Chiasm Bookstore

Recommended Readings about Chiastic Structure

Books by Tom Clarke:
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Reading List Compiled by Thomas B. Clarke
The following are my just my opinions and are not to be considered a literary review. The purpose in presenting these books is to bring the understanding of chiasms to a broader range of people.


Literary Structure of the Old Testament	Chiasmus in the New Testament	Joshua's Spiritual Warfare: Understanding the Chiasms of Joshua	Dynamics of Biblical Parallelism
An excellent analysis of the chiasms in each book of the Old Testament – thoroughly researched.	Classic book by Nils Lund on the presence of chiastic structure, originally printed in 1942. No longer in print. Much work has been done with chiasms since 1942 but still valuable.	This is my book, revealing the use of the chiastic approach throughout the book of Joshua ... see more. Also, see below for locations outside USA.	A superb analysis of the various types of parallelism (including chiasms) in the Old Testament; requires an understanding of Hebrew.
Regarding Joshua's Spiritual Warfare, Pastor and author Fred Hofeldt of the Judeo–Christian Israel Alliance, on his website graftedforlife.com/media.php, wrote that although he and his wife Laurel had been aware of chiasms for some time, "Tom has taken us to another dimension in understanding chiastic Hebrew poetry. His chiastic presentation of the Book of Joshua demonstrates the intricate design of the Holy Spirit. This book is most intriguing to read, as it unravels a spiritually deeper understanding into God's Word. These complex chiastic verses – many times 4-5 tier chiasms or larger – are outlined as to their occurrences in the text, and their composite structure is presented in a diagram format concluding with its spiritual warfare application. It is written in a style that keeps you intrigued and interested. If you desire a greater in–depth understanding in God's Word, become skilled in using this chiastic tool. It is the methodology of the Hebrew writers. Those that strive to understand and love Hebrew poetry will find this book very beneficial." OTHER RELEVANT BOOKS:
The Structure of Paul's letters	A Son to Me	Old Testament Narrative: A Guide to Interpretation	Becoming Children of God
Author's translation of Paul's letters, revealing the chiastic structure (symmetric parallelism) of each verse with indentation for each level; just Bible verses.	A study of 1 and 2 Samuel using typology and literary analysis including a number of chiasms, pointing to Christology.	A comprehensive guide to many of the literary forms such as chiasms in the Old Testament; published in 2010.	Written from a Catholic perspective, provides a thorough analysis of the many chiasms in the book of John.

The Shape of Biblical Language	Style and Structure in Biblical Hebrew Narrative
The most complete and detailed introduction to chiasms yet published; currently not in print.	Published in 2001, the book starts with 34 well written pages about chiasms, then discusses many other literary styles such as A-B-C-A'-B'-C' and A-A'-B-B'-C-C' structures in the Old Testament.

Other books about chiasms: I have not reviewed these but are listed for completeness
Preaching Mark – ISBN: 978-0827229587

Structure of Matthew's Gospel: A Study in Literary Design – ISBN: 978-1850751045

The Literary Development of John 13-17: A Chiastic Reading – ISBN: 978-0884140382

See Your Amazon Cart

Depending on your location, Joshua's Spiritual Warfare: Understanding the Chiasms of Joshua will be printed shortly after you place your order in either the USA, England or France, and soon will be available in Australia. For example, using Amazon in UK, try Amazon UK: Joshua's Spiritual Warfare.