Event | 2017

Chiasmus Jubilee

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

Jeffrey R. Holland

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

Kim B Clark

Elder Kim B. Clark

Kevin J. Worthen

President Kevin J. Worthen

John W. Welch

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

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