In chiasmus, the clauses display inverted parallelism. Definition, usage and a list of chiasmus examples in common speech and literature. What is chiasmus and why is it so important in the book of. The chiastic structure, according to welch, is as follows. In the first place, we have demonstrated the extensive existence of chiasmus in the book of mormon.
Chiasmus and book of mormon textual studies deseret book. Also consider that there are several examples in the book of mormon, including alma 36, which is one of the best chiasmus anywhere. Mormons are appealing to examples of chiasmus in the book of. Examples of chiasmus can be found in the book of mormon. But knowing about parallelism and being able to write mosiah 25 or alma 36 are two very different. Chiasmus in the book of mormon mormonism, the mormon church. Time now for a few final evaluations of what we have learned about chiasmus in the book of mormon. Chiasmus is one of the most frequently cited evidences for the authenticity of the book of mormon. 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. Chiasmus in the book of mormon judaicaworld archives. 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. Welch discovered a variety of instances of chiasmus in the book of mormon and along with his discovery came attention to the phenomenon. For example, loving others and living with differences october 2014 and love.
Chiasmus for students and children chiasmus, colloquially, is called the crisscross figure of speech. A there is an intelligent omnipotent being, who is selfexistent and infinitely b good and benevolent matter eternally existed. 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. The most commonly cited example of chiasmus in the book of mormon is the prophet almas religious experience, as recorded in alma 36. Book of mormonevidenceshebraismschiasmus fairmormon. Alma used chiasmus to tell the story of his conversion to his son helaman. Now, 50 years since welchs discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon, we see that his find is. Learn more through the examples of chiasmus, as given in this article. An effective extended metaphor is almas comparison of the word of god to a seed. Indeed, the presence of chiasmus in the book of mormon may be evidence of joseph smiths own literary style and genius. Chiasms appear in greek, latin, english and other languages, but it. In 1967 chiasmus was discovered in the book of mormon, and the findings were published in byu studies. This is the talk page for discussing improvements to the chiasmus article. A much longer and very elegant biblical example of chiasmus is leviticus 24.
Chiasmus, the book of mormon, and the aquarian gospel. Found embedded in the narrative of the book of mormon, poetry provides the best examples of the essential connection between form and content in the book of mormon. The structure of a chiasmus is pretty simple, so they arent difficult to craft. Chiasm is not just simple repetition it also involves an intensification or an aspect of completion in the second half. Click here to start a new topic please sign and date your posts by typing four tildes new to.
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. Read more about examples of metrical chiasmus in acrostic psalms. The discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon is one of the most. 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 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. Why is the presence of chiasmus in the book of mormon significant. Continuing this metaphor, this chiasm explains how these sides govern as. 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. Definition and examples of chiasmus figure of speech.
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. Some of these examples may seem to be compelling, but when closely examined, they turn out to be little more than wishful thinking. 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. 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. Book of mormonanthropologylanguagehebraismschiasmus. 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.
For me a classic example of substance i hope for and evidence of things i have not seen is the 531 pages of the book of mormon. The pattern chiasmus creates here serves to reiterate and elaborate upon ideas. Search through the bibliography to see all of the citations on chiasmus. Such simple examples of chiasmus are well known in english speech. 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. Be sure to read john welchs chapter, chiasmus in the book of mormon.
In august 1967, fifty years ago this month, john welch was a young latterday saint on his mission in germany. 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. Chiasmus an open conference on the state of the art august 15 august 16, 2017 joseph smith building auditorium, brigham young university. It was also seen in sanskrit, mesopotamian, chinese and egyptian texts.
The chiasmus in the book of mormon are highly structured features, some of. When many inspired words of the lord, angels, and prophets are analyzed according to ancient verse forms, their meaning can be more readily perceived. In chiasmus, the words do not have to be repeatedthe second sentence does not just reverse. Many of these chiasms have been identified and discussed, 3 but very little research has been done on the use of chiasmus in other ancient american writings. 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. Alma makes this spiritual turning point the literary focal point of this entire chapter, one of the finest examples of chiastic composition anywhere in world literature. 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.
The metaphor of bitter gall is one that alma might have derived from the. Chiasmus in the book of mormon philosophies of men. If this is a genuine chiasmus, welch is correct in saying that the book of mormon appears to reflect ancient rhetorical styles and that such a long and complex chiasmus is unlikely to have been. Chiasms appear in greek, latin, english and other languages, but it was most highly developed in hebrew.
It is entirely possible that descendants of the book of mormon peoples knew of the device and used it in their own records. In this passage, every single phrase is mirrored by a related phrase. Why is the presence of chiasmus in the book of mormon. To see this for ourselves, we had best begin with an example of chiasmus. For this article i am going to discuss an ancient literary form known as chiasmus. But in the case of the chiasms from the book of mormon, these objections can be tossed aside as unconvincing, unsatisfactory, unimaginative, and unintelligent. We now turn to the question of chiasmus in the book of mormon. 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. This article will also show you the importance of hyperbole and how to use it. We had a guest on our show and many of you know him already. Chiasmus is both a necessary and natural way of understanding book of mormon literature.
I initially made it in the forum where i found the original. 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. Oct 03, 2017 we had a guest on our show and many of you know him already. Does chiasmus appear in the book of mormon by chance. Chiasmus and the book of mormon utah lighthouse ministry. A scripture wellknown to latterday saints is a good example of a.
The assumption that the book of mormon is western literature is not universally held. 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. 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. They claim that such findings support claims of hebrew origins in the text on the basis that. Ezekiel is using the resurrection as a metaphor for the final triumph of israel. John welch tells the remarkable story of being a young missionary and discovering chiasmus. Hyperbole is an exaggeration which is obvious, extreme, and intentional. Probably the example of book of mormon chiasmus most cited and most heralded is. For example, parallelisms, which abound in the book of mormon, serve many. The existence of chiasmus parallelism in the book of mormon tells nothing about whether it is an ancient work.
Chiasmus in the book mosiah looking further at benjamins speech, the whole of mosiah chapter3 is a chiasmus. Chiasmus in the book of mormon book of mormon central. 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. For some it is a work of ancient origin, for others it is a dubious hoax full of inaccuracies and anachronisms. John welch, who discovered chiasmus in the book of mormon in 1967 wrote the following.
Definition, usage and a list of hyperbole examples in common speech and literature. This is not a forum for general discussion of the articles subject put new text under old text. Five are in templesaturated utah, where the church is able to follow the example of joseph smith and capitalize on increased property values after a temple announcement. Welch discovered the presence of chiasmus on august 16, 1967 while on his mission in germany.
Book of mormon central byu studies conference cosponsors harold b. Chiastic form can give order, emphasis, and completeness to longer passages, such as in the 58th psalm. If this was the only sort of chiasmus to be found in the book of mormon, then it would be weak evidence, at best, of any sort of ancient origin for the text. What can we learn from 10 of the best chiasms in the book of mormon.
They also provide useful background information and other insights. 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. So it is, in my opinion, with the issue of chiasmus in the book of mormon. 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. 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. This adam clarke information gives grist for the mill of those who think joseph wrote the book of mormon, for sure. From the day the book of mormon rolled off the press in 1830, those who gave it credence asserted that it obviously read like a hebrew text. Since that time, a steady stream of publications has greatly illuminated this profound and ancient literary feature.
Chiasmus as verbal judo the root pattern is called chiasmus because diagrammed, it forms an x, and the greek name for x is chi. This article provides a fairly basic overview of the issue. The king james quotations in the book of mormon, the history of the text of the book of mormon. 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. Select one of the links above to view examples of chiasmus in various books of the book of mormon.
Chiasmus in the book of mormon religious studies center. For example, many long and complex chiasmi have been found in shakespeare. One can read the book of mormon as canonized scripture, to guide the church. These verses from the book of mormon use chiasmus to build an argument for embracing god. Alma 36 analyzing the text lds scripture teachings. Since then, two organizations farms and fraa have published extensive literature to show that the book of mormon translated by joseph smith jr. Stephen smoot is back and he is going deep on this episode. It is also found throughout the quran and the book of mormon. Byu and gospel doctrine teachers have touted chiasmus as evidence of the book of mormon s hebrew origins, guess this means raja manchou of vorito was also a hebrew. 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.
The authors find that examples of chiasmus in the book of abraham or the doctrine and covenants are likely to be due to chance, but several wellknown examples of chiasmus in the book of mormon appear to be intentional with a high level of confidence. Lee library special collections byu religious education. Aug 18, 2017 wednesday was the fiftieth anniversary of welchs discovery. Title page of the book of mormon chapter heading 1 nephi 1 an account of their sufferings 1 nephi 1 i, nephi, having been born 1 nephi 4 he promised and he also made an oath 1 nephi 14 angel tells nephi of blessings and curses. Clear explanation of when and how to write a chiasmus. We at yourdictionary have gathered together antimetabole and chiasmus examples from the best in literature and oratory to give you a better picture of what chiasmus is all about. Im not sure exactly what forum would be suitable for this thread. That parallelism chiasmus existed in hebrew writing was knowsin joseph smiths day in books that were available to joseph smiith. These forms include line forms, symmetry, parallelism, and chiastic patterns. Video on the discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon. Chiasmus in the book of mormon is both a necessary and a natural way of explaining some things in the book of mormon. All you have to do is make up the first half of the sentence, and then flip a couple of words around for the second half. Chiasmus in the book of mormon mormonism, the mormon.
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. The phenomenon which makes that possible is the presence of chiasmus in 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. 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. How did biblical and ancient near eastern authors use. While there, on preparation day, he attended a lecture given by a german bible scholar. Actually, all that became obvious was the failure of both believers and unbelievers to cite much specific evidence. Benjamin tells us that the message of this chapter was given to him by an angel.
In the first place, we have demonstrated the extensive existence of chiasmus in the book of mormon beyond any possible doubt. Both chiasmus and antimetabole can be used to reinforce antithesis. Chiasmus, journal of book of mormon studies 42 1995. The presence of semitic literary forms such as chiasmus in the book of mormon is an external witness that the book is what the prophet joseph smith taught that it is. This compilation of groundbreaking book of mormon articles is selected from over fifty years of lds scholarship published by byu studies. The most famous example of this is chapter 36 of the book of alma. The discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon is one of the most significant scholarly contributions to understanding and appreciating the nephite record. 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. Those who were not so convinced insisted that it obviously read like anything but a hebrew text. This year marks 50 years since the discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon on august 16, 1967.
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