Significant discrepancies exist between the papyrus acquired by the LDS Church in 1967—believed to be the original source for the woodcut of Facsimile #1—and the version published as canonical scripture in The Pearl of Great Price, Book of Abraham.

The original papyrus, obtained by Joseph Smith in 1835, is now recognized by Egyptologists as a common funerary text from ancient Egypt called the Book of Breathings. At the time, Joseph Smith was unfamiliar with Egyptian writing and culture. He reinterpreted the scene as a depiction of “the idolatrous priest of Elkenah attempting to sacrifice Abraham.” However, Egyptologists identify the figures differently: Elkenah corresponds to the Egyptian god Anubis, Abraham is Osiris, and the bird above represents the ba—the soul of Osiris—rising in the form of a hawk.

Scholars date the papyrus and associated Sensen scrolls to roughly 2,000 years after the time of Abraham, placing them firmly in the Ptolemaic period. No credible evidence links these texts to Abraham or his era.

It remains uncertain whether Joseph Smith himself drew the modifications found in Facsimile #1 or whether a scribe executed them under his direction. Regardless, he oversaw and approved the alterations.

Numerous visual details identify the papyrus as part of the Book of Breathings, especially when compared to known examples:

I. The lion-headed table—actually a funerary couch—with a long body, slender limbs, and a curved tail.

II. A flying hawk depicted in four of the five comparative images.

III. Osiris lying on the couch, typically shown with his legs slightly apart.

IV. Four distinct types of ritual canopic jars positioned beneath the couch.

Damage over time left parts of the Mormon papyrus missing. In reconstructing the scene, Joseph Smith misinterpreted the imagery. For instance, a headless figure with one arm extended toward the couch led him to believe the scene depicted human sacrifice. Interpreting the outstretched arms as signs of resistance, he concluded the prone figure (Osiris) was Abraham defending himself.

Missing portions—such as the jackal-headed Anubis, the knife in his hand, and the complete arms of Osiris—are critical to a proper reading. Additionally, the hawk was likely meant to have a human head, following Egyptian artistic conventions.

Notably, Anubis is always portrayed with a jackal’s head and often a black body to symbolize rebirth and protection. However, Joseph Smith, or those working under his supervision, reconstructed the figure with a human head resembling Osiris’. This raises questions about the interpretive process, especially since Anubis was misrepresented as a white man—departing from traditional Egyptian iconography.

There is also no known example within any Book of Breathings variant in which Anubis holds a knife. That element appears to be a product of misinterpretation, inconsistent with papyri from the same time period.

Some scholars propose that what appears to be Osiris’ hands are instead ritual reeds or similar implements being held or waved by Anubis in a ceremonial gesture. The alignment and angle of the extended arm support this, and the supposed “fingers” lack the anatomical detail one would expect from actual hands.