Chiasmus in Antiquity: Structures, Analyses, Exegesis    edited by John W. Welch Paperback, 356 pgs. Research Press Reprint Edition, 1998 Order from Amazon.com!

The study of ancient literature has been enriched in the twentieth century by the growing awareness and understanding of the presence of chiasmus.  This form of inverted parallelism has been found in the Bible and in other ancient writings, where it adds beauty and helps to reveal meaning.  The essays in Chiasmus in Antiquity, first published in Germany in 1981, examine the use and effect of chiasmus in both the Old and New Testaments, as well as in Sumero-Akkadian, Ugaritic, Talmudic, Greek, and Latin Literatures.  Readers will also find useful the extensive bibliography and index of what had been written up to 1980 on each identifiable chiastic passage.

"Chiasmus in Antiquity, edited by Professor Welch, is a remarkable achievement.  Its several articles taken together constitute a milestone in modern literary criticism."

       John Breck
       The Shape of Biblical Literature

Table of Contents

Preface (David Noel Freedman), 7
Introduction (John W. Welch), 9
Chiasm in Sumero-Akkadian (Robert F. Smith), 17
Chiasmus in Ugaritic (John W. Welch), 36
Chiasmus in Hebrew Biblical Narrative (Yahuda T. Radday), 50
Chiastic Patterns in Biblical Hebrew Poetry (Wilfred G. E. Watson), 118
Structure and Chiasm in Aramaic Contracts and Letters (Bezalel Porten), 169
Chiasmus in Talmudic-Aggadic Narrative (Jonah Frenkel), 183
Chiasmus in the Book of Mormon (John W. Welch), 198
Chiasmus in the New Testament (John W. Welch), 211
Chiasmus in Ancient Greek and Latin Literatures (John W. Welch), 250

Bibliography
    Periodicals, 269
    Books, 272

Index (Robert F. Smith), 287