The book of mormon does indeed have authentic semitic constructions in it, but lds need to tread cautiously in establishing them. 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. John woodland welch, a mormon lds law and religion scholar who has written a number of learned articles on the the mormon scriptures, says the book of mormon contains a long and complex chiasmus in alma chapter 36, as well as smaller chiastic structures elsewhere in the book. Chiasmus is an elegant literary device where parallel phrases are inverted. It was also seen in sanskrit, mesopotamian, chinese and egyptian texts. Lds church members are taught that the book of mormon bom is scripture, as well as a true record of the inhabitants of the americas from about 2200 bc to 420 ad. Chiasmus, or inverted parallelism, is a twopart literary structure or system in which the second half is a mirror image of the first, i.
The discovery of apparent instances of complex 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. The most famous example of this is chapter 36 of the book of alma. Another famous author of the book of mormon who creatively employed the principles of chiasmus to great advantage was alma the younger. 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. Now, 50 years since welchs discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon, we see that his find is. Book of mormon, absorbed the idiom of the king james bible and used it in his. To see this for ourselves, we had best begin with an example of chiasmus. It is basically inverted parallelism where words, phrases, or concepts are introduced in ascending order and then repeated in descending order. 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. These book of mormon stories have been written espe cially for. The chiastic structure, according to welch, is as follows.
Parrys the book of mormon text reformatted according to parallelistic patterns, farms, provo, utah, 1992, which also includes an excellent essay on semitic poetry in general and the role of chiasmus. Aug 18, 2017 watch book of mormon centrals new video about the discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon in john w. 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. Perhaps the most interesting of these is his proposal chiasmus in the book of mormon and elsewhere that a very substantial chiasmus has been found in the book of mormon, at alma chapter 36. Sloan, journal of book of mormon studies, volume 6, issue 2, 1997. Welch discovered the presence of chiasmus on august 16, 1967 while on his. For those unfamiliar with the term, chiasmus is an ancient literary device that has been found in greek, latin, and hebrew writings. The second article is a long, technical response with full documentation.
It fails, however, to respond to scholarly criticism in some crucial areas. 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. 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. For many additional examples of chiasmus from the writings of nephi, see the article, nephis convincing of christ through chiasmus. For this article i am going to discuss an ancient literary form known as chiasmus. Wednesday was the fiftieth anniversary of welchs discovery. For example, the bible teaches about one lord, one faith, one baptism. Joseph smith had been dead ten full years before john forbess book was published in scotland. The book of mormon the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. Also examined is the solomon spalding theory, common phrases, chiasmus hebrew poetic form, influence of freemasonry and folk magic, and the problems with the loss of the first 116 pages of the book of mormon manuscript.
Chiasmus in the book of mormon the mormon chapbook. 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. This is the landmark true story of how a young missionary serving in germany, 50 years ago, discovered chiasmus in the book of mormon. Those who were not so credulous insisted that it obviously read like anything but a hebrew text. Select one of the links above to view examples of chiasmus in various books of the book of mormon. Chiasmus is both a necessary and natural way of understanding book of mormon literature. The phenomenon which makes that possible is the presence of chiasmus in the book of mormon. Chiasmus in the book of mormon lds church is true blog.
It was alma the younger whose conversion to the lord was so powerful and rich that it affected an entire generation at the time it happened and has since become one of the most inspirational stories recorded in the book of mormon. The book of mormon is a volume of holy scripture comparable to the. Chiasmus is one of the most frequently cited evidences for the authenticity of the book of mormon. Chiasmus in the book of mormon philosophies of men. 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. And thats because the x shape captures the structure of the chiastic phrase. It is entirely possible that descendants of the book of mormon peoples knew of the device and used it in their own records. The loose translation theory is the theory that most lds apologists favor to explain why there are problems in the book of mormon text, such as anachronisms, kjv mistakes, etc. A number of hebraisms exist in the structure of the book of mormon.
Welch was just a young missionary on germany at the time. In fact, chiasmus was not searched for and discovered in the book of mormon until the late 1960s, when lds scholar john welch learned of scholarly work on chiasmus in antiquity and hypothesized that the book of mormon might contain examples as well. It is claimed by many within the lds church that special literary patterns found in hebrew writing are also found in the book of mormon, which they feel helps prove that book comes from ancient jewish origins and not from joseph smiths mind the most commonly referenced pattern is a type of parallelism, called a chiasm. Oct 03, 2017 the crew talks about chiasmus in book of mormon. Video on the discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon. Only a few book of mormon examples were given, but no bibical examples or hebrew studies. Nephi had faith in the lord when he said, i will go and do the things which the lord. Several brief examples of chiasmus in the book of mormon include.
Chiasmus is frequently found in the bible, but it was used in ancient greek and latin literatures and other sacred. Chiasmus in the book of mormon religious studies center. What can we learn from 10 of the best chiasms in the book of mormon. It is claimed by many within the lds church that special literary patterns found in hebrew writing are also found in the book of mormon, which they feel helps prove that book comes from ancient jewish origins and not from joseph smiths mind. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Welch argues in favor of ancient origins for book of mormon chiasmus, demonstrating that public awareness of this style was slight in america when the book of mormon was translated. The book of mormon and the king james bible wikipedia. The name of the pattern comes from the greek letter chi, x, because the pattern crosses, like an x. The book of mormon includes many more hebraisms, such as extrapositional pronouns and idioms such as by the hand of and by the mouth of to denote instrumentality. Book of mormon 1879 lds versification title page simmons, letter, a 1 2 b 1 2 b 1 2 a 1 2. Chiasmus and book of mormon textual studies deseret book.
The book of mormon is full of examples of faith, of which nephi is just one. Aug 11, 2009 i first heard about chiasmus in the book of mormon as a student at byu. I initially made it in the forum where i found the original. Alma makes this spiritual turning point the literary focal point of this entire chapter, one of the finest examples. The first article here is a short, relatively nontechnical response to this claim. Chiasmus or or chiasmus as it may also be pronounced is named after chi, the ancient greek word for the letter x. 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. In the process of this journey to the promised land, which we eventually discover to be the americas, nephi, the righteous son of lehi, is the only member of the family that does not murmur, or question, the decisions and direction of god. Chiasmus in the book of mormon mormonism, the mormon church. Serving in the lds south german mission at the time, in the city.
Elder holland speaks at book of mormon chiasmus conference. In the first place, we have demonstrated the extensive existence of chiasmus in the book of mormon beyond any possible doubt. What is chiasmus and why is it so important in the book of. A forum for exmormons and others who have been affected by mormonism to share news, commentary, and comedy about the mormon church.
Book of mormonanthropologylanguagehebraismschiasmus. Hebrew poetry in the book of mormon, zarahemla record. 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. Chiasmus in the scriptures biblical chiasm exchange. 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. For example, the book of mormon prophet might have meant tapir and joseph described it as horse. Chiasmus is a sophisticated literary device that ranges from the most simple, as illustrated above, to complex examples. The discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon part 2.
So it is, in my opinion, with the issue of chiasmus in the book of mormon. The book of mormon, testifying of its past, 34, 12344321 and 123456654321. It is found extensively in the bible and is also to be found in the book of mormon, ipso facto, etc. The adoption of biblical archaisms in the book of mormon and other. What the book of mormon says about evil there are those who cannot believe in god because there is so much evil and suffering in the world. Why the message behind the book of mormon musical is so. His findings were truly surprising, revealing that clear, distinct, and elegant passages of. Chapter 15 chiasmus in the book of mormon reachout trust. 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. The king james quotations in the book of mormon, the history of the text of 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. The existence of chiasmus parallelism in the book of mormon tells nothing about whether it is an ancient work. The use of a preposition to produce an adverb is common in hebrew, and is likewise common in the book of mormon, from which the following have been extracted as examples. That parallelism chiasmus existed in hebrew writing was knowsin joseph smiths day in books that were available to joseph smiith.
They claim that such findings support claims of hebrew origins in the text on the basis that. This revised and expanded edition also includes covering up the black hole in the book of mormon. Kwaku has a moment during this episode and ian questions whether or not ubiquitous is actually a word. Chiasmus balances words or phrases with similar, though not identical, meanings. It is a parallelism in structure rather than rhyme, a parallelism of thought or idea. But o, what damned minutes tells he oer who dotes, yet doubts. The term chiasmus is never used, but this book clearly shows that hebrew poetic styles were recognized and studied even before joseph smiths time. The more lines in a chiasmus, the more likely it is the result of composition and not extemporaneous off the cuff speech or streamofconsciousness writing. However, i was able to verify the pattern in ew bullingers figures of speech used in the bible that presented some biblical. For example, in the 1830 edition of the book of mormon, the original text of what is now alma 37. Though the book of mormon expressly states that it is written in the language of the egyptians, 1 nephi 1. Jesus said, the sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.
Time now for a few final evaluations of what we have learned about chiasmus in the book of mormon. Book of mormon difficulties, contradictions and explanations. Because mormons claim that examples of chiastic writing in the book of mormon help authenticate the book. Over the last fifty years, alma 36 has, by far, been the most celebrated and studied example of chiasmus in the book of mormon. 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. Ancient literary forms in the book of mormon byu scholarsarchive. A literary structure known as chiasmus exists in the book of mormon. Aug 29, 2017 in august 1967, fifty years ago this month, john welch was a young latterday saint on his mission in germany. Thomasson sees center of this overarching chiasm as the atonement at alma 34. Chiasmus is a poetic form that is common in ancient hebrew texts.
Plain and precious persuading from a prophet of god by david 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. Mormons claim that examples of chiastic writing in the book of mormon help authenticate the book. This discovery has had a profound impact on book of mormon. In 1967 chiasmus was discovered in the book of mormon, and the findings were published in byu studies. The discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon is one of the most significant scholarly contributions to understanding and appreciating the nephite record. 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. Why is the presence of chiasmus in the book of mormon. Chiasms appear in greek, latin, english and other languages, but it.
This is no doubt due to the fact that the nephites retained the hebrew language, albeit in an altered form see mormon 9. In the first place, we have demonstrated the extensive existence of chiasmus in the book of mormon. Although it serves primarily as a religious text, it is to be interpreted literally as being an actual, historical record of the inhabitants of the ancient americas. More impressive are words that have a different range of meaning in hebrew than in english. Examples of chiasmus can be found in the book of mormon. The book of mormon is replete with adverbial usage of the adjective exceeding as in exceeding great joyinstead of exceedinglyin 1 ne. Since then, two organizations farms and fraa have published extensive literature to show that the book of mormon translated by joseph smith jr. The phenomenon which makes that possible is the presence of chiasmus in the book. The idea is that joseph had literary license to kind of wing it as he translated. They especially cannot believe that a loving god could allow the tragedies and disasters that plague the planet. Chiasmus in mayan texts book of mormon archaeological forum. Mormons commonly cite alma 36 as the supreme example of a long, complex chiasmus in the book of mormon.
We can all think of examples in our lives of people who are difficult to love. Some of these examples may seem to be compelling, but when closely examined, they turn out to be little more than wishful thinking. 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. Oct 05, 2012 the book of mormon has many examples and, at first sight, this seems impressive. Love in the book of mormon religious studies center. Elder cunningham, who has never read the book of mormon, is pressured into making up. 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. Remarkable book of mormon evidences hidden in plain sight. Im not sure exactly what forum would be suitable for this thread. It is found in the bible and the quran and other ancient documents. The book of mormon is a sacred text of the latter day saint movement, which, according to adherents, contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the american continent from approximately 2200 bc to ad 421. Chiasmus refers to a sequence of elements of a sentence or verse, paragraph, chapter or even book which are then repeated and developed but in reverse order. 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. Furthermore, while it is common in the bible, old and new testaments, as well as the book of mormon, it is by no means restricted to these.
Yale anthropologist marion schwartz noted that in the americas the whitetailed deer is a good example of an animal. A complex chiasmus consists of several lines that extend the parallelism beyond two pairs of parallel elements. Welch discovered the presence of chiasmus on august 16, 1967 while on his mission in. The bible, old and new testaments, abound with examples and it is accepted that it is typical of one form of hebraic. Chiasmus in the book of mormon book of mormon central. The bible and the book of mormon work together to invite all people to follow jesus. Joseph smiths plagiarism of the bible in the book of mormon. Book of mormon stories the church of jesus christ of latterday. Chiasmus in the book of mormon byu scholarsarchive. Book of mormon authorship has made a prima facie case for the ancient origins of the book of mormon.
As i was working on the text alignment in the mid90s, i remembered this paper because of the distinct pattern it described. Chiasmus was popular in the ancient languages like greek, latin, and especially hebrew. Chiasmus in the book of mormon mormonism, the mormon. A striking example of anaphora is jacobs repealed wo unto found in 2 nephi 9. Given that the book of mormon appears to be describing volcanic activity around 33 a. Does chiasmus appear in the book of mormon by chance. Apr 9, 2020 explore ilonaterrys board book of mormon stories, followed by 1566.