KJV Text in The Book of Abraham with Stephen O. Smoot

Welcome to the CES Letters, where we respond to the questions and concerns posed in the CES Letter. Today Stephen O. Smoot discusses the KJV Text found in the Book of Abraham.
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[@peterblair4448]

Another fantastic episode. Smoot knows his stuff.

[@peterblair4448]

Another fantastic episode. Smoot knows his stuff. Loved the Fagels example.

[@jwestlu1]

Love the book of Abraham. Great episode.

[@danieldunbar2956]

Great video

[@crazydov]

I like ur work but am confused about the argument about precedent for intertextuality around 20:40. The examples cited aren't anywhere near 86% of the work and sound to me like arguing my professors can't accuse me of plagiarizing 86% of my classmate's work if my classmates spent 1% of his paper quoting someone else. Seems to me like a difference in kind and not degree but please correct me if I'm wrong cuz I'm new to this field.

[@BobSmith-lb9nc]

Ancient writers often copied each other without hesitation, since plagiarism was not an issue in the ancient world. Intertextuality is normative in the ancient world. You may have noticed that the New Testament constantly quotes the Old Testament (primarily in the Septuagint Greek version).

[@crazydov]

@BobSmith-lb9nc can u plz give some examples of ancient writings doing that? I don't think the Bible counts because its references aren't ever close to 80% I think it's a few lines at most but plz correct me if I'm wrong

[@BobSmith-lb9nc]

@@crazydov Not sure what you are asking for, but you could take a look at Wikipedia on "intertextuality," en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intertextuality . And en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intertextual_production_of_the_Gospel_of_Mark . Compare Isaiah 2:2, 44:3 as quoted in Joel 2:28-32, 3:1-5, and Acts 2:17-21, and Romans 10:13.

[@dr33776]

How do you address the P and J sources of Genesis 11 and 12 that are in the Book of Abraham?

[@BobSmith-lb9nc]

The Joseph Smith Papyri come from the Ptolemaic period in Egypt (Greco-Roman period), and P & J had long since been combined in Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. The Book of Abraham is simply another later version of that material.

[@dr33776]

@@BobSmith-lb9nc isn’t it suspicious that contradictions of 2 separate and independent sources are “harmonized” in the book of Abraham? That’s one of the biggest smoking guns that the text comes from the KJV Bible that Joseph smith had access to

[@BobSmith-lb9nc]

@@dr33776 Those who composed the Hebrew Bible combined lots of ancient traditions, which give us the Hebrew Bible we have today, which includes sources such as J, D, P, E, etc. Standard scholarship describes it in detail. Any Ptolemaic era copy of the Hebrew Bible will have that. The KJV is merely a late English translation of that Hebrew Bible and has nothing to do with the question which was asked.

[@dr33776]

@@BobSmith-lb9nc the question asked is how two separate and independent sources that contradict each other (God telling Abraham to leave behind his father in Gen 12 contradicting Gen 11) are in the book of Abraham seemingly “harmonized”. If we are to believe the claim of the Book of Abraham then it is the original story, straight from Abraham, how come was it split into 2 narratives in the Hebrew Bible?

[@BobSmith-lb9nc]

@@dr33776 None of these sources are "straight from Abraham." All are copied and recopied by scribes for thousands of years. Gen 11 & 12 are already combined in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) just as they are in the Book of Abraham. This is entirely normal and to be expected. You may be making some false assumptions.

[@belisariobenites1091]

Convoluted and verbal linguistics. How about if we stick to Jesus Christ. Period.

[@BobSmith-lb9nc]

You might want to ask why Jeremy Runnells failed to focus on Jesus. Since his lies are the source of this reply.