KnoWhy #343 - Can Chiasmus Survive Translation? (Mosiah 5:11-12)

Chiastic structures sometimes survive translation into other languages, like Mark 2:27, for example. In fact, chiasmus and other forms of parallelism may be one of the most likely literary forms to survive translation. This is because chiasmus deals with concepts, and does not depend on exact wording. Chiasms can also be produced by translation. However, the distribution of chiasmus and other parallel patterns throughout the text, does not appear to be random—as would be expected if chiasms were the accidental product of Joseph’s translation efforts. Knowing how these authors used creative patterns to express their ideas allows readers to better relate to them today.