Chiasmus is a poetic and rhetorical device in many languages. Perhaps the most interesting of these is his proposal chiasmus in the book of mormon and elsewhere that a very substantial chiasmus has been found in the book of mormon. Since that time, a steady stream of publications has greatly illuminated this profound and ancient. The discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon is one of the most significant scholarly contributions to understanding and appreciating the nephite record. Chiasmus can be used in the structure of entire passages to parallel concepts or ideas. Chiasmus involve a series of words or phrases that are repeated, exactly or contextually, in reverse order. It was also seen in sanskrit, mesopotamian, chinese and egyptian texts. Chiasmus in the book of mormon mormonism, the mormon. The following books all have more chiasmus than the book of mormon sense and sensibility 1811, around the world in 80 days 1872, alice in wonderland 1865, the adventures of sherlock holmes 1892, a tale of two cities 1859, the iliad of homer, the view of the hebrews 1823, the late war between the unites states and.
Plain and precious persuading from a prophet of god by david e. Perhaps the most interesting of these is his proposal chiasmus in the book of mormon and elsewhere that a very substantial chiasmus has been found in the book of mormon, at alma chapter 36. Welch published the first study of chiasmus in the book of mormon,1 hundreds of additional book of mormon chiasms have been proposed. Solomon spaulding wrote a manuscript that is now missing some critics believe it is the actual source of the book of mormon had another book, manuscript found, in which appears the following chiasmus. Chapter 15 chiasmus in the book of mormon reachout trust.
Chiasmus was particularly popular both in greek and in latin literature, where it was used to articulate. Book of mormon literature the encyclopedia of mormonism. Old some view judeochristian religious history as a macro chiasm. Chiasmus in the book of mormon lds church is true blog. Now, 50 years since welchs discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon, we see that his find is. Welch argues in favor of ancient origins for book of mormon chiasmus, demonstrating that public awareness of this style was slight in america when the book of mormon was translated. It is claimed by many within the lds church that special literary patterns found in hebrew writing are also found in the book of mormon, which they feel helps prove that book comes from ancient jewish origins and not from joseph smiths mind the most commonly referenced pattern is a type of parallelism, called a chiasm. The book of mormon does indeed have authentic semitic constructions in it, but lds need to tread cautiously in establishing them. Jan 01, 2004 in 1967 chiasmus was discovered in the book of mormon, and the findings were published in byu studies. Im not sure exactly what forum would be suitable for this thread. In the late 1960s, a young latterday saint discovered that an ancient form of middle eastern poetry was found throughout the book of mormon, suggestive of its ancient semitic origins. However, a recently recognized phenomenon in the book of mormon has now made it possible for us to cite many specific examples of passages in the book of mormon which bear the distinct stamp of an ancient hebraic literary form. It is claimed that the presence of chiasmus in the book of mormon is either coincidental, an artifact of the observer, or not impressive since examples of chiastic. A there is an intelligent omnipotent being, who is selfexistent and infinitely b good and benevolent matter eternally existed.
For those unfamiliar with the term, chiasmus is an ancient literary device that has been found in greek, latin, and hebrew writings. These verses from the book of mormon use chiasmus to build an argument for embracing god. Chiasmus in the book of mormon philosophies of men. Why is the presence of chiasmus in the book of mormon significant. Sloan, journal of book of mormon studies, volume 6, issue 2, 1997. The discovery of apparent instances of complex chiasmus in the book of mormon. Welch discovered the presence of chiasmus on august 16, 1967 while on his mission in germany, a steady stream of publications since that time has thrown much light on this matter. Chiasmus was particularly popular in the literature of the ancient world, including hebrew, greek, ancient kiche maya, and latin, where it was used to articulate the balance of order within the text. For many additional examples of chiasmus from the writings of nephi, see the article, nephis convincing of christ through chiasmus. The discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon is one of the most.
Ezekiel is using the resurrection as a metaphor for the final triumph of israel. A complex chiasmus consists of several lines that extend the parallelism beyond two pairs of parallel elements. This compilation of groundbreaking book of mormon articles is selected from over fifty years of lds scholarship published by byu studies. For example, the book of mormon prophet might have meant. Bishop lowth, whose lectures on hebrew poetry in 1741 first introduced the name parallelism for the hebrew poetic style, pointed out that this structure, based as it is on meaning, survives translation into the prose of any language with. Let us try to understand chiasmus with the help of an example.
Time now for a few final evaluations of what we have learned about chiasmus in the book of mormon. Chiasmus has been found extensively in the bible, book of mormon, declaration of independence, and even modern speaches, raising the question as to whether chiasmus. Some have argued chiasmus is evidence of the texts historical authenticity, suggesting it reflects the semitic background of nephi and other authors of the book of mormon. Why is the presence of chiasmus in the book of mormon. The chiasm of scriptural poetry is like the refreshing reflection of the mountain in the lake. They also point out that this style was not identified as chiasmus until after the time of joseph smith. Chiasms appear in greek, latin, english and other languages, but it was most highly developed in hebrew. The discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon part 2. This volume features articles on hebraisms and chiasmus in the book of mormon, as well as articles discussing emendation of the text, naturalistic assumptions, wordprint analyses, variations between copies of the first edition, and more. The more lines in a chiasmus, the more likely it is the result of composition and not extemporaneous off the cuff speech or streamofconsciousness writing. The presence of chiasmus in a book of mormon text reveals several things about the english text itself.
Chiasmus is one of the most frequently cited evidences for the authenticity of the book of mormon. This is the landmark true story of how a young missionary serving in germany, 50 years ago, discovered chiasmus in the book of mormon. The bible, old and new testaments, abound with examples and it is accepted that it is typical of one form of hebraic. Welch discovered the presence of chiasmus on august 16, 1967 while on his mission in germany. If you analyze its structure, it is a massive chiasmus with mosiah 3.
Some lds writers are trying to establish the historicity of the book of mormon by maintaining that it contains a poetic style, sometimes used in the bible, called chiasmus see. Chiasmus is a literary style in which words or concepts are repeated to the reader or hearer, then presented again in reverse order, in order to make a larger point. It is a parallelism in structure rather than rhyme, a parallelism of thought or idea. The loose translation theory is the theory that most lds apologists favor to explain why there are problems in the book of mormon text, such as anachronisms, kjv mistakes, etc.
Aug 18, 2017 watch book of mormon centrals new video about the discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon in john w. In addition, he has also published extensively on the history and role of chiasmus in sacred literature. The book of mormon, testifying of its past, 34, 12344321 and 123456654321. In fact, chiasmus was not searched for and discovered in the book of mormon until the late 1960s, when lds scholar john welch learned of scholarly work on chiasmus in antiquity and hypothesized that the book of mormon might contain examples as well. It was alma the younger whose conversion to the lord was so powerful and rich that it affected an entire generation at the time it happened and has since become one of the most inspirational stories recorded in the book of mormon. Welch first identified chiasmus in the book of mormon in 1967. The pattern chiasmus creates here serves to reiterate and elaborate upon ideas.
Both chiasmus and antimetabole can be used to reinforce antithesis. Welch discovered the presence of chiasmus on august 16, 1967 while on his mission in germany, and since that time, chiasmus has served as a profound witness for the beauty and complexity of the book of mormon. Chiasmus in alma 36 handouts for alpine north stake book. Chiasmus in the book of mormon brigham young university. Chiasmus in the book of mormon thoughts and truth from the. Chiasmus is both a necessary and natural way of understanding book of mormon literature. Book of mormonevidenceshebraismschiasmus fairmormon. Chiasmus in the book of mormon 73 name he used for chiasmus in 1854 however john forbesforbes4forbess completed a much more extensive study the symmetrical structures of scripture with the publication of this book it is possible to begin speaking of relatively widespread awareness of chiasmic forms in the bible a wave of other writers fol lowed forbes and in 1860 a section on chiasmus. For example, parallelisms, which abound in the book of mormon, serve many functions.
Hebraisms that could have been known to joseph smith may still be authentic, and may still enhance our. Chiasmus in the book of mormon book of mormon central. To see this for ourselves, we had best begin with an example of chiasmus. Mormons are appealing to examples of chiasmus in the book of. Chiasmus in the book of mormon mormonism, the mormon church.
Some claim that the presence of chiasmus in the book of mormon is either coincidental, an artifact of the observer, or not impressive since examples of chiastic patterns have been found in the doctrine and covenants or other 19th century writing. Chiasmus is a sophisticated literary device that ranges from the most simple, as illustrated above, to complex examples. Select one of the links above to view examples of chiasmus in various books of the book of mormon. This process, termed conceptual chiasmus, uses a crisscrossing rhetorical structure to cause an overlapping of intellectual space. Video on the discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon. Aug 29, 2017 in august 1967, fifty years ago this month, john welch was a young latterday saint on his mission in germany. Since then, two organizations farms and fraa have published extensive literature to show that the book of mormon translated by joseph smith jr. The reflection and the mountain converge at the base. Definition, usage and a list of chiasmus examples in common speech and literature. Book of mormon commentary alma 36 page 1 of 12 chiasmus in alma 36 my son give ear to my words v. This discovery has had a profound impact on book of mormon. Conference sponsors book of mormon central byu studies conference cosponsors. Aug 11, 2009 i first heard about chiasmus in the book of mormon as a student at byu.
Several fine examples of chiasmus an abba pattern are also found in the book of mormon. Since then, two organizations farms and fraa have published extensive literature to show that the book of mormon translated by. Bishop lowth, whose lectures on hebrew poetry in 1741 first introduced the name parallelism for the hebrew poetic style, pointed out that this structure, based as it is on meaning, survives translation into the prose of any language. What can we learn from 10 of the best chiasms in the book of mormon. It is basically inverted parallelism where words, phrases, or concepts are introduced in ascending order and then repeated in descending order.
Chiasmus is the reversing of the order of words in the second of two parallel phrases or sentences. Another famous author of the book of mormon who creatively employed the principles of chiasmus to great advantage was alma the younger. I initially made it in the forum where i found the original. His findings were truly surprising, revealing that clear, distinct, and elegant passages of. Chiasmus and book of mormon textual studies deseret book. The prophets occasionally used similes in parallelism, as the following double simile. Chiastic analysis displays the orderliness of the text, proving that the text is not chaotic, random, or devoid of form. In the first place, we have demonstrated the extensive existence of chiasmus in the book of mormon beyond any possible doubt. In the simplest sense, the term chiasmus applies to almost all crisscross structures, and this is a concept that is common these days. A literary structure known as chiasmus exists in the book of mormon. Some of these examples may seem to be compelling, but when closely examined, they turn out to be little more than wishful thinking. It is claimed that the presence of chiasmus in the book of mormon is either coincidental, an artifact of the observer, or not impressive since examples of chiastic patterns have been found in the doctrine and covenants or other 19th century. Chiasmus is a poetic form that is common in ancient hebrew texts. No one in america, let alone in western new york, fully understood chiasmus in 1830.
In the simplest, broadest sense, a chiasmus is a literary device that uses inverted parallelism, which can be labelled as a b b a. What is chiasmus and why is it so important in the book of. Chiasmus in the book of mormon religious studies center. Joseph smith had been dead ten full years before john forbess book was published in scotland.
How chiasmus was discovered in the book of mormon greg welch duration. Several fine examples of chiasmus an abba pattern are also found in. Jan 01, 2012 if you engage lds apologists long enough, eventually youre bound to come across the topic of chiasmus in the book of mormon. For this article i am going to discuss an ancient literary form known as chiasmus. Notice that the second half of this sentence is an inverted form of the first half, both grammatically and logically. Does chiasmus appear in the book of mormon by chance. Kwaku has a moment during this episode and ian questions whether or not ubiquitous is actually a word. The chiastic structure, according to welch, is as follows. The presence of chiasmus in mayan texts may only disclose that the rhetorical device can emerge independently in the writings of an isolated ancient culture. Many latterday saints point out that the use of chiasmus in the book of mormon is proof that joseph smith translated a script that was hebrew in origin, since the chiasmus had not yet been discovered when the book of mormon was translated in 1829. This article provides an introduction to chiasmus, explaining what it is and why mormons think it is evidence for the book of mormon, giving examples from the bible, and discussing whether the book of mormon contains clear instances of chiasmus. The most famous example of this is chapter 36 of the book of alma. Examples of chiasmus can be found in the book of mormon.
It is claimed that the presence of chiasmus in the book of mormon is either coincidental, an artifact of the observer, or not impressive since examples of chiastic patterns have been found in the doctrine and. The phenomenon which makes that possible is the presence of chiasmus in the book of mormon. A chiasm or chiasmus if you rather is a writing style that uses a unique repetition pattern for clarification and emphasis. The better chiasmus in the book of mormon than even the beautiful one in alma 36 is king benjamins speech. They claim that such findings support claims of hebrew origins in the text on the basis that. He has since spent much time studying chiasmus in the book of mormon, the bible, and other sacred literature. Oct 03, 2017 the crew talks about chiasmus in book of mormon. If chiasmus can be convincingly identified in the book of mormon, it will testify of the book s ancient origin. So it is, in my opinion, with the issue of chiasmus in the book of mormon. Latin also uses chiasmus with adjectivenoun combinations. After attending a lecture in which the presence of a compositional feature called chiasmus in matthew was mentioned as an example of its hebraic style, welch began looking for chiasmus while he was reading the book of mormon in german. Joseph smith had been dead ten full years before john forbess book.
Chiasmus in the book of mormon judaicaworld archives. Nevertheless, we would expect it to be present in central america if writings of the book of mormon peoples endured and influenced ancient groups of american peoples. Chiasmus is a rhetorical device in which two or more clauses are balanced against each other by the reversal of their structures in order to produce an artistic effect. Poetic parallelisms in the book of mormon byu scholarsarchive. The metaphor of bitter gall is one that alma might have derived from the. In 1967 chiasmus was discovered in the book of mormon, and the findings were published in byu studies. Conceptual chiasmus utilizes specific linguistic choices, often metaphors, to create a connection between two differing disciplines. The use of chiasmus is popular in greek, latin and english languages, especially in shakespeares works, the hebrew texts of the bible, analects of confucius and the book of mormon. The following paragraphs examine some of the facets of a text revealed by the presence of chiasmus. Chiasmus is a biblical literary form, where the writer lists certain key words or ideas in one order, and then goes back and repeats them in the opposite order. Oct 05, 2012 because mormons claim that examples of chiastic writing in the book of mormon help authenticate the book. Thomasson sees center of this overarching chiasm as the atonement at alma 34. The idea is that joseph had literary license to kind of wing it as he translated.
John welch graduated from duke law school in 1972 and is now a professor of law in the j. Probably the example of book of mormon chiasmus most cited and most heralded is. In this passage, every single phrase is mirrored by a related phrase. Chiasmus as used in the book or mormon are similar to.
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