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The Story of the Middle Ages, 05. The Growth of the Christian Church

05. The Growth of the Christian Church

In another book you may have read of the trials which the early Christians had to endure under the Roman rule;—of how they were looked upon with scorn and suspicion; how they were persecuted; how they were forced to meet in secret caves called catacombs, where they worshiped, and buried their dead; and how at last, after many martyrs had shed their blood in witness to their faith, the Emperor Constantine allowed them to worship freely, and even himself became a Christian. After this, Christianity had spread rapidly in the Roman Empire; so that by the time the German tribes began to pour across the borders, almost all of the people who were ruled by the Emperor had adopted the Christian religion, and the old Roman worship of Jupiter, Mars, and Minerva was fast becoming a thing of the past.

When Christianity had become the religion of many people, it was necessary for the Church to have some form of organization; and such an organization speedily began to grow. First we find some of the Christians set aside to act as priests, and have charge of the services in the church. We find next among the priests in each city one who comes to be styled the "overseeing priest" or bishop, whose duty it was to look after the affairs of the churches in his district. Gradually, too, the bishops in the more important cities come to have certain powers over the bishops of the smaller cities about them; these were then called "archbishops." And finally, there came to be one out of the many hundred bishops of the Church who was looked up to more than any other person, and whose advice was sought in all important Church questions. This was because he had charge of the church in Rome, the most important city of the Empire, and because he was believed to be the successor of St. Peter, the chief of the Apostles. The name "Pope," which means father, was given to him; and it was his duty to watch over all the affairs of the Church on earth, as a father watches over the affairs of his family. Of course, all this organization did not spring up at once, ready made. Great things grow slowly; and so it was only slowly that this organization grew. Sometimes disputes arose as to the amount of power the priests should have over the "laymen," as those who were priests were called; and sometimes there were disputes among the "clergy" or churchmen, themselves. Sometimes these disputes were about power, and lands, and things of that sort; for now the Church had become wealthy and powerful, through gifts made to it by rulers and pious laymen. More often the questions to be settled had to do with the belief of the Church,—that is, with the exact meaning of the teachings of Christ and the Apostles, as they are recorded in the Bible and in the writings of the early Christian teachers. Many of the questions which were discussed seem strange to us; but men were very much in earnest about them then. And at times, when a hard question arose concerning the belief of the Church, men would travel hundreds of miles to the great Church Councils or meetings where the matter was to be decided, and undergo hardships and sufferings without number, to see that the question was decided as they thought was right.

One of the questions which caused most trouble was brought forward by an Egyptian priest named Arius. He claimed that Christ the Son was not equal in power and glory to God the Father. Another Egyptian priest named Athanasius thought this was a wrong belief, or "heresy"; so he combated the belief of Arius in every way that he could. Soon the whole Christian world rang with the controversy. To settle the dispute the first great Council of the Church was called by the Emperor Constantine in the year 325 A.D. It met at Nicæa, a city in Asia Minor. There "Arianism" was condemned, and the teaching of Athanasius was declared to be the true belief of the Church. But this did not end the struggle. The followers of Arius would not give up, and for a while they were stronger than their opponents. Five times Athanasius was driven from his position of archbishop in Egypt, and for twenty years he was forced to live an exile from his native land But he never faltered, and never ceased to write, preach, and argue for the belief which the Council had declared to be the true one. Even after Arius and Athanasius were both dead, the quarrel still went on. Indeed, it was nearly two hundred years before the last of the "Arians" gave up their view of the matter; but in the end the teachings of Athanasius became the belief of the whole Church. One consequence of this dispute about Arianism was that the churches in the East and West began to drift apart. The Western churches followed the lead of the bishop of Rome and supported Athanasius in the struggle, while the Eastern churches for a time supported Arius. Even after Arianism had been given up, a quarrel still existed concerning the relation of the Holy Ghost to the Father and Son. As time went on, still other disputes arose between the East and West. The Roman clergy shaved their faces and were not permitted to marry, while the Greek clergy let their beards grow, and married and had children. Moreover Rome and Constantinople could not agree as to whether leavened or unleavened bread should be used in the Lord's Supper. Still less could the great bishop of Constantinople, where the Emperor held his court, admit that the power of the bishop of Rome was above his own. Each side looked with contempt and distrust upon the other; for the one were Greeks and the other Latins, and the differences of race and language made it difficult for them to understand one another.

Gradually the breach grew wider and wider. At last, after many, many years of ill feeling, the two churches broke off all relations. After that there was always a Greek Catholic Church (which exists to this day) as well as a Roman one; and the power of the Pope was acknowledged only by the churches in the Western or Latin half of the world.

The Church, of course, was as much changed by the conquests of the Germans as was the rest of the Roman world. The barbarians who settled in the lands of the Empire had already become Christians, for the most part, before the conquest, but they were still ignorant barbarians. Worst of all, the views which they had been taught at first were those held by the Arians; and this made them more feared and hated by the Roman Christians. Among the citizens of the Empire, as well as among the barbarians, there was also much wickedness, oppression, and unfair dealing. "The world is full of confusion," wrote one holy man. "No one trusts any one; each man is afraid of his neighbor. Many are the fleeces beneath which are concealed innumerable wolves, so that one might live more safely among enemies than among those who appear to be friends." The result of this was that man began to turn from the world to God. Many went out into the deserts of Egypt, and other waste and solitary places, and became hermits. There they lived, clothed in rags or the skins of wild beasts, and eating the coarsest food, in order that they might escape from the temptations of the world. The more they punished their bodies, the more they thought it helped their souls; so all sorts of strange deeds were performed by them. Perhaps the strangest case of all was that of a man named Simeon, who was called "Stylites," from the way in which he lived. For thirty years,—day and night, summer and winter,—he dwelt on the top of a high pillar, so narrow that there was barely room for him to lie down. There for hours at a time he would stand praying, with his arms stretched out in the form of a cross; or else he would pass hours bowing his wasted body rapidly from his forehead to his feet, until at times the people who stood by counted a thousand bows without a single stop.

Such things as these happened more frequently in the Eastern than they did in the Western Church. In the West, men were more practical, and when they wished to flee from the world, they went into waste places and founded "monasteries," where the "monks," as they were called, dwelt together under the rule of an abbot. In the West, too, the power of the bishop of Rome became much greater than that possessed in the East by the bishop of Constantinople. It was because the Pope was already the leading man in Rome that Leo went out to meet the Huns and the Vandals, and tried to save Rome from them. About one hundred and forty years later, Pope Gregory the Great occupied even a higher position. He not only had charge of the churches near Rome, and was looked up to by the churches of Gaul, Spain and Africa more than Leo had been; but he also ruled the land about Rome much as an emperor or king ruled his kingdom.

Gregory was born of a noble and wealthy Roman family. When he inherited his fortune he gave it all to found seven monasteries, and he himself became a monk in one of these. There he lived a severe and studious life. At length, against his own wishes, he was chosen by the clergy and people to be Pope. This was in the very midst of the Dark Ages. The Lombards had just come into Italy, and everything was in confusion. Everywhere cities were ruined, churches burned, and monasteries destroyed. Farms were laid waste and left uncultivated; and wild beasts roamed over the deserted fields. For twenty-seven years, Gregory wrote, Rome had been in terror of the sword of the Lombards. "What is happening in other countries," he said, "we know not; but in this the end of the world seems not only to be approaching, but to have actually begun." The rulers that the Eastern Emperors set up in Italy, after it had been recovered from the East-Goths, either could not or would not help. And to make matters worse, famine and sickness came, and the people died by hundreds.

So Gregory was obliged to act not only as the bishop of Rome, but as its ruler also. He caused processions to march about the city, and prayers to be said, to stop the sickness. He caused grain to be brought and given to the people, so that they might no longer die of famine. He also defended the city against the Lombards, until a peace could be made. In this way a beginning was made of the rule of the Pope over Rome, which did not come to an end until the year 1871.

Gregory was not only bishop of Rome, and ruler of the city. He was also the head of the whole Western Church, and was constantly busy with its affairs.

Before he was chosen Pope, Gregory was passing through the market-place at Rome, one day, and came to the spot where slaves—white slaves—were sold. There he saw some beautiful, fair-haired boys.

"From what country do these boys come?" he asked.

"From the island of Britain," was the answer. "Are they Christians?" "No," he was told; "they are still pagans." "Alas!" exclaimed Gregory, "that the Prince of Darkness should have power over forms of such loveliness." Then he asked of what nation they were.

"They are Angles," replied their owner. "Truly," said Gregory, "they seem like angels, not Angles. From what province of Britain are they?" "From Deira," said the man naming a kingdom in the northern part of the island. "Then," said Gregory, making a pun in the Latin, "they must be rescued de ira [from the wrath of God]. And what is the name of their king?" "Ælla," was the answer. "Yea," said Gregory, as he turned to go, "Alleluia must be sung in the land of Ælla." At first Gregory planned to go himself as missionary to convert the Angles and Saxons. In this he was disappointed; but when he became Pope he sent a monk named Augustine as leader of a band of missionaries. By their preaching, Christianity was introduced into the English kingdoms, and the English were gradually won from the old German worship of Woden and Thor.

Gregory also had an important part in winning the West-Goths and Lombards from Arianism to the true faith. In all that he did Gregory's action seemed so wise and good that men said he was counselled by the Holy Spirit; and in the pictures of him the Holy Spirit is always represented, in the form of a dove, hovering about his head. Gregory has been called the real father of the Papacy of the Middle Ages. This is no small praise, for the Papacy, in those dark ages, was of great service to Christendom. In later ages, popes sometimes became corrupt; and at last the Reformation came, in which many nations of the West threw off their obedience. But in the dark days of the Middle Ages, all the Western nations looked up to the Pope as the head of the Church on earth, and the influence of the popes was for good. There was very little order, union, and love for right and justice in the Middle Ages, as it was; but no one can imagine how much greater would have been the confusion, the lawlessness, and the disorder without the restraining influence of the Papacy.

05. The Growth of the Christian Church 05. نمو الكنيسة المسيحية 05. Das Wachstum der christlichen Kirche 05. El crecimiento de la Iglesia cristiana 05. La croissance de l'Église chrétienne 05. La crescita della Chiesa cristiana 05.キリスト教会の成長 05. O crescimento da Igreja Cristã 05. Рост христианской церкви 05. Зростання християнської церкви 05. 基督教会的成长 05. 基督教會的成長

In another book you may have read of the trials which the early Christians had to endure under the Roman rule;—of how they were looked upon with scorn and suspicion; how they were persecuted; how they were forced to meet in secret caves called catacombs, where they worshiped, and buried their dead; and how at last, after many martyrs had shed their blood in witness to their faith, the Emperor Constantine allowed them to worship freely, and even himself became a Christian. ربما تكون قد قرأت في كتاب آخر عن التجارب التي كان على المسيحيين الأوائل أن يتحملوها في ظل الحكم الروماني؛ وكيف كان يُنظر إليهم بازدراء وشك. وكيف تعرضوا للاضطهاد؛ وكيف أُجبروا على الاجتماع في كهوف سرية تسمى سراديب الموتى، حيث كانوا يتعبدون ويدفنون موتاهم؛ وكيف أخيرًا، بعد أن سفك العديد من الشهداء دماءهم شهادةً لإيمانهم، سمح لهم الإمبراطور قسطنطين بالعبادة بحرية، وحتى هو نفسه أصبح مسيحيًا. В другой книге вы, возможно, читали об испытаниях, выпавших на долю первых христиан во времена римского владычества, о том, как на них смотрели с презрением и подозрением, как их преследовали, как они были вынуждены собираться в тайных пещерах, называемых катакомбами, где они поклонялись и хоронили своих мертвых, и как, наконец, после того как многие мученики пролили свою кровь в подтверждение их веры, император Константин разрешил им свободно поклоняться и даже сам стал христианином. After this, Christianity had spread rapidly in the Roman Empire; so that by the time the German tribes began to pour across the borders, almost all of the people who were ruled by the Emperor had adopted the Christian religion, and the old Roman worship of Jupiter, Mars, and Minerva was fast becoming a thing of the past. بعد ذلك انتشرت المسيحية بسرعة في الإمبراطورية الرومانية. لذلك، بحلول الوقت الذي بدأت فيه القبائل الألمانية تتدفق عبر الحدود، كان جميع الأشخاص الذين حكمهم الإمبراطور تقريبًا قد اعتنقوا الديانة المسيحية، وسرعان ما أصبحت العبادة الرومانية القديمة للمشتري والمريخ ومينيرفا شيئًا من الماضي. الماضي.

When Christianity had become the religion of many people, it was necessary for the Church to have some form of organization; and such an organization speedily began to grow. عندما أصبحت المسيحية دين كثير من الناس، كان من الضروري أن يكون للكنيسة شكل من أشكال التنظيم؛ وبدأت مثل هذه المنظمة في النمو بسرعة. First we find some of the Christians set aside to act as priests, and have charge of the services in the church. أولاً نجد بعض المسيحيين قد خصصوا للعمل كهنة، وقاموا بالخدمات في الكنيسة. We find next among the priests in each city one who comes to be styled the "overseeing priest" or bishop, whose duty it was to look after the affairs of the churches in his district. ونجد بعد ذلك بين الكهنة في كل مدينة من يلقب بـ "الكاهن المشرف" أو الأسقف، الذي كان من واجبه رعاية شؤون الكنائس في منطقته. Em seguida, entre os sacerdotes de cada cidade, encontramos um que veio a ser chamado de "sacerdote supervisor" ou bispo, cujo dever era cuidar dos assuntos das igrejas em seu distrito. Gradually, too, the bishops in the more important cities come to have certain powers over the bishops of the smaller cities about them; these were then called "archbishops." وتدريجيًا أيضًا، أصبح للأساقفة في المدن الأكثر أهمية سلطات معينة على أساقفة المدن الصغيرة المحيطة بهم؛ ثم أطلقوا على هؤلاء اسم "رؤساء الأساقفة". And finally, there came to be one out of the many hundred bishops of the Church who was looked up to more than any other person, and whose advice was sought in all important Church questions. وأخيرًا، أصبح هناك واحد من بين مئات أساقفة الكنيسة الذي كان موضع تقدير أكثر من أي شخص آخر، والذي يتم طلب نصيحته في جميع المسائل الكنسية المهمة. And finally, there came to be one out of the many hundred bishops of the Church who was looked up to more than any other person, and whose advice was sought in all important Church questions. This was because he had charge of the church in Rome, the most important city of the Empire, and because he was believed to be the successor of St. وذلك لأنه كان مسؤولاً عن الكنيسة في روما، أهم مدينة في الإمبراطورية، ولأنه كان يعتقد أنه خليفة القديس يوحنا. Peter, the chief of the Apostles. بطرس رئيس الرسل. The name "Pope," which means father, was given to him; and it was his duty to watch over all the affairs of the Church on earth, as a father watches over the affairs of his family. أطلق عليه اسم "البابا" الذي يعني الأب. وكان من واجبه أن يسهر على كل شؤون الكنيسة على الأرض، كما يسهر الأب على شؤون عائلته. Of course, all this organization did not spring up at once, ready made. وبطبيعة الحال، فإن كل هذا التنظيم لم ينشأ دفعة واحدة، جاهزا. Great things grow slowly; and so it was only slowly that this organization grew. الأشياء العظيمة تنمو ببطء؛ وهكذا لم تنمو هذه المنظمة إلا ببطء. Sometimes disputes arose as to the amount of power the priests should have over the "laymen," as those who were priests were called; and sometimes there were disputes among the "clergy" or churchmen, themselves. في بعض الأحيان كانت تنشأ خلافات حول مقدار السلطة التي يجب أن يتمتع بها الكهنة على "العلمانيين"، كما كان يُطلق على الكهنة؛ وأحيانًا كانت هناك خلافات بين "رجال الدين" أو رجال الكنيسة أنفسهم. Sometimes these disputes were about power, and lands, and things of that sort; for now the Church had become wealthy and powerful, through gifts made to it by rulers and pious laymen. في بعض الأحيان كانت هذه النزاعات تدور حول السلطة والأراضي وأشياء من هذا القبيل؛ لأن الكنيسة أصبحت الآن غنية وقوية، من خلال الهدايا التي قدمها لها الحكام والعلمانيون الأتقياء. More often the questions to be settled had to do with the belief of the Church,—that is, with the exact meaning of the teachings of Christ and the Apostles, as they are recorded in the Bible and in the writings of the early Christian teachers. وفي أغلب الأحيان كانت المسائل التي يتعين تسويتها تتعلق بإيمان الكنيسة، أي بالمعنى الدقيق لتعاليم المسيح والرسل، كما هي مسجلة في الكتاب المقدس وفي كتابات المعلمين المسيحيين الأوائل. . Many of the questions which were discussed seem strange to us; but men were very much in earnest about them then. كثير من الأسئلة التي تمت مناقشتها تبدو لنا غريبة؛ لكن الرجال كانوا جديين جدًا بشأنها في ذلك الوقت. And at times, when a hard question arose concerning the belief of the Church, men would travel hundreds of miles to the great Church Councils or meetings where the matter was to be decided, and undergo hardships and sufferings without number, to see that the question was decided as they thought was right. وفي بعض الأحيان، عندما تثار مسألة صعبة تتعلق بإيمان الكنيسة، كان الناس يسافرون مئات الأميال إلى مجامع الكنيسة الكبرى أو اجتماعاتها حيث يتم البت في الأمر، ويتحملون مصاعب وآلام لا حصر لها، ليروا أن هذه المسألة تقرر كما اعتقدوا أنه كان على حق. And at times, when a hard question arose concerning the belief of the Church, men would travel hundreds of miles to the great Church Councils or meetings where the matter was to be decided, and undergo hardships and sufferings without number, to see that the question was decided as they thought was right. И порой, когда возникал сложный вопрос, касающийся вероучения Церкви, люди преодолевали сотни километров до больших церковных Соборов или собраний, на которых решался этот вопрос, и претерпевали неимоверные лишения и страдания, чтобы вопрос был решен так, как они считают правильным.

One of the questions which caused most trouble was brought forward by an Egyptian priest named Arius. أحد الأسئلة التي سببت معظم المشاكل طرحها كاهن مصري اسمه آريوس. He claimed that Christ the Son was not equal in power and glory to God the Father. وادعى أن المسيح الابن ليس مساوياً لله الآب في القوة والمجد. Another Egyptian priest named Athanasius thought this was a wrong belief, or "heresy"; so he combated the belief of Arius in every way that he could. واعتقد كاهن مصري آخر اسمه أثناسيوس أن هذا اعتقاد خاطئ، أو "بدعة". فحارب معتقد آريوس بكل الطرق الممكنة. Soon the whole Christian world rang with the controversy. وسرعان ما ثار الجدل حول العالم المسيحي بأكمله. Вскоре весь христианский мир зашумел от споров. To settle the dispute the first great Council of the Church was called by the Emperor Constantine in the year 325 A.D. ولتسوية الخلاف انعقد أول مجمع كبير للكنيسة بدعوة من الإمبراطور قسطنطين سنة 325 م It met at Nicæa, a city in Asia Minor. واجتمع في نيقية، وهي مدينة في آسيا الصغرى. There "Arianism" was condemned, and the teaching of Athanasius was declared to be the true belief of the Church. وهناك أُدينت "الأريوسية"، وأعلن أن تعليم أثناسيوس هو الإيمان الحقيقي للكنيسة. But this did not end the struggle. لكن هذا لم ينه النضال. The followers of Arius would not give up, and for a while they were stronger than their opponents. لم يستسلم أتباع آريوس، وكانوا لفترة من الوقت أقوى من خصومهم. Five times Athanasius was driven from his position of archbishop in Egypt, and for twenty years he was forced to live an exile from his native land But he never faltered, and never ceased to write, preach, and argue for the belief which the Council had declared to be the true one. طُرد أثناسيوس خمس مرات من منصبه كرئيس أساقفة في مصر، وأُجبر لمدة عشرين عامًا على العيش منفيًا من موطنه الأصلي، لكنه لم يتعثر أبدًا، ولم يتوقف أبدًا عن الكتابة والوعظ والمجادلة حول العقيدة التي كان المجمع قد آمن بها. أعلن أنه الحقيقي. Пять раз Афанасия сгоняли с поста архиепископа в Египте, и в течение двадцати лет он был вынужден жить в изгнании из родной страны. Но он никогда не ослабевал, не переставал писать, проповедовать и отстаивать веру, которую Собор объявил истинной. Even after Arius and Athanasius were both dead, the quarrel still went on. وحتى بعد وفاة آريوس وأثناسيوس، ظل الشجار مستمرًا. Indeed, it was nearly two hundred years before the last of the "Arians" gave up their view of the matter; but in the end the teachings of Athanasius became the belief of the whole Church. وبالفعل، فقد مر ما يقرب من مائتي عام قبل أن يتخلى آخر "الأريوسيين" عن رأيهم في الأمر؛ ولكن في النهاية أصبحت تعاليم أثناسيوس إيمان الكنيسة كلها. One consequence of this dispute about Arianism was that the churches in the East and West began to drift apart. إحدى نتائج هذا الخلاف حول الآريوسية كانت أن الكنائس في الشرق والغرب بدأت تتباعد عن بعضها البعض. The Western churches followed the lead of the bishop of Rome and supported Athanasius in the struggle, while the Eastern churches for a time supported Arius. اتبعت الكنائس الغربية خطى أسقف روما ودعمت أثناسيوس في النضال، بينما دعمت الكنائس الشرقية آريوس لفترة. Even after Arianism had been given up, a quarrel still existed concerning the relation of the Holy Ghost to the Father and Son. وحتى بعد التخلي عن الآريوسية، ظل الخلاف قائمًا بشأن علاقة الروح القدس بالآب والابن. As time went on, still other disputes arose between the East and West. ومع مرور الوقت، ظهرت خلافات أخرى بين الشرق والغرب. The Roman clergy shaved their faces and were not permitted to marry, while the Greek clergy let their beards grow, and married and had children. حلق رجال الدين الرومان وجوههم ولم يسمح لهم بالزواج، بينما أطلق رجال الدين اليونانيون لحاهم، وتزوجوا وأنجبوا أطفالاً. Moreover Rome and Constantinople could not agree as to whether leavened or unleavened bread should be used in the Lord's Supper. علاوة على ذلك، لم تتمكن روما والقسطنطينية من الاتفاق حول ما إذا كان يجب استخدام الخبز المخمر أو الفطير في العشاء الرباني. Still less could the great bishop of Constantinople, where the Emperor held his court, admit that the power of the bishop of Rome was above his own. ولم يكن بمقدور أسقف القسطنطينية العظيم، حيث عقد الإمبراطور بلاطه، أن يعترف بأن سلطة أسقف روما كانت فوق قوته. Still less could the great bishop of Constantinople, where the Emperor held his court, admit that the power of the bishop of Rome was above his own. 皇帝が法廷を開いたコンスタンティノープルの偉大な司教は、ローマの司教の力が彼自身よりも優れていたことを認めることができませんでした。 Each side looked with contempt and distrust upon the other; for the one were Greeks and the other Latins, and the differences of race and language made it difficult for them to understand one another. نظر كل جانب بازدراء وعدم ثقة إلى الآخر؛ لأن أحدهما كان يونانيًا والآخر لاتينيًا، وكانت اختلافات العرق واللغة تجعل من الصعب عليهما فهم بعضهما البعض.

Gradually the breach grew wider and wider. تدريجيا نما الاختراق على نطاق أوسع وأوسع. At last, after many, many years of ill feeling, the two churches broke off all relations. أخيرًا، وبعد سنوات عديدة من المشاعر السيئة، قطعت الكنيستان جميع العلاقات. After that there was always a Greek Catholic Church (which exists to this day) as well as a Roman one; and the power of the Pope was acknowledged only by the churches in the Western or Latin half of the world. بعد ذلك كانت هناك دائمًا كنيسة يونانية كاثوليكية (موجودة حتى يومنا هذا) بالإضافة إلى كنيسة رومانية؛ ولم تعترف بسلطة البابا إلا الكنائس في النصف الغربي أو اللاتيني من العالم.

The Church, of course, was as much changed by the conquests of the Germans as was the rest of the Roman world. لقد تغيرت الكنيسة، بطبيعة الحال، بسبب غزوات الألمان، كما حدث مع بقية العالم الروماني. The barbarians who settled in the lands of the Empire had already become Christians, for the most part, before the conquest, but they were still ignorant barbarians. كان البرابرة الذين استقروا في أراضي الإمبراطورية قد أصبحوا مسيحيين بالفعل، في معظمهم، قبل الغزو، لكنهم ظلوا برابرة جهلة. Worst of all, the views which they had been taught at first were those held by the Arians; and this made them more feared and hated by the Roman Christians. والأسوأ من ذلك كله أن الآراء التي تعلموها في البداية كانت تلك التي اعتنقها الأريوسيون؛ وهذا جعلهم أكثر خوفًا وكرهًا من قبل المسيحيين الرومان. Among the citizens of the Empire, as well as among the barbarians, there was also much wickedness, oppression, and unfair dealing. بين مواطني الإمبراطورية، وكذلك بين البرابرة، كان هناك أيضًا الكثير من الشر والظلم والمعاملة غير العادلة. Среди граждан империи, как и среди варваров, также было много зла, притеснений и нечестных сделок. "The world is full of confusion," wrote one holy man. كتب أحد القديسين: "إن العالم مليء بالارتباك". "No one trusts any one; each man is afraid of his neighbor. "لا يثق أحد بأحد، كل واحد يخاف من قريبه. Many are the fleeces beneath which are concealed innumerable wolves, so that one might live more safely among enemies than among those who appear to be friends." كثيرة هي الأصواف التي يختبئ تحتها ذئاب لا تعد ولا تحصى، حتى يعيش المرء بأمان بين الأعداء أكثر من أولئك الذين يبدون وكأنهم أصدقاء." Много шерсти, под которой скрываются бесчисленные волки, так что среди врагов жить безопаснее, чем среди тех, кто кажется друзьями". The result of this was that man began to turn from the world to God. وكانت نتيجة ذلك أن الإنسان بدأ يتحول من العالم إلى الله. Many went out into the deserts of Egypt, and other waste and solitary places, and became hermits. وخرج كثيرون إلى صحارى مصر وغيرها من الأماكن الخرابية والموحشة، وصاروا نساكًا. There they lived, clothed in rags or the skins of wild beasts, and eating the coarsest food, in order that they might escape from the temptations of the world. كانوا يعيشون هناك، يلبسون الخرق أو جلود الوحوش، ويأكلون أخشن الطعام، لكي يهربوا من مغريات العالم. The more they punished their bodies, the more they thought it helped their souls; so all sorts of strange deeds were performed by them. كلما عاقبوا أجسادهم، كلما ظنوا أن ذلك يساعد أرواحهم؛ لذلك قاموا بكل أنواع الأعمال الغريبة. Perhaps the strangest case of all was that of a man named Simeon, who was called "Stylites," from the way in which he lived. ولعل أغرب الحالات على الإطلاق كانت حالة رجل اسمه سمعان، وكان يُلقب "بالعموديين" نسبة إلى طريقة عيشه. For thirty years,—day and night, summer and winter,—he dwelt on the top of a high pillar, so narrow that there was barely room for him to lie down. لمدة ثلاثين عامًا، ليلًا ونهارًا، صيفًا وشتاءً، سكن على قمة عمود عالٍ، ضيق جدًا لدرجة أنه لم يكن هناك مكان له للاستلقاء. There for hours at a time he would stand praying, with his arms stretched out in the form of a cross; or else he would pass hours bowing his wasted body rapidly from his forehead to his feet, until at times the people who stood by counted a thousand bows without a single stop.

Such things as these happened more frequently in the Eastern than they did in the Western Church. لقد حدثت مثل هذه الأمور في الشرق بشكل متكرر أكثر مما حدث في الكنيسة الغربية. In the West, men were more practical, and when they wished to flee from the world, they went into waste places and founded "monasteries," where the "monks," as they were called, dwelt together under the rule of an abbot. في الغرب، كان الناس أكثر عملية، وعندما أرادوا الهروب من العالم، ذهبوا إلى الأماكن الخراب وأسسوا "أديرة"، حيث كان "الرهبان"، كما كانوا يُطلق عليهم، يسكنون معًا تحت حكم رئيس الدير. На Западе люди были более практичны, и, желая убежать от мира, они уходили в пустынные места и основывали "монастыри", где монахи, как их называли, жили вместе под руководством настоятеля. In the West, too, the power of the bishop of Rome became much greater than that possessed in the East by the bishop of Constantinople. وفي الغرب أيضًا أصبحت سلطة أسقف روما أعظم بكثير من سلطة أسقف القسطنطينية في الشرق. It was because the Pope was already the leading man in Rome that Leo went out to meet the Huns and the Vandals, and tried to save Rome from them. ولأن البابا كان بالفعل الرجل القيادي في روما، خرج ليو للقاء الهون والوندال، وحاول إنقاذ روما منهم. About one hundred and forty years later, Pope Gregory the Great occupied even a higher position. وبعد حوالي مائة وأربعين عامًا، احتل البابا غريغوريوس الكبير منصبًا أعلى. He not only had charge of the churches near Rome, and was looked up to by the churches of Gaul, Spain and Africa more than Leo had been; but he also ruled the land about Rome much as an emperor or king ruled his kingdom. لم يكن مسؤولاً عن الكنائس القريبة من روما فحسب، بل كان يتطلع إليه كنائس بلاد الغال وإسبانيا وأفريقيا أكثر مما كان عليه ليو؛ لكنه حكم أيضًا الأرض المحيطة بروما مثلما حكم الإمبراطور أو الملك مملكته.

Gregory was born of a noble and wealthy Roman family. ولد غريغوريوس في عائلة رومانية نبيلة وثرية. When he inherited his fortune he gave it all to found seven monasteries, and he himself became a monk in one of these. ولما ورث ثروته بذل كل ما في وسعه لتأسيس سبعة أديرة، وأصبح هو نفسه راهبًا في أحد هذه الأديرة. There he lived a severe and studious life. هناك عاش حياة قاسية ومجتهدة. At length, against his own wishes, he was chosen by the clergy and people to be Pope. أخيرًا، تم اختياره من قبل رجال الدين والشعب، رغمًا عن رغبته، ليكون البابا. В конце концов, вопреки собственному желанию, он был избран духовенством и народом на пост Папы. This was in the very midst of the Dark Ages. كان هذا في منتصف العصور المظلمة. The Lombards had just come into Italy, and everything was in confusion. كان اللومبارديون قد وصلوا للتو إلى إيطاليا، وكان كل شيء في حالة من الارتباك. Everywhere cities were ruined, churches burned, and monasteries destroyed. في كل مكان دمرت المدن وأحرقت الكنائس ودمرت الأديرة. Farms were laid waste and left uncultivated; and wild beasts roamed over the deserted fields. دمرت المزارع وتركت غير مزروعة. وكانت الوحوش تتجول في الحقول المهجورة. For twenty-seven years, Gregory wrote, Rome had been in terror of the sword of the Lombards. كتب غريغوري أن روما ظلت طوال سبعة وعشرين عامًا في حالة رعب من سيف اللومبارد. "What is happening in other countries," he said, "we know not; but in this the end of the world seems not only to be approaching, but to have actually begun." وقال: "ما يحدث في بلدان أخرى، لا نعرفه؛ ولكن في هذا يبدو أن نهاية العالم لا تقترب فحسب، بل إنها قد بدأت بالفعل". The rulers that the Eastern Emperors set up in Italy, after it had been recovered from the East-Goths, either could not or would not help. إن الحكام الذين نصبهم الأباطرة الشرقيون في إيطاليا، بعد استعادتها من القوط الشرقيين، إما لم يتمكنوا أو لم يرغبوا في مساعدتهم. And to make matters worse, famine and sickness came, and the people died by hundreds. ومما زاد الطين بلة، جاء المجاعة والمرض، ومات الشعب بالمئات.

So Gregory was obliged to act not only as the bishop of Rome, but as its ruler also. لذلك كان على غريغوريوس أن يعمل ليس فقط كأسقف لروما، بل كحاكم لها أيضًا. He caused processions to march about the city, and prayers to be said, to stop the sickness. وأمر بمسير المواكب حول المدينة وتلاوة الصلوات لوقف المرض. He caused grain to be brought and given to the people, so that they might no longer die of famine. وأمر بإحضار الحبوب وإعطائها للشعب، حتى لا يموتوا من الجوع في ما بعد. He also defended the city against the Lombards, until a peace could be made. كما دافع عن المدينة ضد اللومبارديين حتى يتم التوصل إلى السلام. In this way a beginning was made of the rule of the Pope over Rome, which did not come to an end until the year 1871. وهكذا كانت بداية حكم البابا على روما، والذي لم ينته إلا في عام 1871.

Gregory was not only bishop of Rome, and ruler of the city. ولم يكن غريغوريوس أسقف روما وحاكم المدينة فحسب. He was also the head of the whole Western Church, and was constantly busy with its affairs. وكان أيضاً رأس الكنيسة الغربية جمعاء، وكان مشغولاً بشؤونها على الدوام.

Before he was chosen Pope, Gregory was passing through the market-place at Rome, one day, and came to the spot where slaves—white slaves—were sold. There he saw some beautiful, fair-haired boys. هناك رأى بعض الأولاد الجميلين ذوي الشعر الفاتح.

"From what country do these boys come?" "من أي بلد يأتي هؤلاء الأولاد؟" he asked. سأل.

"From the island of Britain," was the answer. وكان الجواب "من جزيرة بريطانيا". "Are they Christians?" "هل هم مسيحيون؟" "No," he was told; "they are still pagans." قيل له: «لا». "إنهم ما زالوا وثنيين". "Alas!" "واحسرتاه!" exclaimed Gregory, "that the Prince of Darkness should have power over forms of such loveliness." صرخ غريغوري قائلاً: "أن أمير الظلام يجب أن يكون له السلطة على أشكال مثل هذا الجمال". воскликнул Григорий, - "чтобы князь тьмы имел власть над формами такой прелести". Then he asked of what nation they were. ثم سأل من أي أمة هم؟

"They are Angles," replied their owner. أجاب صاحبهم: "إنهم ملائكة". "Truly," said Gregory, "they seem like angels, not Angles. قال غريغوريوس: "حقًا، يبدون كالملائكة، وليس الملائكة. From what province of Britain are they?" من أي مقاطعة في بريطانيا هم؟" "From Deira," said the man naming a kingdom in the northern part of the island. "من ديرة"، قال الرجل وهو يسمي مملكة في الجزء الشمالي من الجزيرة. "From Deira," said the man naming a kingdom in the northern part of the island. "Then," said Gregory, making a pun in the Latin, "they must be rescued de ira  [from the wrath of God]. قال غريغوريوس وهو يتلاعب بالتورية باللاتينية: "ثم يجب إنقاذهم من غضب الله". And what is the name of their king?" وما اسم ملكهم؟" "Ælla," was the answer. كان الجواب "إيلا". "Yea," said Gregory, as he turned to go, "Alleluia must be sung in the land of Ælla." "نعم،" قال غريغوريوس وهو يستدير ليذهب، "يجب أن يُغنى هللويا في أرض إيلا." At first Gregory planned to go himself as missionary to convert the Angles and Saxons. في البداية خطط غريغوري للذهاب بنفسه كمبشر لتحويل الزوايا والسكسونيين. In this he was disappointed; but when he became Pope he sent a monk named Augustine as leader of a band of missionaries. في هذا أصيب بخيبة أمل. ولكن عندما أصبح بابا أرسل راهباً اسمه أوغسطينوس قائداً لفرقة من المبشرين. By their preaching, Christianity was introduced into the English kingdoms, and the English were gradually won from the old German worship of Woden and Thor. ومن خلال وعظهم، تم إدخال المسيحية إلى الممالك الإنجليزية، وتم اكتساب الإنجليز تدريجيًا من عبادة وودن وثور الألمانية القديمة.

Gregory also had an important part in winning the West-Goths and Lombards from Arianism to the true faith. كما كان لغريغوري دور مهم في كسب القوط الغربيين واللومبارد من الآريوسية إلى الإيمان الحقيقي. In all that he did Gregory's action seemed so wise and good that men said he was counselled by the Holy Spirit; and in the pictures of him the Holy Spirit is always represented, in the form of a dove, hovering about his head. في كل ما فعله، بدا تصرف غريغوريوس حكيمًا وصالحًا جدًا لدرجة أن الناس قالوا إنه كان ينصحه الروح القدس؛ وفي صوره يظهر الروح القدس دائمًا على شكل حمامة تحلق حول رأسه. Gregory has been called the real father of the Papacy of the Middle Ages. يُطلق على غريغوريوس لقب الأب الحقيقي لبابوية العصور الوسطى. This is no small praise, for the Papacy, in those dark ages, was of great service to Christendom. وهذا ليس بالثناء البسيط، لأن البابوية، في تلك العصور المظلمة، كانت ذات خدمة عظيمة للعالم المسيحي. In later ages, popes sometimes became corrupt; and at last the Reformation came, in which many nations of the West threw off their obedience. وفي العصور اللاحقة، أصبح الباباوات فاسدين في بعض الأحيان؛ وأخيراً جاء الإصلاح الديني، الذي تخلت فيه أمم كثيرة في الغرب عن طاعتها. В последующие века папы иногда развращались, и, наконец, наступила Реформация, в ходе которой многие народы Запада вышли из повиновения. But in the dark days of the Middle Ages, all the Western nations looked up to the Pope as the head of the Church on earth, and the influence of the popes was for good. لكن في الأيام المظلمة للعصور الوسطى، كانت كل الأمم الغربية تتطلع إلى البابا باعتباره رأس الكنيسة على الأرض، وكان تأثير الباباوات إلى الخير. There was very little order, union, and love for right and justice in the Middle Ages, as it was; but no one can imagine how much greater would have been the confusion, the lawlessness, and the disorder without the restraining influence of the Papacy. لم يكن هناك سوى القليل جدًا من النظام والاتحاد وحب الحق والعدالة في العصور الوسطى؛ ولكن لا يمكن لأحد أن يتخيل مدى الارتباك والخروج على القانون والفوضى لولا التأثير المقيد للبابوية. There was very little order, union, and love for right and justice in the Middle Ages, as it was; but no one can imagine how much greater would have been the confusion, the lawlessness, and the disorder without the restraining influence of the Papacy. 中世には、秩序、団結、正義への愛情はほとんどありませんでした。しかし、パパシーの抑制的な影響がなければ、混乱、無法、無秩序がどれほど大きくなったのか誰も想像できません。 В Средние века и так было очень мало порядка, единства, любви к праву и справедливости; но никто не может представить себе, насколько больше было бы смятения, беззакония и беспорядка, если бы не сдерживающее влияние папства.