Chiasmus poetry in the book of mormon alma 36

An instance of this form, called a chiasm, presents two or more literary elements, and then restates them in reverse order. In his blessing to his son helaman, alma uses chiasmus in recounting his conversion to the gospel of jesus. Like the book of mosiah, the book of 1 nephi, king benjamins speech, and alma chapter 36 also use a chiastic framework as a foundation. For example, alma 36 is structured as an intricate chiasm with jesus. Presentation 14, these things are an abomination 7.

He also diagrams the chiasmus in alma 36 as well as other chiasms found in the book of mormon. Does chiasmus appear in the book of mormon by chance. 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. Since that time, a steady stream of publications has greatly illuminated this profound and ancient literary feature. John welch displays the overall chiastic structure of alma 36, suggests a detailed analysis of the text, traces the strands of repetition that weave paired sections tightly together, assesses the chapters degree of chiasticity, and compares the words and phrases of alma 36 with the two other firsthand book of mormon accounts of alma s conversion. In the simplest, broadest sense, a chiasmus is a literary device that uses inverted parallelism, which can be labelled as a b b a.

Smith actually knew about chiasmus when he translated the book of. Oct 26, 2012 the most powerful and beautiful example of chiasmus in the book of mormon and perhaps anywhere. It is also found throughout the quran and the book of mormon. Dusting off a famous chiasmus in the book of mormon, alma 36. Chiasmus in alma 36 book of mormon notes how deep can. 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. Sep 01, 2015 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. In sunday school i was assigned to teach alma 36 39. The book of mormon itself makes no claim about chiasmus. Such simple examples of chiasmus are well known in english speech.

This process, termed conceptual chiasmus, uses a crisscrossing rhetorical structure to cause an overlapping of intellectual space. Chiasms appear in greek, latin, english and other languages, but it. What i did want to emphasize was the structure of alma s thoughts about his own redemption. Time now for a few final evaluations of what we have learned about chiasmus in the book of mormon. A journal of mormon scripture 22 2016 dusting off an overlooked portion of alma 36 the chiastic nature of alma 36 has been a popular topic for lds students of the book of mormon and lds apologists, 12 but it is has been met with criticism. Chiasmus in the book of mormon religious studies center. The structure is strongly chiastic, but there are some very sophisticated and elegant perturbations which have been the subject of careful and lengthy analysis welch, 1991, welch, 1989, and brown, 1988. Im not an expert in ancient hebrew poetry, so i thought id leave such arguments to others. Alma 36 is worthy in form to the best of any ancient chiastic writer. Chiasmus and the book of mormon utah lighthouse ministry. Some of the best chiasmus in history are in the book of mormon. Welch has constructed an impressive chiasm out of alma 36. Also note when you refer to this figure of speech, it is.

Both chiasmus and antimetabole can be used to reinforce antithesis. It is found extensively in the bible and is also to be found in the book of mormon, ipso facto, etc. The discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon is one of the most. The chiastic structure, according to welch, is as follows. In chiasmus, the clauses display inverted parallelism. Mormons claim that examples of chiastic writing in the book of mormon help authenticate the book. 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 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. This applies the lessons from parts 1 and 2 to the debate about alma 36 as a deliberate chiasmus. A there is an intelligent omnipotent being, who is selfexistent and infinitely b good and benevolent matter eternally existed.

Mosiah, alma, helaman, and mormon this is the sixth in a series of articles about the hebrew poetry in the scriptures. Book of mormon central archive chiasmus in alma 36. Chiasmus was particularly popular in the literature of the ancient world, including hebrew, greek, ancient kiche maya, and latin, where it was used to articulate the balance of order within the text. Chiasmus in the book of mormon judaicaworld archives. Understanding the use of chiasmus in the book of mormon can benefit readers in many ways. The most powerful and beautiful example of chiasmus in the book of mormon and perhaps anywhere. The discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon is one of the most significant scholarly contributions to understanding and appreciating the nephite record. Sep 01, 2008 in sunday school i was assigned to teach alma 3639. The most famous example of this is chapter 36 of the book of alma. Chiasmus in the book of mormon mormonism, the mormon church. Alma 36 might still be inspired, ancient scripture that just happens not to be chiasmus.

Chiasmus is one of the most frequently cited evidences for the authenticity of the book of mormon. According to john welch, the lds scholar who first identified chiasmus in the book of mormon, alma 36 is, in my opinion, the very best chiasm in. The presence of semitic literary forms such as chiasmus in the book. What is chiasmus and why is it so important in the book of mormon. The amazing true story of how chiasmus was discovered in the book of mormon. See book of mormon video guide for teaching suggestions.

Recognizing a chiastic structure focuses our attention on words and key themes that their writers wanted us to note in particular. Chiasmus is a sophisticated literary device that ranges from the most simple, as illustrated above, to complex examples. For this article i am going to discuss an ancient literary form known as chiasmus. The structure is obviously chiastic, but there are some very sophisticated and elegant perturbations which have been the subject of careful and lengthy. 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. Chiasmus in the book of mormon the discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon is one of the most significant scholarly contributions to understanding and appreciating the nephite record. So it is, in my opinion, with the issue of chiasmus in the book of mormon. Charting the book of mormon, 1999 welch, welch, farms alma 36 in his blessing to his son helaman, alma uses chiasmus in recounting his conversion to the gospel of jesus christ. Welch, chiasmus in the book of mormon, byu studies 10, no. Why is the presence of chiasmus in the book of mormon. Aug 16, 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.

Select one of the links above to view examples of chiasmus in various books of the book of mormon. Alma 36 was one of the first chiasms i discovered while. In the first place, we have demonstrated the extensive existence of chiasmus in the book of mormon beyond any possible doubt. Of this group, only alma 36 is sufficiently brief for effective illustration here of the way in which complex chiasmus can be employed in a longer passage to emphasize a central theme. 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. Chiasmus in the book of mormon book of mormon central. 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. Jun 07, 2004 alma 36 be sure to mention chiasmus many latterday saints will soon be discussing alma 36 in the book of mormon in gospel doctrine classes or some might have already done so. It consists of arranging a series of words or ideas in one order, and then repeating it in reverse order. This book shares the exciting results of scholarly research on the book of mormon undertaken during the 1980s.

Chiasmus in the book of mormon byu scholarsarchive. Book of mormon literature the encyclopedia of mormonism. Over the last fifty years, alma 36 has, by far, been the most celebrated and studied example of chiasmus in the book of mormon. In the first place, we have demonstrated the extensive existence of chiasmus in the book of mormon.

First, chiasmus in the book of mormon demonstrates that the text is orderly, complex, rich, and aesthetically pleasing. Mormons commonly cite alma 36 as the supreme example of a long, complex chiasmus in the book of mormon. Look for examples of chiasmus in poetry, political speeches, the bible, literature, and advertisements. Rather, there is a spiritual meaning to the word prosper. Chiasmus can be used in the structure of entire passages to parallel concepts or ideas. 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. Chiasmus in the book of mormon mormonism, the mormon. What is special about the chiasmus found in alma 36.

Nov 09, 2011 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. If you analyze its structure, it is a massive chiasmus with mosiah 3. Alma used chiasmus to tell the story of his conversion to his son helaman. 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 alma 36 handouts for alpine north stake book. The better chiasmus in the book of mormon than even the beautiful one in alma 36 is king benjamins speech. Chiasmus in the book of mormon philosophies of men mingled. The amazing true story of how chiasmus was discovered in. Insights from dustrelated themes in the book of mormon part 3. Chiasmus in the book of mormon philosophies of men. Chiasmus is a structural form that has been used in both poetry and prose for. 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. It is difficult to imagine a more paradigmatic or a more effective use of chiasmus than this. This chart illustrates the deep structure of alma 36.

You can read more about chiasmus in the book of mormon at jeff lindsays excellent site here. A literary structure known as chiasmus exists in the book of mormon. Nov 09, 2016 yes, there is a debate, in spite of widespread recognition among lds scholars and even a few nonlds scholars of alma 36 as a masterpiece and key example of the book of mormon s many brilliant displays of chiasmus, for some parts of it become rather sloppy. Aug 11, 2009 you can read more about chiasmus in the book of mormon at jeff lindsays excellent site here. I began reading the book of mormon as a child and have read it several times. This literary form in alma 36 effectively focuses attention on the central passage of the chapter alma 36. Jesus christ is the crux of the chiasm, just as he is the center of the gospel and the only means.

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. 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. In his blessing to his son helaman, alma uses chiasmus in recounting his conversion to the gospel of jesus christ. The following chart will help you recognize the chiasmus in alma 36. The first article here is a short, relatively nontechnical response to this claim. Who the designer might bejoseph smith or another modern author with preknowledge of chiasmus, god, satan, or ancient authors with connections to the old worldcannot be determined using our statistical analysis. The most commonly cited example of chiasmus in the book of mormon is the prophet alma s religious experience, as recorded in alma 36.

Joseph smith building auditorium brigham young university provo, ut 84604 the wednesday evening chiasmus jubilee will feature guest speakers, musical numbers, and special presentations on chiasmus in the book of mormon. Im disappointed that most lds folks dont seem to have any idea that alma 36 may well be the best known example of an ancient semitic form of poetry known as chiasmus. 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. Chiasmus is both a necessary and natural way of understanding book of mormon literature. Dusting off a famous chiasmus, alma 36, interpreter. 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. 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 mormonevidenceshebraismschiasmus fairmormon. For example, alma 36 is structured as an intricate chiasm with jesus christ as its central focus. Alma 36 paragraph format davidic chiasmus and parallelisms. Chiasmus of alma 36 chiasmus is a style of writing known in antiquity and mused by many ancient and some modern writers. Indeed, the presence of chiasmus in the book of mormon may be evidence of joseph smiths own literary style and genius. Ive expended most of my efforts demonstrating the amazing quantity and quality of these poems in the book of mormon. This verse teaches us that if we do not keep the commandments of god, then we. Alma 36 analyzing the text lds scripture teachings. Welch discovered a variety of instances of chiasmus in the book of mormon and along with his discovery came attention to the phenomenon. It no longer contains current data and will be sunset by april 30, 2020. The second article is a long, technical response with full documentation. A journal of mormon scripture 22 2016 dusting off an overlooked portion of alma 36 the chiastic nature of alma 36 has been a popular topic for lds students. Book of mormon video presentation, god has delivered me 16. The amazing true story of how chiasmus was discovered in the.

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. Chiasmus is an invertedparallel literary form that was employed by ancient hebrew biblical writers, among others. Part 3 of my series on dustrelated themes in the book of mormon has just published. Dusting off a famous chiasmus in the book of mormon, alma 36 executive summary in exploring noel reynolds hypothesis that some material in the book of moses may have been present on the brass plates that nephi used, i wondered if nephi or other authors might have referred to chains of darkness in moses 7. Alma 36 is, in my opinion, the very best chiasm in the book of mormon, if not in all of world literature. This repetition emphasizes important ideas and words, in addition.

Chiasmus is a style of writing known in antiquity and mused by many ancient and some modern writers. What is chiasmus and why is it so important in the book of. Critique of alma 36 as an extended chiasm the dialogue journal. Book of mormonanthropologylanguage poetry in the book of mormon text. 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.