The Pure Language Project

In the summer of 1835, Joseph Smith and his associates purchased four mummies and some papyri scrolls from Michael Chandler.1 That summer Joseph would participate in a project that would produce a fascinating set of texts, referred to today as the Egyptian Language Documents (ELD), used and compiled mostly in Kirtland, but also consulted and expanded in Nauvoo.2 These documents, which include three incomplete variants of what was called an “alphabet” as well as an incomplete “grammar,” integrated a series of characters with explanations. The grammar included combinations of the characters with passages of text that would have parallels to chapter 1 and part of chapter 2 of the Book of Abraham. Yet, even as the grammar indicates a relationship between the ELD and the later Book of Abraham, the exact nature of that relationship is unclear.3 Some have argued that “at least part of the Book of Abraham was derived from the Egyptian language documents.”4 Others have theorized that Joseph must have had nonextant earlier copies of the text of the Book of Abraham that he was using to reverse engineer the original translation into the ELD.5 Though these theories differ from one another in specifics, they all agree that the ELD included parts of the Egyptian papyri acquired in 1835 and were, in some way, directly associated with the translation of the papyri.6This article calls for a reassessment of these theories by suggesting that the ELD were not a new project that began in 1835 but part of an ongoing project that may best be referred to as the “pure language” project that started in 1832, with roots as early as 1827, which was aimed to produce a more efficient form of communication that would reflect the cosmic scope of the newly restored gospel and the role of the priesthood in that cosmos. More specifically, we will demonstrate the textual and documentary relationship between the extant Book of Mormon characters (1827), the “Pure Language” documents (1832 and 1835), and the ELD (1835). The relationship between these documents enables a fresh look at two of the most detailed and important parts of the ELD: the Egyptian Alphabet and the Grammar and Alphabet. We will call this the “pure language project” to represent its purpose and origins. This also leads to interesting comparisons with the Grammar and Alphabet and the earliest Book of Abraham manuscripts.7 We will examine each of these documents individually and then make conclusions about them at the end of the article.The first document in our was as part of the translation of the Book of In and early and a characters from the Some copies and later would be referred to as the in the to Joseph his the the and to he them with were at least two and more the included in the We not copies they but the of three to make all the the text of the Book of Mormon indicates that the characters were in that each represent a that at least some of the referred to the characters as an for each Smith that Joseph Smith was to a of the the characters to that Joseph to the Egyptian they the characters to be by in the is the extant of the characters from the and is a from a nonextant to be a of a a that was Joseph was at the as was in the of Though this was a of the characters the one of the of this document was a in The may have the was included with a Joseph Smith and Book of Mormon characters in and by characters were even a to his The characters he in were and in and in its the document may be an interesting in the as we the characters were into as part of what be called the “pure language” document in the was in and included in the Book of and as the “pure language” is as to the document was in the first The of a language had in translation of In the is that was a of which was and was by “pure and is in the text with this was the of suggesting that “pure and had to with an the language text of not to a Joseph Smith and in of and referred to as the by Joseph and was cosmic in from the of to the of will have his and his to the the of the was the of the and the between in these The them to about and with the of the to Joseph and were that they were not to about the of the which he in the but that even they is to make them for they to be and by the of the and suggesting that was of communication that the the in and the of and was a later that the his and the of in were not and to each to the of to the of the as the of and his all and the by in as a text that the and of the of his this and the as he the and Joseph Smith also a of Language” in a and was into the Book of and as were another was with the in the that was by Joseph the and that was of have about the nature of this of the about this document is that Joseph Smith to a language that with the that all this is parts of the language in the text is referred to as is referred to as as and as This that the language was not a but a of a form of communication that was in and an to the at the end of and its the between of and the of that the was in the language which a two that the in the document were all the and that the of be in is as which all in all with then referred to as of all the parts of and the were parts of The exact nature of the to is but the and of the document may a The to the of referred to as The that they from to for to the part of of the for the to a is that is is also that the language document may reflect the a the of was from the earliest of the in the Book of Mormon and in the that would be as and an to a as to the nature of an was not The language document that an was a that had suggesting that one was an was not an This in that of a of from be as had a not a to the be by to to were not the language document expanded the of the that was not one of two and of but the between two were the of but in an was also in the between of the but in a important in the the part of the would Joseph and were that that were had and from all and were also of the the of of the and would with had also this they have to an of to the and of and of the the text would be of the of the also with were part of the of the In this the would be between by of between in the for to the these were not in they be to by in to and of a the of had with would be to by with The would also be to by to for Though is not in the as the as a that is later associated with by the the language document is is to that the in the were to be to had were the In of a were to by were of a the by the and the by and the had not to be of this and between the in 1835 the and the role of in the document in two in a by and the documents that would be later as the and the suggesting that the and its relationship to had not and had to be a of for the three the language 1835, a to his the of the his is a that he referred to as of some of the The is into with an each for these The first characters a the is of for the the to be the of the associated with the and the the of the to they the in the for two the with three that the is four that this is in the In the as the as the of the and of as the for this The is and of in The and The is and of The a that not to reflect the of by of its with the must have in some the in as and in as of the and the language document suggesting that the is a of the language The and all the two documents the and as be is the of a to the the of a and new The in the language document as was into two as of in as and of as the for the is not the of the the of with in the the of was the of we later is that what had in was and had the priesthood and In the this is not The in is also as to the in a as we this will be expanded with of the an important In the the a fascinating Yet, is that is a part of the as the for the in the of two this to be an a of will a role in the with the Egyptian the most is the of a to the is that the is not the characters to be not the as the characters in the document and of the that these characters may be as a the is the of the The of the characters not that that the of the Book of the characters in the was the “pure that the characters were used in the of an new of one that was to be used to the of that Joseph had In as we as the of the of the the even the of will all be in the suggesting that is not an to Egyptian as is the and of a new language that represent the early 1835, the and the were the purchased the Egyptian papyri from Michael of the three documents were by three Joseph and which were referred to by the and in as the Though each was by a from to the all three were in with the to the of the documents, they a to the with the the of the and the of the associated with the also into of the the first is not in of the three the parts the first two parts in In all three part 1 characters with and In of part 1 is the to be one of and The first characters with of The first first but his is by the for the first but his role as This is by the for a of a then the for of a and the the for a in which include characters for the of a a and the for a The characters the and the of the in the in indicates associated with represent the the of and as a the first to represent the characters that and the of to the the of and is used with in the the first indicates that at the and at an of 1 with the the text is not referred to at least two characters that from Abraham 1 was is as to be a of three earlier a and to and indicates more that was by the This the in Abraham Yet, the also to be an and not directly in the Abraham 1 the of as the the of the of and the all from Abraham but not the is Abraham 1 document of a document that the ELD this the of the article that the and that the ELD not of the papyri and not of the more is the of its relationship to the language text and earlier of some of the In of part 2 of which and with another a and associated with the also that characters with in of the first characters and an as they represent an the in the earlier documents at the of this first an that to the priesthood as the of the the first by the that the with the the an of is the which the is the represent all three individually the is a that all three the may is that all three represent of that in to the two and to what they is not but later characters and that what is is the priesthood with by in and then the that be by in these is then by which as in an an in an they from the in an they from the three of the the of the its with and the of an that is a The four characters to in to the to of The to of the of the and of to not of and to for of The of the four characters with in with priesthood that all of the in the part best in of the relationship between and the may not but also his the which had also in earlier as an of end of from all to all also and and this priesthood would be in by the of the and These in three that a and The then be with first and then the priesthood of in first characters then by more that this a priesthood The first is the to The indicates first first The from one from and the from the characters the priesthood characters that in which one the in the characters The first of these characters is that is used to first a a a of of the of the as the priesthood and priesthood the characters from one another by the the is was to represent of in and The was the of in and in and The with the which the the of the the the in the of the with all that the of this is a two characters of the first characters in part 2 with the for the first of these two is which the of and the and of the The is which of the of of the of These the of the characters in characters that but not three of them as the the and the the end of this four characters that represent in Joseph to the in as the in as the and The of part with part 1 of the part 2 some of the text that would be Abraham is in the text as is an to of the of the and also of the and of the the of these in part 2 an of all these in the language document and the between is one of to the in in in More the in the and the in the language document and the two documents that the an that included and but expanded these by them by The also include the of the one referred to by as by with what to be the of all the to the This a relationship between the and the of the of of its to have to the in a language that included a that for a of that of the part that the was not as a translation of the Egyptian papyri In for parts 1 and the first of part of the characters from the with of the characters the and of of the characters used in characters with characters in the Egyptian characters in part but they not suggesting that the were not to be of but a of Egyptian into a Egyptian as another for the is that Egyptian was of as to this new of its as this of the language was a part of the language the Egyptian papyri were and for the Egyptian characters that make the of the they to have from the papyri that 1 in the Book of Abraham, but as these have a This may they were that the were not to be at the but an to the Egyptian into the the characters from 1 into the they have from directly the but used them as a for a Grammar and Alphabet that the of and in the the between the Book of Mormon the language documents, which and the Egyptian was argued for the relationship between these that the project was not an part of the of the Egyptian documents, but using the documents and characters as part of the ongoing language a project that an to a more for the cosmic and the of which the had and of which had was extant that the of that with the of the and what they called the Grammar and Alphabet of the Egyptian in a with one The project to be a to a project they In this they the from the that had a and a in part 1 and part 2 and to the the Grammar is into each from each by The also by the parts of the with the first characters that with in part 1 and the with characters in part and also of that to represent an to the to each had a be in of the would which would be be to the that would of the of for part 1 of the is is what the Grammar to part 2 that is The first characters of the of which not have to them they the is in in in in the and in the they with in the and in the and the the is and of each in the but in the with the as by a by a not The is as by of at a and by the of a differ from one another in not the of two which the of the also not in the but in the The the and The first three as three by the least of all the with associated with as a of and in which the the one and one in which the is and is another which the of will not be to at some The to be a and the is not the of this as not in The also to be a the of the The with in the in the in the in the and in the The is as the for a the four represent a a is as an to for is a to one is to a and a that be used to the the and the of an with one to for the a be one to the for the characters to the one associated with the characters of part each is in each This with the which the of characters to each that was one was with and in as a in the the Grammar also in to with the of as in the with a in one that In the the this in the was with one was the in In the will be with will be the in In the is one to the of is one is from the in with the of one from the characters and the that The the with 2 the relationship to The of included a of an that included the the three and and the The also that these and they to one another and to the this had by the most of all the the of by of the and The the of the and the and and the of with as of from which is this to the the of for the the for the some but this in the is associated with the the with the and the In the is of the of of to the in which the is detailed in the for the is also expanded in to the is of its parts This is then by what may be a of be in the as the this be the for and be that may not The of the had and from is by the to to the as the of the that not as a set the of and the the of the also the of in the of In the as well as by In the the of the of to the from a to and also that was from to of of from to the of the In the a to some a one that is set and to be but is not in the is to be as the of the is to have to in The to is not as as the that the and its with The with each this This in the as first which is the that by the which was by and also by In the as the of in to in the as first to the of the first and in the the as to the the of first in the to the of the the Grammar a relationship with the not the first of the Grammar the first part of the The also the the with to the text the characters as part of an in the at least four of the and in Joseph to the The for also in the in the and which in with to the more of the and the These also in the suggesting that the of the may be in as is in the of the and as the used by the to the Though of the in the to the the and is in Abraham which an of the and as the of the of and the of The of these in the Grammar that not was the for the in but also Abraham and of also a relationship with the the the represent a the relationship of that with its of of and in the and the of a The of the with a parallels the in Abraham which that a of the of that in the of and cosmic is that not was Abraham by 1835, but also Abraham at least the of the two in these the Grammar of of the text as the of Joseph Smith in and the in the The is in at least three of the in the which one as from the which is as the of the and to to language from the that the of the was the the in and which the first the least two of the characters the two in the In the is as a differ from one another in not into the not the of a to the one in and the for by not is of the one for that the and the in the and in and the of also in the a by a to which that was with a and that each was by its In a the of the that the the not in of the text but to be the of the first of of the in the Grammar that is in the grammar is the priesthood in the and that was the of the earlier language at least three the of a to and three may be used to one to be a to The first of is as one with one to for the a one be one to in the for all of which associates the of and In the one was with in the was one was with and in the will be with In the one was but as a a priesthood The of as was from the with the of one from the the and for the of an In the first the by in the with for a of and in the as is set and to be but is not the priesthood is not the of with and the of by to to in the priesthood that was first at in the and in the language the and the In the of as one from the the in and in which the is that of a would be to by one from a they not of in the but of the the of the and the the of the also the of the of to for to be for The of by in also be in the language not in of relationship to and but The with its of into and not that the priesthood of at the of the cosmic these would that the and the Egyptian an to the Egyptian were an to at least the first by Joseph and in the of The of the and grammar that Joseph not of but a priesthood of and that were the the ELD be more of an to the the of the language project is a nonextant which to a more to the in the That the language was to be an of communication may be in the set of documents associated with the the Book of Abraham Though to represent the translation of the text Abraham a look at the between the characters and that the represent an to the language to in the earliest that the Book of Abraham were earlier in Kirtland, the of the not the of the language the language project the of the Book of Abraham. These two that with of translation in the Abraham but they also of each with the of at another Though the of the Book of Abraham with the Abraham and for about the of an original nonextant that was directly by Joseph the is not to will be the Book of in not a to the language and that in from the Book of Abraham Joseph Smith used the ELD to characters in the the to a of the calls for a of relationship with this and the Egyptian the end of that Joseph Smith also to the language project to the Book of they and them and will not the nonextant Abraham but will that the extant Abraham were in with the language not as original translation the as we with the that most of the in the Grammar and Alphabet is not associated with the text to the Book of Abraham even some Book of Abraham project early in 1835 with later and in The 1835 by to include the ELD and the three Abraham that the ELD is part of the language The two in the Abraham The 1835 of three and in the Joseph Smith in the of and of the a one the of each The of the of the the text of the Book of Abraham in in and Abraham in In the of characters of characters to a of directly with one the to characters that but not to each with the text of the Book of Abraham The and in the text the of the characters and from three from the of the Book of for and Egyptian in Yet, at least of the characters of in the Grammar and the and to be at the language characters in which associated with Abraham characters in and in which associated with Abraham and characters in in characters in which associated with Abraham least three to be a of Egyptian and set in and in set in and the set in as Egyptian but is not the papyri the in the the characters and the three to the the of the and is and expanded from what was included in the first two and was into a more with Abraham and its The of text with with Abraham but then the a of the the and with Abraham the also not a even a in the as and its with Abraham and its This is by the set associated with Abraham in but not the text associated with as with three characters associated with Abraham but is in a the of the The with set which is associated with Abraham The of Abraham 2 is not also in set which with the two but and a set and that not in also in the of the of the but characters 2 and and in more with and of the as is the as to the set the the and with suggesting that the was to be associated with a textual at the text associated with the is not with a new a In is not at the set is to to the which a relationship between the characters and the even the characters a of with with be the but they with the they have as they were the of the ELD to a with the Grammar and the of Egyptian the include copies of Egyptian characters from the Book of of in the of part 2 and parts and and make to them they for the characters in the first two of which not from the the characters to the in part 1 of the not to the Egyptian characters to the text of Abraham in the even these for the is with the characters to parts 1 and of the with the Egyptian The of the Egyptian characters in the not even in the The that they had the Grammar and Alphabet at this not to the that they were characters from the papyri and them into the Book of Abraham the characters associated with the Book of Abraham text not the characters used in the the grammar they of of an the Abraham to reflect an to make language using the text of Abraham that had of this is in and that with the of the of the first as these were a of the Grammar and of with the Egyptian characters in the Grammar and they four of characters from a

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