An Egyptologist Translates the Book of Abraham - Dr. Robert Ritner Pt 1 | Ep. 1339

When an Egyptologist Examines the Book of Abraham: What Dr. Robert Ritner's Translation Reveals

The Book of Abraham stands as one of the most contested texts in Latter-day Saint history. Joseph Smith claimed to have translated it from Egyptian papyri acquired in 1835, yet the original papyri have survived, and their contents tell a very different story than the published scripture. In a landmark 2020 interview on the Mormon Stories Podcast, Dr. Robert Ritner, the Roe Professor of Egyptology at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, offered his expert analysis of what the papyri actually say and how they compare to Smith's translation. For anyone seeking to understand this pivotal historical question, Ritner's credentials and findings demand serious attention.

Why an Egyptologist's Analysis Matters

Egyptology is a highly specialized field requiring years of intensive training. Dr. Ritner earned his Ph.D. through a rigorous four-year doctoral program that included mastery of multiple ancient languages, Egyptian religious texts, art history, and cultural context. He succeeded Klaus Baer, a renowned scholar of Egyptian funerary texts, and has spent decades specializing in religious papyri, exactly the category of documents Smith claimed to possess. According to the Mormon Stories Podcast interview, Ritner was initially approached about the Book of Abraham because of his specific expertise in the types of religious texts these papyri represent. His analysis thus carries weight that generalalist historians or non-Egyptologists simply cannot match.

The Historical Context: How Joseph Smith Obtained the Papyri

The story begins in 1835 when Michael Chandler, a traveling antiquities dealer, arrived in Kirtland, Ohio with a collection of Egyptian mummies and papyri. Chandler's sales pitch was designed to maximize price: he claimed the mummies were ancient prophets and priests who had spoken with biblical figures. This marketing strategy worked. Smith and other Church leaders purchased the collection, believing they possessed documents of immense spiritual significance. What few realized at the time was that Chandler's papyri were not rare treasures but relatively common funerary texts, specifically, fragments of Books of the Dead and Hor (a funerary instruction text), dating to the Ptolemaic period, roughly 300-100 BCE.