Thinking “Chiastically”

I am fairly sure “chiastically” is not an official word in the English language, and I try to avoid it in more formal writing.  However, there is a sense in which this word is desperately needed.

In our modern Western society, we have become so ingrained in the typical linear prose structure of topic sentence and then sequential details (then next paragraph, next topic sentence, next linear details), that we have forgotten that there are other ways to read and write.  It is amazing how many people flounder, particularly in trying to read Isaiah and other Biblical inerrant poetry, because they are subconsciously looking for that linear structure.  Often, they simply give up and go somewhere else.  Also, when individuals see chapter numbers and headings, they automatically fall into thinking “sequential logic,” and that is a significant hindrance as well.   

Chiastic, or reflective, or mirrored writing simply means that there is a fold-over symmetry in the way that the poetry (or sometimes prose) was written.   This fold-over symmetry or parallelism can be evident in the word choices made, in the thoughts being expressed, and in several other ways.   

Even more amazing is that we typically have not been taught about chiastic structures, and further, that these Biblical structures often do not align with the chapter numbering imposed onto the text in the Middle Ages.  To many this next statement will not be evident right now… but to deeply understand the text, one must be making the comparison and contrasts that occur across the chiasm.  I will talk more about this and give some examples in future posts.