Chiasmus Jubilee



Thank you to all who were able to make it for the Chiasmus Jubilee. We had a fantastic turnout and it was truly an event to be remembered.

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This year marks the 50th anniversary since John W. Welch discovered Chiasmus in the Book of Mormon. This discovery has changed the way we forever approach Book of Mormon scholarship. To celebrate this day, we held a gala event on August 16th, for a Chiasmus Jubilee hosted and organized by BYU Studies and Book of Mormon Central.

Special Guest Speakers



Elder Jeffrey R. Holland Elder Kim B. Clark President Kevin J. Worthen John W. Welch

Jubilee Event Details



August 16, 2017

7:00 – 9:00 p.m.

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.

Free Admission

Pre-registration encouraged

Chiasmus: An Open Conference on the State of the Art



There will be a two-day conference held in the Joseph Smith Building auditorium on BYU's campus on Tuesday, August 15th and Wednesday, August 16th. The conference sessions will have presentations by LDS and non-LDS scholars discussing chiasmus in the Bible and in other texts, including the Book of Mormon.

Conference participants are also invited to view materials on chiasmus at the Harold B. Lee Library on BYU’s campus from the beginning of August through mid-September. The Harold B. Lee Library will have a three-case display with personal and relevant items showing John Welch’s discovery of chiasmus in the Book of Mormon while he was a missionary serving in Regensburg, Germany, 50 years ago, in 1967. For the jubilee on Wednesday evening, August 16th, items concerning the impact and aftermath of the discovery of chiasmus in the Book of Mormon, as well as progress in scholarship about chiasmus in the Bible and in other literatures will be on display in the Joseph Smith Building.

Free Admission

Pre-registration encouraged

Sponsors

Co-Sponsors

Book of Mormon Central

BYU Studies Harold B. Lee Library Special Collections

BYU Religious Education

The Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

The Interpreter Foundation

The John A. Widtsoe Foundation

Conference Schedule



Tuesday Schedule



Session 1: Chiasmus Methodology: Criteria, Character, and Terminology



Daniel C. Peterson Moderating Session 1 9:00 – 9:05 a.m. Neal Rappleye Chiasmus Criteria in Review 9:05 – 9:35 a.m.

5 min Q&A Boyd F. Edwards Statistics, Probability, and Evaluation of Chiasmus 9:40 – 10:10 a.m.

5 min Q&A - 10 Minute Break - Stephen Kent Ehat Characteristics of Chiasms: Identifying, Evaluating, and Appreciating Chiastic Texts with Care, Concern, and Humility 10:25 – 10:55 a.m.

5 min Q&A Noel B. Reynolds Chiasmus and Hebrew Rhetoric 11:00 – 11:30 a.m.

5 min Q&A Open Discussion When is a Chiasm a Chiasm? 11:35 – 12:00 p.m. - 1 Hour Lunch -

Session 2: Chiasmus and Textual Criticism



Robert F. Smith Moderating Session 2 1:00 – 1:05 p.m. Bernard Levinson The Pleasures and Perils of Chiasmus: Some Case Studies from Exodus and Deuteronomy 1:05 – 1:35 p.m.

5 min Q&A David Rolph Seely “With Outstretched Hand and with Strong Arm” (Deut 4:34); “With Strong Arm and with Outstretched Hand” (Jer 21:5): Chiasmus in Deuteronomy and Jeremiah 1:40 – 2:10 p.m.

5 min Q&A - 10 Minute Break - Donald W. Parry Chiasmus in the Text of Isaiah: MT Isaiah Versus the Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsaa) 2:25 – 2:55 p.m.

5 min Q&A Royal Skousen Poetic Structures and Textual Criticism of the Book of Mormon 3:00 – 3:30 p.m.

5 min Q&A Open Discussion 3:35 – 4:00 p.m.

Wednesday Schedule



Session 3: Chiasmus and Ancient Cultures



Jacob A. Rennaker Moderating Session 3 9:00 – 9:05 a.m. Gary A. Rendsburg Chiasmus in the Book of Genesis 9:05 – 9:35 a.m.

5 min Q&A Steven R. Scott Chiasmus in Gilgamesh and the Genesis Flood Story 9:40 – 10:10 a.m.

5 min Q&A - 10 Minute Break - John W. Welch Narrating Homicides Chiastically 10:25 – 11:05 a.m.

5 min Q&A Kerry Hull Chiastic Messaging in Mesoamerican Texts 11:10 – 11:40 a.m.

5 min Q&A Open Discussion 11:45 – 12:00 p.m. - 1 Hour Lunch -

Session 4: Chiasmus in the New Testament



Eric D. Huntsman Moderating Session 4 1:00 – 1:05 p.m. George Mlakuzhyil S.J. Chiasmus in the Christocentric Literary-Dramatic Structure of John's Gospel 1:05 – 1:50 p.m.

5 min Q&A Steven R. Scott Methodology and the Macro-Structure of John 1:55 – 2:20 p.m.

5 min Q&A Questions and Discussion 2:25 – 2:40 p.m. - 10 Minute Break - Wayne Brouwer The Chiastic Structure of the Farewell Discourse in the Fourth Gospel 2:50 – 3:20 p.m.

5 min Q&A H. Douglas Buckwalter Jesus and the Roman Centurion (Matt 8:5–13): A Window to Chiasmus and Apostolic Pedagogy 3:25 – 3:55 p.m.

5 min Q&A

Download Conference Schedule

View Conference Speaker Bios

Chiasmus Resources Now Online



Want to learn more about chiasmus? Check out some of the great resources on chiasmus particularly in the Bible, Book of Mormon and in the ancient world.

The Chiasmus Resources Website

Book of Mormon Central Chiasmus Materials Page

Conference Posters



Download Conference Posters