Dr. John W. Welch, instructor of Law at Brigham Young University, discusses chiasmus in The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. Chiasmus is a literary element common in ancient Biblical scripture that also appears throughout the Book of Mormon. It was only beginning to be rediscovered in Joseph Smith's day, in parts of the world far from where Joseph Smith lived and translated the Book of Mormon, and only mentioned briefly within massive reference volumes[1]. Therefore, it is quite improbable that Joseph Smith knew about chiasmus at the time the Book of Mormon was translated, which serves as evidence of the Book of Mormon being an ancient record as opposed to a modern fabrication. (55 minutes)
Following are links to some Book of Mormon scriptures referenced in this talk, for your convenience:
- Mosiah 5:10-12
- Mosiah 3:18-19
- Helaman 6:7-13
- Alma 33:4-11
- Alma 41:13-15
- Alma 36 (the entire chapter—a remarkable example of chiasmus)
