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John W. Welch chiasmus papers

 Collection
Identifier: MSS 3776

Scope and Contents

Contains the documents and studies related to Jack Welch's research into chiasmus in scriptural and other ancient texts. Includes articles and books related to chiasmus in the Book of Mormon, Old and New Testaments, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price, as well as the works of Homer and ancient Jewish literature. Also includes Welch's correspondence with scholars, publishers, and readers regarding the impact and reception of his work. Dated 1787-2011, bulk 1953-2011.

Dates

  • 1787-2011
  • Majority of material found within 1953-2011

Creator

Language of Materials

Materials in English, German, Spanish, Latin, French, Hebrew, Ancient Greek, Italian, Arabic, and Ugaritic.

Conditions Governing Access

Donor restricted until 2017; permission to use materials must be obtained from the Supervisor of Reference Services.

Conditions Governing Use

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances. Permission to publish material from the John W. Welch chiasmus papers must be obtained from the Supervisor of Reference Services and/or the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Coordinating Committee.

Biographical History

John W. Welch (1946- ) discovered chiasmus in the Book of Mormon and founded the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS).

John W. Welch was born in 1946. In 1967, while serving in the LDS South German Mission, Welch and his companion attended a lecture in the Catholic Priesterseminar which talked about the use of chiasmus in the Gospel of Matthew. Two weeks later, he discovered chiasmus in the Book of Mormon and began to correspond with family members and scholars on the subject. In 1968, when he returned from his mission, he attended BYU for two years, earning a B.A. and M.A. in 1970. He attended Oxford as a Woodrow Wilson Fellow after that, and then attended Duke Law School from 1972 to 1975. He began working for the law firm O’Melveny and Meyers in Los Angeles in 1975 and worked until 1980, all the while corresponding with scholars about chiasmus studies. In 1979, he organized the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS) in Los Angeles, and in July 1980 he accepted a job offer to teach at the J. Reuben Clark Law School at BYU. He continued to work with FARMS and BYU, furthering the historiography and knowledge of chiasmus. From 1988 to 1991, he served as an editor of the Encyclopedia of Mormonism and from 1991 to 2007 he was the editor-in-chief of BYU Studies. Today, he still researches chiasmus and works on the Joseph Smith Papers project.

He is married to the former Jeannie Sutton, and they have four children and sixteen grandchildren.

Extent

16 cartons (16 linear ft.)

1 oversize folder (0.2 linear ft.)

Arrangement

Arranged in seven series: 1. John W. Welch research materials on the Book of Mormon, 1841-2011. 2. John W. Welch research materials on the Old Testament, 1825-2011. 3. John W. Welch research materials on the New Testament, 1820-2011. 4. John W. Welch research materials on the Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price, 1830-2011. 5. John W. Welch research materials on sacred texts and comparative studies, 1820-2006. 6. John W. Welch correspondence, 1967-2011. 7. John W. Welch research on chiasmus, 1787-2011.

Other Finding Aids

A more detailed finding aid is available in the repository upon request.

Custodial History

Donated by John Welch in 2007, 2011, and 2016.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donated; John Welch; 2007, 2011, 2016.

Appraisal

LDS scholarship and historiography (20th Century Western and Mormon Manuscripts collection development policy 5. III, August 2007).

Processing Information

Processed; Nichole Humphries and Marci Edwards, student manuscripts processors, and John Murphy, curator; 2007.

Cartons 13-16 re-processed by Kelsey Samuelsen, student manuscripts processor, and John Murphy, curator; 2012.

Processed; Eric Wolford, student manuscripts processor, and John Murphy, curator; 2016.

Title
Register of John W. Welch chiasmus papers
Status
In Progress
Author
Nichole Humphries, Marci Edwards, and Juan D. Pinto, student manuscript processors, and John Murphy, curator
Date
2007 May
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English in Latin script.

Repository Details

Part of the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Repository

Contact:
1130 HBLL
Brigham Young University
Provo Utah 84602 United States