Education:
BA and MA 1970, Brigham Young University; Woodrow Wilson fellow 1970-72, Oxford University; JD 1975, Duke University. University Honors: articles editor, Duke Law Journal.
Law Practice:
O'Melveny and Myers, Los Angeles, 1975-80.
Principal Research Interests:
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
Publishing Awards:
1999
"The Good Samaritan" film, on which I was the scholarly content consultant, was a CINE award winner.
1998
The Book of Mormon Paintings of Minerva Teichert, coedited with Doris R. Dant, won a highly coveted first place award for design and four-color printing, special projects category, from the International Publishing Management Association and In-Plant Graphics.
The First Mormon Temple, published by BYU Studies and edited in significant part by Welch won the Best Book of the Year Written for a General Interest Audience, from the Mormon History Association.
1996
Mormon Americana, published by BYU Studies and produced by Welch won the prestigious Dwight Smith Award for outstanding reference books, given by Western History Association. This book also won a Certificate of Merit from the Mormon History Association.
1995
The T. Edgar Lyon Award of Excellence was present by the Mormon History Association to "The Story of The Truth, the Way, the Life," written by James B. Allen and researched together with Welch in conjunction with the BYU Studies edition of B.H. Roberts, The Truth, The Way, The Life (published in 1994).
1995
The Steven E. Christensen Best Documentary Award from the Mormon History Association went to The Journals of William E. McLellin, coedited by Welch and Jan Shipps. The John Whitmer Historical Association gave a similar award to this publication.
Several other awards for best articles of the year have been given to various articles that have appeared in BYU Studies under my editorship.
Publications:
"The Sermon on the Mount in the Light of the Temple" (Farnham: ASHGATE, 2009), 266 pages.
David Daube Bibliography, distributed in Denver, November 2001, for the meeting of the Biblical Law Section of the Society for Biblical Literature, and published on www.biblicallaw.org.
"Fasting in Earliest Christianity," Insights 21, no. 9 (2001): 3-4.
"Doubled, Sealed, and Witnessed Documents," Insights 21, no. 8 (2001): 2-3.
Editor, Ze'ev W. Falk, Hebrew Law in Biblical Times (Provo: Brigham Young University Press, and Winona Lake, Indiana: Eisenbrauns, 2001), second edition
"Latter-day Saint Reflections on the Trial and Death of Jesus," Clark Memorandum (Fall 2000): 2-13
Review of Rodney Stark, The Rise of Christianity in BYU Studies 39:3 (2000): 197-204
With Dean C. Jessee, "Revelations in Context: Joseph Smith's Letter from Liberty Jail, March 20, 1839," BYU Studies 39:3 (2000): 125-45
Review of John Breck, The Shape of Biblical Language (New York, 1995), in Review of Biblical Literature (www.bookreviews.org, Feb. 13, 2000).
"Oliver Cowdery's Response to Alexander Campbell," in The Disciple as Witness: Essays on Latter-day Saint History and Doctrine in Honor of Richard Lloyd Anderson, ed. Stephen D. Ricks, Donald W. Parry, and Andrew H. Hedges (Provo: FARMS, 2000).
An Epistle from the New Testament Apostles (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1999), 224 pages.
Illuminating the Sermon at the Temple and Sermon on the Mount (Provo: FARMS, 1999), 296 pages. Expanded, updated version of 1990 edition.
Editor and author, Chiasmus in Antiquity: Structures, Analyses, Exegesis (reprint of the 1981 edition, Provo: FARMS, 1999).
Chiasmus Bibliography (Provo: FARMS, 1999), 200 pages, coauthored with Daniel B. McKinlay.
Charting the Book of Mormon (Provo: FARMS, 1999), 370 pages. With graphic assistance from my son, J. Gregory Welch.
Pressing Forward with the Book of Mormon (Provo: FARMS, 1999), 340 pp., with Melvin J. Thorne, containing the updates of the 1990s and some new materials.
King Benjamin's Speech Made Simple (Provo: FARMS, 1999), 300 pp., with Stephen D. Ricks, abridgement of 1998 volume on Benjamin.
"Weighing and Measuring in the Worlds of the Book of Mormon," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, 8, no. 2 (1999): 36-45.
"Brigham Henry Roberts," in American National Biography (Cary, North Carolina: Oxford University Press, 1999), 18:595-97.
"The Parable of the Good Samaritan as a Type and Shadow of the Plan of Salvation," BYU Studies 38, no. 2 (1999): 50-115.
"Off on the Right Foot," BYU Studies 38, no. 1 (1999): 18-20.
"Moving On," BYU Studies 38, no. 1 (1999): 225-29.
"John Welch, A Pioneer in Paradise," in Nearly Everything Imaginable: Everyday Life in Pioneer Utah, Ronald Walker and Doris Dant, eds. (Provo: Brigham Young University Press, 1999), 450-68.
"Why Nephi Wrote the Small Plates: Serving Political Purposes," Insights (May 1999).
"Why Nephi Wrote the Small Plates: Serving Practical Needs," Insights (April 1999).
"When Did Nephi Write the Small Plates?" Insights (March 1999).
"The Laws of Eshnunna and Nephite Economics," Insights (December 1998), 2.
"Cursing a Litigant with Speechlessness," Insights (October 1998), 2.
"Toward Becoming a Gospel-Scholar," This People (Fall 1998): 42-55.
"Better That One Man Perish," The Provo Sun (September 13, 1998), 9 and Insights (June 1998), 2.
"The 'Lamb of God' in Pre-Christian Texts," Insights (August 1998), 2.
Contributor to Latter-day Christianity: 10 Basic Issues (Provo: FARMS, 1998).
"A Climber's Guide to the Kirtland Temple," This People (Summer 1998): 93-96.
"Doubled, Sealed, Witnessed Documents: From the Ancient World to the Book of Mormon," in Davis Bitton, ed., Mormons, Scripture, and the Ancient World (Provo: FARMS, 1998), 391-444.
"What the Original Book of Mormon Manuscript Is Not," Insights (February 1998), 2.
Editor, with Stephen D. Ricks, King Benjamin's Speech: "That Ye May Learn Wisdom" (Provo: FARMS, 1998), 680 pp.
"Benjamin the Man: His Place in Nephite History," in Welch and Ricks, eds., King Benjamin's Speech (Provo: FARMS, 1998), 23-54.
"Benjamin's Speech: A Masterful Oration," in Welch and Ricks, eds., King Benjamin's Speech (Provo: FARMS, 1998), 55-88.
With Daryl R. Hague, "Benjamin's Sermon as a Traditional Ancient Farewell Address," in Welch and Ricks, eds., King Benjamin's Speech (Provo: FARMS, 1998), 89-118.
With Terrence L. Szink, "King Benjamin's Speech in the Context of Ancient Israelite Festivals," in Welch and Ricks, eds., King Benjamin's Speech (Provo: FARMS, 1998), 147-224.
"Benjamin's Speech as a Prophetic Lawsuit," in Welch and Ricks, eds., King Benjamin's Speech (Provo: FARMS, 1998), 225-32.
"Benjamin's Covenant as a Precursor of the Sacrament Prayers," in Welch and Ricks, eds., King Benjamin's Speech (Provo: FARMS, 1998), 295-314.
"Parallelism and Chiasmus in Benjamin's Speech," in Welch and Ricks, eds., King Benjamin's Speech (Provo: FARMS, 1998), 315-410.
"Complete Text of Benjamin's Speech with Notes and Comments," in Welch and Ricks, eds., King Benjamin's Speech (Provo: FARMS, 1998), 479-623, assisted by Alison Coutts and others.
Editor, with Donald W. Parry, Isaiah in the Book of Mormon (Provo: FARMS, 1998), 560 pp.
"Getting Through Isaiah with the Help of the Nephite Prophetic View," in Parry and Welch, eds., Isaiah in the Book of Mormon (Provo: FARMS, 1998), 19-46.
"Isaiah 53, Mosiah 14, and the Book of Mormon," in Parry and Welch, eds., Isaiah in the Book of Mormon (Provo: FARMS, 1998), 293-312.
"Authorship of the Book of Isaiah in Light of the Book of Mormon," in Parry and Welch, eds., Isaiah in the Book of Mormon (Provo: FARMS, 1998), 423-38.
Review of Culture Clash and Accommodation: Public Schooling in Salt Lake City, 1890-1994, by Frederick S. Buchanan, in Church History 66 (December 1997): 909.
"Practical Guide to Forming a Partnership in Utah," BYU Journal of Public Law 12, no. 1 (1997): 111-73.
"Biblical Law Bibliography Supplement through 1996," Zeitschrift für Altorientalische und Biblische Rechtsgeschichte 3 (1997): 207-46.
With Doris R. Dant, The Book of Mormon Paintings of Minerva Teichert (Provo and Salt Lake City: BYU Studies and Bookcraft, 1997).
"Two Windows on the Ancient World," in M. Gerald Bradford, ed., Ancient Scrolls from the Dead Sea (Provo: FARMS, 1997), 13-14.
English edition editor of Gila Hurvitz, The Story of Masada (Jerusalem and Provo: Hebrew University of Jerusalem and BYU Studies, 1997), 160 pp.
Editor, with John F. Hall, Masada and the World of the New Testament (Provo: BYU Studies, 1997).
"Herod's Wealth," in John F. Hall and John W. Welch, eds., Masada and the World of the New Testament (Provo: BYU Studies, 1997), 74-84.
"Legal and Social Perspectives on Robbers in First-Century Judea," in John F. Hall and John W. Welch, eds., Masada and the World of the New Testament (Provo: BYU Studies, 1997), 141-53.
With Claire Foley, "Gammadia on Early Jewish and Christian Garments," in John F. Hall and John W. Welch, eds., Masada and the World of the New Testament (Provo: BYU Studies, 1997), 252-58.
"Gallery Guide to the Masada Exhibition, with New Testament notes."
Editor, with James B. Allen. Coming to Zion (Provo: BYU Studies, 1997), 357 pp.
John W. and Jeannie Welch, The Doctrine and Covenants by Themes, 2nd ed. (Provo: FARMS and BYU Studies, 1997), 300 pp.
Review of Richard Van Wagoner, Sidney Rigdon: A Portrait of Religious Excess, in Church History 66, no. 1 (March 1997).
"The Narrative of Zosimus and the Book of Mormon," and "What Does Chiasmus in the Book of Mormon Prove?" in ed. Noel Reynolds, Book of Mormon Authorship Revisited (Salt Lake City: FARMS, 1997). Expanded and updated version of previous BYU Studies publication.
Law in the Book of Mormon: The Nephite Court Cases (Provo: BYU Law School, 1996), 184 pp.
Review of Richard E. DeMaris, "Corinthian Religion and Baptism for the Dead," in FARMS Review of Books 8, no. 2 (1996): 43-45.
With James V. Garrison. "The 'Hymn of the Pearl': An Ancient Counterpart to 'O My Father,'" BYU Studies 36, no. 1 (1996-97): 127-38.
Editor, with James B. Allen. Life in Utah: Centennial Selections (Provo: BYU Studies, 1996), 334 pp.
Editor, with Don E. Norton. Educating Zion (Provo: BYU Studies, 1996), 263 pp.
"From Presence to Practice: Jesus, the Sacrament Prayers, the Priesthood, and Church Discipline in 3 Nephi 18 and Moroni 2-6," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies (1996).
"Good and True," in ed. Susan E. Black, Expressions of Faith: Testimonies of Latter-day Saint Scholars (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book and FARMS, 1996), 231-42.
Editor of B.H. Roberts, The Truth, The Way, The Life, 2nd ed. (Provo: BYU Studies, second edition, 1996), with introduction and appendices.
"Reflections on the Teachings of Brigham Young," in eds. Susan E. Black and Larry C. Porter, The Lion of the Lord (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1996), 372-442.
"Two Notes on the Lord's Prayer," Insights (August 1996): 2.
"Unintentional Sin in Benjamin's Discourse," Insights (April 1996): 2.
"The Power of Evidence in the Nurturing of Faith," in Sperry Symposium 1995, Nurturing Faith through the Book of Mormon (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1995), 149-86.
"Practical Guide to Forming a Closely-Held Corporation in Utah," BYU Journal of Public Law 9, no. 2 (1995): 189-234.
"Upon the Tower of Benjamin," Insights (August 1995), 2.
"Criteria for Identifying the Presence of Chiasmus," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 4, no. 2 (1995): 1-14.
"Word Studies from the New Testament," Ensign (January 1995): 28-30.
"On the Right or the Left: Benjamin and the Scapegoat," Insights (January 1995), 2.
The William E. McLellin Journals (1831-1836), edited with Jan Shipps (Urbana and Provo: University of Illinois Press and BYU Studies, 1994), including authored chapter on "The Acts of the Apostle William E. McLellin," 13-26.
Editor, with Stephen D. Ricks, The Allegory of the Olive Tree (Salt Lake: Deseret Book, 1994), including three authored chapters "Words and Phrases in Jacob 5," pp. 174-85, "The Last Words of Cenez and the Book of Mormon," pp. 305-321, and with David Rolph Seely, "Zenos and the Texts of the Old Testament," pp. 322-46, and with Wilford M. Hess, Daniel J. Fairbanks and Jonathan K. Driggs, "Botanical Aspects of Olive Culture Relevant to Jacob 5," pp. 484-562.
Editor of B.H. Roberts, The Truth, The Way, The Life (Provo: BYU Studies, 1994), including "Introduction: Settings, Audiences, and Sources," pp. xi-xxxvii, and "Cross-references to Roberts's Other Doctrinal Works," pp. 561-78.
"The Temple in the Book of Mormon: The Temples at the Cities of Nephi, Zarahemla, and Bountiful," in ed. Donald W. Parry, Temples of the Ancient World. (Salt Lake City and Provo: Deseret Book and FARMS, 1994), pp. 297-387.
"Approaching New Approaches," Review of Books on the Book of Mormon 6 (1994): 145-86.
"Was There a Library in Harmony, Pennsylvania?" Insights (January 1994), 2.
"Recent Bibliography on the Trial of Jesus," BYU Studies 32:4 (1993): 79-86.
"Connections between the Visions of Lehi and Nephi," Insights (July 1993), 2.
"New Testament Word Studies," Ensign (April 1993): 28-30.
Reexploring the Book of Mormon, author and editor (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book and FARMS, 1992).
"Ten Testimonies of Jesus Christ from the Book of Mormon," in ed. Bruce Van Orden, Doctrines of the Book of Mormon (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1992), 223-42.
"Legal Perspectives on the Slaying of Laban," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 1 (1992): 119-41.
"Book of Mormon: Nephite Religious Teachings and Practices," "Book of Mormon: Translation by Joseph Smith," and "Jesus Christ in the Book of Mormon," in ed. Daniel H. Ludlow, Encyclopedia of Mormonism (New York: Macmillan, 1992).
A Bibliography on Temples of the Ancient Near East and Mediterranean World, with Stephen D. Ricks and Donald W. Parry (Lewiston, New York: Edwin Mellen Press, 1991), 311 pp.
"BYU Studies: Into the 1990s," BYU Studies 31, no. 4 (cumulative index volume 1991): 21-28.
"A Masterpiece: Alma 36," in eds. John Sorenson and Mel Thorne, Rediscovering the Book of Mormon (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book and FARMS, 1991), 114-31; "Chiasmus in Alma 36," FARMS Paper (1989), pp. 45.
"Law and War in the Book of Mormon," in eds. Stephen D. Ricks and William J. Hamblin, Warfare in the Book of Mormon (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book and FARMS, 1990), pp. 46-102
"Why Study Warfare in the Book of Mormon," in eds. Stephen D. Ricks and William J. Hamblin, Warfare in the Book of Mormon (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book and FARMS, 1990), pp. 3-24
"A Doorkeeper in the House of the Lord," in eds. Stephen D. Ricks and John M. Lundquist, By Study and Also By Faith: Essays in Honor of Hugh Nibley on his 80th Birthday (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book and FARMS, 1990), 1:6-10.
in Biblical Law: An Approach to the Structure of Legal Texts in the Hebrew Bible," Jewish Law Association Studies, 4 (1990): 5-22.
A Biblical Law Bibliography (Lewiston, New York: Edwin Mellen Press, 1990), 339 pp.
The Sermon at the Temple and the Sermon on the Mount (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book and FARMS, 1990), 220 pp.
General editor, The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley (15 volumes completed; total of 20 volumes projected in this series).
Editor, with Edwin Firmage and Bernard Weiss, Religion and Law: Biblical, Jewish & Islamic Perspectives (Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns, 1990).
"Reflections on Postulates: Power and Ancient Laws--A Response to Moshe Greenberg," in Religion and Law (Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns, 1990), pp. 113-26.
"The Melchizedek Material in Alma 13," in eds. Stephen D. Ricks and John M. Lundquist, By Study and Also By Faith: Essays in Honor of Hugh Nibley on his 80th Birthday (Salt Lake City: Deseret and FARMS, 1990), 2:238-72.
Review of Ezra Taft Benson's A Witness and a Warning, in Review of Books on the Book of Mormon 1 (1989): 1-2.
"Amen," "Endow," "Seal," "Strait," "Aparabatos," "Peculiar," "Evangelist," "Firstborns," and other word studies in various issues of the BYU Religious Studies Center Newsletter.
"Restoration of Major Doctrines by Joseph Smith, Part I," Ensign (January 1989), and "Restoration of Major Doctrines by Joseph Smith, Part II," Ensign (February 1989), coauthored with Larry Dahl and Donald Q. Cannon.
Transcript Oliver Cowdery's court docket from Kirtland, Ohio, 1835-37; deposited in H. B. Lee Library, J.R.Clark Law Library, LDS Church Archives, BYU Religious Studies Center, and the Huntington Library.
"Lehi's Last Will and Testament: A Legal Approach," in eds. Monte Nyman and Charles D. Tate, The Book of Mormon: Second Nephi, The Doctrinal Structure (Provo: Religious Studies Center, 1989), 61-82.
"Straight and Narrow," "What was a Mosia'?", "Exemption from Military Duty," "The Case of an Unobserved Murder," and other short studies published as FARMS Updates.
"Criteria for Identifying the Presence of Chiasmus," FARMS Paper (1989), pp. 16.
"Chiasmus in Alma 36," FARMS Paper (1989), pp. 45.
"When Did Jesus Appear to the Nephites in Bountiful?" FARMS Paper (1989).
"Study and Faith in the Book of Mormon," in BYU Speeches of the Year (Provo: Brigham Young University, 1988), 139-49.
"B. H. Roberts, Seeker after Truth," from the Ensign, reprinted in A Sure Foundation: Answers to Difficult Gospel Questions (Salt Lake City: Deseret, 1988), 60-74.
"The Calling of a Prophet: An Analysis of the Call of Lehi in 1 Nephi 1," in 1 Nephi: The Doctrinal Foundation (Provo: Religious Studies Center, 1988), 35-54.
"How Long Did It Take Joseph Smith to Translate the Book of Mormon?" Ensign 18 (January 1988): 46-47.
"Chiasmus in Helaman 6:7-13," FARMS Preliminary Report (1987).
"The Timelessness of Hugh Nibley," This People 8 (April 1987): 38.
"Series of Laws in the Book of Mormon," FARMS Preliminary Report (1987).
"If a man . . . The Casuistic Law Form in the Book of Mormon," FARMS Preliminary Report (1987).
"Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Plans--With Emphasis on the Closely Held Business," Journal of Pension Planning and Compliance 13 (1987): 197-218.
"Preliminary Comments on the Sources Behind the Book of Ether," FARMS Preliminary Report (1986).
With David J. Whittaker, "Mormonism's Open Canon: Some Historical Perspectives on Its Religious Limits and Potentials," FARMS Preliminary Report, 1986; presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion and the Society of Biblical Literature, November, 1986.
"B.H. Roberts: Seeker After Truth," Ensign 16 (March 1986): 56-62.
"An Unparallel," FARMS Paper (1986)
"Finding Answers to B.H. Roberts's Questions," FARMS Paper (1986).
"The Translation of the Book of Mormon: Basic Historical Information," FARMS Preliminary Report (1986).
"The Nephite Sacrament Prayers: From King Benjamin's Speech to Moroni 4-5," FARMS Preliminary Report (1986).
With Jeannie Welch, The Doctrine & Covenants by Themes (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1985).
"Theft and Robbery in the Book of Mormon and Ancient Near Eastern Law," FARMS Preliminary Report (1985).
"Hugh Nibley and the Book of Mormon," Ensign (April 1985): 50-56.
"Topically Speaking: The Doctrine & Covenants," Ensign (September 1985): 20-25.
"The Father's Command to Keep Records in the Small Plates of Nephi," FARMS Preliminary Report (1985).
"King Benjamin's Speech in the Context of Ancient Israelite Festivals," FARMS Preliminary Report (1985).
Book Review of B. H. Roberts' Studies of the Book of Mormon in Pacific Historical Review 55 (November 1986): 619-23 and Deseret Church News (December 15, 1985).
"Litigation of Private Pension Claims: Selected Procedural Topics," Journal of Pension Planning and Compliance 10 (1984): 165-98.
"Longevity of Book of Mormon People and the 'Age of Man,'" Journal of Collegium Aescalapium 3 (1985): 34-45.
"Shareholder Individual and Derivative Actions: Underlying Rationales and the Closely Held Corporation," Journal of Corporation Law 9 (1984): 148-97.
"Are You At-Risk When You Borrow From Your Pension Plan?" Journal of Pension Planning & Compliance 9 (April 1983): 115-19 and Journal of Inst. of Certified Financial Planners 4 (Summer 1983): 119-22.
"Comprehensive Bibliography of the Book of Mormon," (1982, rev. 1986).
"Narrative of Zosimus and the Book of Mormon," BYU Studies 22 (1982): 311-32.
Editor and author, Chiasmus in Antiquity (Hildesheim: Gerstenberg, 1981).
With Yehuda Radday, "Structure in the Scroll of Ruth," Beth Mikra 77 (1979): 180-87.
"Judicial Process in the Trial of Abinadi," FARMS Preliminary Report (1981).
"Ancient Near Eastern Law and the Book of Mormon," presented to the Regional Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature and as FARMS Preliminary Report (1981).
"Tax Deferred Property Exchanges: Looking Beyond Starker," Los Angeles Lawyer 2 (1980): 34.
"New Case Permits Long Delay in Completing Nontaxable Exchanges of Like-Kind Property," Taxation for Lawyers 8 (1980): 260, and Taxation for Accountants 24 (1980): 74.
With David J. Whittaker, "The Articles of Faith in the Restored Church," Ensign 9 (September 1979).
Editor, Tinkling Cymbals -- Essays in Honor of Hugh W. Nibley (limited publication 1978).
"A Book You Can Respect," Ensign 7 (September 1977).
"Some Old World Perspectives on the Book of Mormon," Ensign 6 (January 1976): 26
"The Lord's Prayers," Ensign 6 (January 1976): 14-17.
"The Theological Treatment of Melchizedek in Alma 13," presented in honor of Hugh W. Nibley on his 65th Birthday at Brigham Young University (March 1975) and F.A.R.M.S Preliminary Report.
"Continuation and Representation of Class Action Following Dismissal of the Class Representative," Duke Law Journal (1974): 573-609.
"Chiasmus in Ugaritic," Ugaritforschungen 6 (1974): 421-36.
"Chiasmus in the Book of Mormon," New Era 2 (February 1972): 6-11.
"Literary Structure of King Benjamin's Speech," in ed. Paul Cheesman, Book of Mormon Symposium, Brigham Young University (1970).
"Co-Authors of the Articles of Faith," Instructor 104 (1969): 422-26.
"Chiasmus in the Book of Mormon," BYU Studies 10 (1969): 69-84.
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