Historian Dan Vogel breaks down the complex history of the Book of Abraham, beginning with the 1835 purchase of Egyptian mummies in Kirtland, Ohio. Rather than seeing the Kirtland Egyptian Papers as a failed attempt by scribes to understand Egyptian, Vogel argues they were Joseph Smith’s own working papers. He demonstrates how Smith used these documents to “brainstorm” a new theological framework, allowing him to introduce doctrines like the priesthood ban and the plurality of gods under the guise of an ancient text. This is a replay of my 2019 interview with Dan.

https://youtu.be/sFKoRTTZ4SU

Don’t miss our other conversations with Dan: https://gospeltangents.com/people/dan-vogel

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Gospel Tangents

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The story begins in July 1835, when Michael Chandler arrived in Kirtland with four mummies and several papyrus scrolls. Joseph Smith purchased the collection for $2,400 and quickly identified the records as the writings of the biblical patriarchs Abraham and Joseph. Vogel notes that while Smith identified these as ancient records, they were actually Egyptian funerary texts, specifically the “Book of Breathings” (belonging to a priest named Horus) and the “Book of the Dead” (belonging to Ta-Sherit-Min).

A central part of the discussion involves the Kirtland Egyptian Papers, which include “Alphabet” and a bound “Grammar” volume. Vogel disputes the apologetic theory that these documents were a failed attempt by scribes to reverse-engineer Smith’s translation. Instead, he argues they were Smith’s own working papers used to “brainstorm” theological concepts. According to Vogel, Smith used these documents to develop complex ideas—such as a priesthood lineage and an Egyptian-themed cosmology—before dictating the final text.

Vogel presents compelling evidence that the Book of Abraham was orally dictated. He points to manuscripts where scribes Frederick G. Williams and Warren Parrish wrote simultaneously, making the same in-line corrections as Smith changed his mind about specific wording. Furthermore, the scribes used phonetic spellings for names like “Alcanor” or “Elkenah,” which reflected Joseph Smith’s distinct New England non-rhotic accent (e.g., dropping/adding the “r” sound).

One of the most significant findings involves the lacunae, or missing portions of the papyrus. Vogel asserts that where the scroll was damaged, Smith invented characters to fill the gaps. These invented characters were then transcribed into the translation manuscripts and given lengthy English definitions that ended up in the Book of Abraham. This suggests that the surviving fragments—which match these characters—were indeed the source material Smith was using.

The Book of Abraham served as a tool to introduce new doctrines that Smith was building into the Church’s structure. Vogel explains how the cosmology of the stars (like Kolob) mirrored the ecclesiastical structure of the Kirtland Temple. The three ruling planets and twelve others corresponded to the three presidencies and the twelve members of the High Council. In this way, Smith projected his 19th-century priesthood concerns back onto an ancient patriarchal narrative0.

Finally, Vogel addresses the modern apologetic “Long Scroll Theory,” which posits that the Book of Abraham was on a portion of the papyrus that was destroyed in the 1871 Chicago Fire. Vogel argues this is a “fallacy of possible proof”. He maintains that the documentary evidence—specifically the way the characters in the margins of the translation manuscripts match the surviving fragments—proves that Smith was translating from the documents we still possess today.

Don’t miss our other conversations with Dan: https://gospeltangents.com/people/dan-vogel

Copyright © 2025

Gospel Tangents

All Rights Reserved