Welch discovered the presence of chiasmus on august 16, 1967 while on his mission in germany. Believers have seen the presence of chiasmus as an indication of the book of mormon s ancient origins. Chiasmus and the book of mormon utah lighthouse ministry. Containing both plain and veiled language, the book of mormon is a spiritually and literarily powerful book that is direct yet complex, simple yet profound. 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. 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. Since then, two organizations farms and fraa have published extensive literature to show that the book of mormon translated by.
One such proof for manycelebrated this week with a jubilee and twoday conference sponsored by byu studies and book of mormon centralis the discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon. Why is the presence of chiasmus in the book of mormon. 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. Those who were not so credulous insisted that it obviously read like anything but a hebrew text. This compilation of groundbreaking book of mormon articles is selected from over fifty years of lds scholarship published by byu studies. 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. That fall i wrote an article about what i had learned, called chiasmus in the book of mormon. Chiasmus is one of the most frequently cited evidences for the authenticity of the book of mormon. The deliberate use of hebrew parallelisms in the book of.
Chiasmus and book of mormon textual studies kindle. Book of mormon central byu studies conference cosponsors harold b. Chiasmus in the book of mormon religious studies center. Chiasmus is an invertedparallel literary form that was employed by ancient hebrew biblical writers, among others. This volume features articles on hebraisms and chiasmus in the book of mormon, as well as articles discussing emendation of. Chiasmus in the book of mormon book of mormon central. Select one of the links above to view examples of chiasmus in various books of the book of mormon.
He has since spent much time studying chiasmus in the book of mormon, the bible, and other sacred literature. Because of previous exposure to the ancient literary device, john welch correctly identified mosiah 5. The discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon part 2. Chiasmus and several varieties of inverted parallel structures are found in many places in the new testament. 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. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading chiasmus and book of mormon textual studies. Quarterly by an authorized editor of byu scholarsarchive. 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.
Welch discovered the first instance of chiasmus in the book of mormon in 1967. Chiasmus and book of mormon textual studies byu studies. Chiasmus jubilee conference evening session august 16. Holland gave a stirring address about the power of physical evidence in defending the gospel at the chiasmus conference sponsored by book of mormon central and byu studies. Welch first identified chiasmus in the book of mormon in 1967. This video gives a brief description of a writing style called chiasmus, and tells the story of how one 20yearold latterday saint missionary first discovered its existence in the book of mormon. The conference sessions had presentations by lds and nonlds scholars discussing chiasmus in the bible and in other texts, including the book of mormon. 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. Jubilee marks 50 years from book of mormon chiasmus. Guidelines for such analysis can be found at john w. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Religious studies center, brigham young university, 1982, 3352. Book of mormon literature the encyclopedia of mormonism.
The discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon is one of the most significant scholarly contributions to understanding and appreciating the nephite record. This conference, held on august 16, celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of the discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon. The rsc library is not found on or anywhere else online. Seuss, and other works are likely not intentionally chiastic. 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. As printed here they include revisions that vary from minor word changes to. Lee library special collections byu religious education. Book of mormonevidenceshebraismschiasmus fairmormon. 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. This article is brought to you for free and open access by the all journals at byu scholarsarchive.
Jubilee marks 50 years from book of mormon chiasmus discovery. Religious studies center, brigham young university, 1982, ixx. Chiasmus and textual criticism panel discussion chiasmus. While a missionary for the lds church in regensburg, germany, john welch studied mosiah 5. I am grateful to byu studies for permission to include the following previously published articles. The phenomenon which makes that possible is the presence of chiasmus in 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. Welch 1946 discovered chiasmus in the book of mormon and founded the foundation for ancient research and mormon studies farms. Chiasmus and book of mormon textual studies ebook by byu. He is an lds religion and law scholar who is credited with discovering the many instances of the ancient literary form of chiasmus in the book of mormon, a realization he had as a young missionary in germany. Does chiasmus appear in the book of mormon by chance. In reading bible commentaries, students will often encounter figures displaying chiastic patterns. Welch, chiasmus in the book of mormon, in book of mormon authorship.
John welch graduated from duke law school in 1972 and is now a professor of law in the j. Since that time, a steady stream of publications has greatly illuminated this profound and ancient. 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. In this volume, nine latterday saint scholars each address the question of book of mormon authorship from a different approach. This phenomenon is the presence of chiasmus in the book of mormon. Included in these documents are a paper on the akkadian language, a bibliogrpahy of documents with chiasms, and a collection of akkadian poetry with chiasms. Byu studies and book of mormon central held a twoday conference on byus campus on tuesday, august 15th and wednesday, august 16th, 2017. 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.
A study relating chiasmus in the book of mormon to chiasmus in the old testament, ugaritic epics, homer, and selected greek and latin authors. A statistical analysis that indicates the chiasmus found in the book of mormon and old testament was deliberate while strangite scripture, the doctrine and covenants, nursery rhymes, dr. Chiasmus in the book of mormon brigham young university. While serving as a young missionary in germany, welch discovered many instances of the chiasmus literary form in the book of mormon. The amazing true story of how chiasmus was discovered in.
I was an undergraduate, so i hope people will cut me a little slack for what i wrote there. Farrell 2004 does chiasmus appear in the book of mormon by chance. The very first example of chiasmus discovered in the book of mormon isnt a chiasmus at all. A study relating chiasmus in the book of mormon to. Enrich your come, follow me study with highquality articles that are well researched, inspirational, and written by scholars, educators, church leaders, historians, and popular authors. This is the landmark true story of how a young missionary serving in germany, 50 years ago, discovered chiasmus in the book of mormon. Indeed, the presence of chiasmus in the book of mormon may be evidence of joseph smiths own literary style and genius. It is entirely possible that descendants of the book of mormon peoples knew of the device and used it in their own records. In addition, he has also published extensively on the history and role of chiasmus in sacred literature. 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. The scripture readings and lessons are displayed first, followed by recommended readings.
Foundation for ancient research and mormon studies, isbn 9780934893251 hugh w. Chiasmus and book of mormon textual studies kindle edition by various authors. In 1967 chiasmus was discovered in the book of mormon, and the findings were published in byu studies. This claim, as well as all claims to historical authenticity of the book of mormon, are rejected by nonlatter day saint historians. Welch, criteria for identifying and evaluating the presence of chiasmus, journal of book of mormon studies. The tests of authenticity they employ rely on analytical techniques borrowed from such diverse disciplines as history, literature, statistics, and ancient near eastern studies. Welch, chiasmus in the book of mormon, brigham young university studies 10 no. It has been accepted for inclusion in byu studies quarterly by an authorized editor of byu scholarsarchive. This discovery has changed the way we forever approach book of mormon scholarship. Also by boyd and farrel edwards, published in byu studies in 2010.
The king james quotations in the book of mormon, the history of the text of the book of mormon. Book of mormon authorship religious studies center. The following charts offer a few samples of such literary arrangements. An instance of this form, called a chiasm, presents two or more literary elements, and then restates them in reverse order. Welch recognized a phenomenon in the book of mormon which has stimulated a new consideration of the book of mormon as ancient literature and raised new questions relevant to several other ancient literary traditions. 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 conference sessions had presentations by lds and non.
This discovery has had a profound impact on book of mormon. Why this oftencited example of an israelite chiasmus in the book of mormon is really a modern text. Pinnock of the first quorum of the seventy, although feeling that such study is faithpromoting, also cautioned. His finding, published in byu studies as chiasmus in the book of mormon in 1969, and subsequent publications have shaped scholarly inquiry into the linguistic aspects and historical origin of the book of mormon.
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