Chiasmus in the New Testament: A Study in the Form and Function of Chiastic Structures

One of the classic studies in form criticism that acknowledged the debt owed to Jewish patterns of speech and thought, Nils Lund's Chiasmus in the New Testament has had an impact upon the scholarly study of Scripture extending far beyond its original 1942 appearance. One virtually cannot read a commentary on a New Testament book without seeing some reference to "chiastic structure," "a chiasm," "inverted parallelism," or an "A B C C' B' A' pattern." Form criticism has changed drastically since the appearance of Martin Dibelius's From Tradition to Gospel. In some ways Chiasmus in the New Testament anticipated those evolutions and opened windows that allow us to understand the biblical text on its own terms. It's enduring relevance to modern rhetorical and literary criticism makes its reappearance especially timely and welcome. When Chiasmus in the New Testament first appeared, Frederick C. Grant wrote, "I am sure that the book will be for many years to come the standard treatise on the subject." Although at times leery of Lund's enthusiasm for finding chiasmus, reviewers also consistently praised Lund for his foresight. For example, H. J. Cadbury noted that "this book challenges widely held ideas that many biblical authors wrote in a non-literary atmosphere and without literary training or intention." Ronald E. Man described Chiasmus in the New Testament as "... And epoch-making work in the study of New Testament chiasm." -- from book's back cover