In the
Latter Day Saint
The Latter Day Saint movement (also called the LDS movement, LDS restorationist movement, or Smith–Rigdon movement) is the collection of independent church groups that trace their origins to a Christian Restorationist movement founded by Jo ...
scripture the
Book of Abraham
The Book of Abraham is a collection of writings claimed to be from several Egyptian scrolls discovered in the early 19th century during an archeological expedition by Antonio Lebolo. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purc ...
, Pharaoh is the
proper name
A proper noun is a noun that identifies a single entity and is used to refer to that entity (''Africa'', ''Jupiter'', '' Sarah'', ''Microsoft)'' as distinguished from a common noun, which is a noun that refers to a class of entities (''continent, ...
of the first king of
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
. According to the story, all
Egyptians
Egyptians ( arz, المَصرِيُون, translit=al-Maṣriyyūn, ; arz, المَصرِيِين, translit=al-Maṣriyyīn, ; cop, ⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ, remenkhēmi) are an ethnic group native to the Nile, Nile Valley in Egypt. Egyptian ...
descended from him . He was the eldest son of
Egyptus
In Latter-day Saint theology, Egyptus () is the name of two women in the Book of Abraham in the Pearl of Great Price (Mormonism), Pearl of Great Price. One is the wife of Ham, son of Noah, who bears his children. The other is their daughter, who d ...
, who was the daughter of
Ham
Ham is pork from a leg cut of pork, cut that has been food preservation, preserved by wet or dry Curing (food preservation), curing, with or without smoking (cooking), smoking."Bacon: Bacon and Ham Curing" in ''Chambers's Encyclopædia''. Lo ...
and
Egyptus
In Latter-day Saint theology, Egyptus () is the name of two women in the Book of Abraham in the Pearl of Great Price (Mormonism), Pearl of Great Price. One is the wife of Ham, son of Noah, who bears his children. The other is their daughter, who d ...
. Pharaoh was a descendant of the Canaanites , a race of people who according to Latter Day Saint theology had been cursed with
black skin
Dark skin is a type of human skin color that is rich in melanin pigments. People with very dark skin are often referred to as " black people", although this usage can be ambiguous in some countries where it is also used to specifically refer to ...
(
Moses
Moses hbo, מֹשֶׁה, Mōše; also known as Moshe or Moshe Rabbeinu (Mishnaic Hebrew: מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ, ); syr, ܡܘܫܐ, Mūše; ar, موسى, Mūsā; grc, Mωϋσῆς, Mōÿsēs () is considered the most important pro ...
7:8). Leaders of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...
(LDS Church) have taught that he inherited the
curse of Cain
The curse of Cain and the mark of Cain are phrases that originated in the story of Cain and Abel in the Book of Genesis. In the stories, if someone harmed Cain, the damage would come back sevenfold. Some interpretations view this as a physica ...
through his grandmother,
Egyptus
In Latter-day Saint theology, Egyptus () is the name of two women in the Book of Abraham in the Pearl of Great Price (Mormonism), Pearl of Great Price. One is the wife of Ham, son of Noah, who bears his children. The other is their daughter, who d ...
, so that the
devil
A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conceptions of t ...
might have representation upon the earth.
Anachronism
The use of the name ''Pharaoh'' is considered anachronistic during Abraham's time by virtually all scholars, including LDS Scholars. Most LDS Scholars who adhere to the historicity of the Book of Abraham point to a Jewish redactor who replaced original words with wording that would have been more understandable to his day.
Notes
{{reflist
Pearl of Great Price (Mormonism)
Ham (son of Noah)
Mormonism and race
Book of Abraham
Criticism of Mormonism