Kolob

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Detail of Joseph Smith Hypocephalus, which according to Joseph Smith, Jr. contains a representation of Kolob (reference numeral 1). According to Egyptologists, this depicts an Egyptian creation god.

In Mormonism, Kolob is a star or planet mentioned in the Book of Abraham as the one nearest to the throne or residence of God. Mention of a celestial body by that name is found in the Book of Abraham, which is canonized by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Mormon fundamentalist organizations, the Restoration Church of Jesus Christ, and other Brighamite Latter Day Saint denominations. While the Book of Abraham refers to Kolob as a "star",^[1] it also refers to planets as stars,^[2] and therefore, some Mormon commentators consider Kolob to be a planet.^[3]
Kolob is rarely discussed in modern Mormon religious contexts, but it is periodically a topic of discussion in Mormon apologetics. The idea also appears within Mormon culture, and a Mormon hymn treats the subject. Kolob is also the inspiration for the planet Kobol within the Battlestar Galactica universe, created by Glen A. Larson, a Mormon.^[4]

Contents [show] 1 Kolob doctrine and exegesis 1.1 Description in the Book of Abraham 1.2 Literal Mormon exegesis and speculation 1.2.1 Star or planet? 1.2.2 Birthplace for the earth 1.2.3 Speculative astronomy 1.3 Metaphorical exegesis 2 Analysis and criticism of the Kolob doctrine 2.1 Origin of the doctrine 2.2 Validity of Smith's translation of the Book of Abraham 2.3 Putative Egyptian origin of the word Kolob 3 Popular expressions of the Kolob doctrine 3.1 "If You Could Hie to Kolob", the Hymn 3.2 Kolob as the inspiration for Kobol in Battlestar Galactica 3.3 Other instances 4 See also 5 Notes 6 References 7 External links

[edit] Kolob doctrine and exegesis

[edit] Description in the Book of Abraham

Facsimile No. 2 from the Book of Abraham, which Smith said discusses Kolob. The part Smith said refers to Kolob is numbered by a "1" in the center.

The first published reference to Kolob is found in the Book of Abraham, first published in the 1842 newspaper Times and Seasons, and now included within the Pearl of Great Price as part of the canon of Mormonism. The Book of Abraham was dictated in 1836 by Latter Day Saint movement founder Joseph Smith, Jr., after he purchased a set of Egyptian scrolls that accompanied a mummy exhibition. When this exhibit passed through Smith's town of Kirtland, Ohio, Smith was approached about the scrolls based on his reputation for having published translations of ancient texts such as the golden plates. According to Smith, the scrolls described a vision of Abraham, in which Abraham:

"saw the stars, that they were very great, and that one of them was nearest unto the throne of God;....and the name of the great one is Kolob, because it is near unto me, for I am the Lord thy God: I have set this one to govern all those which belong to the same order as that upon which thou standest."^[5]

In an explanation of an Egyptian hypocephalus that was part of the Book of Abraham scrolls, Joseph Smith interpreted one set of hieroglyphics as representing:

"Kolob, signifying the first creation, nearest to the celestial, or the residence of God. First in government, the last pertaining to the measurement of time. The measurement according to celestial time, which celestial time signifies one day to a cubit. One day in Kolob is equal to a thousand years according to the measurement of this earth, which is called by the Egyptians Jah-oh-eh."^[6]

The Book of Abraham describes a hierarchy of heavenly bodies,^[7] including the earth, its moon, and the sun, each with different movements and measurements of time, where at the pinnacle, the slowest-revolving body is Kolob, where one Kolob-day corresponds to 1000 earth-years.^[8] Additional, similar information about Kolob is found in the Kirtland Egyptian Papers, constituting manuscripts in the handwriting of Smith and his scribes.