Alma 36 chaism

[Convert55]

Alma 36 is soon to be covered in our Sunday school Gospel Doctrine class. Some years ago I happened to discover the chaism/chaismus that lies therein.

My assumption is that most if not all of your are familiar with or have heard of a chiasm. If not, see the link below:

Chaismus = Chiasmus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

I tried to make a brief outline of what I consider the main thoughts or ideas that make up the chiasmus in Alma 36 and thought some of you may find it interesting or of some benefit. Hopefully some of you may be able to improve upon my attempt or add some insight. I believe I had to user font 10 to get it to all fit on one printed page.

Before I show it here I will make a few comments on my notation.

Sample:

Alma 36 Chiasm

(A) My son, give ear to my words; (1)

(B) Inasmuch as ye shall keep the commandments of God ye shall prosper in the land (1)

(B’) That inasmuch as ye shall keep the commandments of God ye shall prosper in the land (30)

(A’) According to his word (30)

The upper case A is the first thought expressed in the chiastic structure and it’s corresponding thought is found at A’ which I pronounce A prime. The numbers at the end of the phrase such as (1) tells what verse in Alma 36 the thought or phrase comes from. Normally each succeeding phrase (A, B, C etc.) are indented. The C’, B’, A’ are out-dented (sorry I don’t know what the real word is) to form a “>” shape. The “>” shape is the left half of the letter X which is the Greek letter Chai and that is where the word Chaism comes from. I dispensed with the indenting because of the size of the chaism and the size of the paper.

Alma 36 actually has nested chaisms; that is a chaism with in a chaism. You will recognize this when you see my notation lower case (a), (b), © … (c’), (b’), (a’). I think you have enough information now to understand what I am doing. If not, just ask.

See the next post for the Alma 36 chaism

Edited July 11, 2012 by Convert55

[Convert55]

Alma 36 Chiasm

(A) My son, give ear to my words; (1)

(B.) Inasmuch as ye shall keep the commandments of God ye shall prosper in the land (1)

© Do as I have done (2)

(D) Our fathers; for they were in bondage (2)

(E) He surely did deliver them in their afflictions (2)

(F) Put their trust in God (3)

(G) Shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions (3)

(H)That I know of myself… of God (4)

(I) Born of God (5)

(J) God has … made these things known unto me (5)

(K) For I went about … seeking to destroy the church (6)

(L) We all fell to the earth (7)

(M) The fear of the Lord came upon us (7)

(N) God did rack my soul with inexpressible horror (9 – 16)

.....(a) Of thyself be destroyed (9)

.....(b) Three days and three nights (10)

.....© Neither had I the use of my limbs (10)

.....(d) I was struck with such great fear (11)

.....(e) I should be destroyed (11)

.....(f) I was racked with eternal torment (12)

.....(f’)I was tormented with the pains of hell (13)

.....(e’) Led them away unto destruction (14)

.....(d’)God did rack my soul with inexpressible horror (14)

.....(c’)Not be brought to stand (15)

.....(b’) For three days and for three nights (16)

.....(a’) Pains of a damed soul (16)

.....(o) I was harrowed up by the memory of my many sins (17)

.....(p) Jesus Christ, a son of God … was to come (17)

(point) to atone for the sins of the world.

.....(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. (18)

.....(o’)I could remember my pains no more; (19)

.....(g) Oh what joy (20)

.....(h) Exceeding as was my pain (20)

.....(h’)Exquisite and so bitter as were my pains (21)

.....(g’)So exquisite and sweet as was my joy(21)

(N’)So exquisite and sweet as was my joy(19 - 21)

(M’) My soul did long to be there (22)

(L’) I stood upon my feet (23)

(K’) I have labored without ceasing (24)

(J’) The word which he has imparted unto me (26)

(I’) Born of God (26)

(H’) The knowledge which I have is of God (27)

(G’) I have been supported under trials and troubles of every kind, yea, and in all manner of afflictions (27)

(F’) I do put my trust in him (27)

(E’) He will still deliver me (27)

(D’) Our fathers … delivered them out of bondage (28 – 29)

(C’) Know as I do know (30)

(B’) That inasmuch as ye shall keep the commandments of God ye shall prosper in the land (30)

(A’) According to his word (30)

Edited July 11, 2012 by Convert55

[Convert55]

We have heard by those who know Hebrew that authors such as Isaiah were poetic in there writing. English readers fail to see the poetic rhyme because it is lost in translation. A chism is a kind of poetic structure. Generally the structure is not lost in translation and allows the chismus to come through. Alma 36 is a beautiful example of this, I think.

[Vort]

I don't disagree with what you've written, but in my opinion the whole chiasmus thing is overblown. As you say, it's simply a structure of Hebrew poetry -- in fact, of Hebrew writing. Any good and close translation would unintentionally preserve this structure envelope. And if you read much literature that had been translated from ancient Hebrew, you would undoubtedly pick up on this cadence, and consciously or unconsciously, begin anticipating it in your reading. I imagine if you were to try to write some Hebrew-like literature, you would probably start doing this, too. So I am not convinced that the mere existence of chiasmus in the Book of Mormon really serves as much of a proof of its authenticity.

[mordorbund]

I don't disagree with what you've written, but in my opinion the whole chiasmus thing is overblown. As you say, it's simply a structure of Hebrew poetry -- in fact, of Hebrew writing. Any good and close translation would unintentionally preserve this structure envelope. And if you read much literature that had been translated from ancient Hebrew, you would undoubtedly pick up on this cadence, and consciously or unconsciously, begin anticipating it in your reading. I imagine if you were to try to write some Hebrew-like literature, you would probably start doing this, too. So I am not convinced that the mere existence of chiasmus in the Book of Mormon really serves as much of a proof of its authenticity.

Wait, so are you saying that if I wanted to write a Hebrew-sounding

, I could accidently stumble into some chiasms without intending to?

[Sicily510]

Thanks Convert55,

your gifted in testifying simple beauties within the scriptures that many leave unnotice, I find the scriptures entirely to be spiritually poetic. Joseph Smith was incapable of having that much of a knowledge I'm sure without the help of the Holy Ghost and Faith. Thanks again for sharing.

[Convert55]

I really like the story behind Alma 36. Some 25 – 30 years earlier Alma and the son’s of Mosiah had an encounter with an angel as described in Mosiah 27: 8 – 17 (Mosiah 27:8-17*)

Alma 36 is couched in the genre of a father passing down to his son Helaman a sacred experience. I am immediately drawn to this tradition for personal reasons. I also feel that Alma is passing this sacred experience on to me; I feel like one of his son or grandsons receiving ancient wisdom.

Once we discover the device that Alma uses has a chiastic structure we come to realize that his words didn’t just roll out of his mouth. Anyone who has tried to talk in rhyme or sing in what today is called Rap, would know that to be good it takes some time and thought; so it is with Alma 36

This experience that Alma had was profound enough that he speaks of it more than once. In Alma 29 we see: “ 1 O that I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people!”

“2 Yea, I would declare unto every soul, as with the voice of thunder, repentance and the plan of redemption, that they should repent and come unto our God, that there might not be more sorrow upon all the face of the earth.”

Having read Mosiah 27: 8 – 17 we can see that in Alma 29, Alma yearns to be like the angel that visited him; to have the same affect on people that the angle had on him. He realizes the difficulty of this as reveled in verse 3 where he says:

“3 But behold, I am a man” realizing that the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.

I like how in Alma 36 Alma decided to use a nested chaism (v9 – 16) to stress the point of his miserable state and torment.

Although I have never murdered anyone, there was a time of depression that I had similar thoughts as: “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.”

So now I am involved with this story. I am on the journey with Alma by this point.

And now we get to:

17 And it came to pass that as I was thus racked with torment, while I was harrowed up by the memory of my many sins, behold, I remembered also to have heard … of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world.

18 Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O 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.

19 And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more.

I can’t go through this journey each time I read Alma 36 without getting emotional. And having had a similar release, the atonement becomes so very real and so very personal.

Edited July 12, 2012 by Convert55