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VOA慢速英语2012 SCIENCE IN THE NEWS - Was Jesus Married?

时间:2012-10-16 08:37:03

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SCIENCE IN THE NEWS - Was Jesus Married?

This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS, in VOA Special English. I’m Mario Ritter.

And I’m Faith Lapidus. Today, we tell about a debate over words written on an ancient piece of papyrus1. The wording suggests that some early Christians3 believed Jesus was married. We also tell about an ancient statue of a man. Scientists now say the statue was made from a rock that may have come from outer space.

Scientists and religious experts are debating the value of a small piece of papyrus that found its way to a researcher in the United States. The piece of paper raises an ages-old question about Jesus, whose life and teachings form the heart of Christianity. Could Jesus have been married?

Harvard Divinity School Professor Karen King recently explained the Coptic wording on the papyrus. She says the words mean that Jesus called Mary Magdalene, an early Christian2, “my wife.” She says he did this while speaking to his disciples5, or followers6.

Professor King adds that, in another part of the papyrus, Jesus says, “She will be my disciple4.” And she says other wording on it means, “I dwell with her.” This sentence may suggest that Jesus lived with Mary Magdalene.

The possibilities suggested by Karen King’s work are important for many Christians. Roman Catholic Church clergy7 members are banned from marriage and having sexual relations. The official Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, dismissed the papyrus as a fake, a falsified document. Catholics are not alone in believing that Jesus was sexually pure and never married. Some Protestant groups also condemn8 the idea of a married Jesus.

Over time, however, some non-traditional students of Christianity’s Bible have suggested that he was married. They say the most likely person to have been his wife would have been Mary of Magdala, also called Mary Magdalene. Except for Jesus’ mother, she is the woman whose name appears most often in the Bible’s New Testament9.

For centuries, Biblical experts believed that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute. As she grew older, she was said to have regretted selling sex for money, and then began to follow Jesus. She is often represented that way in works of art and Christian studies.

But many twentieth century experts rejected the idea that Mary Magdalene was once a prostitute. They say there is no evidence in the Bible to prove it.

Professor King reported her findings at a recent conference on Coptic studies in Rome. Some experts welcomed the report as a possible addition to knowledge about early Christians. The professor herself says firmly that the paper does not prove Jesus was married. But she praised the fact that, in her opinion, it shows that people in the fourth century were talking about Jesus.

Her report on the papyrus also raised questions about its authenticity11. Is the piece of paper really one thousand six hundred years old? Professor King is a top expert on the Coptic language. But is her interpretation12 of the wording correct?Or, could the papyrus be a fake? No chemical testing of the writing has been made yet. Some experts in the study of ancient papers said it would be difficult or impossible to falsify. But other experts question whether it is real. Or they say that at the least, the papyrus should not have been made public until its history is known.

The much talked-about papyrus is about the size of a business card, measuring just eight centimeters by four centimeters. It is kept now between two pieces of a protective glass. Professor King says its owner is a collector of ancient papers who asked her to study and translate it. The collector told her that he does not want to be identified, and is unwilling13 to provide details about how the papyrus came to him.

The small piece of paper has just thirty-three words, written in fourteen lines of black ink. The words probably developed from Greek before being expressed in Egyptian Coptic.

Darrell Bock is an expert on New Testament studies at the Dallas Theological Seminary in Texas. Professor Bock says he believes that Karen King has done much of what she can to establish her case. But he does not believe the papyrus is very important. He says it must pass several examinations before it can be confirmed as authentic10. And, he says, even if it is proven real, it is not very important.

“I don’t think that this text is that significant. There are so many hurdles14 for it to get over. You’ve got to show that it’s authentic, and there are real questions about whether that text is authentic.” 

Professor Bock expresses other concerns about the papyrus. For example, he says, there is not enough writing on it to establish the real meaning of the words. He says the word “wife” may not mean “wife” in the traditional way. And, he says the papyrus is just one text showing that Jesus might have been married.

“And then you’ve got the fact that this is one text out of many, many, many texts that don’t indicate that Jesus was married. And I think had Jesus been married, the early tradition about Jesus would have reflected that.” 

Professor Bock says that if Jesus were married, he does not think it would be a problem for Christianity. Instead, he says, it would have shown that Jesus took part in human traditions, just as he was actively15 involved in human life in other ways.

Recently, a Protestant clergyman in Maryland asked friends if they believe Jesus was married. Most of them told him that it made little difference to their beliefs.

The Reverend Tim Tutt says he does not think that the question will be answered. He thinks there is not enough evidence, and that the words may be misunderstood.

“I don’t think we’ll ever be able to prove (that Jesus was married). That papyrus is so limited. It’s just a fragment. It could have been a metaphor16. It could be someone’s editorialization. I don’t know that we’ll prove anything conclusively17. But what it really does is allow my theological imagination to wonder.”

The clergyman is happy to think about the mystery.

German researchers have shown evidence that an ancient Buddhist18 statue of a man may have been carved from a meteorite19. The researchers say the meteorite fell from space thousands of years ago in what is now eastern Siberia and Mongolia.

Their report was published in the journal Meteoritics & Planetary Science. Elmar Buchner of Stuttgart University led the research.

It is not known when the statue was made. But some estimates say the rock-like material fell from the sky at least ten thousand years ago.

The researchers call the statue the “iron man”. It weighs more than ten and one half kilograms and is about twenty four centimeters tall. The iron man is holding an unidentified object in his left hand. A swastika is cut into the middle of the statue. The swastika is a centuries-old sign of good luck in Buddhist philosophy. The statue may represent the god Vaisravana, the Buddhist king of the North, known as Jambhala in Tibet.

The researchers believe the iron man may have been carved in the Bon culture of the eleventh century in what is now Tibet. No one is sure how the statue was discovered. But a research team may have taken it to Germany after a trip to Tibet in nineteen thirty-eight and nineteen thirty-nine.

The noted20 zoologist21 Ernst Schafer led the exploration. He was sent to Tibet by Germany’s Nazi22 Party. His team reportedly was looking for the starting place of the Aryan race, which the Nazis23 believed to be greater than any other race. But no one knows for sure that that was the reason, either. One unconfirmed story says Ernst Schafer used scientific expeditions to hunt animals.

The iron man found his way to the city of Munich. It remained for years in a private collection. But a public sale made the statue available for study in two thousand seven.

At first, the Elmar Buchner team was permitted only to test pieces from the outside of the statue. But as time passed, they were able to take samples from the inside. The researchers identified the material as ataxite, an iron meteorite with high levels of nickel. The world has only a few samples of this kind of material.

The Buchner team says a number of cultures used meteorite iron to create knives and jewelry24, including carvings25 of birds. The researchers also said many ancient cultures worshipped rocks from space.

Elmar Buchner says the iron man is the only known human figure carved into a meteorite. He says, “If our estimation of its age is correct and it is nearly a thousand years old, it could be invaluable26.”


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1 papyrus hK9xR     
n.古以纸草制成之纸
参考例句:
  • The Egyptians wrote on papyrus.埃及人书写用薄草纸。
  • Since papyrus dries up and crumble,very few documents of ancient Egypt have survived.因草片会干裂成粉末所以古埃及的文件很少保存下来。
2 Christian KVByl     
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。
3 Christians 28e6e30f94480962cc721493f76ca6c6     
n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
  • His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。
4 disciple LPvzm     
n.信徒,门徒,追随者
参考例句:
  • Your disciple failed to welcome you.你的徒弟没能迎接你。
  • He was an ardent disciple of Gandhi.他是甘地的忠实信徒。
5 disciples e24b5e52634d7118146b7b4e56748cac     
n.信徒( disciple的名词复数 );门徒;耶稣的信徒;(尤指)耶稣十二门徒之一
参考例句:
  • Judas was one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. 犹大是耶稣十二门徒之一。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • "The names of the first two disciples were --" “最初的两个门徒的名字是——” 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险
6 followers 5c342ee9ce1bf07932a1f66af2be7652     
追随者( follower的名词复数 ); 用户; 契据的附面; 从动件
参考例句:
  • the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
  • The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。
7 clergy SnZy2     
n.[总称]牧师,神职人员
参考例句:
  • I could heartily wish that more of our country clergy would follow this example.我衷心希望,我国有更多的牧师效法这个榜样。
  • All the local clergy attended the ceremony.当地所有的牧师出席了仪式。
8 condemn zpxzp     
vt.谴责,指责;宣判(罪犯),判刑
参考例句:
  • Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他,而有些人谴责他。
  • We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。
9 testament yyEzf     
n.遗嘱;证明
参考例句:
  • This is his last will and testament.这是他的遗愿和遗嘱。
  • It is a testament to the power of political mythology.这说明,编造政治神话可以产生多大的威力。
10 authentic ZuZzs     
a.真的,真正的;可靠的,可信的,有根据的
参考例句:
  • This is an authentic news report. We can depend on it. 这是篇可靠的新闻报道, 我们相信它。
  • Autumn is also the authentic season of renewal. 秋天才是真正的除旧布新的季节。
11 authenticity quyzq     
n.真实性
参考例句:
  • There has been some debate over the authenticity of his will. 对于他的遗嘱的真实性一直有争论。
  • The museum is seeking an expert opinion on the authenticity of the painting. 博物馆在请专家鉴定那幅画的真伪。
12 interpretation P5jxQ     
n.解释,说明,描述;艺术处理
参考例句:
  • His statement admits of one interpretation only.他的话只有一种解释。
  • Analysis and interpretation is a very personal thing.分析与说明是个很主观的事情。
13 unwilling CjpwB     
adj.不情愿的
参考例句:
  • The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
  • His tightfisted employer was unwilling to give him a raise.他那吝啬的雇主不肯给他加薪。
14 hurdles ef026c612e29da4e5ffe480a8f65b720     
n.障碍( hurdle的名词复数 );跳栏;(供人或马跳跃的)栏架;跨栏赛
参考例句:
  • In starting a new company, many hurdles must be crossed. 刚开办一个公司时,必须克服许多障碍。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • There are several hurdles to be got over in this project. 在这项工程中有一些困难要克服。 来自辞典例句
15 actively lzezni     
adv.积极地,勤奋地
参考例句:
  • During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
  • We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。
16 metaphor o78zD     
n.隐喻,暗喻
参考例句:
  • Using metaphor,we say that computers have senses and a memory.打个比方,我们可以说计算机有感觉和记忆力。
  • In poetry the rose is often a metaphor for love.玫瑰在诗中通常作为爱的象征。
17 conclusively NvVzwY     
adv.令人信服地,确凿地
参考例句:
  • All this proves conclusively that she couldn't have known the truth. 这一切无可置疑地证明她不可能知道真相。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • From the facts,he was able to determine conclusively that the death was not a suicide. 根据这些事实他断定这起死亡事件并非自杀。 来自《简明英汉词典》
18 Buddhist USLy6     
adj./n.佛教的,佛教徒
参考例句:
  • The old lady fell down in adoration before Buddhist images.那老太太在佛像面前顶礼膜拜。
  • In the eye of the Buddhist,every worldly affair is vain.在佛教徒的眼里,人世上一切事情都是空的。
19 meteorite 2wNy1     
n.陨石;流星
参考例句:
  • The meteorite in Jilin Exhibition Hall is believed to be the largest in the world.吉林展览馆的陨石被认为是世界上最大的。
  • The famous Murchison meteorite smashed into the Australian ground in 1969.1969年著名的默奇森陨石轰然坠落在澳大利亚。
20 noted 5n4zXc     
adj.著名的,知名的
参考例句:
  • The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
  • Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。
21 zoologist MfmwY     
n.动物学家
参考例句:
  • Charles darwin was a famous zoologist.查尔斯达尔文是一位著名的动物学家。
  • The zoologist had spent a long time living with monkeys.这位动物学家与猴子一起生活了很长时间。
22 Nazi BjXyF     
n.纳粹分子,adj.纳粹党的,纳粹的
参考例句:
  • They declare the Nazi regime overthrown and sue for peace.他们宣布纳粹政权已被推翻,并出面求和。
  • Nazi closes those war criminals inside their concentration camp.纳粹把那些战犯关在他们的集中营里。
23 Nazis 39168f65c976085afe9099ea0411e9a5     
n.(德国的)纳粹党员( Nazi的名词复数 );纳粹主义
参考例句:
  • The Nazis worked them over with gun butts. 纳粹分子用枪托毒打他们。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The Nazis were responsible for the mass murder of Jews during World War Ⅱ. 纳粹必须为第二次世界大战中对犹太人的大屠杀负责。 来自《简明英汉词典》
24 jewelry 0auz1     
n.(jewllery)(总称)珠宝
参考例句:
  • The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
  • Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。
25 carvings 3ccde9120da2aaa238c9785046cb8f86     
n.雕刻( carving的名词复数 );雕刻术;雕刻品;雕刻物
参考例句:
  • The desk was ornamented with many carvings. 这桌子装饰有很多雕刻物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Shell carvings are a specialty of the town. 贝雕是该城的特产。 来自《简明英汉词典》
26 invaluable s4qxe     
adj.无价的,非常宝贵的,极为贵重的
参考例句:
  • A computer would have been invaluable for this job.一台计算机对这个工作的作用会是无法估计的。
  • This information was invaluable to him.这个消息对他来说是非常宝贵的。

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