John Woodland Welch | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1946-10-15)October 15, 1946 (age 78) |
| Nationality | American |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | University of Oxford Brigham Young University Duke University School of Law |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Law and religion |
| Institutions | Brigham Young University |
John Woodland "Jack"Welch (born 1946) is a scholar of law and religion. Welch is a member ofthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and currently teaches at theJ. Reuben Clark Law School (JRCLS) atBrigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah, where he is the Robert K. Thomas University Professor of Law. He is notable for his contributions to LDS (Mormon) scholarship, including his supposed discovery of the ancient literary formchiasmus in theBook of Mormon.
Welch was founding director ofFoundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS) and, prior to August 2018, was the Editor-in-Chief of the periodicalBYU Studies Quarterly. Welch was director of publications for theJoseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History. While serving as a youngmissionary in Germany, Welch discovered many instances of thechiasmus literary form in theBook of Mormon. His finding, published in BYU Studies as "Chiasmus in the Book of Mormon" in 1969,[1] and subsequent publications have shaped scholarly inquiry into the linguistic aspects and historical origin of the Book of Mormon.
Welch receivedbachelor's andmaster's degrees from BYU (B.A. in History, M.A. in Latin and Greek).[2] He then studied atOxford University as aWoodrow Wilson Fellow.[3][4] Welch received aJ.D. fromDuke University.[5] He is theRobert K. Thomas professor of law in the JRCLS.
In 1979, Welch founded FARMS while working as a lawyer in southern California. He was a member of the board of editors for theEncyclopedia of Mormonism.[3]
Welch was a co-author ofReligion and Law: Biblical-Judaic and Islamic Perspectives (ISBN 0931464390)
He is a contributing scholar for theJoseph Smith Papers Project.[6]
