犹太人的故事（2013）

SIMON:"是，我看到，即便是极其微小的一片也被保存下来"
女声：“是啊，事无巨细，全部保存”
It's so striking how clear...
SIMON:"太不可思议了，"
I mean, the Hebrew there
“我是说这上面的希伯来文”
is the Hebrew I learned
for my Bar Mitzvah and at cheder.
“与我在成人礼(受诫礼)上用的或者在犹太儿童宗教学校里学习时用的希伯来文相差无几”
It is so extraordinary
to actually be able to read it.
“我如今居然能够直接对着这几千年的古卷直接阅读上面的文字实在是太震撼了” (犹太人的文化传承做的太好，以至于当代犹太人可以直接阅读千年前的本族文献)
Well, this is what always
excites us,
女声：“是啊，这种事情从来都振奋人心，不是吗”
that we're talking about
2,000-years-old scrolls,
“摆在我们面前的是2000多年历史的古卷”
and any 6th grader
that learns to read
“而我们随便找个才开始听说读写的6年级孩子来”
can come and read this, and I
think there's nothing more moving
“都能直接读出这些古卷，想想吧，你能毫无困难的阅读2000年前的本族圣经---”
than being able to read your Bible
from 2,000-years-old scrolls.
“对我们来说实在是没啥比着更震撼了”
Among the hundreds of manuscripts,
one in particular
在数百卷手稿中，
captures the apocalyptic
expectations that gripped
the pious Jews of Qumran.
其中有一卷非常特别，它向世人展现的末世启示预景深深吸引住了
Qumran的那些犹太清修徒
It's known as the War Scroll.
即我们称之为 战卷 (俗称“光明之子与黑暗之子之战”)
The War Scroll
is an extraordinary, high-pitched,
SIMON:"战卷的写作手法出众，高调 "
slightly kind of
feverishly poetic document,
“还略带些热血诗意”
which is about this impending battle
between the sons of light
“内容涉及那一触即发的”
and the sons of darkness.
“正邪大战”
It wouldn't be any good
as a military manual,
“写作此书的目的应该不是以军事教材自居”
because a lot of the War Scroll
is actually about writing
“因为全书的大部分只涉及”
which is inscribed on the weapons,
“武器的描述”
and, um...God will fight
because of the covenant, of course,
“哦....书上说上帝愿意为自己的子民而战，”
on behalf of the sons of light.
“因为上帝与子民之间有誓约，你遵从上帝，就站在了光明的一边”
Yeah, they saw themselves
as the sons of light.
女声：“是啊，作者们将自己视作光明之子”
They saw themselves sons of light in
a world where battle was going on,
男声：“对， 他们视自己为正义的一派，矗立于天地之间”
and maybe there was a very,
very big battle about to happen.
“注视着那一触即发的正邪大战，或者干脆可以说战争已经上演了。”
(其实就是《战卷》反映了当时罗马人和犹太人在犹太地境内的紧张政♥治♥局势，以及最终于公元66年爆发的犹太叛乱。)
The big battle, anticipated
with such poetic excitement
战卷里用激昂的史诗手法描绘预期的那场大战，
in the War Scroll, became grim,
bloody reality in 66 AD.
于公元66年不幸成为冷酷而血腥的史实。
An immense rebellion against
Roman rule broke out in Galilee,
在加利利，Judea和Samaria(均为罗马治下犹太省的地名)各地爆发了
Samaria and Judea.
大规模的反抗罗马统治的叛乱
A maelstrom of violence that
required the weight of three legions
暴♥动♥规模之大，以至于罗马人出动了三个军团
under the command
of the general, Vespasian,
由Vespasian将军
and his son, Titus, to crush it.
和其子Titus率领，前来平叛。
Our only written source for what
then unfolded comes from the hand
关于整个平叛过程的唯一记录，出自某位犹太人之手，
of someone whose life
was torn between the Classical
and the Jewish world.
他的一生被夹在罗马世界与犹太世界之间撕扯，
He even had two names.
甚至有过两个名字，
Born into a priestly family
as Yosef ben Matityahu,
此人生于犹太神职人员家庭，取名Yosef ben Matityahu
he would die in Rome
as Flavius Josephus,
却以Flavius Josephus之名卒于罗马
the in-house historian
of the Emperor Vespasian.
他是Vespasian皇帝的御用史官（在Vespasian皇帝内廷担任史官）
As a boy, I was taught
to look down on Josephus
as turncoat and traitor.
打小我受的教育都说Josephus是个令人不齿的犹奸，叛徒。
Having taken up arms against Rome
at the siege of Yotapata,
他先是在Yotapata围城中拿起武器反抗罗马人
Yotapata 亦作 Jotapata;Yodfat
he chose to surrender rather than to
kill himself, as his comrades did.
后来却选择投降而不是像他的同袍们那样自杀殉国
Worse still,
he then joined Vespasian's entourage
更糟的是，投降之后他成为Vespasian的跟班
as a local advisor,
cheerleader and pet Jew.
成了带路党，和犹太宠臣
But Josephus's history,
The Jewish War,
但是，Josephus所记载的‘对犹战争’
is all we have to go on
for an account of what happened
却是我们手头研究那段历史的唯一可用材料
when the Roman legions
moved on to Jerusalem
只有通过他的记载，我们才能知道当罗马军团逼近耶路撒冷
to administer the coup de grace.
准备一举歼灭叛军之时到底发生了些什么
Josephus was there,
outside the city walls,
Josephus其时就在城外的驻军里
while inside, fanatical zealots
instigated a reign of terror
而城内， 狂热的原教旨主义主战派正在煽动白色恐怖
to deter any talk of surrender,
以威吓所有主和派，却全然不顾
and while the population,
who included Josephus's own mother,
城内由于围困日久，早已饿殍遍地，
very slowly and very painfully
starved to death.
其中包括Josephus奄奄一息的母亲。
Josephus says that
ever since the siege at Yotapata
Josephus声称从Yotapata围城，
and ever since he came to Jerusalem
with the Roman army,
到如今跟随罗马大军兵临耶路撒冷城下
his only concern
was to spare his own people
他心里惟愿自己的族人可以
unnecessary cruelty,
suffering and death.
免受不必要的涂炭
He'd long ago come
to the conclusion, he says,
他心里早就认为
that God had chosen the Romans
as his instrument for punishment,
罗马人就是犹太人命中的“上帝之鞭”
just as he'd chosen the Babylonians
generations before.
一如数代之前上帝选中巴比伦人前来执罚
And now the Jews
were facing impossible odds,
hopelessly outnumbered,
如今， 犹太人面对在人数
facing the strongest imperial army
in the world,
和军力上数倍于己的强大敌军，已是毫无胜算之际
and they had turned on each other
like wild beasts.
居然开始像野兽一样自相残杀，自毁长城
What was the point of going on?
如此倒行逆施还有何意义坚持下去？
And you think, "Oh, sure, you're
just trying to save your skin
当然，你可以说，“你这犹奸就是贪生怕死嘛！”
"and save your reputation
for posterity,
“站着说话不腰疼的，只是为了沽名钓誉”
"from your cushy billet in
the Emperor Vespasian's apartments."
“自己倒是好端端的躺在Vespasian皇帝的营帐里”
The spirit of the defenders
finally crumbled.
最终， 城破人亡，形神俱败
The city walls were breached,
and Josephus was there to witness
距巴比伦之囚650多年以后，
the greatest disaster
to befall the Jewish people
Josephus眼睁睁的看着
since the Babylonian invasion
more than 650 years before.
族人再逢浩劫
The temple, established
as the exclusive focus
of Jewish prayer and piety,
重建后的第二圣殿，此专司犹太教敬神与礼拜之场所
went up in smoke and flames.
也被滚滚浓烟和熊熊烈焰所吞没
The Roman legionnaires
prised the massive masonry blocks
罗马军团士兵冲上圣殿山，
from the top of the Temple Mount
将构筑圣殿的巨大石块拆毁
and sent them crashing onto
the fine limestone pavement below.
并推倒滚下，落下的巨石同时摧毁了山下的大理石步道 #
The destruction of Jerusalem
was the making
耶路撒冷毁城之际， 也是
of Vespasian's family,
the Flavians.
Vespasian Flavians家族成就之时 ###
Vespasian was declared Emperor,
and Jewish loot and Jewish slaves
V大将军随即黄袍加身。而劫掠抄没来的犹太财产和大批的犹太奴隶
provided the cash and the muscle
for the building of the Colosseum,
则为建造罗马大斗兽场提供了充足的财力与劳力
a massive bribe to buy
the allegiance of Rome's
bread and circus mob.
仅此一项政绩就为新君赢得了普罗渣滓的广泛支持 ###
On the arch,
dedicated to Vespasian's son
and co-general, Titus,
在献给Vespasian之子，副统帅Titus的凯♥旋♥门拱顶上
you can see the triumphant Romans
making off with the loot
from the temple,
你能看到表现当时情景的浮雕： 罗马士兵带着劫掠自圣殿的战利品凯♥旋♥
including the giant Menorah.
其中包括圣殿里的巨型烛台
And among the loot
was Josephus himself,
Josephus本人作为犹太降臣(奴隶)，也身在其中
carried to Rome and installed
in the Flavian family compound.
被带回罗马并安置在Flavian家族宅邸内 ###
But no-one in Rome thanked him
for doing the right thing.
罗马城内无人为他的正确行为表示过一丝谢意。
The kind of people
you'd expect him to hang out with -
本该与之同列的那类人：
historians, philosophers,
playwrights and politicians -
史官，哲学家，政客，编剧都
all despised the Jews.