In the Latter Day Saint scripture the Book of Abraham, Pharaoh is the proper name of the first king of Egypt.[1] According to the story, all Egyptians descended from him. He was the eldest son of Egyptus, who was the daughter of Ham and Egyptus. Pharaoh was a descendant of the Canaanites, a race of people who according to Latter Day Saint theology had been cursed with black skin. Leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) have taught that he inherited the curse of Cain through his grandmother, Egyptus, so that the devil might have representation upon the earth.[2]
The use of the name Pharaoh is considered anachronistic during Abraham's time by virtually all scholars, including LDS Scholars.[3] Most LDS Scholars who adhere to the historicity of the Book of Abraham point to a Jewish redactor who replaced original words with wording that would have been more understandable to his day.[4]