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Chiastic Structures in the
Book of Mormon
By H. Clay Gorton
Editor's note:
The Ancient American Foundation (AAF) is pleased to present AAF
Notes : a series of research articles by scholars of Book
of Mormon culture and history and reviewed by AAF editors.
Visit our website at http://www.ancientamerica.org
. This article comes from H.
Clay Gorton's book, Chiastic Structures
in the Book of Mormon. It needs be
noted that since the publication of this book, more chiastic structures
have been identified with the probability that there are still more
to come.
One of the most compelling evidences for the authenticity of the
Book of Mormon is the extensive use of ancient Hebraisms, especially
chiasmus, which is an unusual parallelistic literary structure
that was completely foreign to the English language of Joseph
Smith, and was in fact only rediscovered in recent years.
How is it possible that the Book of Mormon is full of this ancient
Hebrew literary structure that was unknown in Joseph Smith's day
if he wrote it as critics have claimed?
In a chiasm, key words or concepts lead to a central important
theme and is then repeated in reverse order. For example:
Old King Cole
was a merry old soul
and a merry old soul
was he.
The very first three verses
of First Nephi reveal Nephi's knowledge of chiasmus:
Nephi had great knowledge
so made a record
in the language of his father
which consisted of the learning of the Jews
and the language of the Egyptians.
He witnessed that his record is true
And that he made it according to his knowledge.
The entire book of First Nephi
is a chiastic masterpiece with layer upon layer of chiastic structure
within it. In the literal category, 165 chiastic elements are in
the first half of the book and 165 corresponding words, or phrases
lead away from the central element in identical reverse order.
The central theme of the literal chiasm is "coming
to the Lamb of God." The first leg describes Lehi's
testimony. The second leg describes Nephi's testimony. The central
theme of the conceptual chiasm is "and the way is prepared
for all men from the foundation of the world if it so be that they
repent, and come unto Him."
Imbedded within these two "global" chiasms are 107 additional
chiastic structures. Here are additional facts:
- 961 chiasms have been identified in the Book of Mormon.
- 53% of the verses in the Book of Mormon are chiastic.
- 72% of the small plates on Nephi are chiastic.
- 33 different authors in the Book of Mormon used chiasms.
- 33 chiasms are found in the Pearl of Great Price.
- 225 chiasms are found in the Doctrine and Covenants.
- Like First Nephi, the entire book of Isaiah in the Bible is
chiastic.
Since Joseph Smith did not have knowledge of chiasms, he could
not have composed the complicated chiasms in the Book of Mormon.
How then did they emerge in his revelations in the Doctrine and
Covenants? The implication is that the Lord uses chiasms as a language
structure that, when seen in scripture, indicates the hand of the
Lord in its authorship. Perhaps even to dictation.
Examine 3 Ne.9:13-22 and see if you can find a chiasm in Christ's
first recorded message to the Nephites.
The Book of Mormon is the mind, and the will, and the word of God.
Chiasms may be one of the ways the Lord places his signature on
his revealed word as found in the scriptures .
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