Astronomy, Papyrus, and Covenant

This third volume in the series Studies in the Book of Abraham includes nine papers from a FARMS-sponsored conference on the Book of Abraham, one of the canonized works of scripture of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Three papers on related subjects are also included. An assumption underlying the papers in this volume is that the Book of Abraham is both an authentic and ancient text.

In seeking to illuminate the background of the Book of Abraham from historical, geographical, cultural, scientific, and doctrinal perspectives, these studies deal with three broad themes: astronomy in the Book of Abraham, the Joseph Smith Papyri, and the nature of the Abrahamic covenant. As a whole, the research highlighted in this volume affirms that the Book of Abraham is what it claims to be—an ancient text. This becomes clear, for example, when certain nonbiblical themes reflected in the text are found to abound in extrabiblical traditions from Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.