Michelangelo Buonarotti’s sculpture of Moses is probably the most famous artistic depiction of the Israelite lawgiver and prophet. It also embodies one of the most famous biblical mistranslations. In Exodus 34, the Torah states of Moses that, after descending from Sinai, “the skin of his face shone [karan].” The similarity between the verb meaning “shine” and the word for “horn” (keren) led to St. Jerome’s Latin Bible, and translations based on it, stating that Moses’ face was “horned.” Hence the two protrusions from the head of Michelangelo’s statue.

But Daniel Lispon suggests that the idea of Moses’ horns actually can be traced to an earlier Jewish tradition, as evidenced by a now-forgotten liturgical poem, or piyyut, for the holiday of Shavuot:

The piyyut was written in ancient Aramaic in the dialect of the Land of Israel, and it incorporated Greek words as well. The language and structure of the piyyut date it to the era of the Byzantine empire before the Muslim conquest, but according to the scholar Joseph Heinemann, it is based on a folk song, handed down orally from much earlier.

The piyyut opens with the words Arkin Hashem sh’maya l’Sinai (“God bent Heaven to Sinai”), later describing God as placing rays of glory on Moses’ head. So far, so good in aligning with the biblical text. But then, towards the end of the piyyut, the angels appear before God and are afraid of Moses, as they claim he might gore or headbutt them.

It may be that this combination of Moses’ physical description (the Hebrew wording being open to interpretation) with his supposed ability to headbutt or gore someone (possibly based on a common, popular understanding which arose during this period), is responsible for creating the image of Moses as actually having horns on his head.

The art scholar Malka Rosenthal showed that Moses appeared with horns in Jewish literary illustrations as well. A number of books published in the German city of Fürth between 1741 and 1750 show the figures of Moses and Aharon on the cover, with Moses holding a staff and tablets while a pair of horns appear on his head.

On Tuesday, representatives of Hamas met with their counterparts from Fatah—the faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) once led by Yasir Arafat that now governs parts of the West Bank—in Beijing to discuss possible reconciliation. While it is unlikely that these talks will yield any more progress than the many previous rounds, they constitute a significant step in China’s increasing attempts to involve itself in the Middle East on the side of Israel’s enemies.

By contrast, writes Tuvia Gering, Taiwan has been quick and consistent in its condemnations of Hamas and Iran and its expressions of sympathy with Israel:

Support from Taipei goes beyond words. Taiwan’s appointee in Tel Aviv and de-facto ambassador, Abby Lee, has been busy aiding hostage families, adopting the most affected kibbutzim in southern Israel, and volunteering with farmers. Taiwan recently pledged more than half a million dollars to Israel for critical initiatives, including medical and communications supplies for local municipalities. This follows earlier aid from Taiwan to an organization helping Israeli soldiers and families immediately after the October 7 attack.

The reasons why are not hard to fathom:

In many ways, Taiwan sees a reflection of itself in Israel—two vibrant democracies facing threats from hostile neighbors. Both nations wield substantial economic and technological prowess, and both heavily depend on U.S. military exports and diplomacy. Taipei also sees Israel as a “role model” for what Taiwan should aspire to be, citing its unwavering determination and capabilities to defend itself.

On a deeper level, Taiwanese leaders seem to view Israel’s war with Hamas and Iran as an extension of a greater struggle between democracy and autocracy.

Gering urges Israel to reciprocate these expressions of friendship and to take into account that “China has been going above and beyond to demonize the Jewish state in international forums.” Above all, he writes, Jerusalem should “take a firmer stance against China’s support for Hamas and Iran-backed terrorism, exposing the hypocrisy and repression that underpin its vision for a new global order.”