When Are Chiasms Admissible as Evidence?

Authors

Boyd F. Edwards, Utah State UniversityFollow
W. F. Edwards

Document Type

Article

Journal/Book Title/Conference

BYU Studies

Volume

49

Issue

4

Publication Date

2010

First Page

131

Abstract

Since John Welch’s discovery of chiasmus in the Book of Mormon in 1967, many critics have attempted to show how chiasmus appears in just about every type of literature, from Dr. Seuss to Strangite scripture. This article discusses the authors’ statistical admissibility tests to verify whether a chiasmus in a work shows strong evidence of intentionality by the original author. Their results indicate that certain passages in the Old Testament and in the Book of Mormon show deliberate chiasmus, while Strangite scripture, the Doctrine and Covenants, nursery rhymes, Dr. Seuss, and other works are not intentionally chiastic.

Comments

Originally published by BYU Studies in BYU Studies. Publisher PDF available for download through remote link. Publisher may require subscription to access article.

Recommended Citation

When Are Chiasms Admissible as Evidence?,” B. F. Edwards and W. F. Edwards, BYU Studies 49, no. 4, 131 (2010); http://byustudies.byu.edu/chiasmus/ [0].