Chiasmus
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. This repetition emphasizes important ideas and words. In addition, the writer’s main idea is often located at the center of the chiasmus. 1
Did Joseph Smith know about chiasmus? It is possible, but not probably. There is evidence to suggest that Smith had evidence and guides for chiasmus close to him 2 3 but there will probably never be a definitive case for either side
Standard Chiasmus
Book of Mormon
- A) And those priests were ordained
- B) after the order of his Son
- C) in a manner
- D) that thereby the people might know
- C') in what manner
- C) in a manner
- B') to look forward to his Son for redemption.
- B) after the order of his Son
- A') And this is the manner after which they were ordained
- A) Men will drink damnation to their souls unless they humble themselves
- B) and become as little children
- C) believing that salvation is in the atoning blood of Christ;
- D) for the natural man
- E) is an enemy to God
- F) and has been from the fall of Adam
- F') and will be forever and ever
- E') unless he yieldeth to the Holy Spirit
- E) is an enemy to God
- D') and putteth off the natural man
- D) for the natural man
- C') and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ
- C) believing that salvation is in the atoning blood of Christ;
- B') and becometh as a child
- B) and become as little children
- A') submissive, meek, and humble.
- A) And now whosoever shall not take upon them the name of Christ
- B) must be called by some other name;
- C) therefore he findeth himself on the left hand of God.
- D) And I would that ye should remember that this is the name
- E) that should never be blotted out
- F) except it be through transgression:
- F’) Therefore take heed that ye do not transgress
- E’) that the name be not blotted out of your hearts.
- E) that should never be blotted out
- D’) I would that ye should remember to retain this name
- D) And I would that ye should remember that this is the name
- C’) that ye are not found on the left hand of God,
- C) therefore he findeth himself on the left hand of God.
- B’) but that ye hear and know the voice by which ye shall be called
- B) must be called by some other name;
- A’) and also the name by which he shall call you.
The Late War
- A) in these days, whilst the fleet of Britain
- B) captured the vessels of Columbia,
- C) where they caught them singly upon the ocean,
- B') that the single ships of Columbia began to
- B) captured the vessels of Columbia,
- A') capture the ships of Britain by pairs
- A) and spilt their blood in the cause of liberty
- B) land of Columbia bringeth
- C) people from all nations
- D) to dwell therein.
- C') The people of
- C) people from all nations
- B') Columbia use no persuasion,
- B) land of Columbia bringeth
- A') the sacred cause of Liberty is the star of attraction
- A) THE frailty of man speaketh volumes
- B) one man accuseth another but where is he who is perfect
- C) Man deviseth mighty plans in his own mind, but he accomplisheth them not.
- C') He is wise in his own conceit, but his wisdom faileth him:
- B') he seeth folly in others but perceiveth not his own;
- B) one man accuseth another but where is he who is perfect
- A') he is as a reed shaken with the wind.
- A) And the old men, the little children, and the women…
- B) wickedness of barbarians.
- C) Even the small villages that rose beautifully on the river side, became a prey unto them
- D) and were consumed by men who called themselves the mighty conquerors of Europe.
- D1) They were like hungry wolves that are never satisfied; destruction and devastation marked their footsteps
- E) Now the ships of the king were commanded by a man
- F) whose name was Cockburn,
- G) And it was so, that on the third day of the fifth month, in the thirty and seventh year of the independence of the people of Columbia,
- F') Cockburn, sir-named the wicked,
- F) whose name was Cockburn,
- E') led forth a host of the savage men of Britain...
- E) Now the ships of the king were commanded by a man
- D’) And they came as the barbarians of the wilderness
- D1’) fierceness was in their looks, cruelty was in their hearts.
- C) the dwelling houses they put the burning brand, and plundered the poor and needy without pity
- C) Even the small villages that rose beautifully on the river side, became a prey unto them
- B) such wickedness was not done even among the Philistines.
- B) wickedness of barbarians.
- A) The women and children cried aloud
Doctrine and Covenants
- A) And after that you have obtained faith,
- B) and have seen them with your eyes, you shall testify of them,
- C) by the power of God;
- D) And this you shall do that my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., may not be destroyed,
- E) that I may bring about my righteous purposes unto the children of men in this work.
- D’) And ye shall testify that you have seen them, even as my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., has seen them;
- D) And this you shall do that my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., may not be destroyed,
- C’) for it is by my power
- C) by the power of God;
- B’) that he has seen them,
- B) and have seen them with your eyes, you shall testify of them,
- A’) and it is because he had faith.
- A) I say unto you, that as my servant Martin Harris has desired a witness at my hand,
- B) that you, my servant Joseph Smith, Jun.,
- C) have got the plates of which you have testified and borne record that you have received of me;
- D) And now, behold, this shall you say unto him—
- D’) he who spake unto you, said unto you: I, the Lord, am God,
- C’) and have given these things unto you,
- C) have got the plates of which you have testified and borne record that you have received of me;
- B’) my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., and have commanded you that
- B) that you, my servant Joseph Smith, Jun.,
- A’) you should stand as a witness of these things;
- A) For, behold, the Lord your Redeemer suffered death in the flesh ; wherefore he suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent (gospel) and come unto him. (salvation)
- B) And he hath risen again from the dead, that he might bring all men unto him, on conditions of repentance.
- C) And how great is his joy
- D) in the soul that repenteth!
- E) Wherefore, you are called to cry repentance unto this people.
- E’)And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people,
- D’) and bring, save it be one soul unto me,
- D) in the soul that repenteth!
- C’) how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father! And now, if your joy will be great with one soul
- C) And how great is his joy
- B’) that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!
- B) And he hath risen again from the dead, that he might bring all men unto him, on conditions of repentance.
- A’) Behold, you have my gospel before you, and my rock, and my salvation.
Joseph Smith’s diary 1834
- A) the Lord shall destroy him
- B) who has lifted his heel against me even that wicked man Docter P. H[u]rlbut
- C) he [will] deliver him to the fowls of heaven and
- C’) his bones shall be cast to the blast of the wind
- C) he [will] deliver him to the fowls of heaven and
- B’) [for] he lifted his [arm] against the Almity
- B) who has lifted his heel against me even that wicked man Docter P. H[u]rlbut
- A’) therefore the Lord shall destroy him
Joseph Smith’s letter to Emma 1838
- A) My Dear and Beloved Companion of My Bosom, in Tribulation, and Affliction
- B) my lovely children
- C) the slain of the people of God
- D) to have you careful not to trust them
- E) we may have our families brought to us
- F) I hope for the best always
- G) Oh may God have mercy on us
- H’) General Clark is determined to exterminate
- G’) God … will extend mercy in some degree toward us
- G) Oh may God have mercy on us
- F’) I have some hopes
- F) I hope for the best always
- E’) I may send for you to bring you to me.
- E) we may have our families brought to us
- D’) be faithful and true to every trust
- D) to have you careful not to trust them
- C’) May God give you wisdom
- C) the slain of the people of God
- B’) Those little children
- B) my lovely children
- A') My Kind and Affectionate Emma, I am yours forever
Mediation and Atonement
- A) And He in His own person
- B) bore the sins of all,
- C) and atoned for them
- D) by the sacrifice of Himself,
- E) so there came upon Him the weight and agony
- F) of ages
- F’) and generations,
- E’) the indescribable agony consequent upon
- E) so there came upon Him the weight and agony
- D’) this great sacrificial
- D) by the sacrifice of Himself,
- C’) atonement
- C) and atoned for them
- B’) wherein He bore the sins of the world,
- B) bore the sins of all,
- A’) and suffered in His own person the consequences of an eternal law of God broken by man
Book of the Law of the Lord
- A) Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain:
- B) thou shalt not usurp dominion
- C) as a ruler;
- C1) for the NAME of the Lord thy God
- D) is great and glorious above all other names: he is above all,
- F) and is the only true God
- F') the only just and upright King
- D') overall: he alone hath the right
- D) is great and glorious above all other names: he is above all,
- C') to RULE;
- C1’) and in his NAME, only he to whom he granteth it:
- B') whosoever is not chosen of him, the same is a usurper, and unholy:
- B) thou shalt not usurp dominion
- A') the Lord will not hold him guiltless, for he taketh his name in vain
- A) My people are no more.
- B) The mighty are fallen
- B1) and the young slain in battle.
- C) Their bones bleached on the plain
- C1) by the noonday shadow.
- D) The houses are leveled to the dust, and in the moat are the walls.
- E) They shall be inhabited.
- D') I have in the burial served them,
- D) The houses are leveled to the dust, and in the moat are the walls.
- C') and their bones
- C1’) in the Death-shade , towards the sun’s rising, are covered.
- B') They sleep with the mighty dead , and they rest with their fathers.
- B1’) They have fallen in transgression
- A') and are not,
Extended Chiasmus
Alma Chapter 36
According to the Book of Mormon Study Manual:4
Alma used chiasmus to tell the story of his conversion to his son Helaman. 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: a translation of an ancient text written in a Middle Eastern language.
- A) Give ear to my words (v. 1)
- B) Keep the commandments and ye shall prosper in the land (v. 1)
- C) Do as I have done (v. 2)
- D) Remember the captivity of our fathers (v. 2)
- E) They were in bondage (v. 2)
- F) He surely did deliver them (v. 2)
- G) Trust in God (v. 3)
- H) Supported in trials, troubles, and afflictions (v. 3)
- I) I would not that ye think that I know of myself (v. 4)
- J) Born of God (v. 5)
- K) For I went about... seeking to destroy the church of God (v.6)
- L) Neither had I the use of my limbs (v.10)
- M) [I thought] that I might not be brought to stand in the presence of my God (v.14-15)
- N) Pains of a damned soul (v. 16)
- O) Harrowed up by the memory of sins (v. 17)
- P) I remembered Jesus Christ, a son of God (v. 17)
- P') I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God (v. 18)
- O') Harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more (v. 19)
- O) Harrowed up by the memory of sins (v. 17)
- N') Joy as exceeding as was my pain (v. 20)
- N) Pains of a damned soul (v. 16)
- M') my soul did long to be there (in the presence of God). (v.22)
- M) [I thought] that I might not be brought to stand in the presence of my God (v.14-15)
- L')My limbs received strength again (v. 23)
- L) Neither had I the use of my limbs (v.10)
- K') I have labored... [to] bring souls [to] repentance (v. 24)
- K) For I went about... seeking to destroy the church of God (v.6)
- J') Born of God (v. 26)
- J) Born of God (v. 5)
- I') My knowledge... is of God. (v.26)
- I) I would not that ye think that I know of myself (v. 4)
- H') Supported under trials... troubles... [and] afflictions (v. 27)
- H) Supported in trials, troubles, and afflictions (v. 3)
- G) Trust in him (v. 27)
- G) Trust in God (v. 3)
- F') He will... deliver me... [and] raise me up (v. 27)
- F) He surely did deliver them (v. 2)
- E') he has... delivered [our fathers] out of bondage and captivity, (v. 28–29)
- E) They were in bondage (v. 2)
- D') Retain a remembrance of their captivity(v. 29)
- D) Remember the captivity of our fathers (v. 2)
- C') Know as I do know (v. 30)
- C) Do as I have done (v. 2)
- B') Keep the commandments and ye shall prosper (v. 30)
- B) Keep the commandments and ye shall prosper in the land (v. 1)
- A') This is according to his word. (v.30)
Cherry Picking Chiasmus
Chiastic intentionality must be measured with respect to repeated variables as mentioned in Edwards and Edwards ()5
36:1 My son, give ear to my A) words; for I swear unto you, that inasmuch as ye shall B) keep the commandments of God ye shall prosper in the land.
36:2 I would that ye should C) do as I have done, in D) remembering the captivity of our fathers; for they were in E) bondage, and none could deliver them except it was the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and he surely did F) deliver them in their afflictions.
36:3 And now, O my son Helaman, behold, thou art in thy youth, and therefore, I beseech of thee that thou wilt hear my words and learn of me; for I do know that whosoever shall put their G) trust in God shall be supported in their H) trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day.
36:4 And I would not that ye think that I I) know of myself—not of the temporal but of the spiritual, not of the carnal mind but of God.
36:5 Now, behold, I say unto you, if I had not been J) born of God I should not have known these things; but God has, by the mouth of his holy angel, made these things known unto me, not of any worthiness of myself.
36:6 For K) I went about with the sons of Mosiah, seeking to destroy the church of God; but behold, God sent his holy angel to stop us by the way.
36:7 And behold, he spake unto us, as it were the voice of thunder, and the whole earth did tremble beneath our feet; and we all fell to the earth, for the fear of the Lord came upon us.
36:8 But behold, the voice said unto me: Arise. And I arose and stood up, and beheld the angel.
36:9 And he said unto me: If thou wilt of thyself be destroyed, seek no more to destroy the church of God.
36:10 And it came to pass that I fell to the earth; and it was for the space of three days and three nights that I could not open my mouth, neither had I the use of my L) limbs.
36:11 And the angel spake more things unto me, which were heard by my brethren, but I did not hear them; for when I heard the words—If thou wilt be destroyed of thyself, seek no more to destroy the church of God—I was struck with such great fear and amazement lest perhaps I should be destroyed, that I fell to the earth and I did hear no more.
36:12 But I was racked with eternal torment, for my soul was harrowed up to the greatest degree and racked with all my sins.
36:13 Yea, I did remember all my sins and iniquities, for which I was tormented with the pains of hell; yea, I saw that I had rebelled against my God, and that I had not kept his holy commandments.
36:14 Yea, and I had murdered many of his children, or rather led them away unto destruction; yea, and in fine so great had been my iniquities, that the very thought of coming into the M) presence of my God did rack my soul with inexpressible horror.
36:15 Oh, thought I, that I could be banished and become extinct both soul and body, that I might not be brought to stand in the presence of my God, to be judged of my deeds.
36:16 And now, for three days and for three nights was I racked, even with the N) pains of a damned soul.
36:17 And it came to pass that as I was thus racked with torment, while I was O) harrowed up by the memory of my many sins, behold, I remembered also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of one P) Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world.
36:18 Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O P') Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death.
36:19 And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was O') harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more.
36:20 And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with N') joy as exceeding as was my pain!
36:21 Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy.
36:22 Yea, methought I saw, even as our father Lehi saw, God sitting upon his throne, surrounded with numberless concourses of angels, in the attitude of singing and praising their God; yea, and my soul M') did long to be there.
36:23 But behold, my L') limbs did receive their strength again, and I stood upon my feet, and did manifest unto the people that I had been born of God.
36:24 Yea, and from that time even until now, I have K') labored without ceasing, that I might bring souls unto repentance; that I might bring them to taste of the exceeding joy of which I did taste; that they might also be born of God, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.
36:25 Yea, and now behold, O my son, the Lord doth give me exceedingly great joy in the fruit of my labors;
36:26 For because of the word which he has imparted unto me, behold, many have been J') born of God, and have tasted as I have tasted, and have seen eye to eye as I have seen; therefore they do know of these things of which I have spoken, as I do know; and the I') knowledge which I have is of God.
36:27 And I have been H') supported under trials and troubles of every kind, yea, and in all manner of afflictions; yea, God has delivered me from prison, and from bonds, and from death; yea, and I do put my G') trust in him, and he will still F') deliver me.
36:28 And I know that he will raise me up at the last day, to dwell with him in glory; yea, and I will praise him forever, for he has brought our fathers out of Egypt, and he has swallowed up the Egyptians in the Red Sea; and he led them by his power into the promised land; yea, and he has delivered them out of bondage and captivity from time to time.
36:29 Yea, and he has also brought our fathers out of the land of Jerusalem; and he has also, by his everlasting power, E') delivered them out of bondage and captivity, from time to time even down to the present day; and I have always retained in D') remembrance their captivity; yea, and ye also ought to retain in remembrance, as I have done, their captivity.
36:30 But behold, my son, this is not all; for ye ought to C') know as I do know, that inasmuch as ye shall B') keep the commandments of God ye shall prosper in the land; and ye ought to know also, that inasmuch as ye will not keep the commandments of God ye shall be cut off from his presence. Now this is according to his A') word.
Calculating a P-value
Number of Elements: 16
Element A: 8
Element B: 2
Element C: 6
Element D: 3
Element E: 5
Element F: 7
Element G: 2
Element H: 2
Element I: 10
Element J: 4
Element K: 4
Element L: 2
Element M: 5
Element N: 14
Element O: 3
Element P: 2
or [8, 2, 6, 3, 5, 7, 2, 2, 10, 4, 4, 2, 5, 14, 3, 2]