Concerns Regarding Facsimile No. 2, Figure 7 – Book of Abraham:

One notable issue with Facsimile 2 from the Book of Abraham involves Figure 7, which Joseph Smith identified as “God sitting upon his throne.” However, modern Egyptological analysis strongly suggests that this figure represents the Egyptian deity Min, a well-known fertility god.

Min is frequently depicted in Egyptian hypocephali as a seated, ithyphallic figure—that is, shown with an erect phallus—a symbolic representation of procreative power, regeneration, and divine potency. This iconography was common in funerary contexts and was not considered obscene in ancient Egyptian religious art. The figure often includes additional attributes such as a raised arm holding a flail and a hawk’s tail, further linking it to Min or a syncretized form of Min and Horus.

While Joseph’s interpretation reflects a theological framework rooted in 19th-century Latter-day Saint cosmology, it diverges significantly from the established meanings of such imagery in Egyptian religious tradition. Scholars have noted that the identification of this figure as “God” stems from a symbolic reinterpretation rather than a literal translation of the hieroglyphic content.