Following the initial publication of Facsimile No. 2 in the Book of Abraham, church authorities evidently determined that the depiction of a deity with an erect phallus—specifically in Figure 7—was inappropriate for inclusion in Latter-day Saint scripture. As a result, subsequent editions of the facsimile were sanitized, omitting this anatomical detail. This modified version remained standard throughout much of the 20th-century. 

The figure in question was consistently identified by the Church as “God sitting upon his throne.” However, Egyptologists widely recognize this image as the Egyptian fertility god Min, who is traditionally portrayed in an ithyphallic state—a symbolic representation of potency, regeneration, and creation. Min’s iconography, including his erect phallus, was a common and culturally accepted motif in ancient Egyptian religious art. His mythological associations include themes of sexuality and even incest, which further contextualize his visual portrayal. 

In 1977, a notable shift occurred: leather-bound, thumb-indexed editions of the triple combination (Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price) reintroduced the original 1842 Times and Seasons woodcut of the hypocephalus, including the previously censored anatomical detail. However, this restoration was not uniformly applied. Lower-cost editions—such as softcover or paperback versions—continued to feature the sanitized image.

A 2010 email from Sandra Tanner sheds light on this inconsistency:

“I found two 1977 ed. in my storage – and they are like my sanitized 1978 ed., not like yours. They are cheaper ed. – one a paperback of just the D&C  and PGP,  the other a triple in soft cover. Then I found a 1979, with thumb indexing like yours, and it has the T&S (Times & Seasons) woodcuts. It also has the 2 visions added to the PGP that were later added to the D&C. It does not have the same copyright page like yours, copyright 1974 by Spencer W. Kimball, [and] printed [in] 1977. My 1979 has the regular 1921 copyright by Heber J. Grant, renewal by George Albert Smith  1948. Yet has the T&S woodcuts.”