BYU Studies

The Abrahamic Covenant, as presented in the Book of Abraham, follows the pattern of other ancient treaties and covenants from Abraham's day. Recognizing the covenant's structure in the Book of Abraham not only helps ground it in the ancient world, but can increase our understanding of its content. From BYU Studies Quarterly, volume 61, number 4.

Scholars believe that the "plain of Moreh" found in the King James Version was a mistranslation by the original King James translators. It would be better rendered as the "oracle oak," an ancient Canaanite cult site. Although the Book of Abraham uses the mistranslated name from the KJV, the correctly translated name fits well into Abraham's account found in the Pearl of Great Price. From BYU Studies Quarterly, volume 61, number 4.

The Book of Abraham's account of Abraham's sojourning speaks of the souls that Abraham and his family had "won" in Haran (Abraham 2:15). These souls may be converts who pledged, or covenanted, to follow Abraham—thus portraying him as an exemplary missionary. From BYU Studies Quarterly, volume 61, number 4.

On two occasions in the Book of Abraham, the Lord reveals to Abraham his true name: Jehovah. Why is it significant that the Lord twice revealed his true name to Abraham, and why is there a running motif on the importance of names throughout the text? Reading these passages in an ancient Near Eastern (and especially ancient Egyptian) context helps answer this question. View the full article in ⁠BYU Studies Quarterly, volume 61, number 4⁠.

From BYU Studies Quarterly, volume 61, number 4. The Book of Abraham describes how “the land of Egypt [was] first discovered by a woman, who was the daughter of Ham, and the daughter of Egyptus” (Abr. 1:23). This genealogy reflects the names of the characters as printed in the March 1, 1842, issue of the Times and Seasons. However, in the Kirtland-era Book of Abraham manuscripts, Ham’s wife is named Zeptah, and his daughter is Egyptes. This episode further explores this situation and the meanings of the names themselves.

The first chapter of the Book of Abraham contains a short detail about Pharaoh, the king of Egypt being "a descendant from the loins of Ham, and a partaker of the blood of the Canaanites by birth” (Abr. 1:21). This detail may appear odd at first glance but might make some historical sense for Abraham’s time and circumstances. From ⁠BYU Studies Quarterly, volume 61, number 4⁠.

In the first chapter of the Book of Abraham, the priest of Pharaoh offered sacrifices on an altar "by the hill called Potiphar's Hill" (Abraham 1:10). This episode discusses the site of Potiphar's Hill as a cult center. Sites like this are known to have existed across the ancient Near East, and the little we know about Potiphar's Hill from the Book of Abraham appears to fit the pattern of ancient ritual complexes. From BYU Studies Quarterly, volume 61, number 4.

The opening chapter of the Book of Abraham mentions a location called "the plain of Olishem" (Abraham 1:10). Was Olishem a real place? From ⁠BYU Studies Quarterly, volume 61, number 4⁠.

From BYU Studies Quarterly, volume 61, number 4. The opening chapter of the Book of Abraham identifies "the god of Pharaoh" as being one of the idolatrous gods worshipped by Abraham's kinsfolk. In figure 9 of Facsimile 1 of the Book of Abraham, this god is depicted as a crocodile. Is there any evidence for who this god might have been and whether he was worshipped in Abraham's lifetime?

From BYU Studies Quarterly, volume 61, number 4. As told in the Book of Abraham, Abraham was nearly sacrificed by a "priest of Elkenah" before he was saved by the angel of the Lord (Abraham 1:6). Does Elkenah correspond with a Canaanite deity? This episode reviews archaeological evidence for Elkenah's worship.