[Footnote A: For instance Aids to Faith, containing McCaul's most able discussion. The Origin of the World, J. W. Dawson.]
[Sidenote: Joseph Smith's teachings concerning creation found in the
Book of Abraham.]
In 1830, certain visions, given to the Jewish lawgiver Moses, were revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith. These visions are now incorporated with other matter in the Pearl of Great Price, under the title, The Book of Moses. In chapter two of this book is found an account of the creation, which is nearly identical with the account found in Genesis 1. The slight variations which occur tend only to make the meaning of the writer clearer. In this account, the expression "and the evening and the morning were the first [etc.] day," occurs just as it does in the Mosaic account in the Bible. In 1835, certain ancient records found in the catacombs of Egypt fell into the hands of Joseph Smith, who found them to be some of the writings of Abraham, while he was in Egypt. The translation of these records is also found in the Pearl of Great Price, under the title, The Book of Abraham. In the fourth and fifth chapters of the book is found an account of the creation according to the knowledge of Abraham. The two accounts are essentially the same, but the Abrahamic version is so much fuller and clearer that it illumines the obscurer parts of the Mosaic account. We shall concern ourselves here only with the variation in the use of the word "day."
[Sidenote: The Book of Abraham conveys the idea that the creative periods included much time.]
In Genesis 1:5 we read, "And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the fist day." The corresponding period is discussed in the Book of Abraham 4:5 as follows: "And the Gods called the light Day, and the darkness they called Night. And it came to pass that from the evening until the morning they called night; and from the morning until the evening they called day; and this was the first, or the beginning, of that which they called night and day."
It is to be noted that in Abraham's version names were given to the intervals between evening and morning, and morning and evening; but absolutely nothing is said about a first day: the statement is simply made, that this was the beginning of the alternating periods of light and darkness which they, the Gods, had named night and day. According to this version, the first creative period occupied an unknown period of time.
In Genesis 1:8 it further says: "And God called the firmament Heaven.
And the evening and the morning were the second day."
The corresponding passage in the Book of Abraham 4:8, reads, "And the Gods called the expanse Heaven. And it came to pass that it was from evening until morning that they called night; and it came to pass that it was from morning until evening that they called day, and this was the second time that they called night and day."
Here it must be noted that nothing is said about a second day. It is said that it was the second time that they called day—which leaves the second creative period entirely indefinite so far as time limits are concerned.
In Genesis 1:13, it reads, "and the evening and the morning were the third day."