Kolob is a star
or planet described in the Book of Abraham, a sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement. Several Latter Day Saint denominations hold the Book of Abraham to have been translated from an Egyptian papyrus scroll by Joseph Smith, the founder of the movement. According to this work, Kolob is the heavenly body nearest to the throne of God. While the Book of Abraham calls Kolob a "star", it also calls planets "stars", and therefore some Latter Day Saint commentators consider Kolob a planet. The body also appears in Latter Day Saint culture, including a reference to Kolob in an LDS hymn.
Detail of Facsimile No. 2 (the Hypocephalus of Sheshonq). Reference numeral 1 represents Kolob according to Joseph Smith. In fact, it is a modified or poorly reconstructed figure of a creator God.
The Book of Abraham is a collection of writings from several Egyptian scrolls discovered in the early 19th century during an archeological expedition by Antonio Lebolo. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased the scrolls from a traveling mummy exhibition on July 3, 1835, to be translated into English by Joseph Smith. According to Smith, the book was "a translation of some ancient records... purporting to be the writings of Abraham, while he was in Egypt, called the Book of Abraham, written by his own hand, upon papyrus". Smith said the papyri described Abraham's early life, his travels to Canaan and Egypt, and his vision of the cosmos and its creation.
A portion of the papyri used by Joseph Smith as the source of the Book of Abraham. The difference between Egyptologists' translation and Joseph Smith's interpretations has caused considerable controversy.
Reconstructed papyri from existing and known fragments
On the right, Page 3 of the Book of Abraham Manuscript in the handwriting of Warren Parrish. The characters from the Breathing Permit Hôr were copied sequentially into a column titled Character, with accompanying English text in a column titled, Translation of the Book of Abraham.
Part of the text describes Abraham's journey from Ur to Canaan and Egypt.