One Eternal Round

554 Pages·2010·13.39 MB·English

by  Hugh Nibley

The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley
One Eternal Round
Volume 19
Hugh Nibley, Michael D. Rhodes
© 2010 The Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Scholarship and Hugh Nibley and Associates, LLC.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without
permission in writing from the publisher, Deseret Book Company, P.O. Box 30178, Salt Lake City Utah
30178. This work is not an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The
views expressed herein are the responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the position of
the Church or of Deseret Book. Deseret Book is a registered trademark of Deseret Book Company.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Nibley, Hugh,
1910-2005
One eternal round / Hugh Nibley and Michael D. Rhodes;
Illustrations directed by Michael P. Lyon.
p. cm. _ (The collected works of Hugh Nibley; v. 19) Includes
bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-60641-237-4 (hardbound :alk. paper) 1. Book of Abraham-
Criticism, interpretation, etc. 2. Abraham (Biblical patriarch) 3. The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — Doctrines.
4. Hypocephali. I. Rhodes, Michael D., 1946 II. Lyon, Michael P. III. Title.
IV. Series: Nibley, Hugh, 1910-2005. Works 1986 ; v.19.
BX8629.B563N56 2009
289.3’2-dc22
2009046686
Printed in the United States of America Publishers Printing, Salt Lake City,
UT
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Table of Contents
Illustrations
Key to Abbreviations
Preface
Introduction
The Critics
What Is the Problem?
Dispensations and Axial Times
Myth, Ritual, and History
Abraham and the Great Year-Rite
What Is a Hypocephalus?
Reading the Hypocephalus: Part 1, Figures 1–4, 22–23
Reading the Hypocephalus: Part 2, Figures 5–21
The Ascension Dramas
Jewel of Discernment
Joseph Smith, Hermetic Tradition, and the Hypocephalus
The Kabbala
Alexander the Great
Nimrod
Geometry
Color Plates
Appendixes
Key to Abbreviations
ASAE Annales du service des antiquités de l’Égypte
BD Book of the Dead
BE Bibliothèque égyptologique
BiOr Bibliotheca Orientalis
CdE Chronique d’Égypte, CT Coffin Text, as appearing in Adriaan de
Buck, The Egyptian Coffin Texts CWHN The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley
FERE Fondation égyptologique reine Élisabeth
IE Improvement Era IFAO Institut français d’archéologie orientale du
Caire JEA Journal of Egyptian Archaeology JEOL Jaarbericht van het
Vooraziatisch-Egyptisch Genootschap (Gezelschap): Ex oriente lux
JNES Journal of Near Eastern Studies JQR Jewish Quarterly Review
JSP Joseph Smith Papyrus (Papyri)
OLZ Orientalische Literaturzeitung PG J.-P. Migne, ed., Patrologiae
Cursus Completus: Series Graeca, 162 vols. (Paris: Garnier, 1857–86) PL J.-P.
Migne, ed., Patrologiae Cursus Completus: Series Latina, 221 vols. (Paris:
Garnier, 1844–64) PSBA Proceedings of the Society of Biblical Archaeology
PT Pyramid Texts
RdE Revue d’égyptologie
REJ Revue des études juives
RT Recueil de travaux relatifs à la philologie et à l’archéologie
égyptiennes et assyriennes UGAÄ Kurt Sethe and Hermann Kees, eds.,
Untersuchungen zur Geschichte und Altertumskunde Ägyptens, 15 vols.
(Leipzig: Hinrichs, 1896–1939) Urk. Urkunden des ägyptischen Altertums
Wb Adolf Erman and Hermann Grapow, Wörterbuch der ägyptischen Sprache
ZÄS Zeitschrift für ägyptische Sprache und Altertumskunde
Preface
On 23 February 2005, I, along with a group of colleagues including John W.
Welch, John Gee, and others, gathered in the front room of Hugh Nibley’s home.
Hugh was there in a hospital bed, but was unconscious. His wife, Phyllis, and
some of their children were also present. We were meeting to decide what to do
with Hugh’s unfinished book, One Eternal Round. He had been working on it
for more than fifteen years before he became too ill to continue. A few months
before, we had gathered together all the materials on the book from Hugh’s
upstairs rooms. This comprised over thirty boxes of papers, notes, and pictures.
There were also over 450 computer files containing sometimes as many as
twenty different versions of a given chapter. How could we take all this and
make a book out of it? As we talked, it became clear that the only practical way
to do this would be for one person to immerse himself in this massive collection
of material and condense and distill it into publishable form. This would require
much more than simple editing—the person would have to be a coauthor,
because there were many parts that were still incomplete. As we all looked
uncomfortably at each other, no one, at that point, was willing to commit to
doing it, and so we adjourned without making a final decision.
The rest of that day the thought kept going over and over again in my mind,
“Mike, you need to do this!” That night I lay awake still struggling with the
magnitude of the task and whether I could even accomplish the task. Finally,
sometime in the middle of the night, a sense of calm came over me, and I
realized that this was something I had to do and could do—I would finish this
book for Hugh. I owed him so much for all he had done for me over the years.
Because I had been working with him on the book since I first joined the faculty
at BYU in 1993, I felt I was in a position to create a cohesive manuscript for the
book. Having made the decision, I was finally able to fall asleep.
The next morning I called Shirley Ricks to tell her I would be willing to do
it and that I would call Phyllis and let her know. Shirley said that would be great.
I hung up and was doing a couple of other things in my office before calling
Phyllis when the phone rang. It was Shirley saying that Hugh had passed away
earlier that morning. I firmly believe that once I had made the decision, Hugh
somehow knew it and felt he could then leave this life, assured that his book
would be finished. For the next four years, One Eternal Round would dominate
my life.
One Eternal Round is the culmination of Hugh Nibley’s thoughts and
research on the Book of Abraham, especially Facsimile 2. The volume is
impressive in its penetrating insights into and coverage of the subject. Within its
scope Nibley dealt with mathematics, Alexander the Great, the Egyptian
pharaohs Sheshonq and Sesostris, medieval Jewish Kabbala, medieval Jewish
and Islamic traditions about Abraham, ancient Hermeticism, Greek myths and
their relationship to Egyptian and Mesopotamian myths, early Jewish and
Christian apocrypha, ancient Chinese jade disks, Indian mandalas, the Aztec
calendar stone, shaman drums, ancient Egyptian mirrors, axial times, the great
year-rites of ancient civilizations, Paleolithic cave drawings in France, the
Tabula Smaragdina, Hopi Indian ceremonies, alchemy, and the relationship of
myth, ritual, and history. All these are woven together into a magnificent
tapestry of evidence, demonstrating that the Book of Abraham and its facsimiles
represent actual ancient materials and traditions that have all come to light long
after Joseph Smith published them.
A major challenge in completing this book has been to choose the best of
multiple versions of each chapter. This was complicated by the fact that there
were often different chapters in which the same passage was found. Over the
years Hugh shifted things around not only within chapters, but between chapters.
I have tried to combine what he did in as logical and consistent a manner as I
could. Inevitably it was necessary to write transitions, additions, and
clarifications. At first I thought I would try to indicate what was Hugh’s and
what was mine, but I soon realized that that would detract from the overall
readability of the book. My approach has been to use what Hugh wrote as much
as possible and to keep my own additions to a minimum. In a few places I have
added citations of sources published since Hugh’s death that I felt gave
especially strong support to his conclusions.
Another problem I faced was the marked difference between my own, rather
pedestrian manner of writing and Hugh’s inimitable style. He makes
considerable use of hyperbole, he uses humor and satire with delightful results,
and he sprinkles his writing with subtle literary quotes—notably Shakespeare. In
my contributions, I have avoided trying to match his style (which I could not do
anyway) and have stuck to my own manner of writing. It will probably be
obvious to many readers which parts I have written or edited. I have, however,
tried my best to preserve the spirit of what Hugh was doing.
In all that I have done, I have tried to remain true to Hugh’s purpose. It is
my dearest hope that when it comes my turn to cross through the veil, Hugh will
approach me with a smile on his face. He was a true friend, a mentor, an
inspiration to me in all the scholarly work that I have done. Without his help and
influence I would never have accomplished what I have. Even my faculty
position at BYU I owe in no small measure to him. Working on this book of his
has been for me a labor of love. I know Hugh wanted so much for it to be
published and I hope he is pleased with it. To paraphrase Mormon, “And now, if
there are faults they are the mistakes of Mike, wherefore condemn not the things
of Hugh Nibley.”
I must express gratitude to many people over the years without whose help I
could not have done this: To my beloved wife whose angelic disposition and
eternal love inspires me in all that I do. To Pat Ward, who for so many years
worked as Hugh’s secretary, patiently taking his dictation. To Shirley Ricks,
editor for the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, who has been
unfailing in her encouragement and support. To the Department of Ancient
Scripture at BYU that has been most generous in granting me research time and
financial support as I have worked on this book. To a number of source
checkers, including Derek Black, Daniel Becerra, Shaun Miller, and Benjamin
Rowe. But especially to Jacob Johnson and Jordan Hanavan, who simply
accomplished miracles in tracking down difficult and obscure references. To
Alison Coutts and John Hardy for reading the manuscript. To Paula Hicken for
seeking permission to reproduce images, and to Sophie Barth, Sabrina Clifford,
Sarah Seamons, Linda Sheffield, and Sandra Thorne for help in proofreading. To
Brenna King for help with images. To Jacob Rawlins for producing a pleasing
blend of text and illustrations with his typesetting skills. To Michael Lyon, who
not only prepared the beautiful illustrations but who, with his vast knowledge of
ancient art, made many observations and suggestions that added significantly to
the book. Also to Tyler Moulton, who assisted him. To Derk Koldewyn at
Deseret Book. To the Maxwell Institute at BYU for the support and
encouragement in this difficult task. To Phyllis Nibley for entrusting me with the
task of finishing this book that meant so much to Hugh. To my Father in
Heaven, whose guidance and influence I have felt as I labored at this task. And
of course to Hugh Nibley.
Introduction
Hugh Nibley begins this book with an examination of three major attempts
to discredit Joseph Smith and the Book of Abraham: the first in 1860 by
Théodule Devéria; the second in 1912 by the Episcopal bishop of Salt Lake City,
Franklin S. Spalding; and the third in 1967 by Grant S. Heward and Jerald
Tanner. The rest of the book then examines the overwhelming evidence
supporting the authenticity and accuracy of Joseph Smith’s work on the Book of
Abraham and its facsimiles.
We are put on our guard against too quickly accepting the authoritative
pronouncements of Egyptologists in a brief but enlightening look at the
development of Egyptology. We find professional jealousy and petty infighting
among Egyptologists as well as a general condescension and even contempt for
the ancient Egyptians they are studying. Since the mid-twentieth century some
Egyptologists have begun to take the Egyptians more seriously, but we still have
far to go in our understanding of this remarkable civilization and its
contributions.
A central feature of Egyptian religion was an attempt to deal with what
Nibley calls “the terrible questions,” questions that have always troubled
mankind and continue to do so now. Where did this world come from? What is
the purpose of life? What happens after death? These are also questions that the
Book of Abraham and the facsimiles deal with in a unique and satisfying
manner. The fundamental purpose of both the Book of Abraham and ancient
Egyptian religious literature is thus the same.
A major mythological cycle common to ancient civilizations and societies is
that of the creation of the world and mankind, the wickedness of mankind that
results in the destruction of nearly all mankind, and their subsequent return to
wickedness. There are Semitic, Egyptian, and Greek accounts of this cycle, the
biblical account being perhaps the most familiar to us. Two Egyptian
compositions, the Memphite Theology and the Epic of the Heavenly Cow, deal
with the creation and the flood, as does the story of Prometheus in Greek
literature. The creation account in the Book of Abraham and the accounts of the
wickedness of mankind and the flood given in the Book of Moses expand on this
same ancient theme.
But how do we distinguish between ancient myths and real history? What is
the relationship between myth, ritual, and history? The surviving writings that
the relationship between myth, ritual, and history? The surviving writings that
have come down to us from ancient times are basically mythological accounts
that portray actual historical events in a ritual context. The great year-rite that is
found in various forms throughout the ancient world is an example of this. This
celebration took place at a sacred location, most often a temple or high place.
There were common elements to this ceremony: the dramatic representation of
the death and resurrection of the god, a portrayal of the creation, a ritual combat
in which the triumph of the god over his enemies was depicted, a triumphal
procession where the king or leader played the part of the god followed by a
train of lesser gods, an atoning sacrifice by which the people were cleansed of
their sins, and festivities and games that recalled a previous Golden Age, now
lost. The similarities in these ceremonies throughout the ancient world argue a
common origin for them. The Book of Abraham and the Book of Moses in the
Pearl of Great Price as well as the Book of Mormon all describe these rites with
remarkable accuracy, a fact that argues strongly for their ancient authorship. The
attempted sacrifice of Abraham described in the Book of Abraham is a
particularly notable example.
After the rediscovery of the Joseph Smith Papyri fragments, critics
immediately questioned Joseph Smith’s association of Facsimile 1, which
formed the beginning of the ancient Egyptian Book of Breathings, with
Abraham. Is there any connection between Abraham and this ancient Egyptian
religious document? There are some remarkable parallels based on the ancient
perception of history as a repetition of ritual and mythological themes. The full
title of the Book of Breathings is the Document of Breathing Which Isis Made
for Her Brother, Osiris, and its purpose is “to cause his soul to live.”[1] Just as
Abraham was married to his sister Sarah (Genesis 20:12), Osiris was married to
his sister Isis. And when Abraham asks Sarah to say that she is his sister, it is so
that “my soul shall live because of thee” (Genesis 12:13; Abraham 2:25).
Facsimile 2 is an object Egyptologists call a hypocephalus. Its fundamental
purpose was similar to all Egyptian funerary documents—to ensure the
resurrection and deification of the dead. It graphically portrays the whole
creation of God in a circular or spherical form. It is related in form and function
to such objects as the Egyptian prehistoric slate palettes, mirrors buried with the
Egyptian dead, drums or tambourines used by the Egyptians and many other
ancient peoples, jade disks used by the ancient Chinese, and even the Aztec
calendar stone found in the New World. Hypocephali fall into two broad classes.
The first class is a prayer to and for a heavenly deliverer, and the second is the
answer to that prayer. Facsimile 2 belongs to the second class.