The Law

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He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.” – Matthew 13:52 NIV

I thought of this as I compiled a table for thorough study of the large discrete semiprimes I’ve studied for factorization vulnerabilities this evening. Is not mathematical law a very primitive form of and basis for the law and principles guiding and characterizing both nature and communication of thought? Is it not a kind of earthy bedrock for “the Law” capitalized, however one might conceive it?

It also drew my mind to a timely humorous poem that made play on Spoonerisms, posted by a Facebook friend, that inspired me to comment on how some humor, based on clever but consistent verbal tricks and consistent rules, like those in the poem, has always seemed inspired to me, to the point of being holy. And I said this there, and relate it here, because I have dabbled a little in such composition, and felt the exhilaration of inspiration that comes with such.

I felt much the same thing whenever I submitted entries to The Washington Post’s Style Invitational humor contest, which is soon to publish its very last column, especially when I was able to create a joke that “got ink”: i.e., that saw publication.

Jesus was not always verbally kind to the Scribes – the teachers of the Law – of His day… and certainly (and, from their perspective, rightfully) current teachers of Hebrew Law and scholarship are not verbally kind to that millennia-old heretic, in whose religion I grew up, and in which I still claim belief. So when the book named Matthew quotes Jesus speaking of the teachers of the Law this way, I pay attention.

Especially when the thought of this quotation comes wrapped in meaningful coincidence.

MIRIAM … is that you?

Back to work on that big table!

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