Jewish tradition teaches, in the book of Ecclesiastes, that there is “Nothing new under the sun” (1:9) This seems especially true in ancient times, where the pace of change was much slower and it was easier to assume that each generation would have much the same experience as the previous.
It may even feel the same today, despite the rapid pace of change and the amazing ability to share information globally. Indeed, our culture is one in which we copy from one another freely, tend to tweak rather than create, and bask in memes. But one of our most high-tech symbols has much older origins.
Wired magazine pointed out the religious connection to the “@” sign, which we use as part of every email address and Twitter handle. It has its basis in monasteries:
“The monks took shortcuts with words just the way modern people do. . . The “@” was used the same way it is today, to mean ‘at.’ . . [I]t cut down on the number of pen strokes, and when you’re translating and copying the Bible all day, that really adds up.” Even then, there did not seem enough time.
Small facts like this remind us that even our most modern of expressions are rooted in history. It is important that in all things, we understand our past in order to travel into our future.