評(píng)論
打印
The people of the early Middle Ages never saw a textbook of Roman history. They were ignorant of many things which every school-boy today knows before he has entered the third grade. But the Roman Empire, which is merely a name to you, was to them something very much alive. They felt it. They willingly recognised the Pope as their spiritual leader because he lived in Rome and represented the idea of the Roman superpower. And they were profoundly grateful when Charlemagne, and afterwards Otto the Great, revived the idea of a world-empire and created the Holy Roman Empire, that the world might again be as it always had been.
中世紀(jì)的人們從未讀過(guò)任何一本有關(guān)羅馬歷史的教科書。事實(shí)上，他們?cè)谠S多事情上顯得非常無(wú)知，甚至連現(xiàn)代的小學(xué)三年級(jí)兒童應(yīng)該了解的起碼知識(shí)他們都不具備。但對(duì)于羅馬帝國(guó)，它在你們現(xiàn)代讀者看來(lái)僅僅是一個(gè)空泛的名詞，而在他們眼里卻不亞于活生生的現(xiàn)實(shí)。他們用皮膚和心靈體會(huì)到它的存在。他們甘心情愿地承認(rèn)教皇是自己的精神領(lǐng)袖，因?yàn)榻袒首≡诹_馬城，代表著羅馬帝國(guó)這一深人人心的偉大觀念。當(dāng)查理曼大帝及后來(lái)的奧托大帝復(fù)興了"世界帝國(guó)"的夢(mèng)想，創(chuàng)建起神圣羅馬帝國(guó)，人們打心眼里是覺得欣喜和感激，因?yàn)樗麄冃哪恐械氖澜绫驹撌沁@個(gè)樣子。
But the fact that there were two different heirs to the Roman tradition placed the faithful burghers of the Middle Ages in a difficult position. The theory behind the medi?val political system was both sound and simple. While the worldly master (the emperor) looked after the physical wellbeing of his subjects, the spiritual master (the Pope) guarded their souls.
不過(guò)，羅馬傳統(tǒng)存在著兩個(gè)不同繼承人這一事實(shí)，卻將中世紀(jì)虔誠(chéng)順服的自由 民們推向了尷尬的兩難處境。支撐中世紀(jì)政治制度的理論明確而簡(jiǎn)單，即世俗世界的統(tǒng)治者（皇帝）負(fù)責(zé)照顧臣民們物質(zhì)方面的利益，而精神世界的統(tǒng)治者（教皇）負(fù)責(zé)照顧他們的靈魂。
In practice, however, the system worked very badly. The Emperor invariably tried to interfere with the affairs of the church and the Pope retaliated and told the Emperor how he should rule his domains. Then they told each other to mind their own business in very unceremonious language and the inevitable end was war.
不過(guò)在實(shí)際執(zhí)行的時(shí)候，這一體系暴露出許多難以克服的毛病。皇帝總是試圖插手教會(huì)事務(wù)，而教皇針鋒相對(duì)，不斷指點(diǎn)皇帝應(yīng)怎樣管理他的國(guó)家。繼而，他們開始用很不禮貌的語(yǔ)言相互警告，讓對(duì)方別多管閑事。這樣一來(lái)二往，雙方便免不了要大打出手了。
Under those circumstances, what were the people to do, A good Christian obeyed both the Pope and his King. But the Pope and the Emperor were enemies. Which side should a dutiful subject and an equally dutiful Christian take?
在此情形下，普通老百姓能怎么辦呢？一個(gè)好的基督徒是既忠于教皇又服從國(guó)王的。可教皇與皇帝成了仇人。作為一個(gè)負(fù)責(zé)任的國(guó)民，同時(shí)又是一個(gè)虔誠(chéng)的教徒，他到底應(yīng)該站在哪一邊呢？
