The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley, Volume 14: Abraham in Egypt

451 Pages·2000·14.26 MB·English

by  Hugh Nibley

The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley
Volumes published to date:
Old Testament and Related Studies Enoch the Prophet
The World and the Prophets Mormonism and Early Christianity Lehi in the
Desert/The World of the Jaredites/There Were Jaredites An Approach to the
Book of Mormon Since Cumorah
The Prophetic Book of Mormon Approaching Zion
The Ancient State
Tinkling Cymbals and Sounding Brass Temple and Cosmos
Brother Brigham Challenges the Saints
© 1981 Deseret Book Company © 2000 Hugh Nibley and Associates, LC
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by
any means without permission in writing from the publisher, Deseret Book
Company, P. O. Box 30178, Salt Lake City, Utah 84130. This work is not an
official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The
views expressed herein are the responsibility of the author and do not necessarily
represent the position of the Church, of Deseret Book Company, of the
Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, or of the editors.

DESERET BOOK is a registered trademark of Deseret Book Company.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Nibley, Hugh, 1910– Abraham in
Egypt / edited by Gary P. Gillum. — 2nd ed. p. cm. — (The collected works of
Hugh Nibley : v. 14) Includes bibliographical references and indexes. ISBN-10
1-57345-527-X (hardcover) ISBN-13 978-1-57345-527-5 (hardcover) 1. Book of
Abraham — Criticism, interpretation, etc. I. Gillum, Gary P. II. Title. III. Series :
Nibley, Hugh, 1910– Works, 1986; v. 14.BX8629.B563N53 1999289.3’2—dc21
99-24106 CIP
Printed in the United States of AmeriEdwards Brothers Incorporated, Ann
Arbor, MI
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3
Contents
Illustrations
Key to Abbreviations
Foreword
Editor’s Preface
Author’s Preface to the First Edition
The Book of Abraham and the Book of the Dead
Just What Is the Problem?
Abraham’s Autobiography
The Fatal Clue
The Emergence of the Book of Abraham: The Apocalypse of Abraham
The Apocalypse of Abraham and the Book of Abraham Compared
The Testament of Abraham
Books of the Dead
Look upon This Picture—and on This
Joseph Smith and the Sources
The Help That Came Too Late
Summary of Study since 1967
Ebla Changes Things
The Appeal to Authority
May We See Your Credentials?
Was Abraham Real? New Theories
The New Dating Game
Joseph Smith and the Critics
Archibald Henry Sayce
W. M. Flinders Petrie
Eduard Meyer
James H. Breasted
Friedrich Freiherr von Bissing
Second String
Setting the Stage—The World of Abraham
Hard Times Come Again
Signs in the Heavens
World Food Shortage
A World in Trouble
Move On!
The Procrustes Cycle
Our Hospitality
Bed or Altar?
Abraham the Hospitable
Let It Begin with Me
Doing the Right Thing
The Rivals
Ritual as History
Kings in Collision
Pharaoh’s Misgivings
Abraham and Pharaoh in a Strange Setting
Pharaoh and Canaan—Visiting Celebrities
Pharaoh and Abraham: Where Is Thy Glory?
The Common Quest: Kings and Priests
O Happy Breed!
Records of the Fathers
Would Abraham Dare?
A Noble Race
Others Who Dared: Glory Unlimited
Where to Go for a Sabbatical: “The Learning of the Egyptians”
The Big Red and White Schoolhouse
The Sacrifice of Isaac
Types and Shadows
The Resurrection Motif
The Uncompleted Sacrifice
Back to the Lion Couch
The Sacrifice of Sarah
A Fateful Journey
Sarah on the Lion Couch
The Humiliation of the King
Brother and Sister
Sarah on Her Own
The Cedar and the Palm: A Romantic Interlude
Breaking the Mold
All the Court’s a Stage:Facsimile 3, a Royal Mumming
What Is Going On in Facsimile 3?
Who’s Who?
Who Is Sitting on My Throne?
“By Politeness of the King” (Facsimile 3, Figure 1)
One Big Family
Mystique of the Mask
Facsimile 3, Figures 2 and 4: Questions of Gender
Mixing It Up
Too Many Women?
Crown and Scepter
The All-Purpose Lotus
Why Shulem?
A Pioneer Mother
A Grim Beginning
A Coming-Out Party
The Itinerary
The New Home
The Holy Regatta
Three Is a Crowd
Egypt . . . Egyptus: Who’s in Charge Here?
More of Pharaoh’s Misgivings
The Trouble with Ham
It Starts with Min
Min’s Royal Progress
Black and White
Min = Khem and the Lady
The Curse of Ham
The Mark of Cain
No Prejudice
Olimlah
Any Other Suggestions?
The Deseret Connection
Min the Beekeeper
The Bee and the Migrations
Why No Bee Standard?
The Bee and Rites of Resurrection
The Matriarchal Queen Bee
Aristaeus the Bee Man and the Great Migrations
Where Abraham Comes In . . . The Two Migrations
The Word Deseret
Conclusion: A Rough Recapitulation
Illustration Sources
Map of Ancient Egypt