Mene Mene Tekel Parsin

An interesting feature of the venerable Chinese Union Version of the Holy Scriptures—the one with black cover and red siding—is the illustrations that are placed at the end of a number of books. I found the drawing at the end of the Book of Daniel to be very funny. It illustrates the “handwriting on the wall,” with God’s finger writing the words

מנא מנא תקל ופרסין

But the drawing has these words in English letters! I guess that’s for the benefit of the Chinese readers, very few of whom would be expected to be familiar with the Aramaic/Hebrew alphabet. Still, transliterating within an illustration strikes me as comical.

OPC Report on Justification

The Orthodox Presbyterian Church has just released the report on justification, which criticizes the current troubling movements of New Perspectives on Paul and Federal Vision.

Bad Jokes from MIT’s Music Library Newsletter (Spring 2006)

Q: What is the difference between a bass trombone and a chainsaw?
A: Vibrato!

Q: Why did the chicken cross the road?
A: To get away from the bassoon recital.

Q: What is the difference between a soprano and a pit bull?
A: The jewelry.

Q: How many French horn players does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: Just one, but he will spend hours checking the bulb for leaks and alignment problems.

He who blows his own horn always plays the music several octaves higher than originally written.