Book of Mormon as literature

[Thorkyll]

Thanks for that link, looks like a very interesting article.

I'm not much of a literary critic but I did have Latin in high school (9 hours a week, btw). When translating texts, we had to show we understood the grammar and the style, and we would get points for "good calls" like unusual sentence constructions or grammatical exceptions. We would get no points for pointing out a chiasmus, though. This was deemed unworthy of the serious student of Latin.

I think finding a chiasmus in a text is about as useful as finding a four-lettered word or a comma. If Mormons think it points to the author being a Native American Jew then they are sorely mistaken.

[volgadon]

I think finding a chiasmus in a text is about as useful as finding a four-lettered word or a comma. If Mormons think it points to the author being a Native American Jew then they are sorely mistaken.

That might have meant something had you known what you are talking about. While not proof for the BoM, chiastic structures are exactly the sort of thing we would expect to find in a text with ANE connections. Why don't you read Parry's original article and spare us the flippant, ignorant sniping.

[canterdogs]

You keep saying that, but don't provide any support for it.

Irrelevant and a red herring to boot.

So if I said, "Obamaites", or "Anti-Bushites", or "Clintonites", you wouldn't know who I was talking about?

Well you could always go here,

http://www.answerbag.com/obamaites

http://www.capitalis...x.php?news=4000

http://encyclopedia2...com/Clintonites

and find out.

You mean like the OLD Testament?

Canaanites, Hittites, Ammonites, Moabites, Edomites, Levites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Amorites Arvadites, Zemarites, Hamathites, Amalekites, Girgashites, Gazathites, Ashdothites, Eshkalonites, Gittites, Ekronites, Avites, Hivites and such.

Or a legitimate use of an English suffix, whose definition can be found here,

http://www.macroevol...ffixes-h-j.html

or here,

http://encarta.msn.c...76994/-ite.html

Some examples,

Troglodite

Hermaphrodite

Most people who receive direct communication from God are.

Of which you haven't shown us even one. Sorry but just claiming it doesn't make it happen.

Nah, just the imaginations of a confused mind.

Edited to add more Old Testament "ites".

Elijah the Tishbite, the Benjamites etc... when is the term "ite" ever used in isolation anywhere? This was my initial point. Not that the suffix "ite" was never used.

[Joseph Antley]

Elijah the Tishbite, the Benjamites etc... when is the term "ite" ever used in isolation anywhere? This was my initial point. Not that the suffix "ite" was never used.

So what if Joseph Smith coined a new word to more accurately translate whatever the Nephite word was? How is this evidence of anything?