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| Pearl of Great Price |
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 Facsimile 2 from theBook of Abraham |
In theLatter Day Saint scripture theBook of Abraham,Pharaoh is thetitle of the first king ofEgypt, and is referred to by his title since his name is never specified.[1] He was the eldest son ofEgyptus, who was the daughter ofHam, and a descendant of the Canaanites.[2] According to the story, allEgyptians descended from Ham.[2] The Canaanites were a race of people who had been cursed according to Latter Day Saint theology.[3] Some members and leaders ofthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) taught that Pharaoh inherited thecurse of Cain due to his Caananite ancestry, so that "thedevil might have representation upon the earth",[4] but these teachings are considered unofficial.[5]
The use of the termPharaoh is considered anachronistic during Abraham's time by scholars, including LDS Scholars.[6]Kevin A. Barney, writing inAstronomy, Papyrus, and Covenant forBrigham Young University, suggests that it is possible that a hypothetical Jewish redactor replaced the original words with wording that would have been more understandable to his day.[7][page needed]
Other apologists have suggested that any number of copyists or redactors over the years before the document came to be inJoseph Smith's possession may have updated the original words used to refer to the king to Pharaoh, or Joseph may simply have translated the original words as Pharaoh because of his familiarity with the term.[8]