It was also seen in sanskrit, mesopotamian, chinese and egyptian texts. Chiasmus and book of mormon textual studies kindle edition by various authors. Welch proposed that the appearance of chiasmus in the book of mormon strongly suggests both a hebrew background and an ancient near eastern origin for the book. For example, many long and complex chiasmi have been found in shakespeare. This discovery has had a profound impact on book of mormon. Chiasmus is essentially the same as reverse parallelism repeating words or ideas in. The most famous example of this is chapter 36 of the book of alma. Here are examples of a similar use of that in the book of mormon. So it is, in my opinion, with the issue of chiasmus in the book of mormon. It is entirely possible that descendants of the book of mormon peoples knew of the device and used it in their own records. In the simplest, broadest sense, a chiasmus is a literary device that uses inverted parallelism, which can be labelled as a b b a. Definition and examples of chiasmus figure of speech. Search through the bibliography to see all of the citations on chiasmus.
Sep 01, 2017 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 historical record has yielded no direct evidence that joseph smith actually knew about chiasmus when he translated the book of mormon in 1829, although some other people at that time did. The pattern chiasmus creates here serves to reiterate and elaborate upon ideas. But in the case of the chiasms from the book of mormon, these objections can be tossed aside as unconvincing, unsatisfactory, unimaginative, and unintelligent. The first chapter of the book claims that it was written in the language of the egyptians but according to the learning of the jews 1 nephi 1. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading chiasmus and book of mormon textual studies. That parallelism chiasmus existed in hebrew writing was knowsin joseph smiths day in books that were available to joseph smiith. Antimetabole examples resemble chiasmus, as they are marked by the inversion of structure. Farms recent defenses of the book of mormon mormonthink. 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. The professor discussed the work of father paul gaechter, a catholic priest who had written a book titled, the literary art in the gospel of matthew. 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.
The most commonly cited example of chiasmus in the book of mormon is the prophet almas religious experience, as recorded in alma 36. When i express my love for the ball, you can see it is emphasized. 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. In chiasmus, the clauses display inverted parallelism. Chiasmus as verbal judo the root pattern is called chiasmus because diagrammed, it forms an x, and the greek name for x is chi. The fact that chiasmus is found so fundamentally and extensively throughout the scribal practices in the world from which lehi came is consistent with the premise that book of mormon.
The book of mormon has many examples and, at first sight, this seems. The king james quotations in the book of mormon, the history of the text of the book of mormon. We now turn to the question of chiasmus in the book of mormon. Irony in the book of mormon book of mormon central. Book of mormon commentary alma 36 page 2 of 12 chiasmus sometimes called an inverted parallelism, is a hebrew literary form where words or ideas are arranged in a certain order and then repeated in reverse order.
Chiasmus in the book of mormon philosophies of men. Chiasmus in the book of mormon is both a necessary and a natural way of explaining some things in the book of mormon that go unaccounted for otherwise. Aug 18, 2017 wednesday was the fiftieth anniversary of welchs discovery. The discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon part 2.
A couple of months ago i had come across this very interesting article about chiasmus. Book of mormon, language, modern church, joseph smith, restoration, coming forth of the book of mormon abstract the book of mormon appears replete with examples of verbal and dramatic irony, something unlikely to have been produced intentionally by joseph smith with his level of rhetorical and expressive skills. In examples of chiasmus, however, the words and phrases are not repeated. In 1967 chiasmus was discovered in the book of mormon, and the findings were published in byu studies. The most powerful and beautiful example of chiasmus in the book of mormon and perhaps anywhere.
Contrary to past mormon claims, chiasmus was not unknown at the time of joseph smith. Chiasmus in alma 36 handouts for alpine north stake book. This year marks 50 years since the discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon on august 16, 1967. 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. Since that time, several other examples of chiasmus have been found in the book of mormon, and both lds and nonlds scholars have come to better understand how chiasmus was used in the bible, the book of mormon, and additional ancient texts from both the old and new worlds. Some of these examples may seem to be compelling, but when closely examined, they turn out to be little more than wishful thinking. A much longer and very elegant biblical example of chiasmus is leviticus 24. Welch welch, chiastic syllabus of the book of mormon, abccba.
You forget what you want to remember, and you remember what you want to forget. Chiasmus in the book of mormon book of mormon central. Today mormon scholars have recognised that this literary form was known at that time but still insist it is unlikely that smith was aware of it. The chiastic structure, according to welch, is as follows.
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. The book of mormon appears replete with examples of verbal and dramatic irony, something unlikely to have been produced intentionally by joseph smith with his level of rhetorical and expressive skills. You probably know what it is but did not know there was a name for it. In august 1967, fifty years ago this month, john welch was a young latterday saint on his mission in germany. 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. What a nonlds scholar said about chiasmus mormanity. Oct 05, 2012 does this lend weight to mormon claims. Chiasmus in the book of mormon is both a necessary and a natural way of explaining some things in the book of mormon. Anyway, i noticed that the church, in its infinite yet fallible wisdom, has included hebraic poetry in its financial policy. Indeed, the presence of chiasmus in the book of mormon may be evidence of joseph smiths own literary style and genius. 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.
Aug 11, 2009 i first heard about chiasmus in the book of mormon as a student at byu. Aug 25, 20 some of you must be wondering what chiasmus is. While there, on preparation day, he attended a lecture given by a german bible scholar. Much has been said about the use of chiasmus in the book of mormon.
No one in america, let alone in western new york, fully understood chiasmus in 1830. Video on the discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon. 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. In this passage, every single phrase is mirrored by a related phrase. The phenomenon which makes that possible is the presence of chiasmus in the book of mormon. A there is an intelligent omnipotent being, who is selfexistent and infinitely b good and benevolent matter eternally existed. 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 writing. A they humble themselves b and become as little children, c and believe that salvation.
A literary structure known as chiasmus exists in the book of mormon. This compilation of groundbreaking book of mormon articles is selected from over fifty years of lds scholarship published by byu studies. One example of dramatic irony is when alma the younger, who once was struck dumb by an angel for. And, ironically, those defending the latterday saint faith sometimes.
Welch discovered a variety of instances of chiasmus in the book of mormon and along with his discovery came attention to the phenomenon. To celebrate this 50th anniversary, throughout july and august book of mormon central will publish one knowhy each week that discusses chiasmus and its significance and value to understanding the bible, the book of mormon, and other ancient literatures. Chiasmus in the book mosiah looking further at benjamins speech, the whole of mosiah chapter3 is a chiasmus. An antimetabole is the repetition of words in consecutive clauses, but in an inverted or transposed order. Chiasmus and the book of mormon utah lighthouse ministry. The book of mormon appears replete with examples of verbal and.
Some other useful resources include the video of john welchs lecture, chiasmus in the book of mormon a masterful 54minute lesson that could be a valuable resource for a class or any serious student of the book of mormon. Its discovery in the book of mormon is for many a convincing evidence that. Chiasmus in the book of mormon the discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon is one of the most significant scholarly contributions to understanding and appreciating the nephite record. Learn more through the examples of chiasmus, as given in this article. We see this in alma which means the book of mormon must be true.
It refers to a grammatical structure that inverts a previous phrase. Chiasmus in the book of mormon is both a necessary and a natural way of explaining some things in. Literary structure chiasm, chiasmus of epistle of james. Chiasmus in the book of mormon religious studies center. What is chiasmus and why is it so important in the book of. The most important way nephi used it, however, was to testify of christ. It reminds me more of the example of chiasmus cited in the ces letter than something written by a master of the form like isaiah. Chiasmus in mayan texts book of mormon archaeological forum. Benjamin tells us that the message of this chapter was given to him by an angel. Chiasmus and book of mormon textual studies kindle edition.
Since then, two organizations farms and fraa have published extensive literature to show that the book of mormon translated by joseph smith jr. Chiasmus for students and children admin january 7, 2018 figures of speech leave a comment 1,523 views survey proves that not even one in ten people would know what a chiasmus is. For those unfamiliar with the term, chiasmus is an ancient literary device that has been found in greek, latin, and hebrew writings. 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. Probably the example of book of mormon chiasmus most cited and most. The structure is strongly chiastic, but there are some very sophisticated and elegant perturbations which have been the subject of careful and lengthy analysis welch, 1991, welch, 1989, and brown, 1988. Chiasms appear in greek, latin, english and other languages, but it was most highly developed in hebrew. Chiasmus in the book of mormon byu scholarsarchive. To see this for ourselves, we had best begin with an example of chiasmus. Be sure to read john welchs chapter, chiasmus in the book of mormon.
This adam clarke information gives grist for the mill of those who think joseph wrote the book of mormon, for sure. The existence of chiasmus parallelism in the book of mormon tells nothing about whether it is an ancient work. 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. Serving in the lds south german mission at the time, in the city. For some it is a work of ancient origin, for others it is a dubious hoax full of inaccuracies and anachronisms.
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. Chiasmus in the book of mormon may, therefore, help readers more deeply appreciate the literary brilliance of the book while simultaneously increasing confidence in its authenticity as an ancient text and elevating faith in its concerted testimony of jesus christ, who is without doubt the central figure of this sacred record. Book of mormon central byu studies conference cosponsors harold b. Because mormons claim that examples of chiastic writing in the book of mormon help authenticate the book. Chiasmus for students and children chiasmus, colloquially, is called the crisscross figure of speech. These verses from the book of mormon use chiasmus to build an argument for embracing god. The early prophetwriter nephi was one of the most skilled authors at using this literary form, and he employed it in a number of ways. It is basically inverted parallelism where words, phrases, or concepts are introduced in ascending order and then repeated in descending order. Chiasmus and book of mormon textual studies deseret book. For this article i am going to discuss an ancient literary form known as chiasmus. Chiasmus in the book of abraham pearl of great price central. Aug 29, 2017 since welchs discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon fifty years ago, chiasmus has become one of the most frequently cited evidences for the authenticity of the book of mormon as ancient literature, and therefore as having been translated miraculously by joseph smith. 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. 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.
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. When john kennedy constructed his famous bromide, ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country, he went to the well of antithesis for his active ingredient. How did biblical and ancient near eastern authors use. Chiasmus in the book of mormon may, therefore, help readers more deeply appreciate the literary brilliance of the book while simultaneously increasing confidence in its authenticity as an ancient text and elevating faith in its concerted testimony of jesus christ, who is. Read more about examples of metrical chiasmus in acrostic psalms. This article will show you the importance of chiasmus and how to use it. Practically since the day the book of mormon rolled off the press in 1830, those who believed in the book asserted that it obviously read like a hebrew text. Chiasmus is one of the most frequently cited evidences for the authenticity of the book of mormon. Chiasms appear in greek, latin, english and other languages, but it. Book of mormonevidenceshebraismschiasmus fairmormon. I found a solid example of chiasmus in tsccs financial. But knowing about parallelism and being able to write mosiah 25 or alma 36 are two very different. In chiasmus, the words do not have to be repeatedthe second sentence does not just reverse. Chiasmus in the book of mormon mormonism, the mormon church.
In chiasmus, the emphasis is on the middle phrases. Perhaps welch could have strengthened his premise by demonstrating that the parallel members in the book of mormon consist of semitic word pairs, the basis of ancient hebrew poetry. Select one of the links above to view examples of chiasmus in various books of the book of mormon. Now, 50 years since welchs discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon, we see that his find is. Indeed, it is ironic that the very arguments meant to authenticate the book of. They claim that such findings support claims of hebrew origins in the text on the basis that.
Chiasmus in the book of mormon thoughts and truth from the. Bro doug maughans book of mormon doctrines and evidences class ppt. Joseph smith had been dead ten full years before john forbess book was published in scotland. Chiasmus is words that are skillfully repeated in reverse order to express an idea or opinion which are often entertaining and witty. 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. Lee library special collections byu religious education. 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. Chiasmus is a sophisticated literary device that ranges from the most simple, as illustrated above, to complex examples. Chiasmus in the book of mormon mormonism, the mormon.
The assumption that the book of mormon is western literature is not universally held. Both chiasmus and antimetabole can be used to reinforce antithesis. Chiasmus, or inverted parallelism, is a twopart literary structure or system in which the second half is a mirror image of the first, i. Chiasmus an open conference on the state of the art august 15 august 16, 2017 joseph smith building auditorium, brigham young university. Literary structure chiasm, chiasmus of epistle of james chiastic structure and concentric structure and parallel of each pericope 1salutation james 1. Ironically, the careful application of welchs criteria to his proposed.
Those who were not so credulous insisted that it obviously read like anything but a hebrew text. Examples of chiasmus can be found in the book of mormon. The chiasmus in the book of mormon are highly structured features, some of. Chiasmus is the term for a rhetorical device in which a sentence or phrase is followed by a sentence or phrase that reverses the structure and order of the first one. Jan 01, 2004 in 1967 chiasmus was discovered in the book of mormon, and the findings were published in byu studies. This is the landmark true story of how a young missionary serving in germany, 50 years ago, discovered chiasmus in the book of mormon. If chiasmus can be convincingly identified in the book of mormon, it will testify of the book s ancient origin.
314 759 10 20 908 1344 1366 607 949 536 688 363 533 1511 183 1399 135 190 1202 614 978 1513 1556 830 909 1180 536 360 956 1 256 1442 982 1358 475 88 487 503 405 640 1344 1360 46 81