I initially made it in the forum where i found the original. Tensmeyer, structure, beauty and meaning in almas testimony, abcdefghijklmnnmlkjihgfedcba. How much was known about chiasmus in 1829 when the book of mormon was translated. This compilation of groundbreaking book of mormon articles is selected from over fifty years of lds scholarship published by byu studies. Chiasmus is an elegant literary device where parallel phrases are inverted. How much was known about chiasmus in 1829 when the. The chiastic structure, according to welch, is as follows. 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. One way of identifying a chiastic quote is to mark the repeated words or phrases with the letters abba. 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. The first page of the book claims that it was written in the language of the egyptians but according to. 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. Chiasmus in the book of mormon book of mormon central.
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. 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. Book of mormon chiasmus and hebrew poetic parallelisms a great source of parallel form is the link below where the entire book of mormon has been arranged according to hebrew parallel form. Chiasmus is both a necessary and natural way of understanding book of mormon literature. Almas conversion story provides one of the clearest examples of how we can know when we have been forgiven of our. His experience is related in the book of mosiah but only here in the 36th chapter of the book of alma does he use chiasmus in relating the experience to present a powerful message to his son. Book of mormon commentary alma 36 page 1 of 12 chiasmus in alma 36 my son give ear to my words v. 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. It also discusses the large chiasmus found in the book of mormon in alma 36. What can we learn from 10 of the best chiasms in the book of mormon. Chiasmus of alma 36 chiasmus is a style of writing known in antiquity and mused by many ancient and some modern writers. Since then, two organizations farms and fraa have published extensive literature to show that the book of mormon translated by joseph smith jr.
This chart illustrates the deep structure of alma 36. Probably the example of book of mormon chiasmus most cited and most heralded is alma 36, a passage that reports. The most commonly cited example of chiasmus in the book of mormon is the prophet alma s religious experience, as recorded in alma 36. These problems, when combined with other book of mormon textual evidence. Now, 50 years since welchs discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon, we see that his find is.
It is found in the bible and the quran and other ancient documents. Im not sure exactly what forum would be suitable for this thread. A patient man does not engage in impetuous behavior in his relationships with loved ones, which he will later regret. This verse tells us that the manner of priesthood ordination can be used to help people know how to look forward to christ for redemption. It is a parallelism in structure rather than rhyme, a parallelism of thought or idea. Chapter 15 chiasmus in the book of mormon reachout trust. Joseph smith published the book of mormon in 1830 in western new york. However, ive noticed that the document did not capture all of the forms, as i have discovered several other interesting parallel forms that ive. Chiasmus is a poetic form that is common in ancient hebrew texts. Foundation for ancient research and mormon studies, 1989. Time now for a few final evaluations of what we have learned about chiasmus in the book of mormon. Welch, basic structural outline, abcdefghijihfecgdba.
In the first place, we have demonstrated the extensive existence of chiasmus in the book of mormon beyond any possible doubt. My daily book of mormon devotional 365 day personal. 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. So it is, in my opinion, with the issue of chiasmus in the book of mormon. This revised and expanded edition also includes covering up the black hole in the book of mormon. Alma used chiasmus to tell the story of his conversion to his son helaman. Thomasson sees center of this overarching chiasm as the atonement at alma 34.
Why is the presence of chiasmus in the book of mormon significant. It is claimed that the presence of chiasmus in the book of mormon is either. 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. I first heard about chiasmus in the book of mormon as a student at byu. Chiasmus is more conceptual than grammatical, focusing on ideas throughout the course of a story. For those unfamiliar with the term, chiasmus is an ancient literary device that has been found in greek, latin, and hebrew writings. 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.
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. Since its publication in 1830, the book of mormon has garnered much attention. 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. Book of mormonanthropologylanguagehebraismschiasmus. 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. Prior to this, he served as a counselor in the first presidency beginning in 1934 and as a member of the quorum of the twelve apostles beginning in 1906. This book of mormon is brought to you for free and open access by the all journals at byu scholarsarchive. Chiasmus in the book of mormon mormonism, the mormon. A there is an intelligent omnipotent being, who is selfexistent and infinitely b good and benevolent matter eternally existed. Chiasmus in the book of mormon brigham young university. Book of mormon commentary alma 36 page 2 of 12 chiasmus sometimes called an inverted parallelism, is a hebrew literary form where words or ideas are arranged in a certain order and then repeated in reverse order.
I am grateful for the opportunity i had to share my faith in jesus christ and testimony of the eternal truths contained in the book of mormon. Start by marking my daily book of mormon devotional 365 day personal study guide as want to read. Welch welch, chiastic syllabus of the book of mormon, abccba. Jan 01, 2004 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. 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. Stephen ehat brief introduction to chiasmus in alma 36 youtube. Does chiasmus appear in the book of mormon by chance. That parallelism chiasmus existed in hebrew writing was knowsin joseph smiths day in books that were available to joseph smiith. This video briefly explains chiasmus and its ancient use. Book of mormon chiasmus and hebrew poetic parallelisms. Mckay served as president of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints from april 1951 until his death in january 1970.
A great jubilee celebration is being held at byu this week to commemorate it. Joseph smiths plagiarism of the bible in the book of. It consists of arranging a series of words or ideas in one order, and then repeating it in reverse order. Oct 05, 2012 chiasmus is a figure of speech by which the order of the words in the first of two parallel clauses is reversed in the second oxford companion to english literature, 1985 ed. Mormons seem to unanimously agree that 1 nephi is a chiasmus, even though none of them can agree on what precisely that chiasmus is. In his blessing to his son helaman, alma uses chiasmus in recounting his conversion to the gospel of.
They also point out that this style was not identified as chiasmus until after the time of joseph smith. Some of these examples may seem to be compelling, but when closely examined, they turn out to be little more than wishful thinking. The amazing true story of how chiasmus was discovered in the book of mormon. Apr 15, 2016 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 is the presence of a literary feature known as chiasmus or chiasm. The discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon is one of the most significant scholarly contributions to understanding and appreciating the nephite record. Yesterday i was blessed to speak about the book of mormon at the library of congress and to offer a prayer at the united states senate. Why and how did alma explain the meaning of the word restoration. At remarks given at brigham young university wednesday, john welch, who first identified the ancient writing style chiasmus in the book of mormon, said, the.
Chiasmus and book of mormon textual studies deseret book. Jan 01, 2012 mormons seem to unanimously agree that 1 nephi is a chiasmus, even though none of them can agree on what precisely that chiasmus is. In that case, this book of mormon account can be seen as the restoration of plain and precious teachings about the priesthood that didnt make it into later biblical scriptures. Book of mormonevidenceshebraismschiasmus fairmormon.
Each days assignment ends either with the end of a chapter or with a somewhat logical stopping point in the text itself. 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. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the discovery of chiasmus, an ancient poetic writing style, in the book of mormon. The 365day book of mormon reading schedule with printable. 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.
A great jubilee celebration is being held at byu this week to commemorate it ive talked to a lot of critics of the book of mormon about this, and the most popular response is that chiasmus isnt that hard to figure out or write, and that joseph smith. Jesus christ is the crux of the chiasm, just as he is the center of the gospel and the only means whereby salvation can be attained. Jul 28, 2012 happily, however, corianton, unlike ammonihah, repents. 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 followed. Probably the example of book of mormon chiasmus most cited and most heralded is alma 36, a passage that reports a speech said to. There are plenty of 365day and oneyear book of mormon reading schedules and charts out there, but i didnt like any of them, so i made my own. Probably the example of book of mormon chiasmus most cited and most heralded is alma 36, a passage that reports a speech said to have been given by. 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 is the presence of a literary feature known as chiasmus or chiasm. Free shipping get free shipping free 58 day shipping within the u. In fact, many nursery rhymes have this same type of structure e. Assuming the translators were good, and not too much was lost in translation, and mormon did somehow manage to put an abridged nephite history into chiasmus, and js gave us the best translation possible, it could work. Smith actually knew about chiasmus when he translated the book of mormon in, although some other people at that time did if he did not know about chiasmus, then its presence in the book might be considered as evidence for the authenticity of the book as a modern translation of.
This repetition emphasizes important ideas and words, in addition. The prophet alma uses chiasmus to very forcefully protray his conversion process. What is chiasmus and how is it used in the book of mormon. Chiasmus in alma 36 handouts for alpine north stake book.
Chiasmus was first recognized by a handful of scholars in 1820, but not wellknown until 1942. 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. The discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon is one of the most significant. 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. Such simple examples of chiasmus are well known in english speech. Aug 11, 2009 i first heard about chiasmus in the book of mormon as a student at byu. To see this for ourselves, we had best begin with an example of chiasmus, and a convenient one is to. For example, sorensons model of the same features reproduced in figure 2. Elder holland speaks at book of mormon chiasmus conference.
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. 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. In 1967 chiasmus was discovered in the book of mormon, and the findings were published in byu studies. This discovery has changed the way we forever approach book of mormon scholarship. Jesus christ is the crux of the chiasm, just as he is the center of the gospel and the only means whereby. Chiasmus in the book mosiah looking further at benjamins speech, the whole of mosiah chapter3 is a chiasmus. Now comes the question of chiasmus in the book of mormon. Book of mormon teaches how to live righteously in times of war. Chiasmus is a figure of speech by which the order of the words in the first of two parallel clauses is reversed in the second oxford companion to english literature, 1985 ed.
The phenomenon which makes that possible is the presence of chiasmus in the book of mormon. In his blessing to his son helaman, alma uses chiasmus in recounting his conversion to the gospel of jesus christ. A literary structure known as chiasmus exists in the book of mormon. The book of mormon is a highly repetitive book that runs on, with few identifiable pericopes. Chiasmus in the book of mormon mormonism, the mormon church. The existence of chiasmusparallelism in the book of mormon tells nothing about whether it is an ancient work. Some lds writers are trying to establish the historicity of the book of mormon by maintaining that it contains a poetic style, sometimes used in the bible, called chiasmus see. His findings were truly surprising, revealing that clear, distinct, and elegant passages of.
Did chiasmus appear in the book of mormon by chance. Chiasmus is one of the most frequently cited evidences for the authenticity of the book of mormon. Welch claims that it is unlikely, although not impossible, 33 that smith knew about chiasmus at the time of the book of mormon s publication, 34 which implies that chiasmus could only be present in the text. Benjamin tells us that the message of this chapter was given to.
It is basically inverted parallelism where words, phrases, or concepts are introduced in ascending order and then repeated in descending order. The existence of chiasmus parallelism in the book of mormon tells nothing about whether it is an ancient work. Compared with any chiastic passage in hebrew literature, alma chapter 36 equals or betters them all. 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.
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