The Book of Abraham

This is one of Joseph Smith's writings, of which there were many.

This is mentioned frequently in the book the Kingdom of Nauvoo, so I decided to learn more about it, and bought An Introduction to the Book of Abraham.

The original papyrus documents have been lost. Their contents, writings in Egyptian Hieroglyphics, were not anything like the document Joseph Smith published in the Times and Season in Nauvoo, in the 1840s.

He began his career as a finder of buried treasure that Americans thought was on their property - but did not know where it was. Joseph had a seer stone that he placed in a hat, placed the hat over his eyes, and then could see the buried treasure. He had a number of translation assistants he used (or claimed to use) during his short life.

This is a scholarly work, outlining in great detail. something that Smith dreamed up easily, at various times, and then published.

This was a man convinced of his own great worth - the exact nature of which varied frequently. There are still people who believe he was a Prophet of God.