Chiasmus in the book of mormon alma 36001

For this article i am going to discuss an ancient literary form known as chiasmus. It was alma the younger whose conversion to the lord was so powerful and rich that it affected an entire generation at the. Select one of the links above to view examples of chiasmus in various books of the book of mormon. Now comes the question of chiasmus in the book of mormon. Bible and book of mormon chapters arranged according to chiasmus and hebrew poetic parallel forms. 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. Nibley had encouraged his students to read the book of mormon as an ancient text.

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. It is a parallelism in structure rather than rhyme, a parallelism of thought or idea. No one in america, let alone in western new york, fully understood chiasmus in 1830. I would that ye should do as i have done, in remembering the captivity of our fathers. Includes six copies as well as letters to the editor and handwritten notes. 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. Such simple examples of chiasmus are well known in english speech.

However, ive noticed that the document did not capture all of the forms, as i have discovered several other interesting parallel forms that ive. The structure is strongly chiastic, but there are some very sophisticated and elegant. 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. 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. The book of alma is known for its account of wars between the lamanites and nephites. 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. 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. It is entirely possible that descendants of the book of mormon peoples knew of the device and used it in their own records. How much was known about chiasmus in 1829 when the. Chiasmus in the book of mormon mormonism, the mormon church. 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 second article is a long, technical response with full documentation. The fact that book of mormon authors used chiasmus in differ. Welch, criteria for identifying and evaluating the presence of chiasmus.

Book of mormonanthropologylanguage poetry in the book of mormon text. Chiasmus is one of the most frequently cited evidences for the authenticity of the book of mormon. Chiasmus in the book of mormon thoughts and truth from. Book of alma mormonism, the mormon church, beliefs. Jan 01, 2004 in 1967 chiasmus was discovered in the book of mormon, and the findings were published in byu studies. Likelihoods p that chiasms in various works could have appeared by chance. 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. Since its publication in 1830, the book of mormon has garnered much attention. Those who were not so credulous insisted that it obviously read like anything but a hebrew text. 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.

Book of mormonevidenceshebraismschiasmus fairmormon. Welch claims that it is unlikely, although not impossible, 33 that smith knew about chiasmus at the time of the book of mormons publication, 34 which implies that chiasmus could only be present in the text if indeed the text is a translation and not a fabrication. 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. This chart illustrates the deep structure of alma 36. 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. This compilation of groundbreaking book of mormon articles is selected from over fifty years of lds scholarship published by byu studies. A there is an intelligent omnipotent being, who is selfexistent and infinitely b good and benevolent matter eternally existed. The most commonly cited example of chiasmus in the book of mormon is the prophet alma s religious experience, as recorded in alma 36. Im not sure exactly what forum would be suitable for this thread. 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 repetition emphasizes important ideas and words, in addition. It is basically inverted parallelism where words, phrases, or concepts are introduced in ascending order and then repeated in descending order.

Chiasmus, chiastic, or chiasm form is a beautiful parallel hebrew writing pattern used in. Stephen smoot is back and he is going deep on this episode. Welch discovered the presence of chiasmus on august 16, 1967 while on his mission in germany. 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. 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. In fact, many nursery rhymes have this same type of structure e. Joseph smith published the book of mormon in 1830 in western new york. Book of mormon central, why was chiasmus used in nephite record keeping.

The title refers to alma the younger, a prophet and chief judge of the nephites. What can we learn from 10 of the best chiasms in the book of mormon. Does chiasmus prove anything about the book of mormon. Mormons commonly cite alma 36 as the supreme example of a long, complex chiasmus in the book of mormon.

The first article here is a short, relatively nontechnical response to this claim. Chiasmus in the book of mormon brigham young university. How does chiasmus teach us to reverse the pride cycle. Chiasmus in mayan texts book of mormon archaeological forum. 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. 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.

In the simplest, broadest sense, a chiasmus is a literary device that uses inverted parallelism, which can be labelled as. The book of alma is the ninth and longest book of the book of mormon, containing sixty three chapters. The most powerful and beautiful example of chiasmus in the book of mormon and perhaps anywhere. This would also explain why, contrary to convention in the book of mormon, alma 4562 was not made into a separate literary unit called the first book of helaman it seems that the underlying source had been too meager and incomplete to stand on its own. The most commonly cited example of chiasmus in the book of mormon is the prophet almas religious experience, as recorded in alma 36. Chiasmus in the book of mormon book of mormon central. However, that knowledge remained primarily in germany and had not crossed the ocean until a few years later after the book of mormon was translated. The discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon is one of the most significant. If chiasmus can be convincingly identified in the book of mormon, it will testify of the book s ancient origin. As for chiasmus, it was discovered prior to joseph smith translating the book of mormon. Mckay served as president of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints from april 1951 until his death in january 1970.

In 1967 chiasmus was discovered in the book of mormon, and the findings were published in byu studies. Does chiasmus appear in the book of mormon by chance. 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. Probably the example of book of mormon chiasmus most cited and most heralded is alma 36, a passage that reports a speech said to. Chiasms appear in greek, latin, english and other languages, but it was most highly developed in hebrew.

I first heard about chiasmus in the book of mormon as a student at byu. 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. 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. It consists of arranging a series of words or ideas in one order, and then repeating it in reverse order. Why is the presence of chiasmus in the book of mormon. 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. Book of mormon commentary alma 36 page 1 of 12 chiasmus in alma 36 my son give ear to my words v. Chiasmus in the book of mormon religious studies center. 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. We had a guest on our show and many of you know him already. Alma wrote about the famous nephite army leader moroni and of the protection god gave his people during battles with the lamanites. Alma was given charge of keeping record of his people, and his book has the most chapters compared to other books within the book of mormon.

I initially made it in the forum where i found the original. The principle author of the book was alma the younger, from whom it gets its name. The book of mormons unique claims present the lds faith with a. The phenomenon which makes that possible is the presence of chiasmus in the book of mormon. The amazing true story of how chiasmus was discovered in the book of mormon. If you engage lds apologists long enough, eventually youre bound to come across the topic of chiasmus in the book of mormon.

Since then, two organizations farms and fraa have published extensive literature to show that the book of mormon translated by joseph smith jr. So it is, in my opinion, with the issue of 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. The book records the first 39 years of what the nephites termed the reign of the judges, a period in which the nephite nation adopted a constitutional theocratic government in which the judicial and executive branches of the government were combined. Aug 18, 2017 watch book of mormon centrals new video about the discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon in john w. Chiasmus, a columnist and conviction in the book of mormon. Chiasmus and book of mormon textual studies deseret book. Book of mormon chiasmus and hebrew poetic parallelisms. Welch discovered a variety of instances of chiasmus in the book of mormon and along with his discovery came attention to the phenomenon. Book of mormon central, why and how did alma explain the meaning of the word restoration. Even at that, the area where the understanding came to in regards to chiasmus was far from joseph smith.

For the most complex chiasm in the book of mormon alma 36. Chiasmus of alma 36 chiasmus is a style of writing known in antiquity and mused by many ancient and some modern writers. Chiasmus in the book of mormon lds scriptural studies. Foundation for ancient research and mormon studies, 1989. How much was known about chiasmus in 1829 when the book of mormon was translated. Almas 400year prophecy, almas conversion account and mormons 400year history. Oct 03, 2017 we had a guest on our show and many of you know him already. 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. Published in the new era, february 1972, pages 611. Thomasson sees center of this overarching chiasm as the atonement at alma 34. His findings were truly surprising, revealing that clear, distinct, and elegant passages of. For those unfamiliar with the term, chiasmus is an ancient literary device that has been found in greek, latin, and hebrew writings. Chiasmus is a poetic form that is common in ancient hebrew texts.

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. 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. How did joseph smith know how to write a chiasmus ancient. How much was known about chiasmus in 1829 when the book of. Chiasmus in the book of mormon mormonism, the mormon. Chiasmus in the book of mormon thoughts and truth from the. 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. 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 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 is a style of writing known in antiquity and mused by many ancient and some modern writers.

Why is the presence of chiasmus in the book of mormon significant. In his blessing to his son helaman, alma uses chiasmus in recounting his conversion to the gospel of jesus christ. Some of these examples may seem to be compelling, but when closely examined, they turn out to be little more than wishful thinking. 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. Joseph smith had been dead ten full years before john forbess book was published in scotland. Youll have the satisfaction of seeing the mentioned book animated in the next cartoon in anthropomorphized glory. Maxwell institute for religious scholarship, 2007, 565. Since that time, a steady stream of publications has greatly illuminated this profound and ancient literary feature. Aug 11, 2009 i first heard about chiasmus in the book of mormon as a student at byu. 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. In the simplest, broadest sense, a chiasmus is a literary device that uses inverted parallelism, which can be labelled as a b b a. What is chiasmus and how is it used in the book of mormon. What is chiasmus and why is it so important in the book of.

A literary structure known as chiasmus exists 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 revised and expanded edition also includes covering up the black hole in the book of mormon. Usually, a clear transition of recordkeepers merits independent status as a. Welch, chiastic syllabus of the book of mormon, aba. 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.

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. Another famous author of the book of mormon who creatively employed the principles of chiasmus to great advantage was alma the younger. The first example of this found in the book of mormon is mosiah 5. 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 chiastic structure, according to welch, is as follows. The book of alma is the longest of all the books of the book of mormon, consisting of 63 chapters. Video on the discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon. Chiasmus in the book of mormon or the book of mormon does it again new era, 1972 february. This book of mormon is brought to you for free and open access by the all journals at byu scholarsarchive. The structure is obviously chiastic, but there are some very sophisticated and elegant perturbations which have been the subject of careful and lengthy analysis. 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. Joseph smiths plagiarism of the bible in the book of. Chiasms appear in greek, latin, english and other languages, but it. Alma is the longest book in the book of mormon and consists of sixtythree chapters, taking up almost a third of the volume.