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The Book of Abraham

A careful guide to the LDS Restorationist text, the nineteenth-century papyri controversy and the different ways believers and scholars interpret its origins.

An open historical book beside handwritten pagesHistory, scripture
and evidence.
Essay

Historical overview · reviewed 18 September 2026

What is the Book of Abraham?

The Book of Abraham is a short text accepted as scripture by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and included in the Pearl of Great Price. It presents itself as an account associated with the biblical Abraham and discusses creation, premortal existence, divine beings and priesthood.

The text entered the early Latter-day Saint movement in the 1830s, when Joseph Smith acquired Egyptian mummies and papyrus fragments. It was published in 1842. The LDS tradition later incorporated it into its standard scriptural collection.

TraditionLDS Restorationist scripture
PublishedFirst published in 1842
Central questionHow the text relates to the surviving papyri

The papyri and the translation question

The surviving fragments were returned to the LDS Church in the 1960s after having been considered lost for many decades. Egyptologists who examined the fragments identified them as Egyptian funerary material, including portions of documents connected with burial practices and the afterlife.

This finding created a continuing debate. Many Egyptologists conclude that the surviving fragments do not translate into the Book of Abraham. LDS writers have proposed several explanations, including the possibility that the recovered pieces were not the specific portion used for the text, or that the relationship between the papyri and the English work was not a conventional word-for-word translation.

Read the evidence in layersThe surviving papyri, the published scripture, nineteenth-century accounts and later scholarly interpretations are related sources, but they are not identical objects. Keeping those layers separate helps readers understand why the debate continues.

Historical setting

The work appeared during a period when ancient Egypt strongly captured public imagination. The decipherment of Egyptian writing had advanced after the discovery of the Rosetta Stone, yet professional Egyptology was still developing. Claims about ancient documents were therefore evaluated within a very different intellectual and religious environment from today.

Later assessments of the facsimiles and papyrus fragments became central to criticism of Joseph Smith's explanations. Supporters and critics disagree about what those assessments establish, but both sides treat the material as important evidence when discussing the text's history.

Why the text remains significant

For Latter-day Saints, the Book of Abraham remains meaningful because of its teachings about God, humanity, creation and the relationship between earthly life and a premortal existence. For historians of religion, it offers a case study in scripture formation, translation claims, authority and the interpretation of material evidence.

A respectful account should acknowledge both dimensions. Describing a scholarly criticism does not by itself settle a religious question, and describing a faith community's interpretation does not replace analysis of the surviving documents.

Questions for further reading

  • Which parts of the original papyri survive, and what do they contain?
  • How did the text circulate before its 1842 publication?
  • How do LDS commentators explain the relationship between the papyri and the scripture?
  • How have Egyptologists evaluated the facsimiles and their captions?
  • What can this history teach about the formation and transmission of sacred texts?

Editorial note

This page summarizes a historical and theological controversy in neutral educational language. It does not ask readers to accept or reject LDS scripture, and it distinguishes documented history from interpretation.

Reader guide

Frequently asked questions

Is the Book of Abraham part of the Bible?

No. It is not part of the biblical canon. It is included in the Pearl of Great Price, one of the scriptural volumes recognized by the LDS Church.

When was it published?

It was published in the early 1840s, with the principal publication appearing in 1842.

What do scholars say about the surviving papyri?

Egyptologists generally identify the surviving fragments as Egyptian funerary documents rather than a biography of Abraham.

How do LDS explanations differ?

LDS explanations vary, but commonly distinguish the surviving fragments from the material Joseph Smith used or describe the translation as involving revelation rather than a conventional linguistic process.

Does this article take a position?

It presents the historical record, the main interpretive positions and the limits of the surviving evidence without directing readers toward a religious conclusion.