in gum or pitch like thick tar or rosin and wound on when warm. It was from this record that the Pearl of Great Price was translated by the Prophet."Luman Andros Shurtliff, Biographical Sketch of the Life of Luman Andros Shurtliff, typescript in L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, Provo. Shurtliff was incorrect about the number of mummies (there were four).Jensen, Robin Scott, Richard E. Turley Jr., and Riley M. Lorimer, eds. Revelations and Translations, Volume 2: Published Revelations. Vol. 2 of the Revelations and Translations series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Dean C. Jessee, Ronald K. Esplin, and Richard Lyman Bushman. Salt Lake City: Church Historian's Press, 2011. page xix This quote provides evidence that the papyri were cut up and pasted onto sheets of paper by late 1837. Dan Vogel feels the quote is too ambiguous to draw conclusions, but that if Shurtliff really was referring to the cut up sheets, this would be evidence that the Book of Abraham was translated from some of the cut up sheets, and not the remaining roll of papyrus.Dan Vogel, Truth of the Book of Abraham (Part 7) - The Lost Papyrus Theory, YouTube.

Eyewitness Accounts in the Missouri Era 1838–1839 DateAuthorSource DocumentNotes 1838-1839 Henry Tressler Deseret Weekly News letter to the editorAs recorded by Foster W. Jones, who interviewed Tressler in 1897, when he was 86 years old. "We had a most successful trip, during which time we met Mr. Henry Tressler of Brownstown, Johnson county, Indiana, one of the guards who had charge of the Prophet Joseph Smith at Far West, Caldwell county, Mo., from which place he was taken to Liberty, Clay county, Mo. ... He was also the steward during the imprisonment at Liberty, at which time he had many conversations with the Prophet Joseph, who presented him with a Book of Mormon, which is highly prized by him. He also saw the rolls of Papyrus from which the Pearl of Great Price was translated, and procured a piece of the bandage that was wrapped around one of the mummies exhibited by Mr. Chandler." Prior to September 1838 Anson Call Autobiography of Anson Call, as recorded in a Master's Thesis A recollection years later. "While at Far West I happened in John Corl's or the church store and my attention was called by Vincent Knights who was opening some boxes of goods. Says he, 'Joseph will be much pleased with these.['] He had been very uneasy about the translation of the Bible and the Egyptian Records. here they are, placing them on the table. Said he to me, 'If you will take one of these, I will the other and we will carry them over to Joseph's office.' There we found Joseph and six or seven other brethren. Joseph was much pleased with the arrival of the books and said to us 'Sit down and we will read to you from the translations of the book of Abraham.' Oliver Cowdery then read until he was tired when Thomas Marsh read making altogether about two hours. I was much interested in the work."Duane D. Call, "Anson Call and His Contributions Toward Latter-day Saint Colonization" (master's thesis, Brigham Young University, 1956), 32-33 Oliver Cowdery was not in good standing at this time and would not have been present at this gathering, indicating that Anson Call remembered the episode incorrectly.Peterson, H. D. (2008). The story of the book of Abraham: mummies, manuscripts, and Mormonism. Springville, UT: CFI. page 134 This quote has been used to indicate that the Book of Abraham was much longer than what we currently have, suggesting that the Book of Abraham translation had reached a farther point than previously thought. The editors of The Joseph Smith Papers gave the following possibilities for the length of time it took to read the manuscript:Jensen, Robin Scott, and Brian M. Hauglid, eds. Revelations and Translations, Volume 4: Book of Abraham and Related Manuscripts. Facsimile edition. Vol. 4 of the Revelations and Translations series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Ronald K. Esplin, Matthew J. Grow, Matthew C. Godfrey, and R. Eric Smith. Salt Lake City: Church Historian's Press, 2018. page xxvii note 109. They read additional Book of Abraham material that is no longer extant. A lengthy conversation took place along with the reading. Call did not know or failed to state that they were reading from multiple records. (the recollection also mentions the "translation of the Bible") Date of reminiscence: Winter of 1838–1839Recorded in 1882 Henry Asbury, a resident of Quincy, Illinois Memoir "During the winter of 1837-8, a large number of the Mormon people upon their expulsion from Missouri arrived at Quincy.... The winter passed in quietness and the Mormons were on their good behavior. Old Daddy Smith and his aged wife, Joe Smith's father and mother, rented the house or part of it, situated on the northeast corner of Sixth and Hampshire Streets, and set up a sort of museum of curiosities, consisting mainly of several mummies from Egypt. The old lady charged ten cents admittance and acted as exhibitor, explaining who and what each object really was. I am now unable to accurately give the substance of these explanations by the old lady, but in substance they amounted to an assertion that one or more of the mummies was one of the Pharaohs or kings of Egypt, and there belonged to him some hieroglyphics or writings upon papyrus, which she said in some way proved the truth of Mormonism or something tending in that direction. The show did not seem to pay and did not run long here. However uncanonical and doubtful Joe Smith's revelations might have appeared to others, his old father and mother no doubt believed them all." This is the only known evidence that the mummies and papyri were in Quincy, Illinois The year the Mormons were expelled was remembered incorrectly, the events occurred in 1838–1839, not 1837–1838.Henry Ashbury, "Reminiscences of Quincy, Illinois, 1882", in Jay Todd, The Saga of the Book of Abraham (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1968), 208.

Eyewitness Accounts in the Nauvoo Era 1839–1844