Alphus and Omegus wrote: ↑Wed Dec 08, 2021 8:57 pm
It doesn't matter what scroll theory you want to believe. The canonized English text of the Book of Abraham is littered with scores of anthropological and historical errors: Egyptus; a person named Pharaoh; a statement that the Noahic Flood covered Egypt; total ignorance of "Kemet," the actual ancient Egyptian word for Egypt; totally wrong timelines, made up divine beings and words, I could go on and on.
Professor Gee listed the three general theories in his latest
podcast with Scott Gordon of FAIR:
1) Smith translated the Book of Abraham by using the
existing fragments
2) Smith translated the Book of Abraham by using the
missing roll
3) Smith translated the Book of Abraham by using
papyrus as a catalyst
And guess what? You’re absolutely right in stating that it doesn’t matter which theory one ascribes to because it doesn’t make a lick of difference for the Book of Abraham which will ever remain a work of fiction, a nonhistorical narrative of ancient Egypt. Most critics (including me) tend to focus on the Facsimiles and translation issues but the heart of the matter is just how bad the chapters of the Book of Abraham are and the FALSE representation of the origins of Egypt and how the civilization rose. The narrative of chapter one is a farce and will never be published in a professional journal or book that explains the authentic history of Egypt’s making.
Alphus and Omegus wrote: ↑Wed Dec 08, 2021 8:57 pm
In my opinion, the scroll obsessions are actually a red herring to get people to focus on debates about documents rather than the numerous inexcusable errors Smith made in his pronouncements about Egyptian culture, history, and language.
Yes, there is some truth to that. Both the critics and the apologists have focused a great deal of energy on the Facsimiles. This is completely understandable considering the nature of the claims, the magnitude of the arguments, and the stakes are very high on both sides of the argument. Clearly, the apologists have lost the war with the Facsimiles and the King’s name showcases this on a level everyone can easily relate with and understand. It’s as simple as ABC. Everything begins with a name! Everyone has a name! That is why this particular example is so powerful and brings everything home.
But the core and foundation of the Book of Abraham is the opening chapter that gives an erroneous and false description of how Egypt was founded. Nothing could be further from the truth than chapter one! The narrative that was fabricated out of Joseph Smith’s head will not help anyone understand the historical beginnings of ancient Egypt. Predynastic Egypt (long before Noah’s time) thrived and continued until the Unification was finally forged under Menes and Egypt became a powerful and combined nation state under a single banner.
Isn’t that right, professor Gee?