A new look at the Book of Abraham, and questions of faith

As a Latter-day Saint, do not buy into the insistence of some who are opposed to your faith, that the Book of Abraham is a goose which has been thoroughly cooked, a fraud to which only the ignorant still cling.

Most recently, note the work of Kerry M. Muhlestein, BYU ancient scripture professor and vice president of the Society for the Study of Egyptian Antiquities. Per BYU Magazine, Fall 2016, Muhlestein examines details of the Book of Abraham as a contributor to Laura Hales' book, "A Reason for Faith: Navigating LDS Doctrine & Church History."

He of course builds on the pioneering work of the late Hugh Nibley, which I still recommend.

Prosperity, continued

The late Hugh Nibley, in examining Egyptian papyri concerned with the exaltation of the soul, draws attention to the formula by which royalty is addressed: Health, Life, Prosperity! This formula is also pronounced just before the candidate for exaltation enters the celestial realm, according to the ancient Egyptian Book of Breathings.

But "wd3" ( the transliteration of the word rendered "prosperity") like the Hebrew tsalach I mentioned in a previous post, is more expansive than the English equivalent. It carries the idea of making vigorous, even of all nature flourishing. (Cf. Nibley, Message of the Joseph Smith Papyri, p. 358.)

So how does this all tie together? A righteous people, a people of God, are even a royal priesthood, as we are reminded in I Peter 2, and all nature flourishes under their care, is in harmony with them, as it was in the days of Enoch and as it is in the Master's hands.