Religious studies center, brigham young university, 1982, 3352. Welch reported his discovery of manyelement chiasms in the book of mormon, which joseph smith testified to have translated from plates written anciently by hebrew descendants. Watch skousens lecture series on the book of mormon. Jan 01, 2004 in 1967 chiasmus was discovered in the book of mormon, and the findings were published in byu studies. To celebrate this day, we held a gala event on august 16th, for a chiasmus jubilee hosted and organized by byu studies and book of mormon central. Some of these examples may seem to be compelling, but when closely examined, they turn out to be little more than wishful thinking.
In reading bible commentaries, students will often encounter figures displaying chiastic patterns. It is basically inverted parallelism where words, phrases, or concepts are introduced in ascending order and then repeated in descending order. This discovery has changed the way we forever approach book of mormon scholarship. 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. Discoveries in chiasmus, 2nd edition deseret book company. Chiasmus and book of mormon textual studies kindle. Your browser does not currently recognize any of the video formats available. According to most adherents of the latter day saint movement, the book of mormon is a 19thcentury translation of a record of ancient inhabitants of the american continent, which was written in a script which the book refers to as reformed egyptian. 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. Actually, the only thing that became obvious was the fact that neither the believers nor the unbelievers were cit ing very many specific examples. This discovery has had a profound impact on book of mormon. The existence of chiasmusparallelism in the book of mormon tells nothing about whether it. Religious studies center, brigham young university, 1982, 3352 chiasmus in the book of mormon. Each tab specializes in a particular area of scholarship in the field.
The phenomenon which makes that possible is the presence of chiasmus in the book of mormon. 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. Contains the documents and studies related to jack welchs research into chiasmus in scriptural and other ancient texts. Since then, two organizations farms and fraa have published extensive literature to show that the book of mormon translated by joseph smith jr. Greg carlston summarizes how to discover chiasmus in the writings of the prophets, and diagrams chiasmus across the entire 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. In 1967 chiasmus was discovered in the book of mormon, and the findings were published in byu studies. Means, motive, and opportunity this year marks the 50th anniversary of the discovery of chiasmus, an ancient poetic writing style, in the book of mormon. Chiasmus is an elegant literary device where parallel phrases are inverted. The event was sponsored by byu studies and book of mormon central, a private nonprofit organization that seeks to. The overall structure of the speech is chiastic and houses smaller chiasms within it. Chiasmus is an invertedparallel literary form that was employed by. The latterday saint movement studies research guide highlights essential resources in the study of all religious groups associated with joseph smith, jr. 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.
Book of mormonanthropologylanguagehebraismschiasmus. President of the foundation for ancient research and mormon studies, he has contributed to byu studies and is coauthor and general editor of the recently published book, chiasmus in antiquity. 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 following charts offer a few samples of such literary arrangements. Elder holland speaks at book of mormon chiasmus conference. In 1967, while serving in the lds south german mission, welch and his companion attended a lecture in the catholic priesterseminar which talked about the use of chiasmus in. 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. A great jubilee celebration is being held at byu this week to commemorate it.
Chiasmus in the book of mormon while on a mission in germany in 1967 john welch attended a catholictaught class on the new testament. Chiasmus is one of the most frequently cited evidences for the authenticity of the book of mormon. The discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon part 2, knowhy. Denver snuffer introduces the concept of chiasmus and provides broad context for understanding its impact. Includes articles and books related to chiasmus in the book of mormon, old and new testaments, doctrine and covenants, and pearl of great price, as well as the works of homer and ancient jewish literature. Welch, an attorney specializing in tax matters, joined the faculty of the j.
These scriptural quests were broadly addressed when in 1979 welch established the foundation for ancient research and mormon studies farms, a nonprofit organization noted for its scholarly work on the book of mormon and other ancient. The discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon is one of the most significant scholarly contributions to. Chiasmus and book of mormon textual studies kindle edition. Select one of the links above to view examples of chiasmus in various books of the book of mormon. That parallelism chiasmus existed in hebrew writing was knowsin joseph smiths day in books that were available to joseph smiith. For those unfamiliar with the term, chiasmus is an ancient literary device that has been found in greek, latin, and hebrew writings. And now it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall not take upon him the name of christ must be called by some other name. This volume features articles on hebraisms and chiasmus in the book of mormon, as well as articles discussing emendation of the text, naturalistic assumptions. Welch, criteria for identifying and evaluating the presence of chiasmus, journal of book of mormon studies 42 1995. Be sure to read john welchs chapter, chiasmus in the book of mormon.
Robertss study which was published posthumously in 1985 as studies of 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. At this point, one cannot establish a clear connection between near eastern use of chiasmus, its use in the book of mormon, and mayan use of chiasmus. How a young missionary discovered chiasmus in the book of.
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. Chiasmus in the book of mormon mormonism, the mormon. Skousen is professor of linguistics and english language at byu. In the simplest, broadest sense, a chiasmus is a literary device that uses inverted parallelism, which can be labelled as. Pinnock of the first quorum of the seventy, although feeling that such study is faithpromoting, also cautioned. This volume examines the first two books of nephi, with articles on focusing on the experiences and writings of the first two book of mormon prophets. Chiasmus and book of mormon textual studies ebook by byu. Chiasmus in the book of mormon mormonism, the mormon church. Chiasmus in the book of mormon religious studies center. Reynolds, nephis outline in byu studies 202 1980, 4. An anonymous author similarly suggests that chiasms in the book of mormon are the result of the incredible amount of repetition contained therein, and are well within the bounds of probability. So it is, in my opinion, with the issue of chiasmus in the book of mormon. Chiasmus was popular in the ancient languages like greek, latin, and especially hebrew. 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.
Chiasmus in the book of mormon brigham young university. Indeed, the presence of chiasmus in the book of mormon may be evidence of joseph smiths own literary style and genius. Repetition of grammatical structures in inverted order not to be mistaken with antimetabole, in which identical words are repeated and inverted. In 1969, welch published an article on the subject in byu studies. 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. 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.
Aug 11, 2009 i first heard about chiasmus in the book of mormon as a student at byu. Chiasmus in the book of mormon byu scholarsarchive. Aug 22, 2016 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 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. It is found in the bible and the quran and other ancient documents. What is chiasmus and how is it used 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. Chiasmus and book of mormon textual studies deseret book. Does chiasmus appear in the book of mormon by chance.
Foundation for ancient research and mormon studies, isbn 9780934893251 hugh w. Chiasmus and book of mormon textual studies byu studies. Watch book of mormon centrals new video about the discovery of. Why is the presence of chiasmus in the book of mormon significant. Chiasmus in the book of mormon book of mormon central. Book of mormon, government and legal history in the. In some cases, the authors undoubtedly intended to use that form for literary effect that is, by design. Chiasmus and several varieties of inverted parallel structures are found in many places in the new testament. Home world elder holland speaks at book of mormon chiasmus conference. This compilation of groundbreaking book of mormon articles is selected from over fifty years of lds scholarship published by byu studies. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Why is the presence of chiasmus in the book of mormon. New testament charts charting the new testament offers a world of information about the new testament and its background. An instance of this form, called a chiasm, presents two or more literary elements, and then restates them in reverse order.
Now, 50 years since welchs discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon, we see that his find is. Welch, chiasmus in the book of mormon, brigham young university studies 10 no. This book is a compilation or anthology of the some of the best and most current research on chiasmus in the church. Byu studies and book of mormon central held a twoday conference on byus campus on tuesday, august 15th and wednesday, august 16th. Chiasmus and book of mormon textual studies kindle edition by various authors. This discovery has had a profound impact on book of mormon studies, including being a catalyst to the founding of farms, the maxwell institute. Chiasmus is an invertedparallel literary form that was employed by ancient hebrew biblical writers, among others. Chiasmus in mayan texts book of mormon archaeological forum. I first heard about chiasmus in the book of mormon as a student at byu. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading chiasmus and book of mormon textual studies.
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. 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. Chiasmus appears often in the book of mormon, another proof of its authenticity as an ancient hebrew text. Welchs discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon has sparked. Farrell 2004 does chiasmus appear in the book of mormon by chance. Byu studies quarterly volume 10issue 1 article 10 111970 chiasmus in the book of mormon john w. If you engage lds apologists long enough, eventually youre bound to come across the topic of chiasmus in the book of mormon.
He has spent a quarter century meticulously studying the original and printers manuscripts of the book of mormon. It contains more than 200 charts, tables, and graphs, each with in depth explanation and introductory material in a readerfriendly format. Welch, chiasmus in the book of mormon, in book of mormon authorship. Aug 29, 2017 in 1969, welch published an article on the subject in byu studies. The chiastic structure, according to welch, is as follows. This database includes records of those publications within byu studies of a literary nature. Each of these authorpresenters includes a powerful and unique perspective comprising the separate chapters of the book. Book of mormonevidenceshebraismschiasmus fairmormon. Welch is among the most prominent pupils of hugh nibley, having made important discoveries in ancient texts. This claim, as well as all claims to historical authenticity of the book of mormon, are rejected by nonlatter day saint historians and scientists. Guidelines for such analysis can be found at john w. Welch 1946 discovered chiasmus in the book of mormon and founded the foundation for ancient research and mormon studies farms. Those who were not so credulous insisted that it obviously read like anything but a hebrew text. Chiasmus and the book of mormon utah lighthouse ministry.