Chiastic structure



Chiastic structure (also called chiastic pattern or ring structure) is a literary structure used in ancient literatures, including epic poetry (Odyssey and Iliad); Scripture (the Torah, the Bible), as well as other pre-modern cultures' texts. Concepts or ideas are positioned in a special symmetric order or pattern in a chiastic structure to emphasize them.

For example, suppose that the first topic in a text is labeled by A, the second topic is labeled by B, and the third topic is labeled by C. If the topics in the text appear in the order ABC…CBA so that the first concept that comes up is also the last, the second is the second-to-last, and so on, the text is said to have a chiastic structure. Also, a chiastic structure can be of the form ABBAABB…ABBA.

Chiastic structures are sometimes called palistrophes, chiasms, symmetric structures, ring structures, or concentric structures.

Why Chi?
Chi is a Greek letter that is shaped like an X. Chi is made up of two lines crossing each other, so the line that starts leftmost on top comes down and is rightmost on the bottom, and vice versa. If one thinks of the lines as concepts, one sees that concept A, which comes first, is also last, and concept B, which comes after A, comes before A. If one adds in more lines representing other concepts, one gets a chiastic structure with more concepts.



Chiastic structure as a mnemonic device
Oral literature is especially rich in chiastic structure, possibly as an aid in memorization. In his study of the Iliad and the Odyssey, Cedric Whitman, for instance, finds a chiastic structure "of the most amazing virtuosity" that simultaneously performed both aesthetic and mnemonic functions, permitting the oral poet to easily recall the basic formulae of the composition during performances.

Notable examples of the ABC…CBA chiastic structure
The ABC…CBA chiastic structure is frequently used to emphasize to the inmost concept, i.e., C, the concept that appears either twice in succession or only once, showing that the other ideas all lead up to the middle idea or concept.

Bible (New Testament)
With the lack of punctuation and spaces in the original scrolls and based on the theories of Dr. David Dorsey, Dr. David Buckwalter proposes that the chiastic structure in the New Testament is a form of punctuation keyed (amongst other things) on the words used in the original Greek texts. In the original Greek these structures would have been clear to the original audience but due to translation into modern languages is not readily apparent. As with Dr. Dorsey, Dr. Buckwalter believes that the chiastic structure serves as a form of interpretive control.

A simple example of a chiasm in the New Testament is found in John 1:1-2

In the beginning was the Word,    (A)


 * and the Word was with God,        (B)


 * and the Word was God.             (B')

He was in the beginning with God. (A')

Torah
A notable example in the Torah is the chiastic structure running from the middle of Exodus through the end of Leviticus. The structure begins with the covenant made between God and the Hebrew People at Mount Sinai, as described in the Torah, and ends with the admonition from God (YHWH) to the Hebrews of what will happen if they will not follow his laws, which is also a sort of covenant. The main ideas are in the middle of Leviticus, from chapter 11 through chapter 20. Those chapters deal with the holiness in the Tabernacle and the holiness of the Israelite people in general. The chiastic structure points the reader to the central idea, that of the expected holiness (set-apartness) of the Israelite people in everything they do. In Dr. David Dorsey's book and in his teaching, he posits that the chiastic structure provides a former of interpretive control by the authors of the various books in the Hebrew Scriptures.

Beowulf
In literary texts with a possible oral origin, such as Beowulf, chiastic or ring structures are often found on an intermediate level, that is, between the (verbal and/or grammatical) level of chiasmus and the higher level of chiastic structure such as noted in the Torah. John D. Niles provides examples of chiastic figures on all three levels. On the level of chiasmus, he notes that for instance ll. 12-19, the announcement of the birth of (Danish) Beowulf, are chiastic, more or less on the verbal level, that of chiasmus. Then, each of the three main fights are organized chiastically, a chiastic structure on the level of verse paragraphs and shorter passages. For instance, the simplest of these three, the fight with Grendel, is schematized as follows:

A: Preliminaries
 * Grendel approaching
 * Grendel rejoicing
 * Grendel devouring Handscioh
 * B: Grendel's wish to flee ("fingers cracked")
 * C: Uproar in hall; Danes stricken with terror
 * HEOROT IN DANGER OF FALLING
 * C': Uproar in hall; Danes stricken with terror
 * B': "Joints burst"; Grendel forced to flee

A': Aftermath
 * Grendel slinking back toward fens
 * Beowulf rejoicing
 * Beowulf left with Grendel's arm

Finally, Niles provides a diagram of the highest level of chiastic structure, the organization of the poem as a whole, in an introduction, three major fights with interludes before and after the second fight (with Grendel's mother), and an epilogue. To illustrate, he analyzes Prologue and Epilogue as follows:

Prologue A: Panegyric for Scyld
 * B: Scyld's funeral
 * C: History of Danes before Hrothgar
 * D: Hrothgar's order to build Heorot

Epilogue
 * D': Beowulf's order to build his barrow
 * C': History of Geats after Beowulf ("messenger's prophecy")
 * B': Beowulf's funeral

A': Eulogy for Beowulf

Paradise Lost
The overall chiastic structure of Milton's Paradise Lost is also of the ABC…CBA type:

A: Satan's sinful actions (Books 1-3)
 * B: Entry into Paradise (Book 4)
 * C: War in heaven (destruction) (Books 5-6)
 * C': Creation of the world (Books 7-8)
 * B': Loss of paradise (Book 9)

A': Humankind's sinful actions (Books 10-12)

The ABBAABB…ABBA chiastic structure
The ABBAABB…ABBA chiastic structure is used to contrast concepts A and B, which are usually closely related, but very different. First, concept A is mentioned once. Then B twice, A twice, etc., until the structure ends with a final A. The format points the contrast between the two ideas.

An example of this chiastic structure is found in the beginning of chapter 4 of the Book of Genesis, when the two sons of Adam, Cain and Abel, are contrasted. The Torah describes their names, their occupations, and their offerings. The Torah mentions Cain first, then Abel twice, then Cain twice, and so on. The structure draws attention to the differences between Cain and Abel, pointing out the essential difference in their personalities.