2006年VOA标准英语-Los Angeles Getty Museum Features Treasured Ico

By Mike O'Sullivan
Los Angeles
15 November 2006

Los Angeles residents are getting a glimpse of art treasures from the ancient monastery¹ of St. Catherine's in the Sinai desert. Mike O'Sullivan reports, the display of religious art at the J. Paul Getty Museum features some of the world's finest examples of icons³, the images revered⁴ by Eastern Orthodox Christians⁵.

 
Holy Monastery of Saint Catherine, Sinai, Egypt 
Saint Catherine's Monastery is the repository of some of the world's oldest icons and illuminated⁶ manuscripts. Built in the sixth century on orders of the Emperor Justinian, it is the world's oldest continuously operating monastery, and it looks today much as it did then - a massive fortress⁷ in the shadow of Mt. Sinai. Inside, contemplative monks⁸ carry on a tradition of prayer and study.

Father Justin, an American convert, is librarian at St. Catherine's. He grew up in El Paso, Texas, but now lives a very different life - where the sounds of liturgical⁹ Greek are heard in the barren desert. He came to the Getty Museum for the opening.

 
Father Justin 
He says the place has a stark¹⁰ beauty.

"It only rains there three or four times a year, so we have granite¹¹ mountains that soar with precipitous cliffs," Father Justin said. "And in the midst of this very harsh environment, it is also extremely beautiful. The sun is brilliant. The sky is what they call the sapphire¹² skies of Sinai. It is an intense blue. And in the midst of that you have the traditional site where God revealed himself to Moses at the burning bush, and where he gave the 10 commandments at the peak of Sinai."

 
Heavenly Ladder of Saint John Climacus - 12th century
Inside the monastery are some of the world's finest Greek and Russian icons, as well as rare ancient manuscripts and other liturgical objects. The Getty exhibition contains more than 60 items from the monastery, the largest number ever removed on loan from the site.

Robert Nelson, an art historian from Yale University, is co-curating the exhibition. He says a collection of treasures like this is rarely seen by the public.

"We have right next to my right arm here one of the great icons of the world, the icon² of St. Peter, which we understand was a gift by the emperor Justinian to the monastery in the sixth century," he said. "And that icon has been at the monastery until it [came] to Los Angeles."

 
Saint Peter - 6th century
The icon bears the realistic image of a white-haired bearded man. It is significant to art historians, Professor Nelson says, because it shows the transition from Roman art to the later stylized figures of Byzantine icons, which are often set against rich golden backgrounds.

Many icons like this were destroyed in the iconoclastic¹³ movement of the eighth and ninth centuries, when the Byzantine church was bitterly divided over the veneration¹⁴ of images. But those at St. Catherine's survived undisturbed, and the monastery now has the world's largest collection of early icons.

 
Saint John Chysostom with Liturgical Scroll¹⁵ - late 12th century
St. Catherine's has been mostly untouched by centuries of political changes in the Middle East. Built by a Byzantine emperor, it came under the reign¹⁶ of the Muslim Abbasid dynasty and a succession of other rulers. Co-curator Kristen Collins says its history is a tribute to the diplomacy¹⁷ of its leaders.

"I think one of the most amazing things about this monastery has been its ability to endure," she said. "The monastery has a mosque¹⁸ on its premises¹⁹. The legend has it that when the Caliph Hakim was heading toward the monastery, cutting a swath across the Sinai destroying monasteries²⁰ in his path, the monks at Sinai build a mosque in three days, transformed guest quarters into this building. And the mosque remains²¹ there to this day."

 
Saint Theodosia - early 13th century
The monastery was spared because of the gesture.

Father Justin says this art has a special role in the lives of Orthodox Christians, who believe that icons convey the spiritual reality that they portray²².

"Standing²³ before the icon of a saint is a reflection of that saint and we ascend²⁴ from the physical depiction²⁵ to the spiritual presence of the saint himself," he said.

The monks of St. Catherine's Monastery were at first reluctant to let their treasures be displayed in a secular²⁶ atmosphere, apart from their role in daily devotions. But the monks decided²⁷ to share them so that others could benefit, and they worked closely with the museum on the details of transporting and displaying the icons.

 
Monks perform blessing 
Three monks from St. Catherine's, including the archbishop who serves as abbot, blessed the objects as the Getty Museum opened its exhibition.

Curators say they hope audiences will view these icons as both art treasures and objects deeply rooted in a spiritual tradition. The exhibition "Holy Image, Hallowed Ground: Icons from Sinai," will be shown at the Getty Museum through March 4.

1 monastery   

n.修道院，僧院，寺院

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• She was appointed the superior of the monastery two years ago.两年前她被任命为这个修道院的院长。

2 icon   

n.偶像，崇拜的对象，画像

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• Click on this icon to align or justify text.点击这个图标使文本排齐。

3 icons   

n.偶像( icon的名词复数 )；（计算机屏幕上表示命令、程序的）符号，图像

参考例句：

• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons. 用图标来区分重要的文本项。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• Daemonic icons should only be employed persistently if they provide continuous, useful status information. 只有会连续地提供有用状态信息的情况下，后台应用程序才应该一直使用图标。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

4 revered   

v.崇敬，尊崇，敬畏( revere的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• A number of institutions revered and respected in earlier times have become Aunt Sally for the present generation. 一些早年受到尊崇的惯例，现在已经成了这代人嘲弄的对象了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Chinese revered corn as a gift from heaven. 中国人将谷物奉为上天的恩赐。 来自辞典例句

5 Christians   

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。

6 illuminated   

adj.被照明的；受启迪的

参考例句：

• Floodlights illuminated the stadium. 泛光灯照亮了体育场。
• the illuminated city at night 夜幕中万家灯火的城市

7 fortress   

n.堡垒，防御工事

参考例句：

• They made an attempt on a fortress.他们试图夺取这一要塞。
• The soldier scaled the wall of the fortress by turret.士兵通过塔车攀登上了要塞的城墙。

8 monks   

n.修道士，僧侣( monk的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The monks lived a very ascetic life. 僧侣过着很清苦的生活。
• He had been trained rigorously by the monks. 他接受过修道士的严格训练。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 liturgical   

adj.礼拜仪式的

参考例句：

• This period corresponds with the liturgical season of Christmas.这个时期与圣诞节的礼拜季节相一致。
• This is a book of liturgical forms.这是一本关于礼拜仪式的书。

10 stark   

adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地

参考例句：

• The young man is faced with a stark choice.这位年轻人面临严峻的抉择。
• He gave a stark denial to the rumor.他对谣言加以完全的否认。

11 granite   

adj.花岗岩，花岗石

参考例句：

• They squared a block of granite.他们把一块花岗岩加工成四方形。
• The granite overlies the older rocks.花岗岩躺在磨损的岩石上面。

12 sapphire   

n.青玉，蓝宝石；adj.天蓝色的

参考例句：

• Now let us consider crystals such as diamond or sapphire.现在让我们考虑象钻石和蓝宝石这样的晶体。
• He left a sapphire ring to her.他留给她一枚蓝宝石戒指。

13 iconoclastic   

adj.偶像破坏的，打破旧习的

参考例句：

• His iconoclastic tendencies can get him into trouble. 他与传统信仰相悖的思想倾向可能会给他带来麻烦。 来自辞典例句
• The film is an iconoclastic allegory. 电影是一个关于破坏的寓言。 来自互联网

14 veneration   

n.尊敬，崇拜

参考例句：

• I acquired lasting respect for tradition and veneration for the past.我开始对传统和历史产生了持久的敬慕。
• My father venerated General Eisenhower.我父亲十分敬仰艾森豪威尔将军。

15 scroll   

n.卷轴，纸卷；(石刻上的)漩涡

参考例句：

• As I opened the scroll,a panorama of the Yellow River unfolded.我打开卷轴时，黄河的景象展现在眼前。
• He was presented with a scroll commemorating his achievements.他被授予一幅卷轴，以表彰其所做出的成就。

16 reign   

n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势

参考例句：

• The reign of Queen Elizabeth lapped over into the seventeenth century.伊丽莎白王朝延至17世纪。
• The reign of Zhu Yuanzhang lasted about 31 years.朱元璋统治了大约三十一年。

17 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

18 mosque   

n.清真寺

参考例句：

• The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心。
• Some years ago the clock in the tower of the mosque got out of order.几年前，清真寺钟楼里的大钟失灵了。

19 premises   

n.建筑物，房屋

参考例句：

• According to the rules,no alcohol can be consumed on the premises.按照规定，场内不准饮酒。
• All repairs are done on the premises and not put out.全部修缮都在家里进行，不用送到外面去做。

20 monasteries   

修道院( monastery的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• In ancient China, there were lots of monasteries. 在古时候，中国有许多寺院。
• The Negev became a religious center with many monasteries and churches. 内格夫成为许多庙宇和教堂的宗教中心。

21 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

22 portray   

v.描写，描述；画(人物、景象等)

参考例句：

• It is difficult to portray feelings in words.感情很难用言语来描写。
• Can you portray the best and worst aspects of this job?您能描述一下这份工作最好与最坏的方面吗？

23 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

24 ascend   

vi.渐渐上升，升高；vt.攀登，登上

参考例句：

• We watched the airplane ascend higher and higher.我们看着飞机逐渐升高。
• We ascend in the order of time and of development.我们按时间和发展顺序向上溯。

25 depiction   

n.描述

参考例句：

• Double rhythms, resounding through the lyric depiction and connecting with each other, indicate the thespian place of mankind and the cognition of the writer to this thespian place. 这双重旋律互为表里，表明了人类的某种悲剧性处境以及作家对这种悲剧性处境的感受和认识。
• A realistic depiction of scenes from everyday domestic life. 日常家居生活的写实画。

26 secular   

n.牧师，凡人；adj.世俗的，现世的，不朽的

参考例句：

• We live in an increasingly secular society.我们生活在一个日益非宗教的社会。
• Britain is a plural society in which the secular predominates.英国是个世俗主导的多元社会。

27 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。