Joseph Smith Hypocephalus

The Joseph Smith Hypocephalus (also known as the Hypocephalus of Sheshonq or Facsimile Number 2) was a papyrus fragment, part of a larger collection of papyri known as the Joseph Smith Papyri. The papyri are Egyptian funerary papyrus fragments from ancient Thebes dated between 300 and 100 BC which, along with four mummies, were once owned by Joseph Smith, the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. The name of the owner Sheshonq is written in the hieroglyphic text on the hypocephalus. Smith purchased the mummies and papyrus documents from a traveling exhibitor in Kirtland, Ohio in 1835.^: 1 Smith said that the hypocephalus contained records of the ancient patriarchs Abraham. In 1842, Smith published the first part of the Book of Abraham, which he said was an inspired translation from the papyri. The consensus among both Mormon and non-Mormon scholars is that the characters on the surviving papyrus fragments do not match Smith's translation.

Multiple hypocephali in the British Museum are very similar to the Joseph Smith hypocephalus in layout and text, and were also uncovered in Thebes, Egypt. Other hypocephali also bear a strong resemblance.

A woodcut image of the hypocephalus was initially published in 1842 in the Latter Day Saint newspaper Times and Seasons, two years before the death of Joseph Smith. This image is included as one of several appendices to the Book of Abraham, where it is called Facsimile No. 2. The Book of Abraham has been considered canonical scripture as part of the Pearl of Great Price by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) since 1880. The condition and location of the original document are unknown.