MUCH SUPERSTITIOUS KERFLUFFLE has arisen over the Latin Psalm codex discovered in an Irish bog, which was found open to Psalm 83 -- a psalm that condemns the efforts of the nations to wipe out Israel. WorldNetDaily has a roundup, if such things interest you. The problem with this sort of divination is that people only notice the apparently significant coincidences. The "'Judas went out and hanged himself' - 'Go thou and do likewise'" variety, which don't work, go unremarked, as do the countless cases where no coincidence happens. Just in the few years I have been running PaleoJudaica I've reported on numerous biblical and Bible-related manuscript discoveries. No one got excited about the eschatological significance of, for example, the recently discovered Leviticus fragments, although I'm sure someone could have if they'd worked at it.

Incidentally, a recent article in Al Ahram mentioned the ancient Coptic Psalter in the renovated Coptic Museum and noted that it contained psalms by Asaph (Essaf), one of which is, of course, Psalm 83. Coincidence? Do you really think so?

UPDATE (28 July): Joshua Waxman e-mails:

According to a recent Reuters story, they used a different numbering of Psalms, and it is really Psalm 84, about the vale of tears, not Psalm 83.

Ah, so it was Psalm 83 according to the numbering of the Vulgate. Alas, Psalm 84 isn't even a psalm of Asaph. It will be interesting to see if WND posts a correction.

It sounds as though someone at least looked up the reference in the Bible to write the article and I give them points for that.

Also, the word is kerfuffle, not kerfluffle.

So it is. I stand corrected. For more information on the word, which is Scots, see here.