Chiasmus in the book of mormon alma 360

Time now for a few final evaluations of what we have learned about chiasmus in the book of mormon. 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. We are a nonprofit organization supported by people like you. Such simple examples of chiasmus are well known in english speech. Chiasmus is a style of writing known in antiquity and mused by many ancient and some modern writers. Interpreting forty and two years in the book of mormon. Although the current book of mormon does preserve telltale aspects of ancient language e. Brief introduction to chiasmus in alma 36 stephen ehat youtube. A there is an intelligent omnipotent being, who is selfexistent and infinitely b good and benevolent matter eternally existed. Joseph smith had been dead ten full years before john forbess book was published in scotland. 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 have been given by.

It is basically inverted parallelism where words, phrases, or concepts are introduced in ascending order and then repeated in descending order. The amazing true story of how chiasmus was discovered in the book of mormon. This chart illustrates the deep structure of alma 36. Chiasmus in the book of mormon book of mormon central. Brief introduction to chiasmus in alma 36 stephen ehat. Welch, chiastic syllabus of the book of mormon, aba. Jan 01, 2012 if you engage lds apologists long enough, eventually youre bound to come across the topic of chiasmus in the book of mormon. If you love the book of mormon, consider donating to book of mormon central and becoming part of this exciting movement. Chiasmus in the book of mormon mormonism, the mormon church. 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.

In his blessing to his son helaman, alma uses chiasmus in recounting his conversion to the gospel of jesus. 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. Book of mormonevidenceshebraismschiasmus fairmormon. Book of mormon anthropologylanguage poetry in the book of mormon text. Come, follow me for individuals and families the church of. The title refers to alma the younger, a prophet and chief judge of the nephites. 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. How much was known about chiasmus in 1829 when the book of mormon was translated. Alma is the longest book in the book of mormon and consists of sixtythree chapters, taking up almost a third of. Analysis of textual variants of the book of mormon. Chiasmus and book of mormon textual studies deseret book. The most commonly cited example of chiasmus in the book of mormon is the prophet alma s religious experience, as recorded in alma 36. Chiasmus in the book of mormon religious studies center. 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 chiastic structure, according to welch, is as follows. How much was known about chiasmus in 1829 when the book of. Why is the presence of chiasmus in the book of mormon. Todd christofferson has been a member of the quorum of the twelve apostles of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints since april 2008.

Chiasmus is one of the most frequently cited evidences for the authenticity of the book of mormon. In the first place, we have demonstrated the extensive existence of chiasmus in the book of mormon beyond any possible doubt. 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. The chiasmus in the book of mormon that testifies of christ. Consider noting or marking verses that teach about. 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. Video on the discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon. No one in america, let alone in western new york, fully understood chiasmus in 1830. The discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon part 2. Some of these examples may seem to be compelling, but when closely examined, they turn out to be little more than wishful thinking. 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.

Aug 18, 2017 watch book of mormon centrals new video about the discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon in john w. For those unfamiliar with the term, chiasmus is an ancient literary device that has been found in greek, latin, and hebrew writings. 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. Book of mormon, claims to have identified a novel chiastic structure. Select one of the links above to view examples of chiasmus in various books of the book of mormon. Neville argues that this chiasmus allows the reconstruction of a geography that stretches south to the gulf of mexico in the cont. This discovery has had a profound impact on book of mormon. Indeed, the presence of chiasmus in the book of mormon may be evidence of joseph smiths own literary style and genius. And now it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall not take upon him the name of christ must be called by some other name.

This book of mormon is brought to you for free and open access by the all journals at byu scholarsarchive. 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. Chiasms appear in greek, latin, english and other languages, but it was most highly developed in hebrew. It was alma the younger whose conversion to the lord was so powerful and rich that it affected an entire generation at the. Aug 11, 2009 i first heard about chiasmus in the book of mormon as a student at byu. Register of jack welchs chiasmus collection book of mormon. The phenomenon which makes that possible is the presence of chiasmus in the book of mormon. Sep 01, 2017 this is the landmark true story of how a young missionary serving in germany, 50 years ago, discovered chiasmus in the book of mormon. Book of mormon hank smith exam 1 flashcards quizlet. Book of mormon central archive chiasmus in alma 36. 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.

Chiasmus in the book of mormon byu scholarsarchive. So it is, in my opinion, with the issue of chiasmus in the book of mormon. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Welch first identified chiasmus in the book of mormon in 1967.

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. The discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon is one of the most significant scholarly contributions to understanding and appreciating the nephite record. Why is the presence of chiasmus in the book of mormon significant. The most powerful and beautiful example of chiasmus in the book of mormon and perhaps anywhere. Brief introduction to chiasmus in alma 36 stephen ehat by fair mormon. Welch discovered a variety of instances of chiasmus in the book of mormon and along with his discovery came attention to the phenomenon. If chiasmus can be convincingly identified in the book of mormon, it will testify of the book s ancient origin. A literary structure known as chiasmus exists in the book of mormon. Wunderli, critique of alma 36 as an extended chiasm. In the simplest, broadest sense, a chiasmus is a literary device that uses inverted parallelism, which can be labelled as a b b a. This compilation of groundbreaking book of mormon articles is selected from over fifty years of lds scholarship published by byu studies.

I would that ye should do as i have done, in remembering the captivity of our fathers. In his blessing to his son helaman, alma uses chiasmus in recounting his conversion to the gospel of jesus christ. Chiasms appear in greek, latin, english and other languages, but it. Alma s 400year prophecy, alma s conversion account and mormon s 400year history. How does chiasmus teach us to reverse the pride cycle. Chiasmus is both a necessary and natural way of understanding book of mormon literature. The structure is obviously chiastic, but there are some very sophisticated and elegant perturbations which have been the subject of careful and lengthy analysis.

Since then, two organizations farms and fraa have published extensive literature to show that the book of mormon translated by joseph smith jr. 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. Jonathan neville, an advocate of the heartland geography setting for the book of mormon, claims to have identified a novel chiastic structure that begins in alma 22. 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. Chiasmus and the book of mormon utah lighthouse ministry. For this article i am going to discuss an ancient literary form known as chiasmus. This repetition emphasizes important ideas and words, in addition. Watch in 360 the inside of a nuclear reactor from the size of an atom with virtual reality.