纪录片《大英博物馆世界简史》 062希伯来星盘（6）

 

"Well, as I see it, the essence of multi-culturalism is the preservation¹ of the distinctive² identity of the different religious and ethnic³ communities in a society. And for much of the period of Islamic rule, the policy of the rulers was to accept that diversity, even if it regarded Christians⁵ and Jews as adherents⁶ of inferior faiths. The Christian⁴ rulers when they took over did much the same, because they had no other option really, and at the same time of course, there was really no intermarriage. Intermarriage was forbidden between these communities So it is a limited multi-culturalism. And that doesn't of course prevent a great deal of mutual⁷ interaction, particularly at the cultural level. So the result is a civilisation⁸ which was vibrant⁹ and creative and original, because of this contact between the three races."

This mutual interaction had, a couple of centuries earlier, put medieval Spain at the forefront of the expansion of knowledge in Europe. Not only was there growing scientific knowledge around astronomical¹⁰ instruments like our astrolabe, but it was also in Spain that the works of the ancient Greek philosophers - above all Aristotle - were translated into Latin and entered the intellectual bloodstream of modern Europe. And this pioneering work depended on the constant interchange between Muslim, Jewish and Christian scholars.

在我看来，多元文化的精髓是不同宗教和不同民族的团体各自保持独特的身份。在伊斯兰教主导的大部分时期，尽管统治者把基督教和犹太教当作次等宗教，施行的政策仍是兼容并包。基督教统治者接管这片地区时采取的政策也大同小异，因为他们没有别的选择。但在这些社群中，异教或异族通婚是被禁止的，因此这是一种有限的多元文化。不过其他方式的交流并没有受到阻止，尤其是文化上的互通。正是这三方之间的交流促成了一种充满活力与创造力的新颖文化的诞生。

在此前的几个世纪，这样的通融将中世纪西班牙推到了欧洲范围内文化扩张的前沿。一方面，关于星盘等天文仪器方面的知识在不断进步；另一方面，古希腊哲学家的作品，尤其是亚里士多德的著作，在西班牙被翻译成拉丁文，进入了中世纪欧洲文化的血液。这种先锋工作依靠的是穆斯林、犹太教与基督教学者们的不断交流。

 

1 preservation   

n.保护，维护，保存，保留，保持

参考例句：

• The police are responsible for the preservation of law and order.警察负责维持法律与秩序。
• The picture is in an excellent state of preservation.这幅画保存得极为完好。

2 distinctive   

adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的

参考例句：

• She has a very distinctive way of walking.她走路的样子与别人很不相同。
• This bird has several distinctive features.这个鸟具有几种突出的特征。

3 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

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 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 adherents   

n.支持者，拥护者( adherent的名词复数 )；党羽；徒子徒孙

参考例句：

• He is a leader with many adherents. 他是个有众多追随者的领袖。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The proposal is gaining more and more adherents. 该建议得到越来越多的支持者。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 mutual   

adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的

参考例句：

• We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
• Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。

8 civilisation   

n.文明，文化，开化，教化

参考例句：

• Energy and ideas are the twin bases of our civilisation.能源和思想是我们文明的两大基石。
• This opera is one of the cultural totems of Western civilisation.这部歌剧是西方文明的文化标志物之一。

9 vibrant   

adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的

参考例句：

• He always uses vibrant colours in his paintings. 他在画中总是使用鲜明的色彩。
• She gave a vibrant performance in the leading role in the school play.她在学校表演中生气盎然地扮演了主角。

10 astronomical   

adj.天文学的，（数字）极大的

参考例句：

• He was an expert on ancient Chinese astronomical literature.他是研究中国古代天文学文献的专家。
• Houses in the village are selling for astronomical prices.乡村的房价正在飙升。