Figure 1 ~ The God of Creation: Khnemu

Modern Egyptologists interpret figure 1 as Khnemu or Khnum.  Here is what I learned about this Egyptian diety[1]:

Khnum (/kəˈnuːm/) was one of the earliest Egyptian deities. He had the titles Divine Potter and Lord of created things from himself and was thought to have created mankind and all of the animals from clay.

Khnum is the third aspect of Ra. [2] He is the god of rebirth, creation and the evening sun. The worship of Khnum centered on two principal Nile River [3] sites, which were regarded as sacred sites. His significance led to early theophoric names of him, for children, such as Khnum-Khufwy – Khnum is my Protector.

In a nutshell, it seems to me that ancient peoples had a recollection of the truths taught from Adam through Noah about the One True God who was the Creator of Heaven and Earth (see Genesis 1:1).  They took the divine aspects of God and vivisected them into individual qualities of God and gave them to multiple pagan gods.  Paul wrote of the idolatry in his days and what people had done with the concept of God:  Who [pagans] changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.(Romans 1:25)

In that light, Kynemu/Khnum takes on the aspect of "God as Creator." I have underlined three specific titles sometimes given to this god and have listed a few instances (and there are hundreds) where those titles were used in the scriptures to describe Jehovah/Jesus Christ:

• Divine Potter:
• O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel. (Jeremiah 18:6)
• The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter! (Lamentation 4: 2)
• But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand (Isaiah 64: 8)

• Creator
• And God created the heavens and the Earth (Genesis 1: 1)
• Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding (Isaiah 40: 28)
• And he shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning; (Mosiah 3: 8)

• Protector
• And they did rejoice and cry again with one voice, saying: May the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, protect this people in righteousness, so long as they shall call on the name of their God for protection.(3 Nephi 4:30)
• Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. (Isaiah  41:10)
• And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. (2 Kings 6:16)

If Abraham taught the Egyptians about the universe, he certainly told them the qualities of Him who created all that are in it and how He protects and guides all whom He created.  Very early on, the pharaoh's embodied God's role as creator and protector into the god of their creation, Khnemu.  If we look on it in this light, we can see that what Joseph says about this image is really spot on and not contradictory at all, as our critics would suggest.

Joseph wrote of this group of figures that they represent Kolob, signifying the first creation, nearest the celestial or residence of God. (Joseph Smith Explanation of Facsimile 2) If Khnemu is the Egyptian god of creation then I don't see Joseph's description of the scene as being inconsistent.  The two crowns of suns being carried by baboons (which were considered sacred and divine messengers of God by the Egyptians) represent to Egyptologist "the name of the Mighty God."  Again, to me, this underscores the correctness of Joseph's understanding of these things.

From Wikipedia, we find the following description of the marks just to the left and a little above.  These are three ripples of water, a pennant and a single diagonal stroke:

Triple ripples indicate the global mass of water, the "Primeval Waters" or state of being before creation. Described in a mythological cycle as "the waters," Nun (the waters that covered the earth early in the creation story)lay inert, unending and indefinite, until Nun "rises" and "throws off" the waters to begin the act of creation. Nun is the name of a "primordial soup" from which the Self-Created god drew the materials to create its children Shu and Tefnut (air and moisture, the Biblical "firmament"), who then created Geb (earth) and Nut (sky).  An ideographic reading of these symbols would be; The spirit of god rippling the waters. 

From Genesis we read:

And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

 

And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
 

And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. (Genesis 1: 2, 6-7)

 

Abraham taught the Egyptians about the creation of the earth.  For the most part, they go it right, although they embellished a lot! 

Without doubt, Joseph understood the message more fully than he was allowed to share with us.  The artist rendition above [4] shows two small figures of what appear to be people next to the representation of Kolob (with the X).  These could represent people, I suppose, for God involved other of His spirit children in the actual creation of the earth, but as I look closely at the original, I see the flail on the left and the crook on the right, which would indicate the place of justice and mercy or, in Hebrew, KoLoB.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me, (Psalm 23: 12)  The key thing this person learned on the road to salvation and exaltation is that God created the heavens and the earth and that he protects all who believe on his name, even though they be in the valley of the shadow of death.  What a great thing to remember!

[1] All sources come from Wikipedia unless otherwise stated in the text.
[2] Egyptian Sun God, the overall giver of life.
[3] The Nile brought new life to Egypt with each yearly flooding.  It also brought a lot of silt clay, which led to the idea of god as a celestial potter.
[4] I will post this colored version of the hypocephalus with each post referring to the part so that you can compare it to the whole.  The color version, while somewhat interpretive, is easier to see and understand.

© Gebara Education, 2016