John W. Welch

Bio

John Welch is an LDS law and religion scholar who currently teaches at the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University.

Welch discovered many instances of the chiasmus literary form in the Book of Mormon. His findings, published in BYU Studies as "Chiasmus in the Book of Mormon" in 1969, and subsequent publications have shaped scholarly inquiry into the linguistic aspects and historical origin of the Book of Mormon.

Welch received his bachelors and masters degree from BYU (B.A. in History, M.A. in Latin and Greek). He then studied at Oxford University as a Woodrow Wilson Fellow. Welch received his J.D. from Duke University. He is the Robert K. Thomas professor of law in the J. Reuben Clark Law School.

In 1979 Welch founded FARMS., (Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies), he is the current editor of BYU Studies, and the director of publications of the Smith Institute. In 1980 Dr. Welch joined the J. Reuben Clark Law School. His principal research interests include Employee Benefit Plans, Law in the ancient Near East, Bible and Book of Mormon, Roman Law in the New Testament, the Trial of Jesus, fiduciary duties analysis, perjury, tax exempt organizations, and the Legal Papers of Joseph Smith. Welch is also a member of the Jewish Law Association. In the Society of Biblical Literature, he has served on the steering committee of the Section on Biblical Law and as chair of the program unit on Latter-day Saints and the Bible.

Publications

John W. Welch, "The Legal Cause of Action Against Jesus in John 18:29-30," (BYU, Religious Studies Center, 2007).

John W. Welch, "Parable of the Good Samaritan," (Ensign, Feb 2007).

John W. Welch, "The Apocryphal Judas Revisited," BYU Studies 45 no. 2 (2006): 45-53.

John W. Welch, "Two Ancient Roman Plates," BYU Studies 45 no. 2 (2006): 54-76.

John W. Welch, Miracles, Maleficium, and Maiestas in the Trial of Jesus, in Jesus and Archaeology (2006).

John W. Welch & Kelsey Draper, "A King James Vocabulary Lesson," 6.1 Religious Educator (2005), 33–41.

John W. Welch, John F. Hall & Hugh W. Nibley, Apostles and Bishops in Early Christianity (2005).

John W. Welch, Modern Revelation: A Guide to Research about the Apostasy in Early Christians in Disarray: Contemporary LDS Perspectives on the Christian Apostasy (FARMS 2005).

John W. Welch, Early Mormonism and Early Christianity: Some Providential Similarities, in Window of Faith: Latter-day Saint Perspectives on World History (Religious Studies Center 2004), 17–38.

John W. Welch & Jeffrey Thompson, The Rechabites in Glimpses of Lehi's Jerusalem (2004). [Maxwell Institute]

John W. Welch & Robert Hunt, The Trial of Jeremiah in Glimpses of Lehi's Jerusalem (2004).

John W. Welch, "...And With All Thy Mind" BYU Devotional, broadcast on KBYU and published on speeches.

John W. Welch, "Teaching the Usage of Thee and Thou," Religious Educator, Volume 4, Number 1, 49 (2003).

John W. Welch & John F. Hall, Charting the New Testament (FARMS 2002).

John W. Welch, The Factor of Fear in the Trial of Jesus in Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior (BYU Religious Studies 2002), 284–312.

John W. Welch, The Good Samaritan and Eternal Life, BYU Mag. 48 (Spring 2002).

John W. Welch, A Faint but Interesting Christian Voice from the Dust of Egypt, 13 FARMS 171 (2001) (reviewing Charles W. Hedrick and Paul A. Mirecki's Gospel of the Savior: A New Ancient Gospel).

John W. Welch, "Fasting in Earliest Christianity," 21 Insights 3 (2001).

John W. Welch, An Epistle from the New Testament Apostles (Bookcraft 1999).

John W. Welch, Chiasmus in Antiquity: Structures, Analyses, Exegesis (John W. Welch, ed., reprint of 1981 ed. FARMS 1999).

John W. Welch, Illuminating the Sermon at the Temple & Sermon on the Mount (Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies 1999).

John W. Welch, "Moving On," 38 BYU Stud. 225 (1999).

John W. Welch, "Off on the Right Foot," 38 BYU Stud. 18 (1999).

John W. Welch, "The Parable of the Good Samaritan as a Type and Shadow of the Plan of Salvation," 38 BYU Stud. 50 (1999).

John W. Welch, The "Lamb of God" in Pre-Christian Texts, Insights 2 (Aug. 1998).

John W. Welch & Claire Foley, "Gammadia on Early Jewish and Christian Garments in Masada and the World of the New Testament" (BYU Studies 1997).

John Welch, Gila Hurvitz, The Story of Masada (John W. Welch ed., BYU Studies 1997).

John W. Welch, "Herod's Wealth in Masada and the World of the New Testament", 36 BYU Stud. 74 (BYU Studies 1996-1997)

John W. Welch, "Legal and Social Perspectives on Robbers in First-Century Judea in Masada and the World of the New Testament," 36 BYU Stud. 141 (1996).

Masada and the World of the New Testament (John W. Welch & John F. Hall eds., BYU Studies 1997).

John W. Welch, Gallery Guide to the Masada Exhibition, with New Testament Notes (1997).

John W. Welch, "Two Windows on the Ancient World in Ancient Scrolls from the Dead Sea" (M. Gerald Bradford ed., FARMS, 1997).

John W. Welch, Book Review, "Review of Richard E. DeMaris, Corinthian Religion and Baptism for the Dead," 8 FARMS 43 (1996).

John W. Welch & James V. Garrison, The "Hymn of the Pearl": An Ancient Counterpart to "O My Father," 36 BYU Stud. 127 (1996-97).

John W. Welch, Two Notes on the Lord's Prayer, Insights (1996).

John W. Welch, "Word Studies from the New Testament," Ensign 28 (Jan. 1995).

John W. Welch, "Recent Bibliography on the Trial of Jesus," 32 BYU Stud. 79 (1993).

John W. Welch, Stephen D. Ricks & Donald W. Parry, A Bibliography on Temples of the Ancient Near East and Mediterranean World (E. Mellen Press 1991).

John W. Welch, A Biblical Law Bibliography (E. Mellen Press 1990).

John W. Welch, Reflections on Postulates: Power and Ancient Laws—A Response to Moseh Greenberg in Religion and Law (Eisenbrauns 1990).

Religion and Law: Biblical, Jewish, and Islamic Perspectives (John W. Welch, Edwin Firmage & Bernard Weiss eds., Eisenbrauns 1990).

John W. Welch, Chiasmus in Biblical Law: An Approach to the Structure of Legal Texts in the Hebrew Bible, 4 Jewish L. Assn. Stud. 5 (1990).

John W. Welch, The Sermon at the Temple and the Sermon on the Mount: A Latter-day Saint Approach (Deseret Book 1990).

John W. Welch, Chiasmus in Antiquity, (John W. Welch ed., Gerstenberg 1981).

John W. Welch, "The Lord's Prayers," Ensign 14 (Jan. 1976).

Curriculum Vitae

Curriculum Vitae PDF