Gregory welch, charting the book of mormon 1999 chiasmus bibliography 1999. Chiasmus in the book of mormon published by byu scholarsarchive, 1970. 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. His findings were truly surprising, revealing that clear, distinct, and elegant passages of. Welch, chiasmus in the book of mormon, brigham young university studies 10 no. While there, on preparation day, he attended a lecture given by a german bible scholar. Apostles and bishops in early christianity 2004 john w. Chiasmus in mesoamerican texts book of mormon central.
Reuben clark law school jrcls at brigham young university byu in provo, utah. Welch 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. If chiasmus is evidence of hebrew style in the bible, it must be evidence of hebrew style in the book of mormon. Gregs love for his father is evident, and johns truth seeking character is exemplary. Thomasson sees center of this overarching chiasm as the atonement at alma 34. Does chiasmus appear in the book of mormon by chance. Welch, chiasmus in ugaritic, ugaritforschungen 6 1974.
Welch would get home from his mission the end of august 1968, and less than a year later he published the very first study on chiasmus in the book of mormon in byu studies. 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. Jack welch, best known for his work on chiasmus, is the dean of contemporary book of mormon scholars, and this may be his magnum opus. Joseph smith published the book of mormon in 1830 in western new york. Chiasmus in the book of mormon mormonism, the mormon church. Chiasmus appears often in the book of mormon, another proof of its authenticity as an ancient hebrew text. Some people, of course, have gone overboard with this search, and caution must be employed. Video on the discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon. Welch was a missionary serving in regensburg, germany, and chiasmus was an ancient literary technique he had only recently learned about. Chiasmus in the book of mormon mormonism, the mormon. Religious studies center, brigham young university, 1982, 3352. Why is the presence of chiasmus in the book of mormon. The discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon would have a profound impact on academic efforts to study of the book of mormon as an authentic ancient hebrew text. Aug 18, 2017 watch book of mormon centrals new video about the discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon in john w.
Chiasmus in the book of mormon lds church is true blog. John welch brought much of chiastic structure in the book of mormon to the forefront. Welch was just a young missionary on germany at the time. Believers, agnostics and skeptics will all view the book of mormon in a more profound way after they have seen it through a legal lens. Welch discovered the presence of chiasmus on august 16, 1967 while on his mission in germany,2 a steady stream of publications since that time has thrown much light on this matter. Welch claims that it is unlikely, although not impossible, that smith knew about chiasmus at the time of the book of mormon s publication, which implies that chiasmus could only be present in the text if indeed the text is a translation and not a fabrication. In the first place, we have demonstrated the extensive existence of chiasmus in the book of mormon beyond any possible doubt. Welch speaks during the chiasmus jubilee celebrating the 50th anniversary of his discovery of chiasmus in the book of mormon. Shows the existence of complex chiastic usage in the text of the book of mormonthis seminal work has been reprinted numerous times, with revisions and additions, as in noel b. The most famous example of this is chapter 36 of the book of alma.
Welch recalled in the video gaechters fatherly words after welch s explanation of the chiasms he had found in the book of mormon. 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. Welch discovered the first instance of chiasmus in the book of mormon in 1967. This form of inverted parallelism has been found in the bible, the book of mormon, and in many other ancient writings. Chiasmus is one of the most frequently cited evidences for the authenticity of the book of mormon. Like the book of matthew in the bible, king benjamins. Chiasmus in the book of mormon judaicaworld archives. Chiasms appear in greek, latin, english and other languages, but it was most highly developed in hebrew. The chiastic structure, according to welch, is as follows. Jack welch is a lawyer, a faithful scholar and an editor, and all three skills enrich this impressive work.
Book of mormonanthropologylanguagehebraismschiasmus. He is notable for his contributions to lds mormon scholarship, including his discovery of the ancient literary form chiasmus in the book of mormon. Welch, an attorney specializing in tax matters, joined the faculty of the j. John welch, who discovered chiasmus in the book of mormon in 1967 wrote the following. Criteria for identifying and evaluating the presence of chiasmus. Welch discovered the presence of chiasmus on august 16, 1967 while on his mission in germany. Oct 05, 2016 timing the book of mormon translation john w.
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. So it is, in my opinion, with the issue of chiasmus in the book of mormon. 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. As a byu grad, byu sports fan, and currently a byu dad, im a big byu supporter. While a missionary for the lds church in regensburg, germany, john welch studied mosiah 5. This month marks 50 years since the ancient hebrew writing format chiasmus was discovered in the book of mormon by john welch while he was a missionary serving in regensburg, germany, in 1967. Book of mormonevidenceshebraismschiasmus fairmormon. Welch, criteria for identifying and evaluating the presence of chiasmus, journal of book of mormon studies 42 1995. The inverse parallelism that is the defining characteristic of chiasmus is thought to be difficult if not impossible to explain if joseph smith was the author. This compilation of groundbreaking book of mormon articles is selected from over fifty years of lds scholarship published by byu studies. Chiasmus is a style of writing known in antiquity and used by many ancient and some modern writers.
Chiasmus in the book of mormon book of mormon central. Indeed, the presence of chiasmus in the book of mormon may be evidence of joseph smiths own literary style and genius. Chiasms appear in greek, latin, english and other languages, but it. Instead of burying it deep in the academic journals, lets put it out in. Welch was the first to notice chiastic structures in the book of mormon. Chiasmus, or inverted parallelism, is a twopart literary structure or system in which the second half is a mirror image of the first, i. Chiasmus in the book of abraham by book of mormon central. Apr 21, 2016 if it had appeared in the book of mormon, lds scholars would no doubt be heralding it as an impressive chiasmus.
In the early, stilldark hours of the morning, august 16, 1967, a young john w. Jubilee marks 50 years from book of mormon chiasmus discovery. Greg welch tells the story of his father john welch discovering chiasmus in the book of mormon. Welch is a member of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints and currently teaches at the j. 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. 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 discoveries of chiasmus whether in the book of mormon or in the bible belong to all of us. In the first place, we have demonstrated the extensive existence of chiasmus in the book of mormon.
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. He is notable for his contributions to lds mormon scholarship, including his discovery of the ancient literary form chiasmus in the book. Meticulously researched and heavily footnoted, this very readable book is pregnant with insights as it casts new light on nephite culture through detailed analyses of half a dozen legal cases in the scriptural text. Welchs work influenced studies and analyses on chiasmus in classic mayan texts, and his publications have contributed much to the discipline of chiastic. Some of these examples may seem to be compelling, but when closely examined, they turn out to be little more than wishful thinking. Greg welch how chiasmus was discovered in the book of mormon part 1. Chiasmus was popular in the ancient languages like greek, latin, and especially hebrew. 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. Welch, chiasmus in the book of mormon, byu studies 1969. Wednesday was the fiftieth anniversary of welch s discovery. Jubilee marks 50 years from book of mormon chiasmus. A significant development during the second half of the 20th century was the growing awareness and understanding of chiasmus in ancient literature.
Biblicaljudaic and islamic perspectives isbn 0931464390 he is a contributing scholar for the joseph smith papers project. Before chiasmus, we all tended to read the book of mormon, and the bible for that matter, as plain texts, not seeing scriptural words connected with. Others argue that chiasmus is not necessarily evidence of hebrew origin. Chiasmus in the book of mormon brigham young university. The logic tree of life, or, why i cant manage to disbelieve daniel c. 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 recalled in the video gaechters fatherly words after welchs explanation of the chiasms he had found in the book of mormon. Come, follow me recommended study aids book of mormon the.
Chiasmus is both a necessary and natural way of understanding book of mormon literature. Welch, chiasmus in the book of mormon, in book of mormon authorship. In his blessing to his son helaman, alma uses chiasmus in recounting his conversion to the gospel of jesus christ. What is chiasmus and why is it so important in the book of.
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. As it turns out, some of the most meaningful and wellconstructed examples of this form of writing found anywhere in the world appear in the pages of the book of mormon john w. Foundation for ancient research and mormon studies, 1999. 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. How chiasmus was discovered in the book of mormon greg welch. Elder holland speaks at book of mormon chiasmus conference. One of the main types of evidence to which mormons appeal in support of the authenticity of the book of mormon as ancient israelite literature is the rhetorical feature called chiasmus. Sep 18, 2015 greg welch tells the story of his father john welch discovering chiasmus in the book of mormon. 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. Chiasmus is an elegant literary device where parallel phrases are inverted. Those who were not so credulous insisted that it obviously read like anything but a hebrew text. Welch 1946 discovered chiasmus in the book of mormon and founded the foundation for ancient research and mormon studies farms.
Greg welch how chiasmus was discovered in the book of mormon part 1 duration. Guidelines for such analysis can be found at john w. Since that time, a steady stream of publications has greatly illuminated this profound and ancient literary feature. Chiasmus itself can be understood in two distinct ways. Come, follow me recommended study aids book of mormon. This chart illustrates the deep structure of alma 36. Another famous author of the book of mormon who creatively employed the principles of chiasmus to great advantage was alma the younger.
Chiasmus and book of mormon textual studies deseret book. As a way of testing its validity, we may use the criteria for evaluating the strength of a proposed chiasmus laid out by lds scholar john welch. Jul 21, 2016 the logic tree of life, or, why i cant manage to disbelieve daniel c. John welch tells the remarkable story of being a young missionary and discovering chiasmus. 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. Now comes the question of chiasmus in the book of mormon. Aug 16, 2017 welch, a study relating chiasmus in the book of mormon to chiasmus in the old testament, ugaritic epics, homer and selected greek and latin authors m. Chiasmus in the book of mormon religious studies center. 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. 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. In 1967, while serving in the lds south german mission, welch and his companion attended a lecture in the catholic priesterseminar which talked about the use of chiasmus in.
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. Time now for a few final evaluations of what we have learned about chiasmus in the book of mormon. For this article i am going to discuss an ancient literary form known as chiasmus. Because of previous exposure to the ancient literary device, john welch correctly identified mosiah 5. Welch, a study relating chiasmus in the book of mormon to chiasmus in the old testament, ugaritic epics, homer and selected greek and latin authors m. 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. Welch was introduced to chiasmus in regensburg, germany, when as a mormon missionary he attended a lecture series by a catholic priest. Reynolds editor, book of mormon authorship 1982, 3352. It is found in the bible and the quran and other ancient documents. Chiasmus, the book of mormon, and the aquarian gospel. John woodland jack welch born 1946 is a scholar of law and religion. Chiasmus in the book of mormon philosophies of men.
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