“On 3 July 1835 a man named Michael
Chandler brought four Egyptian mummies and several papyrus scrolls of ancient
Egyptian writings to Kirtland, Ohio. The mummies and papyri had been discovered
in Egypt several years earlier by Antonio Lebolo. Kirtland was one of many
stops in the eastern United States for Chandler’s mummy exhibition. Chandler
was offering the mummies and rolls of papyrus for sale and, at the urging of
the Prophet Joseph Smith, several members of the Church donated money to
purchase them. In a statement dated 5 July 1835, Joseph Smith, declaring the
importance of these ancient Egyptian writings, recorded: ‘I commenced the
translation of some of the characters or hieroglyphics, and much to our joy
found that one of the rolls contained the writings of Abraham. . . .
Truly we can say, the Lord is beginning to reveal the abundance of peace and
truth’ (History of the Church, 2:236)” (The Pearl of Great Price Student Manual
[Church Educational System manual, 2000], 28).
“the Prophet Joseph Smith never
communicated his method of translating these records. As with all other
scriptures, a testimony of the truthfulness of these writings is primarily a
matter of faith. The greatest evidence of the truthfulness of the book of
Abraham is not found in an analysis of physical evidence nor historical
background, but in prayerful consideration of its content and power” (The Pearl
of Great Price Student Manual, 28).
