"It should go without saying that people in ancient times thought differently about their world than modern people do. Some customs of ancient Egyptians should make this obvious."

"Gee quotes several experts on the placement of drawings within Egyptian religious texts. At some times in Egyptian history, it was common for the drawings to be misaligned with the text. Frequently a drawing was attached to the wrong text - and the correct text was nowhere within the document.

This would be like the drawings from "Goodnight Moon" being used to illustrate "Where the Wild Things Are." It may seem weird, but is not, apparently, very weird to some ancient Egyptians."

"To the modern mind, this all seems odd. But it also helps explain why the papyrus that contains the drawing of Facsimile 1 could be attached to something that was not the text of the Book of Abraham. It also may shed some light on why Facsimile 1, which at first glance may appear like many other lion couch vignettes, "is, in fact, unique."

" It took a prophet to make the connection and put the drawing back into its intended context"

There's no inconsistency between my willingness to criticize certain views of the Pope, who doesn't know me and won't feel betrayed by me, and my unwillingness to criticize my friend John Gee, who doesn't need public criticism at a time when he is effectively under siege. Additionally, any disagreement that I might have with him, however slight, would instantly be turned by certain obsessive critics into a weapon with which to beat him. The community within Mormonism that cares about such things is very small, and sometimes quite nasty. The Pope, by contrast, will proceed serenely on with his views, utterly unconcerned at my dissent.

I've expressed my views on the matter very clearly, I think. And I'll probably do so at least once more, in a formal written way. I feel no need to personalize anything. Despite your repeated entreaties that I do it.

The Book of Abraham project was started by the Board at the precursor to the Maxwell Institute, the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies in 1998. The purpose of the project was to support the historicity of the Book of Abraham. The original principle investigators were William Hamblin and John Gee. In 1999, William Hamblin was replaced by Brian Smith and Brian Hauglid. Brian Smith left because of other duties in 2000. Brian Hauglid left when he became director of the Willes Center in 2013. In 2013 the Project itself was discontinued and only the series Studies in the Book of Abraham was retained.