The Book of Abraham papyri were thought lost in the 1871 Great Chicago Fire . However , in 1966 , several fragments of the papyri were found in the archives of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York , and in the LDS Church archives . They are now referred to as the Joseph Smith Papyri . Upon examination by professional Mormon and non-Mormon Egyptologists , these fragments were found to bear no resemblance to Smith 's interpretation , and were identified as common Egyptian funerary texts , dating to about the first century BC . As a result , the Book of Abraham has been the source of significant controversy , with criticism from Egyptologists and Mormon apologists defending its authenticity
Great Chicago Fire
Great Chicago Fire
Pearl of Great Price (Mormonism)