Biography
Latter-day Saint Narrative
In Latter-day Saint theology (also known as Mormon theology), Egyptus (/iːˈdʒɪptʌs/) is the name of two women in the Book of Abraham in the Pearl of Great Price.[1] One is the wife of Ham, son of Noah, who bears his children. The other is their daughter, who discovered Egypt while "it was under water" (1:23). The younger Egyptus places her eldest son on the throne as Pharaoh, the first king of Egypt (1:25). Pharaoh was a descendant of the Canaanites (1:22), a race of people who had been cursed with black skin (Moses 7:8). Mormon leaders have taught that Egyptus passed black skin and the curse of Cain through the flood so that the devil might have representation upon the earth.
The word Egyptus is considered to be an anachronism in the Book of Abraham among non-Mormon Egyptologists and historians, since the origin of term "Egypt" is believed to have come from another source much later in history from the time of the narrative described in the Book of Abraham. The word "pharaoh" is also considered to be an anachronism in the Book of Abraham for similar reasons.
This leads to speculation in the Latter-day Saint community that Egyptus was married to her brother, Canaan (Gen 1:23).
Book of Abraham
Now this king of Egypt was a descendant from the loins of Ham, and was a partaker of the blood of the Canaanites by birth. From this descent sprang all the Egyptians, and thus the blood of the Canaanites was preserved in the land. The land of Egypt being first discovered by a woman, who was the daughter of Ham, and the daughter of Egyptus, which in the Chaldean signifies Egypt, which signifies that which is forbidden; When this woman discovered the land it was under water, who afterward settled her sons in it; and thus, from Ham, sprang that race which preserved the curse in the land. Now the first government of Egypt was established by Pharaoh, the eldest son of Egyptus, the daughter of Ham, and it was after the manner of the government of Ham, which was patriarchal. Pharaoh, being a righteous man, established his kingdom and judged his people wisely and justly all his days, seeking earnestly to imitate that order established by the fathers in the first generations, in the days of the first patriarchal reign, even in the reign of Adam, and also of Noah, his father, who blessed him with the blessings of the earth, and with the blessings of wisdom, but cursed him as pertaining to the Priesthood. Source: Book of Abraham 1:21-26
Siblings
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Cush ben Ham | Mesopotamia | ||
| Mizraim ben Ham | Mesopotamia | Egypt | |
| Phut | Mesopotamia | Libya | |
| Canaan ben Ham | Mesopotamia | Land of Canaan | |
| Egyptus, daughter of Ham | Mesopotamia | Egypt | |
References
- LDS Bible Disctionary
- wikipedia:en:Canaan (son of Ham) - Wikipedia
- Cainan - Biblical Character disambiguation
Footnotes (including sources)
| ‡ General |
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