The point of chiastic structures is to point the reader to a key concept. A chiasm is a double list of related items in which the order of the second list is opposite to the order of the first list. I retired from many years as a software developer so i can follow gods calling to write. The second chiasm is in hebrew from chapters 812, also using the abc. In the poetical books of psalms, job aside from the beginning and end, and proverbs, each verse normally starts on a new line. The structural elegance of matthew 12 715 prevalence of chiasms is broadly recognized in biblical literature, including. Whereas the centre of the chiastic structure of matthew 21. He argued that the chiastic structure is emphasized by the two languages that the book is written in. This text includes, one 72 paired 145 pericopes whole concentric structure, divided in two 36 paired concentric structures, divided in three 24 paired concentric.
Structure of the book of esther points to messianic prophecy. Only the divinely appointed messiah would be able to stand as the sacrifice for all mankind. Literary structure chiasmus, chiasm of gospel of matthew. Isaiah esaias, embedding isaiahs chiastic structure in his own larger discourse, which is also a chiasm. But matthews literary structure has placed these connections there, and in this way matthew can make the theological point that jesus death is a descent into egypt and his resurrection is a new exodus. For the lord your god will be with you wherever you go. Continuing where i left off in this series of matthews gospel, we finally arrive at the center of the book. Literary structure chiasm, chiasmus of gospel of matthew. This parallel, of three structural triads between two sections which are arguably in chiastic correspondence, lends considerable weight to the argument for the presence of a chiastic structure in the gospel of matthew.
A study in the form and function of chiastic structures lund, nils wilhelm on. Matthews use of both types of chiastic structure could suggest that christ delivered two. Many have noted the similarities in at least the first 3 bullet points above, and posited a partial chiasm of dan 27. The central verse is about fulfillment of the words of the bible isaiah 7. The first chiasm is written in aramaic from chapters 27 following an abc. If we use matthews three stage progression mtsp, a writing technique that is frequently found in the gospel of matthew, we can explain the intention of matthew 89 more clearly than any other existing explanations. In the gospel of matthew, chapters 89 and 212 each contain three structural triads. Chiasmus in the scriptures biblical chiasm exchange. Chiastic structure in the book of matthew page 2 discuss. Aug 16, 2012 beyond poetry, chiastic structure can often be found in other literary forms such as narrative, parable and even, as some suggest, in entire books of the bible like matthews gospel. In the light of these various divergent proposals, r.
The torah, leviticus and chiastic structure here we go again, as in the book of esther study. Thats one reason why some passages seem to be highly repetitive. In case this term is new to you, or youre still trying to figure it out, heres a definition. The former narrative passage contains three sets of three. As usual, with the way i prefer approaching each section of the bible, identifying the literary structure is very important. You are welcome to read my book on the sermon, the. Structure of the thesis 1 4 6 11 14 17 22 26 28 29 part i the current state of chiastic studies. Some observations concerning the chiastic structure of the. Does the sermon on the mount follow a chiastic structure. The presence of chiasms in matthews gospel is commonly ac cepted.
In a recent study of the matthean sermon on the mount, i also learned of at least two chiastic. From penningtons observations, from my own study, as well as consulting dale allisons book the sermon on the mount. For example, judahs climactic plea to his father jacob displays a chiastic structure that covers several verses genesis 43. A chiastic structure, also known as a ring structure or chiastic pattern, is a literary device used to emphasize parallel ideas. The torah, leviticus and chiastic structure yeshua. This author has charted a structure of pauls letter to the colossians in the form of a chiasmus. Gundry argues against a imposing a clear structure on the gospel.
Vladimirs, 1994, point out many smaller chiasms in particular paragraphs in matthews gospel. Literary structure chiasm, chiasmus of gospel of matthew chiastic structure and concentric structure and parallel of each pericope 1the genealogy of jesus the messiah matt 1. Ellis sees chapter as the centre, with the other your discourses and narrative sections. I imagine it has been suggested before somewhere, but my post here gives a bit of background and follows the structure summary with a slightly more detailed explanation of how each section hangs together. The book of mosiah, for example, utilizes a chiastic structure in its underlying organization, at the expense of chronological order.
Understanding the chiasms of joshua, a chapterbychapter examination of the intriguing chiastic structure in the book of joshua. The psalms contain paragraph divisions similarly as the torah does. Lohr, these two narrative sections lie in chiastic correspondence. Literary structure chiasm, chiasmus of each pericopes of. Here is a very interesting chiastic structure involving the entire book of matthew. Like the book of mosiah, the book of 1 nephi, king benjamins speech, and alma chapter 36 also use a chiastic framework as a foundation. I do and while it sometimes drives me crazy, i enjoy picking up what strikes my fancy based on my mood, time available, and the book s content. This is actually quite surprising in the light of the great number of redactioncritical studies. A study in the form and function of chiastic structures.
Shea proposed that the book of daniel is composed of a doublechiasm. The larger the number of times chiastic structure actually appears in a work, the smaller the likelihood that such structure could have appeared by chance. Compare gaining the kingdom of heaven with laying up treasures in heaven as discussed in matthew 6. A chiasm also called a chiasmus is a literary device in which a sequence of ideas is presented and then repeated in reverse order. Silmilarly, the book of leviticus is organized in chiastic structure. Romans chiastic structure biblical chiasm exchange. Mar 28, 2020 a chiastic structure, also known as a ring structure or chiastic pattern, is a literary device used to emphasize parallel ideas.
Mar 07, 2009 in summary, ive found a structure of matthew s gospel based around ten quotations from isaiah or related to isaiah. The structure of the gospel of matthew as narrative by h. The chiastic structure of matthew the presence of chiasms in matthews gospel is commonly ac cepted. Paul gaechter, literary art in the gospel of matthew. Many scholars see these five units as matthews attempt to portray jesus as the new moses,with each unit being analogous to one of the five books of moses genesis, exodus, leviticus, numbers, deuteronomy a. Some very in depth research in this and a downloadable pdf that is more extensive. In summary, ive found a structure of matthews gospel based around ten quotations from isaiah or related to isaiah. Stuttgart, 1965, and published, with permission from katholisches bibelwerk, by john w. Chiastic structures the key to interpreting the bible.
The parable is bounded by the classic chiasm the first shall be last, and the last first 19. Beatitudes meaning and structure in sheep and goats. Dorsey found that the chiastic approach is particularly frequent in genesis, but he shows examples from every book in. The chiastic pattern is very similar to matthew 23 and matthew 6. Dont have much idea of the content in the rest of the site, but im studying this. Beatitudes meaning and structure in sheep and goats parable of the sheep and goats is a contrasting x chiasm identical to lukes sermon on the plain. The result is a mirror effect as the ideas are reflected back in a passage. Matthews use of both types of chiastic structure could suggest that christ delivered two versions of the beatitudes. I first learned about this incredibly awesome chiastic structure from a bible study by beth moore on the book of esther. The writeup also shows that there is even a hint of geographical symmetry in the book of matthew. The church has been the primary vehicle through which the gospel of christ is. Interesting article on chiastic structure in matthew, and especially the center, matthew chapter. With this in mind, let us turn to a consideration of the book of matthew.
Chiastic structure, or chiastic pattern, is a literary technique in narrative motifs and other textual passages. Similarly, this present writer does not see a clear and comprehensive chiastic structure for all of the details in. Hamilton is not the first to argue for daniel having a chiastic structure. Bernard combrink i problem concerning the structure or composition of the gospel of matthew, no consensus has thus far been reached among new testament scholars. I do and while it sometimes drives me crazy, i enjoy picking up what strikes my fancy based on my mood, time available, and the books content. Two chiasm examples to help explain chiastic structures. This structure indicates that the role and the name of jesus were planned. Lohrs8 chiastic structure with the pivotal point being matthew, the discourse of the parables of the kingdom. Posted on february 25, 2010 by daniel haynes a few weeks ago, randal matheny introduced me to a chiastic structure of the letter of james. The bible is gods invitation through christ to accept his plan for our redemption. Examples of chiastic patterns can be seen in many books, including classics such as the bible and paradise lost. Understanding the gospels structure will not prevent readers or commentators making errors of interpretation but misunderstanding the structure certainly will not help. The typological structure of matthews gospel peter j.
A web site giving some additional information about chiastic patterns in some books of the bible. The chiastic literary structure is seen in many bible books and passages. Others have attempted to fit the entire book into a chiasm or two, like steinmann, but they disagree on the details and miss some of the parallels above. A chiasm otherwise known as chiasmus is a literary device that presents a series of ideas, and then repeats them in opposite order. The chiastic structures we have thus far displayed for illustration are all quite short. An example of this structure is idea a and idea b, followed by idea b and idea a. But the chiastic figure of speech is capable of describing longer passages of scripture as well. Dorsey found that the chiastic approach is particularly frequent in genesis, but he shows examples from every book in the old testament.
Structure of matthew 810 chiastic structure of colossians. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. This site is an introduction to chiastic patterns found in the book of revelation. The structure of matthew 89 is very complex, and there is no unanimous understanding. Chiasmus in the book of mormon religious studies center. A few critics in this century have held the view that the whole gospel is governed by one great chiasm or inverted concentric parallelism. Inspiring moral imaginations, ive put together a structure in matthews first discoursenarrative block, which conjoins jesuss words ch.
Toward a chiastic understanding of the gospel according to matthew part 1. If we divide revelation at the end of chapter 14 into two halves, and then divide. Does the sermon on the mount follow a chiastic structure mapped by the beatitudes. Definitions and examples of chiastic structure in the bible by joel ryan and more articles about bible and wiki on. An example of chiastic structure would be two ideas, a and b, together with variants a and b, being presented as a,b,b,a. According to the structure of the gospel proposed by c. Leithart articles on the structure of matthew typically begin with a lament that scholars have reached no consensus concerning the structure of matthew. Dec 15, 2014 hamilton is not the first to argue for daniel having a chiastic structure. From tony robinson the chiastic structure of the book of romans bce. But matthew s literary structure has placed these connections there, and in this way matthew can make the theological point that jesus death is a descent into egypt and his resurrection is a new exodus. The chiastic structure of revelation seals, millennium. Take the parable of the workers recruited for a penny a day recorded in matthew 20. Structure of matthew as narrative 63 green9 chapter 11 is the central point of the symmetrical pattern, while p. The first of my three books is joshuas spiritual warfare.
Chiastic outlines have been proposed,1 and the indications of inclusio are hints. While there is not much research done regarding a chiasm of the book of matthew as a whole, tradition points to matthew as the center of the book. Chiastic structure in the book of matthew discuss the truth. She says that this arrangement of repeated thoughts or phrases can be thought of as a mirrored image. This page also attempts to outline the entire book in chiastic manner.
Daniel explains that the book of esther is one large chiastic structure, focusing on a messianic prophecy in the middle. Nov 01, 2015 the beauty of the chiastic structure in matthew 6. We have added signs for the paragraphs found in the original hebrew. Chiastic structure of the book of james walking with god. Seeing the mountainlike structure of the sermon on the.
Does chiasmus appear in the book of mormon by chance. A fresh approach to the miracle stories in matthew 89. Beyond poetry, chiastic structure can often be found in other literary forms such as narrative, parable and even, as some suggest, in entire books of the bible like matthews gospel. I am an author and independent publisher of christian material. I still work with software i develop my own webpages and am continually looking at gods word to find more hidden gems but my passion is to spread the word.
607 361 386 507 1315 458 953 1255 1152 834 750 536 1242 903 747 602 1116 804 879 813 1133 857 494 923 1051 1137 737 1492 1444 143 603 1386 610 1313 1087 1455 816 1466 1018 550 998 902 1206 50 1446 428