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“Valuable Discovery,” circa Early July 1835
Source Note
Source Note
“Valuable Discovery of hiden reccords that have been obtained from the ancient buring place of the Egiyptians,” [, Geauga Co., OH, ca. early July 1835]; English in the handwriting of ; hieratic and unknown characters in unidentified handwriting (likely Cowdery); later redaction in the handwriting of ; signature of JS; three pages; Kirtland Egyptian Papers, CHL.
Small notebook with a text block consisting of two gatherings, each of which consists of three machine-ruled sheets folded in half to make six leaves, for a total of twenty-four pages. The six sheets from which the notebook was made were probably originally three sheets that were cut in half horizontally. The leaves in the text block measure 6 × 7⅞ inches (15 × 20 cm). Each page contains about seventeen blue lines, now badly faded. Judging from the size of the paper, the color and number of lines, and the spacing between the lines, it appears the same paper used for this notebook may have been used for Copies of Egyptian Characters, circa Summer 1835–A. The two gatherings were sewn together, and a brown wrapper that is slightly larger than the text block was then sewn to the gatherings (though the wrapper is currently not attached to the gatherings). With the wrapper, the notebook measures 6⅛ × 8½ inches (16 × 22 cm).
Staining on the cover and on the edges of the text block matches similar staining of other documents related to the Egyptian-language project, indicating close, long-term storage with them. The first three leaves are inscribed on the recto side of each leaf. Each of the recto pages of the notebook was paginated at a later time with the numbers 1 through 3. The handwriting and style of this later pagination match those on other Egyptian-language and Book of Abraham documents, which also points to collective custody and storage. “Valuable Discovery” was presumably included with the Egyptian material identified in various Historian’s Office inventories throughout the nineteenth century, which suggests continuous institutional custody.
Footnotes
- [1]
- [2]
“Schedule of Church Records. Nauvoo 1846,” [1]; “Inventory. Historian’s Office. 4th. April 1855,” [1]; “Historian’s Office Inventory, G. S. L. City March 19, 1858,” [1]; “Historian’s Office Catalogue Book March 1858,” [7], Historian’s Office, Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904, CHL; see also Historian’s Office, Journal, 17 Oct. 1855.
Historian’s Office. Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904. CHL. CR 100 130.
Historian’s Office. Journal, 1844–1997. CHL. CR 100 1.
Historical Introduction
Historical Introduction
This notebook is a companion to Notebook of Copied Egyptian Characters, circa Early July 1835. The first two pages of this notebook contain copies of hieratic characters, which are separated into three groupings. The characters appear to have been copied from several chapters of a nonextant version of the Book of the Dead for Amenhotep. The first page of this notebook contains two columns of hieratic characters, beneath which noted (in English) the location of the hieratic characters in relation to specific illustrations on the now-nonextant papyrus roll. The second page contains a third set of characters without any English description of their placement. The third and final inscribed page contains English text in Cowdery’s handwriting, with a few hieroglyphic characters that are also found on page 2 of the second notebook. This English text is identified in the second notebook as “A Translation” of Egyptian characters.
wrote a title on the front cover of this notebook, and JS signed his name on the front cover as well. Williams also wrote his own last name and initials on the back cover of the second notebook, implying he had access to both notebooks—perhaps when he was working with JS and others on the Book of Abraham text.
Footnotes
- [1]
Portions of either chapter 18, 19, or 20, and chapters 45 and 46 (continued to the second notebook), and one or more unidentified chapters. (Ritner, Joseph Smith Egyptian Papyri, 209–212; see also Rhodes, Books of the Dead, 5.)
Ritner, Robert K. The Joseph Smith Egyptian Papyri: A Complete Edition, P. JS 1–4 and the Hypocephalus of Sheshonq. Salt Lake City: Smith-Pettit Foundation, 2011.
Rhodes, Michael D. Books of the Dead Belonging to Tshemmin and Neferirnub: A Translation and Commentary. Studies in the Book of Abraham 4. Provo, UT: Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, Brigham Young University, 2010.
- [2]
[11 lines of hieratic characters]
The above were taken from beneath the figures of two persons—One the appearance of a male and the other a femaul [female].
[8 lines of hieratic characters]
The above was taken from beneath figures like the first, standing a little to the left, and a little below. [p. 1]
Source Note
Source Note
Document Transcript
Document Information
Document Information
Footnotes
Footnotes
- [1]
TEXT: This sequence of characters continues on the second page of Notebook of Copied Egyptian Characters, ca. Early July 1835. These lines of hieratic characters do not appear on any extant JS papyri. According to one Egyptologist, they come from chapters 45 and 46 of the Book of the Dead for Amenhotep. (Ritner, Joseph Smith Egyptian Papyri, 210–211; see also Rhodes, Books of the Dead, 5; and Gee, Guide to the Joseph Smith Papyri, 10–13.)
Ritner, Robert K. The Joseph Smith Egyptian Papyri: A Complete Edition, P. JS 1–4 and the Hypocephalus of Sheshonq. Salt Lake City: Smith-Pettit Foundation, 2011.
Rhodes, Michael D. Books of the Dead Belonging to Tshemmin and Neferirnub: A Translation and Commentary. Studies in the Book of Abraham 4. Provo, UT: Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, Brigham Young University, 2010.
Gee, John. A Guide to the Joseph Smith Papyri. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 2000.
Frederick G. Williams handwriting ends; Oliver Cowdery begins. The characters on this page were probably copied by Cowdery.
- [2]
TEXT: These lines of hieratic characters do not appear on any extant papyri. According to one Egyptologist, they come from chapter 18, 19, or 20 of the Book of the Dead for Amenhotep. (Ritner, Joseph Smith Egyptian Papyri, 209–210; see also Rhodes, Books of the Dead, 5; and Gee, Guide to the Joseph Smith Papyri, 10–13.)
Ritner, Robert K. The Joseph Smith Egyptian Papyri: A Complete Edition, P. JS 1–4 and the Hypocephalus of Sheshonq. Salt Lake City: Smith-Pettit Foundation, 2011.
Rhodes, Michael D. Books of the Dead Belonging to Tshemmin and Neferirnub: A Translation and Commentary. Studies in the Book of Abraham 4. Provo, UT: Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, Brigham Young University, 2010.
Gee, John. A Guide to the Joseph Smith Papyri. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 2000.