"...Yea, I make a record in the language of my father, which consists of the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians."
As a group we have been asking the question, "What about Egypt?"
It appears throughout the history of Israel that there is a tie to the land of Egypt again and again and again.
Abraham journeyed there and sojourned there for a time.
"And I, Abraham, journeyed going on still towards the south; and there was a continuation of a famine in the land; and I, Abraham, concluded to go down into Egypt, to sojourn there, for the famine became very grievous." (Abraham 2: 21)
We know from both the Book of Abraham (Abraham 2: 22-25) and the Book of Genesis (Genesis 12) that Abraham and Sara encountered Pharaoh when they went into Egypt.
Facsimile number 3 in the Book of Abraham also indicates that Abraham had association with Pharoah there in Egypt under additional circumstances different from the meeting they had as recorded in Genesis.
The scriptures state that Abraham came up out of Egypt a very rich man. (Genesis 13: 1- 2)
We know that Joseph, Jacob's son, was sold into Egypt and eventually rose to prominence there having a close association with Pharoah. (Genesis chapters 37, 39-41)
As we go further it almost appears that Abraham's time in Egypt was kind of a type of Israel's time in Egypt.
Genesis chapters 42 - 47 detail how Jacob (Israel) and his family came to sojourn in Egypt because of a famine in the land just as Abraham had done.
Just as the facsimile 3 in the Book of Abraham seems to indicate a close association with Abraham and Pharaoh, in the beginning the family of Israel, because of Joseph, had a close association with Pharaoh as well.
The nation of Israel, when they came out of Egypt came out with great wealth, just like Abraham.
"And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: And the Lord gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians." (Exodus 12: 35 - 36)
As a group, we considered the above historical events. We also thought about how Nephi purposely inscribed in the plates that they were written in the Egyptian language. (We know that it is reformed Egyptian (Mormon 9:32) so a little variation but Egyptian nonetheless.)
We also considered that the Savior, as a child, was taken into Egypt.
"...the angel of the Lord appeareth unto Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child, and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: and was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son" (Matthew 2:13 - 15)
Is it possible that Abraham's and Israel's sojourns in Egypt were meant to be types of the Savior's sojourn there?
In each case Egypt became a place of refuge from something that would have been fatal to Abraham, Israel and his house, and the Savior.
We wondered if there was something to be had in Egypt besides physical refuge.
We considered the passage in the Book of Abraham as something to consider concerning Egypt possibly having something of importance.
"Now the king of Egypt was a descendant from the loins of Ham, and was a partaker of the blood of the Canaanites by birth. From this descent sprang all the Egyptians, and thus the blood of the Canaanites was preserved in the land. The land of Egypt being first discovered by a woman, who was the daughter of Ham, and the daughter of Egyptus, which in the Chaldean signifies Egypt, which signifies that which is forbidden;...Now the first government of Egypt was established by Pharaoh, the eldest son of Egyptus, the daughter of Ham, and it was after the manner of the government of Ham, which was patriarchal. Pharoah, being a righteous man, established his kingdom and judged his people wisely and justly all his days, seeking earnestly to imitate that order established by the fathers in the first generations, in the days of the first patriarchal reign, even in the reign of Adam, and also of Noah, his father, who blessed him with the blessings of the earth, and with the blessings of wisdom, (that's interesting) but cursed him as pertaining to the Priesthood. (He could not have dominion)" (Abraham 1: 21-26)
Abraham went on to describe how by the time he was born Egypt had apostatised from the original order established by the first Pharaoh but nevertheless there was definitely something there at the beginnings of Egypt.
After our discussion as a group, the following week I was talking with my good friend and coworker about the preceding ideas and he put forth an idea that maybe because of the original order established in Egypt they became a great record keeping people.
We know that the Book of Abraham came from translated Egyptian scrolls that came into the possession of the Prophet Joseph.
It has been stated in the book "Eighteen Verses" by Denver Snuffer (a book about 18 verses in the Book of Mormon) that " Because Joseph translated a portion of one of these scrolls, and had three hieroglyphs associated with that translated text (resulting in the Book of Abraham and its facsimiles), Latter day Saints have been forever linked to Egyptian language and culture. We cannot escape at least some passing familiarity with things Egyptian. (Eighteen Verses, page 50)
Our group also talked about the video "Faith of an Observer", about Hugh Nibley. In part of the video Hugh Nibley is in Egypt and he is translating glyphs on walls in an ancient building and he shows how the glyphs speak of navigating the heavens. (Is this related to the scriptures that refer to walking in His ways? His ways are in the heavens.)
Further on in "Eighteen Verses" we read,
"Egypt was settled by a "righteous man" who tried "earnestly to imitate that order established by the fathers in the first generations, in the days of the first patriarchal reign, even in the reign of Adam, and also of Noah, his father."(Abr. 1:26) Egypt preserved an "order" which ran back to Adam and Noah. So, studying Egypt provides a link back to the very beginnings of humanity....Egypt's role as a preserver of religious traditions has been underestimated by the Judeo-Christian world at large. For Latter Day Saints, however, Egyptian religion and history cannot be ignored. Both the Book of Mormon and Book of Abraham have made the Saints compulsory Egyptologists." (Eighteen Verses, page 51)
Since the time of our discussion about Egypt we have additionally learned some more about Egypt.
This is from the most recent Remnant General Conference held in Layton Utah
"At the time of Abraham, Egypt was the greatest civilization on earth. Egypt was great
because it imitated the original religion of the first fathers....Egypt began by imitating the pattern Adam, Seth, Enos and their direct descendants through Noah used to organize the family of the faithful. Abraham calls it a “government” but it was a family. The title “Pharaoh” originally meant “great house” or “great family” because Pharaoh was the “father” over Egypt who taught and led them. Over time, however, the title “Pharaoh” came to mean “king” or “tyrant” who controlled people. The first Pharaoh, or founding father of Egypt imitated the first fathers of mankind. He could only imitate, because he did not have the right to act as the patriarchal head of mankind. He nevertheless tried to be a shepherd who led by righteous example. Abraham knew more about the first fathers than did the Egyptians because Abraham had the original book of remembrance written by the fathers in the language of Adam....Abraham lived during the 9th or 10th Dynasty, at a time called the “1st Intermediate Period.” This was a period of significant change, or apostasy, for the Egyptian religion. But even before Abraham, the order established by the first fathers, despite efforts to keep the faith, had been poorly preserved. The Pyramid Texts are the oldest records, but they were carved during the 4th and 5th Dynasties. By the time these records had been carved, six or more centuries had passed between the original and this preservation. This would be like us composing the history from the time Robert the Bruce gained Scottish independence through the death of Joan of Arc for the first time today." (Keep the Covenant: Do the Work, Denver Snuffer, Sept. 2018)
Egypt was established seeking to imitate the order of the Fathers; the Family of God. When Abraham entered Egypt he had with him "...the records of the fathers, even the patriarchs, concerning the right of Priesthood, (dominion as first given to Adam) the Lord my God preserved in mine own hands; therefore a knowledge of the beginning of the creation, and also of the planets, and of the stars, as they were made known unto the fathers,..." (Abraham 1:31)
Is it possible that the third facsimile of Abraham with Pharaoh, teaching the principles of astronomy, is representative of Abraham teaching the Egyptians not just about the stars but about much more?
They had lost much of what the first Pharaoh, a righteous man, had established, seeking earnestly to imitate the first patriarchs. However, from their culture and traditions would they have recognized and found familiar many things that Abraham might have taught to them from the records of the fathers?
Was Abraham's time in Egypt possibly meant to be an invitation from God for the Egyptians to receive a restoration of what they had established among them at the first by the first Pharaoh?
God loves all of His children upon the earth equally. Would it be unreasonable to consider that a servant such as Abraham, who possesses the records of the fathers, might be sent by God to invite His children living in Egypt to return to what they had originally?
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