Joseph Smith (Book of Abraham)

Joseph Smith, founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, translated the Book of Abraham, an ancient text that he believed was written by the biblical Abraham. He claimed to translate it from Egyptian papyri he acquired in the 1830s. The text discusses Abraham's life and his spiritual insights. Modern Egyptologists, however, have identified the papyri as common funerary texts unrelated to Abraham, leading to debates about the translation's nature. For members of the church, Smith's translation is considered a sacred scripture and a witness of divine inspiration, regardless of the scholarly controversy surrounding its origins.