Abstract

The Joseph Smith Papers, Revelations and Translations, Volume 4: Book of Abraham and Related Manuscripts (JSP R&T 4) documents the physical and textual relationships between the extant papyri—specifically the Breathing Permit of Hôr (Book of Breathing for Horos)—and the early Book of Abraham manuscripts. This page compiles the volume’s explicit editorial statements establishing those links, with direct links to the source documents.

Editorial Statements from JSP R&T 4

1. Egyptian Alphabet/GAEL Characters Derived from the Breathing Permit of Hôr

The editors explicitly trace the hieratic characters in the Egyptian Alphabet documents (A, B, C) and the Grammar and Alphabet of the Egyptian Language (GAEL) to specific columns of the Fragment of Book of Breathing for Horos–A (the Breathing Permit of Hôr). See JSP R&T volume 4 Introduction to Egyptian Alphabet Documents, ca. Early July–ca. Nov. 1835 (see paragraph beginning “The character column in each Egyptian Alphabet document drew from various sources” and footnote 13):

Most of the characters come from the papyri—specifically from Fragment of Book of Breathing for Horos–A, which bears a vignette that was later published as Facsimile 1. Characters from the columns of hieroglyphs immediately to the right of the vignette on that fragment appear in the second part; characters from the second column to the right of the vignette appear in the third part; characters from the third column to the right of the vignette appear in the fourth part; and characters from the column immediately to the left of the vignette appear in the fifth part.[13]

[13]: See Fragment of Book of Breathing for Horos–A, between 238 and ca. 153 BC.

2. Marginal Characters in Book of Abraham Manuscripts Correlated with English Text

The editors document that all three Kirtland-era Book of Abraham manuscripts (Williams, Parrish, Phelps/Parrish) contain Egyptian characters in the left margins aligned with English text passages, a practice continuous with the Egyptian Alphabet and GAEL documents. See JSP R&T 4, Introduction to Book of Abraham Manuscripts, ca. July–ca. Nov. 1835 (see paragraph beginning “The three manuscripts created by Williams, Parrish, and Phelps are also related” and footnote 14):

In the Book of Abraham manuscripts, characters from the papyri and other sources were copied in the margins next to passages of English text—as was done on the Egyptian Alphabet documents and Grammar and Alphabet volume.[14]

[14]: See Fragment of Book of Breathing for Horos–A, between 238 and ca. 153 BC; and Comparison of Characters.

3. Volume Introduction: Three Documentary Groups Linked to the Papyri

The editors frame the entire volume around the physical and intellectual connection between the extant papyrus fragments, the Egyptian-language study documents, and the Book of Abraham manuscripts. See JSP R&T 4, Introduction to Revelations and Translations, Volume 4* (see paragraphs 4–6 of the introduction):

This volume of The Joseph Smith Papers presents three sets of documents: (1) the extant fragments of the papyri purchased by Joseph Smith and his associates;[4] (2) the documents that collectively constitute the “Egyptian-language documents,” which are associated with the attempt by Joseph Smith and his associates to decipher hieroglyphic and hieratic characters from the papyri;[5] and (3) the manuscripts and first publication of the Book of Abraham.[6]

Synthesis

The editorial apparatus of JSP R&T 4 establishes three documentary links: (1) the Egyptian Alphabet and GAEL characters were copied sequentially from specific columns of the Fragment of Book of Breathing for Horos–A (the Breathing Permit of Hôr); (2) characters from the papyri appear in the left margins of all three Kirtland-era Book of Abraham manuscripts adjacent to English paragraphs; (3) the volume’s structure treats the extant papyri, the Egyptian-language documents, and the Book of Abraham manuscripts as an interrelated documentary complex. These findings support the external commentary of volume editors Brian M. Hauglid and Robin Scott Jensen, who have stated that the surviving papyri—not missing scrolls—were the ones connected to the translation process (see Brian Hauglid argues against missing papyri theory).

Acknowledgement

I used AI to help find the JSP source quotes and for most of the verbiage of the document, which I framed. I copied all of the quotations, footnotes, and links over by hand to ensure perfect fidelity. em dashes are preserved intentionally.