Chiasmus in the scriptures biblical chiasm exchange. His research into literary forms in ancient scriptures led him to the original discovery in 1967 of chiasmus in the book of mormon. In a chiasmus, the text contains repetitions that are structured to form a precisely. Since then, two organizations farms and fraa have published extensive literature to show that the book of mormon translated by joseph smith jr. Does chiasmus prove anything about the book of mormon. Nevertheless, i believed that book of mormon was true in a specific, historical way. Jubilee marks 50 years from book of mormon chiasmus. The pattern chiasmus creates here serves to reiterate and elaborate upon ideas. 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 book was republished in 1992 and the preface written by two academics summarises the reception of the original book.
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. Chiasmus in the book of mormon is evidence of an ancient origin, not conclusive proof. The chiastic structure, according to welch, is as follows. In fact, many nursery rhymes have this same type of structure e. 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. It is also found throughout the quran and 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. It is claimed that the presence of chiasmus in the book of mormon is either. Chiasmus in the book of mormon philosophies of men. Published in the new era, february 1972, pages 611. The discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon part 2.
Now, 50 years since welchs discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon, we see that his find is still reverberating in scholarly publications on the book of mormon. Especially when we depart from the strict definition of a chiasm, and note that there. Various chiastic structures are also seen in the hebrew bible, the new testament, the book of mormon, and the quran. Chiasmus and book of mormon textual studies deseret book. What a nonlds scholar said about chiasmus mormanity. Chiasmus is both a necessary and natural way of understanding book of mormon literature. Chiasmus in the book of mormon mormonism, the mormon church. 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 literary structure known as chiasmus exists in the book of mormon.
More often than not, the prophets of the book of mormon use chiasmus as a device through which they can focus our attention. What is chiasmus and how is it used in the book of mormon. On the impact of chiasmus on book of mormon studies, see robert f. Chiasmus is an elegant literary device where parallel phrases are inverted. While the second definition requires a degree of intentionality on the part of the. 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.
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. The academic study of chiasmus in modern times can be dated to the work of nils wilhelm lund who published articles in 1930 and 1931 and then a book entitled chiasmus in the new testament in 1942. Chiasmus in the book of mormon religious studies center. So it is, in my opinion, with the issue of chiasmus in the book of mormon. At the other end of the spectrum, definitions and limits are hard to. A there is an intelligent omnipotent being, who is selfexistent and infinitely b good and benevolent matter eternally existed. 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. These verses from the book of mormon use chiasmus to build an argument for. Why is the presence of chiasmus in the book of mormon significant. Definition, usage and a list of chiasmus examples in common speech and literature.
The search for a connection in the bible and book of mormon this site is in the process of being replaced. Chiasmus, the book of mormon, and the aquarian gospel. The inverse parallelism that is the defining characteristic of chiasmus is thought to be difficult if not impossible to explain if joseph smith was the author. First, chiasmus in the book of mormon demonstrates that the text is orderly, complex, rich, and aesthetically pleasing. 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. Does chiasmus appear in the book of mormon by chance. In 1967 chiasmus was discovered in the book of mormon, and the findings were published in byu studies. Nov 09, 2011 since its discovery in the book of mormon in 1967, it has fascinated latterday saints. Since chiasmus occurs in many languages its use in the book of mormon does not prove either its semitic origin or that it is a style peculiar to inspired ancient scripture. 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. These verses from the book of mormon use chiasmus to build an argument for embracing god.
It is a parallelism in structure rather than rhyme, a parallelism of thought or idea. The first page of the book claims that it was written in the language of the egyptians but according to the learning of the jews. Chiasmus usually occurs on the sentence level, but can also be found in much broader structures that is, you might have a paragraph that talks about a town, a state, a country, and the world, then goes back down in reverse order at the end. Aug 18, 2017 watch book of mormon centrals new video about the discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon in john w.
Chiasmus is a poetic form that is common in ancient hebrew texts. 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. Today, chiasmus is applied fairly broadly to any criss. Joseph smith published the book of mormon in 1830 in western new york. It is just one of several complex forms of literary parallelism that are common to other ancient semitic writings. Why and how did alma explain the meaning of the word. 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. Serving in the lds south german mission at the time, in the city. 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. Now comes the question of chiasmus in the book of mormon. This year marks 50 years since the discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon on august 16, 1967. Chiasmus in the book of mormon brigham young university. This compilation of groundbreaking book of mormon articles is selected from over fifty years of lds scholarship published by byu studies. A concise definition of chiasmus along with usage tips, an expanded.
Book of mormonanthropologylanguagehebraismschiasmus. It no longer contains current data and will be sunset by april 30, 2020. To celebrate this 50th anniversary, through 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 literature. In the first place, we have demonstrated the extensive existence of chiasmus in the book of mormon beyond any possible doubt. Some of these examples may seem to be compelling, but when closely examined, they turn out to be little more than wishful thinking. Includes six copies as well as letters to the editor and handwritten notes. Welch discovered a variety of instances of chiasmus in the book of mormon and along with his discovery came attention to the phenomenon. Time now for a few final evaluations of what we have learned about 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. The phenomenon which makes that possible is the presence of chiasmus in the book of mormon. Video on the discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon. Chiasmus was later discovered to be not uncommon, to exist in modern non religious writing, proposed as innate to human thinking and communication, and certainly insufficient to prove the book of mormon.
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. The smallest building blocks words, phrases, or ideas that are used to define the chiastic structure itself must be applied consistently in identifying and accounting. The discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon is one of the most significant scholarly contributions to understanding and appreciating the nephite record. In this passage, every single phrase is mirrored by a related phrase.
Thomasson sees center of this overarching chiasm as the atonement at alma 34. Chiasmus was popular in the ancient languages like greek, latin, and especially hebrew. He has since spent much time studying chiasmus in the book of mormon, the bible, and other sacred literature. Aug 16, 2017 the discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon would have a profound impact on academic efforts to study of the book of mormon as an authentic ancient hebrew text. Welch first identified chiasmus in the book of mormon in 1967. The most commonly cited example of chiasmus in the book of mormon is the prophet almas religious experience, as recorded in alma 36. For me that meant that the people and places of the. Chiasmus in the book of mormon mormonism, the mormon. Chiasmus in the book of mormon book of mormon central. That parallelism chiasmus existed in hebrew writing was knowsin joseph smiths day in books that were available to joseph smiith.
Chiasmus in the book of mormon or the book of mormon does it again new era, 1972 february. It is found in the bible and the quran and other ancient documents. Chiasmus is one of the most frequently cited evidences for the authenticity of the book of mormon. The existence of chiasmus parallelism in the book of mormon tells nothing about whether it is an ancient work. What is chiasmus and why is it so important in the book of mormon. Chiasmus in the book of mormon thoughts and truth from. Apr 21, 2016 one of the main types of evidence to which mormons appeal in support of the authenticity of the book of mormon as ancient israelite literature is the rhetorical feature called chiasmus. 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 addition, he has also published extensively on the history and role of chiasmus in sacred literature. Chapter 15 chiasmus in the book of mormon reachout trust. Chiasmus as well as other forms of parallelism appears throughout the entirety of the book of mormon, both in prose and poetic passages. An anecdoteessay about chiasmus, truth, and the natural. The wilhelmus, the national anthem of the netherlands, has a structure composed around a thematic 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. The presence of chiasmus in the english text of the book of mormon supplies significant evidence that the book is more beautiful than people had previously thought. Essentially, chiasmus is a kind of highly structured repetition. What is chiasmus and why is it so important 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. 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.
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