Uploaded December 2019 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
The Book of Abraham is a book of sacred scripture for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This short but fascinating text has attracted considerable controversy ever since its publication in 1842. One hotly debated question is whether this text purporting to be “the writings of Abraham while he was in Egypt” has any evidence for its ancient authenticity and historicity. Asked another way, is there any evidence in favor of the historical claims made in the Book of Abraham?
This video explores some of the amazing evidence scholars have uncovered that bolsters confidence in the historical credibility of the Book of Abraham. It goes chapter by chapter through the Book of Abraham and points out sometimes minute features of the text that find plausible confirmation from the ancient world. This includes cultural, geographical, and linguistic details in the text that converge nicely with evidence unknown in Joseph Smith’s day.
While the three facsimiles of the Book of Abraham and Joseph Smith’s translation method to produce the text are important issues to also consider, they will be covered in future videos. Viewers wanting to learn more about these topics are encouraged to check out a Gospel Topics essay published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints titled “Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham” and a recent book by Egyptologist John Gee titled An Introduction to the Book of Abraham.
churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/translation-and-historicity-of-the-book-of-abraham?lang=eng
https://rsc.byu.edu/recent-books/introduction-book-abraham
Documentation for the claims made in this video can be found in the accompanying blog post (link below). Additional evidence for the historicity of the Book of Abraham and other study resources (including an extensive bibliography) can be read at Pearl of Great Price Central (link below).
bookofmormoncentral.org/blog/new-video-explores-the-historical-believability-of-the-book-of-abraham
pearlofgreatpricecentral.org/new-video-explores-the-historical-credibility-of-the-book-of-abraham
The Book of Abraham is a book of sacred scripture for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This short but fascinating text has attracted considerable controversy ever since its publication in 1842. One hotly debated question is whether this text purporting to be “the writings of Abraham while he was in Egypt” has any evidence for its ancient authenticity and historicity. Asked another way, is there any evidence in favor of the historical claims made in the Book of Abraham?
This video explores some of the amazing evidence scholars have uncovered that bolsters confidence in the historical credibility of the Book of Abraham. It goes chapter by chapter through the Book of Abraham and points out sometimes minute features of the text that find plausible confirmation from the ancient world. This includes cultural, geographical, and linguistic details in the text that converge nicely with evidence unknown in Joseph Smith’s day.
While the three facsimiles of the Book of Abraham and Joseph Smith’s translation method to produce the text are important issues to also consider, they will be covered in future videos. Viewers wanting to learn more about these topics are encouraged to check out a Gospel Topics essay published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints titled “Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham” and a recent book by Egyptologist John Gee titled An Introduction to the Book of Abraham.
churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/translation-and-historicity-of-the-book-of-abraham?lang=eng
https://rsc.byu.edu/recent-books/introduction-book-abraham
Documentation for the claims made in this video can be found in the accompanying blog post (link below). Additional evidence for the historicity of the Book of Abraham and other study resources (including an extensive bibliography) can be read at Pearl of Great Price Central (link below).
bookofmormoncentral.org/blog/new-video-explores-the-historical-believability-of-the-book-of-abraham
pearlofgreatpricecentral.org/new-video-explores-the-historical-credibility-of-the-book-of-abraham
