Informed Saints Egyptologist Debunks TikTok’s Book of Abraham Claim (They Missed the Whole Story)
The “dark secret” narrative about the Book of Abraham often gets reduced to a 30-second claim: the Church found papyri fragments in 1967, Egyptologists translated them, and they don’t match the Book of Abraham—case closed. In this conversation, we slow down and add the missing context: what the recovered fragments actually are, why the assumption that the adjacent text must equal the Book of Abraham text is questionable, and what multiple eyewitness accounts say Joseph Smith was translating from. We also talk about the “missing papyri” question, how long the larger roll may have been, and why the relationship between the surviving fragments and the published Book of Abraham text can’t be settled conclusively by fragments alone.
If you’ve only heard the simplified version, this episode is for you—full story, better questions, and a clearer framework for thinking about a complex historical issue.
This segment is taken from a full episode we have published previously with Kerry and hope you enjoy this bonus segment!
===Informed Saints Credits===
Produced by The Ancient America Foundation
Producer: Spencer Clark
Hosts: Stephen Smoot, Neal Rappleye, Jasmin Rappleye
Watch, share, and tell us what stood out most.
Further Readings:
Gospel Topics Essay (Official): “Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham”
•Joseph Smith Papers (Official hub): “Book of Abraham and Egyptian Material”
https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/site/book-of-abraham-and-egyptian-material
•Joseph Smith Papers (Primary documents context): “Introduction to Egyptian Papyri, circa 300–100 BC”
https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/introduction-to-egyptian-papyri-circa-300-100-bc/1
•Joseph Smith Papers (Publication history): “Book of Abraham and Facsimiles, 1 March–16 May 1842”
https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/book-of-abraham-and-facsimiles-1-march-16-may-1842
•BYU Religious Studies Center: “Joseph Smith and the Papyri” (Intro volume page)
https://rsc.byu.edu/introduction-book-abraham/joseph-smith-papyri
•BYU Religious Studies Center: “Relationship of the Book of Abraham Text to the Papyri”
https://rsc.byu.edu/introduction-book-abraham/relationship-book-abraham-text-papyri
•BYU Studies Quarterly: “The Relationship Between the Book of Abraham and the Joseph Smith Papyri”
•Pearl of Great Price Central: “What Egyptian Papyri Did Joseph Smith Possess?”
https://pearlofgreatpricecentral.org/what-egyptian-papyri-did-joseph-smith-possess/
•Pearl of Great Price Central: “The Relationship Between the Book of Abraham and the Joseph Smith Papyri”
•FAIR (Faithful Q&A): “What is the Book of Abraham ‘Missing Papyrus theory’?”
•FAIR: “Book of Abraham/Joseph Smith Papyri—Identity and nature”
https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/answers/Book_of_Abraham/Joseph_Smith_Papyri/Identity_and_nature
•Church History video (Official): “Episode 42—The Book of Abraham”
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/video/2009-02-1042-episode-42-the-book-of-abraham?lang=eng
===Discover===
If any of our thoughts resonated with you, consider learning more about the single most influential book in our lives.
https://www.discoverbookofmormon.org/
===Content Disclaimer===
The views expressed represent ours alone and do not necessarily reflect the official position of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
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