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In Latter-day Saint theology, Egyptus (/iːˈdʒɪptʌs/) is the name of two women in the Book of Abraham in the Pearl of Great Price.[1] One is the wife of Ham, son of Noah, who bears his children. The other is their daughter, who discovered Egypt while "it was under water" (1:23-24). Three 1835 pre-publication manuscripts of the Book of Abraham, in place of "Egyptus", read Zeptah for the elder Egyptus and Egyptes for the younger Egyptus.[2][3][4]
The younger Egyptus places her eldest son on the throne as Pharaoh, the first king of Egypt (1:25). Pharaoh was a descendant of the Canaanites (1:22), a race of people who had a black skin come upon them (Moses 7:8). Some early Mormon leaders have taught that Egyptus passed black skin and the curse of Cain through the flood so that the devil might have representation upon the earth,[5] although this has now been repudiated by later leaders.
The word Egyptus is considered to be an anachronism in the Book of Abraham among non-Mormon Egyptologists and historians,[6] since the origin of term "Egypt" is believed to have come from another source much later in history from the time of the narrative described in the Book of Abraham. The word "pharaoh" is also considered to be an anachronism in the Book of Abraham for similar reasons.
- ^ Abraham 1:23–25
- ^ Hauglid, A Textual History of the Book of Abraham; Whipple, master's thesis.
- ^ "Book of Abraham Manuscript, circa July–circa November 1835–B [Abraham 1:4–2:2]". Joseph Smith Papers. p. 4.
- ^ "Book of Abraham Manuscript, circa July–circa November 1835–C [Abraham 1:1–2:18]". Joseph Smith Papers. p. 5.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Harris2015was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Stephen E. Thompson, "Egyptology and the Book of Abraham,” Dialogue, 28/1 (Spring 1995), 155-156.