Joseph Smith Papyri: Difference between revisions

After [[Death of Joseph Smith|Smith's death]], the papyri passed through several hands; they were presumed to have reached a museum in Chicago and subsequently destroyed in the [[Great Chicago Fire]]. Not all of the fragments were burned, however, and some were eventually acquired by the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]] in 1947.<ref>"Review of the Year 1947," Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin 7/1 (1948): 17.</ref> The museum knew the importance of the papyri to [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] (LDS Church) and, in 1966, reached out to church leaders to notify them of their collection. The LDS Church acquired the fragments in 1967.<ref>{{cite magazine |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=I Have a Question |url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1988/07/i-have-a-question?lang=eng |magazine=[[Ensign (LDS magazine)|Ensign]] |date=July 1988 |access-date=July 9, 2014 }}</ref> The rediscovery of the papyri sparked renewed interest and scholarship. Due to the importance of the papyri to the [[Latter Day Saint movement]], they have been heavily studied and debated.<ref name=Ritner2013>Ritner, R. K. (2013). The Joseph Smith Egyptian papyri: A complete edition ; P. JS 1-4 and the hypocephalus of Sheshonq. Salt Lake City: The Smith Pettit Foundation. Page 6</ref>

<blockquote>{{quote|...in connection with two of the bodies, were something rolled up with the same kind of linnen {{sic}}, saturated with the same bitumen, which, when examined, proved to be two rolls of papyrus, previously mentioned. I may add that two or three other small pieces of papyrus, with astronomical calculations, epitaphs, etc were found with others of the Mummies.</blockquote>}}

<blockquote>{{quote|The last of June four Egyptian mummies were brought here; there were two papyrus rolls, besides some other ancient Egyptian writings with them. As no one could translate these writings, they were presented to President Smith. He soon knew what they were and said they, the 'rolls of papyrus,' contained the sacred record kept of Joseph in Pharaoh's Court in Egypt, and the teachings of Father Abraham.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://thebookofabraham.blogspot.com/2016/11/1835-improvement-era-1942-ww-phelps.html|title=The Book of Abraham: 1835 - Improvement Era (1942) - W.W. Phelps|date=November 17, 2016|website=thebookofabraham.blogspot.com}}</ref></blockquote>}}

Because the collection was later sold and divided and parts of it were lost in the Great Chicago Fire, its exact contents are unknown. However, based on what is still in existence, it can be concluded that there were at least 5 separate funerary documents as shown in the following table:<ref>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</ref><ref>[[H. Michael Marquardt]], Joseph Smith's Egyptian Papers: A History. Printed in Ritner, Robert Kriech. The Joseph Smith Egyptian Papyri: a Complete Edition ; P. JS 1-4 and the Hypocephalus of Sheshonq. The Smith Pettit Foundation, 2013.</ref>

Sometime while he was there he excavated 11 mummies and accompanying papyri, from which came the Joseph Smith Papyri collection. It appears that Drovetti allowed Lebolo to personally excavate in the Valley of the Nobles, as this collection was personally maintained by Lebolo and not passed on to Drovetti.<ref>Peterson, H. Donl. The Story of the Book of Abraham: Mummies, Manuscripts, and Mormonism. CFI, 2008. pg 51</ref> It is not known exactly which tomb they came from, however Theban tombs [[TT32|32]], [[TT33 (tomb)|33]], and [[TT157|157]] have been named as possible candidates.<ref name="scholarsarchive.byu.edu"/> Theban tomb 33 is frequently visited by LDS tour groups, and often given as the place where they were excavated based on a description by [[Oliver Cowdery]].<ref>History of the Church 2:348-49 has Oliver Cowdery relaying the following story that Michael Chandler told him that is riddled with errors: <blockquote>

{{quote|"The records were obtained from one of the catacombs in Egypt, near a place where once stood the renowned city of Thebes, by the celebrated French traveler, Antonio Lebolo, in the year 1831. He procured license from Mehemet Ali, then viceroy of Egypt, under the protection of Chevalier Drovetti, the French Consul, in the year 1828, and employed four hundred and thirty-three men, four months and two days (if I understand correctly) - Egyptian or Turkish soldiers, at from four to six cents per diem, each man. He entered the catacomb June 7, 1831, and obtained eleven mummies. There were several hundred mummies in the same catacomb; about one hundred embalmed after the first order, and placed in niches, and two or three hundred after the second and third orders, and laid upon the floor or bottom of the grand cavity. The two last orders of embalmed were so decayed, that they could not be removed, and only eleven of the first, found in the niches."</blockquote>}}

Lebolo was dead by 1831, and had left Egypt in 1822, so could not have done any of these things mentioned in the quote at those times.</ref> However, this connection is highly speculative and disputed.<ref name="Peterson, H. Donl 2008. pg 54">Peterson, H. Donl. The Story of the Book of Abraham: Mummies, Manuscripts, and Mormonism. CFI, 2008. pg 54</ref>

Before his death on the night of February 18–19, 1830, Lebolo sent the 11 mummies and papyri to Albano Oblasser of [[Trieste]] to sell them.<ref>Peterson, H. Donl. The Story of the Book of Abraham: Mummies, Manuscripts, and Mormonism. CFI, 2008. pg 74</ref> The mummies were shipped to New York sometime between 1830 and 1833, where they ended up in the hands of Michael Chandler no later than March 1833.<ref>{{Harvnb|Rhodes|2002|pp=1–2}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Smith|1902|p=236}}</ref> Chandler claimed multiple times to be the nephew of Lebolo; however, this is almost certainly untrue.<ref>Chandler was born in Ireland in 1797, and genealogists have been unable to find any connection to the Italian born Lebolo. Peterson, H. Donl. The Story of the Book of Abraham: Mummies, Manuscripts, and Mormonism. CFI, 2008. pg 161</ref> All evidence suggests that Chandler was acting as an agent for an investment group in [[Philadelphia]] that had purchased the mummies.<ref>[https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/letter-from-joseph-coe-1-january-1844/1 Joseph Coe, one of the purchasers of the mummies wrote, "Chandler was only an agent acting under some men in Philadeplphia ... they him and was allowed the sum which he sold them to me for viz. $2400. It also appeared on the trial that the out goes while Chandler was exhibiting them exceeded the income $1550." "Letter from Joseph Coe, 1 January 1844," p. &#91;1&#93;, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed July 4, 2019], Misspellings and punctuation have been retained</ref><ref>William Craig and Winthrop Sargent were business partners of an importing business in Philadelphia that sued Michael Chandler for $6,000 worth of "goods, wares and merchandise" in a series of lawsuits from 1838 - 1853. It is speculated that this is the lawsuit referenced by Joseph Coe (see previous footnote). Common Pleas Record Book X, Geauga County Courthouse, Chardon, Ohio. Sargent and Craig vs. Chandler (April 7, 1841) 610-12</ref>

Between April 1833 and June 1835, Michael Chandler toured the eastern United States, displaying and selling seven of the mummies as he went along. In April 1833, he displayed them first at the masonic hall<!-- should it be called a lodge? --> and then the arcade in Philadelphia. His display attracted large crowds wherever he went. The [[Ether Dome#Mummy (the hospital's oldest patient)|first complete mummy ever displayed to the public in the United States]] arrived just ten years earlier in 1823, and had set off a [[Egyptomania in the United States|mania]] in the United States for mummies and Egypt.<ref>Wolfe, S. J., and Robert Singerman. Mummies in Nineteenth Century America: Ancient Egyptians as Artifacts. McFarland & Co, 2009. pgs 7, 35</ref> Chandler's exhibit of eleven mummies was the largest ever up to that point in the United States.<ref name="Peterson, H. Donl 2008. pg 54"/> While Chandler was in Philadelphia, a doctor named W. E. Horner gathered six other doctors and gave Chandler an unsolicited endorsement of his collection:

<blockquote>{{quote|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 years 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.<ref>"Egyptian Antiquities," ''Time and Seasons'' 3 (May 2, 1842):774</ref></blockquote>}}

Chandler had this "Certificate of the Learned" made into a placard that was circulated wherever he went, including two years later when he arrived in [[Kirtland, Ohio]].<ref>Peterson, H. Donl. The Story of the Book of Abraham: Mummies, Manuscripts, and Mormonism. CFI, 2008. pg. 88</ref> After Philadelphia, the unsold six mummies along with the papyri moved on to Baltimore during July and August 1833. They stayed at the Baltimore Museum, and proved to be very popular. Chandler expanded his stay there from a planned two weeks to five weeks. The following advertisement appeared in several newspapers, placed by the manager of the museum:

<blockquote>{{quote|The citizens are respectfully informed that the Manager has received from the vicinity of Thebes, that celebrated city of Ancient Egypt, six strangers, illustrious from their antiquity, count, probably an existence of at least one thousand years anterior to the advent of our blessed Saviour, and contemporaries; if so, of the first Sovereigns of Israel, viz: Saul and David. They are by no means insignificant aspirants to public patronage.<ref>This is part of an advertisement that ran in the ''Baltimore Gazette and Daily Advertiser'' and the ''Baltimore American and commercial Daily Advertiser'' from July 20 to August 16, 1833.</ref></blockquote>}}

The next documented location of the exhibit was [[Lancaster, Pennsylvania]] in late August and then [[Harrisburg, Pennsylvania]] in September 1833.<ref>Wolfe, S. J., and Robert Singerman. Mummies in Nineteenth Century America: Ancient Egyptians as Artifacts. McFarland & Co, 2009. pg. 105</ref> They were in [[Pittsburgh]] for four weeks during October and November 1833, and at the Western Museum in [[Cincinnati]] in December. In January 1834, they stayed in [[Louisville, Kentucky|Louisville]] for a few days. In April and early May, they were shown at the corner of Chartres and St. Louis Streets in [[New Orleans]]. From May 1834 until February 1835, there is no known record of their whereabouts.<ref name="ReferenceA">Wolfe, ''Mummies in Nineteenth Century America'', 70, 98-107</ref> In February 1835, Chandler displayed the mummies in [[Hudson, Ohio]], just 30 miles south of Kirtland, Ohio, and the next month they were displayed in Cleveland.<ref>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. pg xix</ref>

<blockquote>{{quote|The relic forms are of three males and one female-of mature age, and two of them at least, evidently far advanced in life at the period of their deaths. ...There was found deposited in the arms of the old man referred to above, a book of ancient form and construction, which, to us, was by far the most interesting part of the exhibition. Its leaves were of bark, in length some 10 or 12 inches and 3 or 4 in width. The ends are somewhat decayed, but at the centre the leaves are in a state of perfect preservation. ...There is another book, more decayed, and much less neatly written.<ref>"A Rare Exhibition," ''Cleveland Daily Advertiser,'' March 26, 1835</ref></blockquote>}}

<blockquote>{{quote|No. 1-4 feet 11 inches, female-supposed age 60; ... There was found with this person a roll or book having a little resemblance to birch bark; ... ink black and red, many female figures.<br />

No. 4-Height 4 ft 9, female. I am inclined to put her age at about 20 or 25; others call her an old woman.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sidneyrigdon.com/dbroadhu/OH/paintel4.htm|title=Old Mormon Articles: Painesville Telegraph 1834-35|website=www.sidneyrigdon.com}}</ref></blockquote>}}

Looking to make a sale, Chandler brought four mummies, two scrolls, and additional papyrus fragments<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/intro/introduction-to-revelations-and-translations-volume-4 |title=Book of Abraham and Related Manuscripts |publisher=Josephsmithpapers.org |date= |accessdate=2022-09-10}}</ref> to Kirtland, Ohio (then headquarters of the LDS Church) in late June or early July 1835.<ref>William W. Phelps, Kirtland, OH, to Sally Waterman Phelps, Liberty, MO, 19 and 20 July 1835, in Phelps, “Letters"Letters of Faith from Kirtland,”" 529; Whitmer, History, 76, in JSP, H2:86</ref> Upon entering a city to display his mummies, Chandler would post a placard or handbill around the town that speculated on the identity of the mummies: "These strangers illustrious from their antiquity, may have lived in the days of Jacob, Moses, or David."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.centerplace.org/history/ts/v3n13.htm|title=Times and Seasons Volume 3, Number 13|website=www.centerplace.org}}</ref><ref>The Times and Seasons published a copy of the placard in 1842, Times and Seasons Vol. III. No. 13. CITY OF NAUVOO, ILL., MAY 2, 1842]</ref> He stayed at the Riggs Hotel, and called on Joseph Smith in the evening of his arrival. Busy with a commitment that evening, Smith agreed to meet with Chandler the following morning. Joseph Smith was allowed to take the papyrus home, and the next morning returned them with a short translation of some characters copied down by Oliver Cowdery (see [[Kirtland Egyptian papers#Notebooks of Copied Egyptian Characters|Notebooks of Copied Egyptian Characters]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://thebookofabraham.blogspot.com/2012/01/dr-john-riggs-joseph-smith-papyri-and.html|title=The Book of Abraham: Dr. John Riggs - The Joseph Smith Papyri and Charles Anthon|date=January 28, 2012|website=thebookofabraham.blogspot.com}}</ref> On July 6, 1835, Chandler produced a certificate authenticating Joseph Smith's translation:

<blockquote>{{quote|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 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.<ref>[https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/certificate-from-michael-chandler-6-july-1835/1 "Certificate from Michael Chandler, 6 July 1835," p. &#91;72&#93;, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed May 20, 2019],</ref></blockquote>}}

Shortly after receiving this certification, Joseph Smith, [[Joseph Coe]], and Simeon Andrews purchased the four mummies and at least five papyrus documents for $2,400,<ref>{{Harvnb|Gee|2000|p=3}}</ref> which is about $70,000 in 2019 US dollars.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.officialdata.org/us/inflation/1835?amount=2400|title=$2,400 in 1835 → 2020 &#124;{{pipe}} Inflation Calculator|website=www.officialdata.org}}</ref> Joseph Smith wanted to purchase only the papyri, but Chandler would not sell the papyri without the mummies.<ref>Orson Pratt stated in 1878: <blockquote>

{{quote|The Prophet Joseph having learned the value of the ancient writings was very anxious to obtain them, and expressed himself willing to purchase them. But Chandler told him he would not sell the writings unless he could sell the mummies, for it would detract from the curiosity of his exhibition.</blockquote>}} Orson Pratt, in Journal of Discourses, 25 Aug. 1878, 20:65. Coe later remembered that Smith's reason for purchasing the Egyptian artifacts was to produce a translation of the papyri. (J. Coe to JS, 1 Jan. 1844.)</ref> This was a significant expense for the church, which at the same time was also constructing an expensive [[Kirtland Temple|temple]], and caring for many financially destitute immigrants.<ref>Peterson, H. Donl. The Story of the Book of Abraham: Mummies, Manuscripts, and Mormonism. CFI, 2008.</ref> Joseph Coe wrote in an 1844 letter to Joseph Smith about how the funds were raised in this financially difficult time:

<blockquote>{{quote|I was some-what involved, and unable to sustain a heavier burthen any great length of time. but having all confidence in the utility of the collection, and being assured by yourself that the burthen would be but temporary; that the profits arising from the work when translated would be more than adequate to the defraying all the expence which might accrue by the purchase. I therefore managed the business in relation to the purchase with the same confidence that I had previously done business which I thought would result in the good of the church. Previous to closing the contrat with [Michael] Chandler I made arangements with S. Andrews for to take one third part and yourself & Co. one third leaving one third to be borne by myself. Andrews soon paid his $800 I took $800 out of Geauga Bank which paid a large portion of my share.<ref>[https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/letter-from-joseph-coe-1-january-1844/1 "Letter from Joseph Coe, 1 January 1844," p. &#91;1&#93;, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed July 4, 2019] Misspellings and punctuation have been retained.</ref></blockquote>}}

Some of the paper the papyri were mounted on contained plans for the Kirtland Temple and maps of northern Ohio.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://publications.mi.byu.edu/publications/jbms/22/2/6MuhlesteinBaugh_Preserving%20JS%20Papyri.pdf |title=Kerry M. Muhlestein and Alexander L. Baugh, Journal of the Book of Mormon and Other Restoration Scripture 22/2 (2013): 66–83 |access-date=2019-05-26 |archive-date=2016-09-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160909193018/http://publications.mi.byu.edu/publications/jbms/22/2/6MuhlesteinBaugh_Preserving%20JS%20Papyri.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> Even though the papyri would be better preserved if the paper backing were removed, doing so would destroy important historical documents. Church Historian Robin Jensen commented on the dilemma:

<blockquote>{{quote|These are very important documents for the LDS Church. Here we have the papyri themselves, both ancient documents, also nineteenth century documents in the sense that they really made a mark, they were part of LDS history, and to divide the ancient context with the nineteenth century context proves difficult.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://mi.byu.edu/mip-hauglid-jensen/|title=Joseph Smith's Egyptian papers, with Robin Jensen & Brian Hauglid [MIPodcast #92]|date=June 27, 2019|website=Neal A. Maxwell Institute &#124;{{pipe}} BYU|access-date=June 30, 2019|archive-date=June 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190630022541/https://mi.byu.edu/mip-hauglid-jensen/|url-status=dead}}</ref></blockquote>}}

<blockquote>{{quote|The first movement was to sue Joseph for debt, and, with this pretense, seize upon every piece of property belonging to any of the family. Joseph then had in his possession four Egyptian mummies, with some ancient records that accompanied them. These the mob swore they would take, and then burn every one of them. Accordingly, they obtained an execution upon them for an unjust debt of fifty dollars; but by various stratagems, we succeeded in keeping them out of their hands.<ref>Lucy Mack Smith, ''History of Joseph Smith by His Mother''</ref></blockquote>}}

To protect the mummies from seizure, they were removed from the temple and stored under Zina's bed. These were the mummies purchased by the Church along with the hieroglyphic manuscript of the book of Abraham."</blockquote>}}</ref> When Huntington left to join the rest of the church in Missouri, the mummies and papyri were sent to a different family. [[Edwin D. Woolley]] and his brother Samuel "hired a wagon to bring the mummies and the Record of Abraham, etc" to [[Far West, Missouri]].<ref>Samuel A. Woolley Autobiography, p. 3, in Backman and Perkins, ''Writings of Early Latter-day Saints.''</ref>

The LDS Church faced difficult times in 1838 and 1839, including expulsion from Missouri, Joseph Smith being jailed, and relocating its headquarters to [[Nauvoo, Illinois]]. As such, information about the location of the mummies and papyri over the next two years is scant.<ref>H. Donl Peterson wrote, "Whether all four mummies and the entire papyrus collection were in Missouri or not is difficult to determine, since very few records exist that mention them at all." Peterson, H. D. (2008). The story of the book of Abraham: Mummies, manuscripts, and Mormonism. Springville, UT: CFI. pg. 135</ref><ref>William Appleby wrote in his journal that the mummies and papyri went straight from Kirtland to Nauvoo. William I. Appleby journal in Backman and Perkins, ''Writings of Early Latter-day Saints.''</ref> William Swartzell described seeing the mummies in his journal, which he later published as an anti-Mormon pamphlet. The May 24, 1838 entry states that he saw "Joseph Smith's box of mummies" in [[Richmond, Missouri|Richmond Landing]]. In his July 26, 1838 entry he writes that he saw men gathering logs for Joseph Smith's house, "in which he intends translating the heiroglyphics{{Sic|}} of the Egyptian Mummies."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DVFQAQAAMAAJ|title=Mormonism Exposed: Being a Journal of a Residence in Missouri from the 28th of May to the 20th of August, 1838|first=William|last=Swartzell|date=December 6, 1840|publisher=Modern Microfilm Company|via=Google Books}}</ref> [[Anson Call]] recalled decades later that Oliver Cowdery read the Book of Abraham for several hours while at [[John Corrill]]'s store in Far West (Cowdery was not a member in good standing, and it is doubtful he was part of this group).<ref name="Peterson, H. D. 2008 pg 131"/>

On October 27, 1838, after the Governor of Missouri issued the [[Missouri Executive Order 44|Extermination Order]] to expel the state of "Mormons", Joseph Smith moved his parents to [[Quincy, Illinois]], who took the mummies and papyri with them.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://rsc.byu.edu/vol-2-no-1-2001/kirtland-ohio-far-west-missouri-following-trail-mormon-mummies|title=From Kirtland, Ohio, to Far West, Missouri: Following the Trail of the Mormon Mummies &#124;{{pipe}} Religious Studies Center|website=rsc.byu.edu}}</ref>

The collection was first located on the second floor of Joseph Smith's log cabin. Elizabeth Clements Kimball, a young girl living in Nauvoo, described seeing them: "The mummies were kept in the attic where they wouldn't be destroyed and in those days there weren't any stairways in the houses such as we have now, and in order to get to the attic one had to climb a ladder which was straight up along the wall."<ref>Peterson, H. D. (2008). The story of the book of Abraham: Mummies, manuscripts, and Mormonism. Springville, UT: CFI. pg 183-184. From an account written by her daughter. The full account states: <blockquote>{{quote|"She was very thrilled at the thought and of course very curious, but she felt it a great privilege to be allowed to see them. The mummies were kept in the attic where they wouldn't be destroyed and in those days there weren't any stairways in the houses such as we have now, and in order to get to the attic one had to climb a ladder which was straight up along the wall. She told Joseph in a very timid voice that she would like to see them, but was a little frightened while climbing the ladder to the attic. But when at the top she saw the room with the curious looking things, and Joseph seeing she was a little frightened stepped to her side, laid his hand on her shoulder and said, "come little one, do not be afraid.". He took her by the hand and led her to them saying, "touch them and you will never be afraid of the dead.". It was then that he placed his hands on her shoulder and head and gave her a blessing. He told her that when she grew up she would be a nurse and would care for the sick and the dead all her life."</blockquote>}}</ref> In April 1840, a reporter from the ''Quincy Whig'' wrote an article describing his visit to Nauvoo, and seeing the mummies and papyri:

<blockquote>{{quote|[Joseph Smith] conducted us, at our request, to an upper room, where he drew aside the curtains of a case; and showed us several Egyptian Mummies. ... The embalmed body that stands near the centre of the case, said he, is one of the Pharaohs, who sat upon the throne of Egypt; and the female figure by its side was probably one of the daughters. It may have been the Princess Thermutis, I replied, the same that rescued Moses from the waters of the Nile. It is not improbable, answered the Prophet; but my time has not yet allowed me fully to examine and decide that point. ... He then walked to a secretary, on the opposite side of the room, and drew out several frames, covered with glass, under which were numerous fragments of Egyptian papyras, on which, as usual, a great variety of hieroglyphical characters had been imprinted. These ancient records, said he, throw great light on the subject of Christianity. They have been unrolled and preserved with great labor and care. My time has been hithertoo too much taken up to translate the whole of them, but I will show you how I interpret certain parts. There, said he, pointing to a particular character, that is the signature of the patriarch Abraham. It is indeed a most interesting autograph, I replied, and doubtless the only one extant.<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=http://www.sidneyrigdon.com/dbroadhu/IL/whig1840.htm#1017|title=Uncle Dale's Old Mormon Articles: Quincy Whig & Argus (1840)|website=www.sidneyrigdon.com}}</ref></blockquote>}}

A 1918 memorandum from the [[New York Metropolitan Museum of Art]] records that Heusser brought "eight or ten fragments of papyri" for inspection "in connection with the effort made by Bishop Spaulding of Utah about 1912 to obtain confirmation ... that Joseph Smith's supposed translations of sacred Egyptian texts on which he founded his 'Pearl of Great Price' were a fraud."<ref>Peterson, H. Donl. The Story of the Book of Abraham: Mummies, Manuscripts, and Mormonism. CFI, 2008. pg 231</ref> Then, in late 1945, a curator at the musemmuseum noticed the memorandum and tracked down Heusser's widower, Edward Heusser, making an offer for purchase of the papyri, which was accepted in 1946.<ref>Ritner puts the date in 1947, but cites Peterson, who puts the date at 1946. Peterson, H. Donl. The Story of the Book of Abraham: Mummies, Manuscripts, and Mormonism. CFI, 2008. pg 233</ref><ref name="Todd Jan 1968">{{cite journal |last=Todd |first=Jay M. |title=Egyptian Papyri Rediscovered|journal=[[Improvement Era]]|date=January 1968|pages=12–16|url=https://archive.org/stream/improvementera7101unse#page/n13/mode/2up|access-date=9 July 2014}}</ref>

<blockquote>While I was in one of the dim rooms where everything was brought to me, something caught my eye, and I asked one of my assistants to take me behind the bars into the storehouse of documents so that I could look some more. While there I found a file with these documents. I at once recognized the picture part of it. When I saw this picture, I knew that it had appeared in the Pearl of Great Price. ... I consider it a great honor to have been able to make this discovery. Great discoveries are always accidental, and this one was as accidental as any discovery I have made—and probably more exciting than all of them. It was an honor to have been able to persuade such an august body as the Metropolitan Museum to present it to another body as august as the Mormon Church. I feel flattered to have been able to do what I did.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pool.fairmormon.org/images/4/47/IE_Jan1968_article.pdf|title=Todd, Jay M. ''Egyptian Papyri Rediscovered'' Improvement Era. pg. 12-1612–16|access-date=2019-08-17|archive-date=2020-11-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124054019/https://pool.fairmormon.org/images/4/47/IE_Jan1968_article.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref></blockquote>

The Metropolitan Museum knew what the papyri were before Aziz Atiya visited.<ref>Egyptologist Klaus Baer stated: "The Metropolitan Museum was fully aware of what the papyri were when they first saw them in 1918, and they knew what they were doing when they acquired them. I saw photographs of them for the first time in 1963, I believe, and was asked at the time, on my honor not to tell anyone where they were and to keep the whole thing confidential." Klaus Baer, letter to Jerald Tanner, 13 August 1968, quoted in Boyd Jay Petersen, Hugh Nibley: A Consecrated Life (Salt Lake City: Greg Kofford Books, 2002), 316.</ref> The museum acquisition list for 1947 states "papyrus fragments of hieratic Books of the Dead, once the property of the Mormon leader Joseph Smith."<ref>Review of the Year 1947,” Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin 7/1 (1948): 17.</ref> Museum curator Henry Fischer responded in a letter to Atiya:

In addition to the ten fragments that were discovered at the Metropolitan Museum, another fragment was located. In the same article in the February 1968 issue of the ''Improvement Era'' that contained the near full size sepia color reproductions of the papyri, Jay M. Todd, editorial associate for the magazine, discussed the discovery of a fragment which had been stored with the manuscript of the Egyptian Alphabet and Grammar and had been in the Church Historian's archives since at least 1908. Todd referenced an entry in the Church Historian's Office files dated Wednesday, October 17, 1855, describing several items which were being transferred to the newly constructed Historian's Office, including "three plates of the Book of Abraham" and a "red box with papers, blanks, journal, stereotype and plates.".

The accounts from eyewitnesses consistently maintain that Smith presented the mummies as those of a Pharaoh and his royal household.<ref>Brown, S. M. (2012). In Heaven as it is on Earth: Joseph Smith and the early Mormon conquest of death. New York: [[Oxford University Press]]. page 85</ref><ref>Peterson, H. Donl. The Story of the Book of Abraham: Mummies, Manuscripts, and Mormonism. CFI, 2008. pg 189</ref> Most commonly, Smith and his mother Lucy Mack Smith referred to them as Pharaoh Onitas, his wife, and their two daughters, one of whom was named Katumin. They claimed these names were obtained through revelation.<ref>see: [[Kirtland Egyptian papers#Notebooks of Copied Egyptian Characters]]</ref><ref>Wolfe, S. J., & Singerman, R. (2009). Mummies in nineteenth century America: Ancient Egyptians as artifacts. Jefferson, NC: McFarland &. page 117</ref> Mack Smith would sometimes refer to the one of the mummies as "Pharaoh's daughter, the one who saved Moses." One eyewitness wrote that he was told the Pharaoh's name was "Necho."<ref>Josiah Quincy, Figures of the Past from the Leaves of Old Journals, 386-387</ref>

| First Section of [[Breathing Permit of Hor]] || {{frac|7½|1|2}} x 4 in <br /> 19 x 10&nbsp;cm || I || 47.102.9 || A (photo 1) || [[File:JSP Papyri Fragment I.jpg|100px]]

| Sixth Section of Book of the Dead for TaSheritMin || 5⅛{{frac|5|1|8}} x {{frac|10½|1|2}} in <br /> 13 x 27&nbsp;cm || II || 47.102.10 || B (photo 8) || [[File:JSP Papyri Fragment II.jpg|100px]]

| Right side of vignette from Book of the Dead for Nefer-ir-nebu || 9⅝{{frac|9|5|8}} x 7 in <br /> 24 x 18&nbsp;cm || IIIa || 47.102.2 || C (photo 5) || [[File:JSP Papyri Fragment IIIb IIIa.jpg|100px]]

| Left side of vignette from Book of the Dead for Nefer-ir-nebu || 10⅛{{frac|10|1|8}} x 6 in <br /> 26 x 15&nbsp;cm|| IIIb || 47.102.3 || C (photo 6) || [[File:JSP Papyri Fragment IIIb IIIa.jpg|100px]]

| Fifth Section of Book of the Dead for TaSheritMin || {{frac|11½|1|2}} x 8 in <br /> 29 x 20&nbsp;cm || IV || 47.102.1 || B (photo 3) || [[File:JSP Papyri Fragment IV.jpg|100px]]

| On the right hand side, the Third Section of Book of the Dead for TaSheritMin || {{frac|11¼|1|4}} x 5⅝{{frac|5|5|8}} in <br /> 29 x 14&nbsp;cm || V || 47.102.4 || B (photo 2) || [[File:JSP Papyri Fragment VI and V.jpg|100px]]

| On the left hand side, the Fourth Section of the Book of the Dead for TaSheritMin || {{frac|11½|1|2}} x {{frac|5½|1|2}} in <br /> 29 x 14&nbsp;cm || VI || 47.102.7 || B (photo 4) || [[File:JSP Papyri Fragment VI and V.jpg|100px]]

| First Section of the Book of the Dead for TaSheritMin || Right Side:<br /> 5 x 2⅞{{frac|2|7|8}} in<br />13 x 7&nbsp;cm<br /><br />Left Side:<br />5 x 3 in<br />13 x 8&nbsp;cm || VII || 47.102.5 || B (photo 7) || [[File:JSP Papyri Fragment VII.jpg|100px]]

| Second Section of the Book of the Dead for TaSheritMin || {{frac|5¾|3|4}} x {{frac|6½|1|2}} in <br /> 15 x 17&nbsp;cm || VIII || 47.102.6 || B (photo 9) || [[File:JSP Papyri Fragment VIII.jpg|100px]]

| Miscellaneous Scraps of the Book of the Dead for TaSheritMin || 10⅞–12½{{frac|10|7|8}}–{{frac|12|1|2}} x 3–7¾3–{{frac|7|3|4}} in <br /> 28–32 x 8–20&nbsp;cm || IX || || || [[File:JSP Papyri Fragment IX.jpg|100px]]

| Third Section of [[Breathing Permit of Hor]] ||{{frac|11¾|3|4}} x 4⅜{{frac|4|3|8}} in <br /> 30 x 11&nbsp;cm || X || 47.102.8 || D (photo 10) || [[File:JSP Papyri Fragment X.jpg|100px]]

| Second Section of [[Breathing Permit of Hor]] || {{frac|6¾|3|4}} x 4 in <br /> 17 x 10&nbsp;cm || XI || 47.102.11 || D (photo 11) || [[File:JSP Papyri Fragment XI.jpg|100px]]

The spell arrangement and textual variants are very similar to that of other early Ptolemaic era papyri, including the Ryerson Papyrus.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/papyrus-ryerson-inscribed-with-book-of-the-dead-spells-unknown/tAFdgarO6B6iag|title=Papyrus Ryerson Inscribed with Book of the Dead Spells - Unknown|website=Google Arts & Culture}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|urlname=https:"auto4"//www.dialoguejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/sbi/articles/Dialogue_V03N02_69.pdf|title=Wilson, John A. The Joseph Smith Egyptian Papyri, Translations and Interpretations; Dialogue Journal 1968.}}</ref> The surviving portion of the ''Book of the Dead'' for Ta-sherit-Min includes all or portions of spells [[List of Book of the Dead spells#1 - 19|1-7, 10-14, 16]], [[List of Book of the Dead spells#31–53: Protection from peril|53]]-[[List of Book of the Dead spells#54–63: Empowering to breathe and drink|54, 57, 59(?), 63]], [[List of Book of the Dead spells#64–89: Coming Forth by Day|65, 67, 70, 72, 74-77, 83, 86-89]], 91, [[List of Book of the Dead spells#98–112: Navigating the Underworld|100-101, 103-106, 110]] and [[List of Book of the Dead spells#125-6: Judgement|125]].<ref>Ritner, Robert Kriech. The Joseph Smith Egyptian Papyri: a Complete Edition ; P. JS 1-4 and the Hypocephalus of Sheshonq. The Smith Pettit Foundation, 2013. Page 188.</ref> Portions of the text are only known because characters [[Kirtland Egyptian papers#Copies of Egyptian Characters|were copied down]].

<blockquote>{{quote|The representation of the god-head--three, yet in one, is curiously drawn to give simply, though impressively, the writers views of that exalted personage. The serpent, represented as walking, or formed in a manner to be able to walk, standing in front of, and near a female figure, is to me, one of the greatest representations I have ever seen upon paper, or a writing substance; ... Enoch's Pillar, as mentioned by [[Josephus]], is upon the same roll.<ref name="ReferenceB"/></blockquote>}}

<blockquote>{{quote|The inner end of the same roll, (Joseph's record,) presents a representation of the judgement: At one view you behold the Savior seated upon his throne, crowned, and holding the sceptres of righteousness and power, before whom also, are assembled the twelve tribes of Israel, the nations, languages and tongues of the earth, the kingdoms of the world over which satan is represented as reigning, Michael the archangel, holding the key of the bottomless pit, and at the same time the devil as being chained and shut up in the bottomless pit.<ref name="ReferenceB"/></blockquote>}}

Modern Egyptologists recognize it as a portion of the Book of the Dead for a man called Amenhotep. Unlike many other Egyptian funerary texts, there is no consistent or standard Book of the Dead, and Egyptians would pick and choose which spells (or chapters) they wanted in their scroll to assist them in the afterlife. As such it is impossible to know how large this Book of the Dead was.<ref>Faulkner, Raymond O., and Ogden Goelet. The Egyptian Book of the Dead: the Book of Going Forth by Day. Chronicle Books, 2015. pg. 151</ref>

== See also ==

== Notes ==

== References ==