美国学生人类历史 第121期:教会之兴(8)

 A few years before, Zoea?, the daughter of his brother Thomas, had married Ivan III of Russia. 几年前，帕利奥洛格的兄长托马斯之女左伊公主嫁给俄罗斯的伊凡三世为妻。

In this way did the grand-dukes of Moscow fall heir to the traditions of Constantinople. 这样一来，莫斯科大公便顺理成章成为了君士坦丁堡传统的继承人。

The double-eagle of old Byzantium (reminiscent of the days when Rome had been divided into an eastern and a western part) became the coat of arms of modern Russia. 古老的拜占庭双鹰标志（纪念罗马被分为东罗马和西罗马的日子）延续到现代俄罗斯的徽章之中，曾经仅仅是俄罗斯首席贵族的大公摇身而为沙皇。

The Tsar who had been merely the first of the Russian nobles, assumed the aloofness¹ and the dignity of a Roman emperor before whom all subjects, both high and low, were inconsiderable slaves. 他获得了罗马皇帝一样的崇高与威严，凌驾于所有臣民之上。在他面前，无论贵族还是农奴，都是无足轻重的奴隶。

The court was refashioned after the oriental pattern which the eastern Emperors had imported from Asia and from Egypt and which (so they flattered themselves) resembled the court of Alexander the Great. 沙皇的宫殿依东方风格而建，这是东罗马皇帝从亚洲和埃及引人的，外形酷似亚历山大大帝的王宫（按他们的自我恭维）。

This strange inheritance which the dying Byzantine Empire bequeathed to an unsuspecting world continued to live with great vigour² for six more centuries, amidst the vast plains of Russia. 垂死的拜占庭帝国流传给一个不确定世界的这份奇特遗产，以蓬勃的精力在俄罗斯广袤无边的大草原上继续生存，

The last man to wear the crown with the double eagle of Constantinople, Tsar Nicholas, was murdered only the other day, so to speak. 度过了6个漫长的世纪。最后一个佩戴拜占庭双鹰标志皇冠的是沙皇尼古拉二世，可以说，他是在不久前才被杀害的，

His body was thrown into a well. 尸体被扔进一口井里。

His son and his daughters were all killed. 与他一起死去的还有他的儿子和女儿们。

All his ancient rights and prerogatives³ were abolished, and the church was reduced to the position which it had held in Rome before the days of Constantine. 所有他享有的古老特权也一并被废除，教会在俄罗斯的地位又回到了康士坦丁皇帝之前的罗马时代。

The eastern church however fared very differently, as we shall see in the next chapter when the whole Christian⁴ world is going to be threatened with destruction by the rival creed⁵ of an Arab camel-driver. 不过罗马天主教会的遭遇却截然不同。正如我们在下一章将会看到的，整个基督教世界将面临一个阿拉伯放牧骆驼的先知者的威胁。

1 aloofness   

超然态度

参考例句：

• Why should I have treated him with such sharp aloofness? 但我为什么要给人一些严厉，一些端庄呢？ 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说
• He had an air of haughty aloofness. 他有一种高傲的神情。 来自辞典例句

2 vigour   

（=vigor）n.智力，体力，精力

参考例句：

• She is full of vigour and enthusiasm.她有热情，有朝气。
• At 40,he was in his prime and full of vigour.他40岁时正年富力强。

3 prerogatives   

n.权利( prerogative的名词复数 )；特权；大主教法庭；总督委任组成的法庭

参考例句：

• The tsar protected his personal prerogatives. 沙皇维护了自己的私人特权。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Congressmen may be reluctant to vote for legislation that infringes the traditional prerogatives of the states. 美国国会议员可能不情愿投票拥护侵犯各州传统特权的立法。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

4 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

5 creed   

n.信条；信念，纲领

参考例句：

• They offended against every article of his creed.他们触犯了他的每一条戒律。
• Our creed has always been that business is business.我们的信条一直是公私分明。