雙語+MP3|美國學(xué)生世界地理51 “確切地點(diǎn)”

     THERE are three most famous places in Palestine. The first is the place where Christ was born, the second is the place where Christ lived, and the third is the place where Christ died.
     Christ was born in Bethlehem, which is a dirty little village, not at all like the heavenly place with angels hovering over it that you see in pictures and on Christmas cards. Christ's father and mother were traveling and happened to stop in Bethlehem over night when Christ was born. A church was built over the place where Christ was supposed to have been born, and a silver star is in the floor to mark "the exact spot." The fact is that no one knows "the exact spot," but we do know that the church over the supposed spot is the oldest church in the World.

     Though Christ was born in Bethlehem, He spent most of His early life in another town in Palestine called Nazareth, for Nazareth was His home town and there His father, Joseph, lived and worked. Joseph was a carpenter, and in Nazareth guides point out Joseph's carpenter shop, the work-bench where Christ worked with the saw and hammer and other tools He used. They also point out the kitchen where Christ's mother, Mary, cooked the meals for the family. But just as we cannot believe what the guides tell us about the "exact spot" in Bethlehem, so we cannot believe what they tell us about most of the "exact spots" in Nazareth. There is, however, one exact spot which we can believe. That is a well where they say Mary went to get water, and this may actually be the same well, for there never has been any other place in Nazareth where one could get water. There was no such thing as running water in each house.


     The last most important place in Palestine is the city where Christ died-Jerusalem. Christians call it their Holy City. But, strangely enough, the Mohammedans call it their Holy City too, and it was once the capital of the Jews. Mohammed lived about six hundred years later than Christ, and Mohammedans believe some of the same things about Mohammed that Christians believe about Christ. Mohammed was supposed to have died in Jerusalem and to have ascended into Heaven from there. The Moslems captured Jerusalem and kept hold of it for more than a thousand years. During that long time the Christians have tried time and again to get Jerusalem away from the Moslems. Time and time again the Christians from all over Europe formed armies and marched on Jerusalem, trying to take it away from the Moslems, but they were usually beaten; and though they have held the city for a time, the Moslems have always recaptured it, until at last in World War I the English captured Jerusalem.

     Jerusalem has probably been destroyed and built up again more times than any other city in the World. King David built Jerusalem about a thousand years before Christ was born. Then Solomon built his magnificent temple there, but not very long afterward Jerusalem was captured and destroyed. Every once in a while Jerusalem has been captured and destroyed and then built up again, so that they say there are really eight Jerusalems, one on top of the remains of the other. That is one reason why it is impossible to know "the exact spots" where so many things mentioned in the Bible took place.


     Men say they have found in Jerusalem the tomb of Adam, the first man. They have also found the tomb of Christ-His sepulcher-and right near Christ's tomb they have found in the rock a hole which they say is where the cross was put when Christ was crucified. Over these places they have built a church, called the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. There is one thing, however, that they could not put under this Church of the Holy Sepulcher-that is, the place from which Christ ascended into Heaven, for that spot is on a hill just outside of Jerusalem, called the Mount of Olives.

     The Moslems say Mohammed ascended into Heaven too, and not very far from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher is the place. Over this place the Moslems have built a building called the Mosque of Omar, though it really is not a mosque at all and was not built by Omar. It is much more beautiful than the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, however, and, indeed, some even say it is one of the most beautiful buildings in the World. It is built over the spot where the wonderful temple of Solomon stood. It is made of beautiful marble and tile and has a bowl-shaped dome.

     Underneath the Mosque of Omar is a huge rock on which oxen used to be sacrificed. On this same rock Abraham, so they say, was about to kill his son as he was ordered to do by the Lord, who wanted to test him, when an angel sent by the Lord stopped his hand. From this same rock Mohammed ascended to Heaven-so they say. The stone tried to follow him, but the archangel Gabriel held it back; and finger prints of archangels are shown you to prove the story true.


     Part of the Temple of Solomon is still standing. It is a piece of the foundation wall. Ever since the temple was destroyed Jews have gone there to weep and to pray that their country, which the ancient Romans took from them, would be restored to them. It is called the Wailing Wall. Jews lived in many countries but there was no Jewish country that they could call their own. After World War II, however, the United Nations voted to divide Palestine into two parts. One part, they said, should be for Jews and would be the country that Jews for two thousand years had prayed to have. The other part, the United Nations said, should be for the many Arab Mohammedans who lived in Palestine. So at last the Jews had a country of their own. They named it Israel. Israel is the part of Palestine on the east next to the Mediterranean Sea. The western part of Palestine became part of the Arab country of Jordan. Jerusalem, which is the holy city for both Mohammedans and Jews, was divided also. The western and newer part of Jerusalem belongs to Israel and the eastern and older part belongs to the Mohammedans.

     Israel is a republic. Though some of the oldest cities in the World are in Israel, the Jews made one of the newest cities in the World the capital of the new country, the city of Tel Aviv. Tel Aviv has modern buildings and wide straight streets and it is very clean and neat, much different from the old cities with their narrow, dirty streets. Many Jews from other countries have gone to live in Israel. They are welcome there, for Israel is the home land of the Jews.