ticklish latin
TMF Poster
- Joined
- Dec 6, 2001
- Messages
- 141
- Points
- 0
A new young monk arrives at the monastery. He is assigned to help the
other monks in copying the old canons and laws of the church by
hand. He notices, however, that all of the monks are copying from
copies, not from the original manuscript. So, the new monk goes to
the abbot to question this, pointing out that if someone made even
a small error in the first copy, it would never be picked up. In
fact, that error would be continued in all of the subsequent copies.
The Abbot says, "We have been copying from the copies for
centuries, but you make a good point, my son". So, he goes down
into the dark caves underneath the monastery where the original
manuscript is held in a locked vault that hasn't been opened for
hundreds of years. Hours go by and nobody sees the old abbot.
Eventually the young monk gets worried and goes downstairs to look
for him. He sees him banging his head against the wall. His forehead
is all bloody and bruised and he is crying uncontrollably. The young
monk asks the old abbot, "What's wrong, father?" In a choking voice,
the old abbot replies, "The word is celebrate, not celibate!"
other monks in copying the old canons and laws of the church by
hand. He notices, however, that all of the monks are copying from
copies, not from the original manuscript. So, the new monk goes to
the abbot to question this, pointing out that if someone made even
a small error in the first copy, it would never be picked up. In
fact, that error would be continued in all of the subsequent copies.
The Abbot says, "We have been copying from the copies for
centuries, but you make a good point, my son". So, he goes down
into the dark caves underneath the monastery where the original
manuscript is held in a locked vault that hasn't been opened for
hundreds of years. Hours go by and nobody sees the old abbot.
Eventually the young monk gets worried and goes downstairs to look
for him. He sees him banging his head against the wall. His forehead
is all bloody and bruised and he is crying uncontrollably. The young
monk asks the old abbot, "What's wrong, father?" In a choking voice,
the old abbot replies, "The word is celebrate, not celibate!"