Egyptologist Uncovers Evidence for Book of Abraham Facsimile 1

Jan 4, 2026

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The Book of Abraham gets more criticism than almost any other LDS scripture—partly because we still have fragments of the papyri and people assume that “settles” everything. In this episode of Informed Saints, we sit down with Egyptologist Kerry Muhlestein to talk through what the evidence actually does (and doesn’t) let us conclude—and how Latter-day Saints can approach the questions without fear.

We zoom in on Facsimile 1 and walk through details that often get ignored in quick social-media takes: the lion couch scene, ritual context, the possibility of an original ritual knife, and what the Egyptian concept of the Ba can mean (including why “angel” isn’t as random as critics claim). Then we pull back and show how the opening of Abraham’s story connects to covenant, temple themes, and even the cosmic scope of Abraham 3.

If you’ve ever wondered, “Did Egyptologists really disprove the Book of Abraham?”—this is the deep, careful conversation you’ve been looking for.

===Informed Saints Credits===

Produced by The Ancient America Foundation

Producer: Spencer Clark

Hosts: Stephen Smoot, Neal Rappleye, Jasmin Rappleye

Episode Relevant Readings:

Kerry Muhlestein's article "A Priest, His Gods and His Depiction: Creation, Execration, and the Roles, Texts, and Vignette of Hor of Karnak" featured in this episode is available here:

https://egyptianexpedition.org/articles/a-priest-his-gods-and-his-depiction/

Kerry's book "Let's Talk About the Book of Abraham" featured in this episode is available here:

https://www.deseretbook.com/product/P5258289.html?srsltid=AfmBOoq6BoXHbWsXFxPQ7yyCatBMQLv1rgME_7c1Va_zyaGDV3asb7am

The original papyrus vignette of Facsimile 1 can be accessed on the Joseph Smith Papers website:

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/fragment-of-book-of-breathing-for-horos-a-between-238-and-circa-153-bc/1

Articles on Facsimile 1 appeared in BYU Studies (Volume 61, no. 4, 2022) that address the interpretation of the facsimile and the issues raised in this podcast:

https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/approaching-the-facsimiles

https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/facsimile-1-as-a-sacrifice-scene

https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/the-idolatrous-priest-facsimile-1-figure-3

John Gee's chapter on the facsimiles in his book "An Introduction to the Book of Abraham" is also worth looking at to get an overview:

https://rsc.byu.edu/introduction-book-abraham/facsimiles

Mormonr and FAIR have also published articles on the facsimiles, and especially Facsimile 1, that address some of the issues also raised in this episode:

https://mormonr.org/qnas/QKJuCb/book_of_abraham_facsimiles

https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/answers/Book_of_Abraham_facsimiles/Facsimile_1