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A couple of weeks ago, Book of Mormon Central staff had a chance to sit down with Dr. Kerry Muhlestein and ask him some questions about the Book of Abraham. Dr. Muhlestein has a PhD in Egyptology from University of California, Los Angeles, and is the director of the BYU Egypt Excavation Project. He was also a research consultant and peer reviewer for the Book of Abraham content on BMC’s Pearl of Great Price Central. He has made various contributions to Book of Abraham studies, and much of his work is accessible for free through the Book of Abraham bibliography prepared by Pearl of Great Price Central.
During the interview, Dr. Muhlestein frequently affirmed that reasonable and faithful people can embrace the Book of Abraham as both ancient and inspired.
“Reasonable people can absolutely accept the Book of Abraham as ancient and inspired. Faith is what will demonstrate the truth of it or not, but there is lots of reason to go behind that. That’s what I love about what Pearl of Great Price Central has been doing. The videos and the articles that have been created are based on really good research. A highly qualified, well-trained, very experienced, and intellectually diverse group of people were behind these articles and videos. … It’s good, solid research that I think paints a wonderful picture that helps us understand the ancient setting of the Book of Abraham.”
Check out the full interview below.
Are you looking for more support for the Book of Abraham? This article lists an exhaustive supply of articles, videos, books, and resources for learning about the Book of Abraham, and answering tough questions.
AaronSeptember 6, 2020
I sincerely thank Dr. Muhlestein and the facilitators of this site for providing this presentation. Such endeavors require more effort than meets the eye. I also appreciate its faith promoting spirit. I believe that historicity itself does not affirm the Divine nature of Scripture. It is my deep belief that, like all other things He brings forth for the benefit of His children, our loving Heavenly Father reveals the Scriptures to build our faith, for faith is what makes our relationship with Him possible. And - the divine depth of that relationship is infinite. We live in an ever-dividing world, where values like faith in God are under continual dismissal and attack. Ironically, the very fabric of our society was built on this value. Never - never - in the history of humanity has there been a world as just, egalitarian, and free as the world we live in today. True, our society has a deep, diverse array of serious problems, injustices, and wrongs - and - these issues must be righted - but - such things occur as we learn how to right them, just as we always have. The very principles of equality, freedom, and the divine sovereignty of the individual are rooted in the faith which so many pursue to end. Those who dismiss Scripture like the Book of Abraham because of seeming historical or Egyptological inconsistencies forget that - even the Scriptures we have a swath of archaeological evidence to support regarding the cities, culture, events, and or people they contain - still remain conclusively unproven regarding the very thing that makes them Scripture: the Presence of the Divine. Were this not the case, the number of faith rejecting individuals would very few. History, indeed, helps us better understand the time and circumstances in which Scripture was written, and it deepens our appreciation of those who acted as God's instruments in bringing it forth. Yet it is the Divine revelation contained in Scripture that sets it apart. In short, our relationship with our Creator is a matter of faith, and that, I believe, is the whole point.