VOA常速英语2007-Vatican Releases 800-Year-Old Knights Templar Tr

By Sabina Castelfranco
Rome
25 October 2007

Vatican officials have presented a new volume called "Trial Against the Templars".  The new publication is an expensive limited edition of the proceedings¹ of the 1307-1312 papal trial of the mysterious medieval crusading order of warrior²-monks³ who were accused of heresy⁴.  Sabina Castelfranco reports from Rome.

Secret Vatican City archive documents detailing the heresy trials of the Knights⁶ Templar are to be sold for the first time.

Eight-hundred copies of the document are being published and being sold for more than $8,000 each, except one copy that is being presented to Pope Benedict XVI.  Libraries and scholars from around the world have already reserved most of the volumes being published.

The reproductions of the documents are printed on synthetic⁷ parchment with a replica⁸ of the original papal wax seal.  Each leather-bound edition provides details of how members of the wealthy medieval order were tried by the inquisition before Pope Clement⁹ V between 1307 and 1312.

Many of the members were tortured and burned at the stake for sexual misconduct and alleged¹⁰ initiation¹¹ ceremonies.

Presenting the new volume in the old Synod Hall in the Vatican, officials stressed the historical significance of the volume and made clear there are no new documents.

The Prefect of the Vatican's Secret Archive, Monsignor Sergio Pagano, said there are no discoveries, all the documents were already known.  The original artifact, he said, was discovered in the Vatican's secret archives in 2001 after it had been improperly¹² catalogued for more than 300 years.

Vatican secret archives researcher Barbara Frale says the documents allow for a better interpretation¹³ of the trial.

She said the parchment shows that Pope Clement V initially¹⁴ absolved¹⁵ the Templar leaders of heresy, but pressured by French King Philip IV he later reversed his decision and suppressed the order.

The Knights Templar was a powerful and secretive group of warrior monks during the Middle Ages.

Their secrecy¹⁶ has given birth to endless legends, including one that they discovered the Holy Grail.  Recently, they have been featured in films including The Da Vinci Code - based on Dan Brown's work of fiction; and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

A French knight⁵, Hugues de Payns, founded the order after the First Crusade of 1099 to protect pilgrims on the road to Jerusalem.  Its headquarters was Jerusalem's Temple Mount, which lent the order its name.  

1 proceedings   

n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼

2 warrior   

n.勇士，武士，斗士

参考例句：

• The young man is a bold warrior.这个年轻人是个很英勇的武士。
• A true warrior values glory and honor above life.一个真正的勇士珍视荣誉胜过生命。

3 monks   

n.修道士，僧侣( monk的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The monks lived a very ascetic life. 僧侣过着很清苦的生活。
• He had been trained rigorously by the monks. 他接受过修道士的严格训练。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 heresy   

n.异端邪说；异教

参考例句：

• We should denounce a heresy.我们应该公开指责异端邪说。
• It might be considered heresy to suggest such a notion.提出这样一个观点可能会被视为异端邪说。

5 knight   

n.骑士，武士；爵士

参考例句：

• He was made an honourary knight.他被授予荣誉爵士称号。
• A knight rode on his richly caparisoned steed.一个骑士骑在装饰华丽的马上。

6 knights   

骑士； （中古时代的）武士( knight的名词复数 )； 骑士； 爵士； （国际象棋中）马

参考例句：

• stories of knights and fair maidens 关于骑士和美女的故事
• He wove a fascinating tale of knights in shining armour. 他编了一个穿着明亮盔甲的骑士的迷人故事。

7 synthetic   

adj.合成的，人工的；综合的；n.人工制品

参考例句：

• We felt the salesman's synthetic friendliness.我们感觉到那位销售员的虚情假意。
• It's a synthetic diamond.这是人造钻石。

8 replica   

n.复制品

参考例句：

• The original conservatory has been rebuilt in replica.温室已按原样重建。
• The young artist made a replica of the famous painting.这位年轻的画家临摹了这幅著名的作品。

9 clement   

adj.仁慈的；温和的

参考例句：

• A clement judge reduced his sentence.一位仁慈的法官为他减了刑。
• The planet's history contains many less stable and clement eras than the holocene.地球的历史包含着许多不如全新世稳定与温和的地质时期。

10 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

11 initiation   

n.开始

参考例句：

• her initiation into the world of marketing 她的初次涉足营销界
• It was my initiation into the world of high fashion. 这是我初次涉足高级时装界。

12 improperly   

不正确地，不适当地

参考例句：

• Of course it was acting improperly. 这样做就是不对嘛！
• He is trying to improperly influence a witness. 他在试图误导证人。

13 interpretation   

n.解释，说明，描述；艺术处理

参考例句：

• His statement admits of one interpretation only.他的话只有一种解释。
• Analysis and interpretation is a very personal thing.分析与说明是个很主观的事情。

14 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

15 absolved   

宣告…无罪，赦免…的罪行，宽恕…的罪行( absolve的过去式和过去分词 )； 不受责难，免除责任 [义务] ,开脱（罪责）

参考例句：

• The court absolved him of all responsibility for the accident. 法院宣告他对该事故不负任何责任。
• The court absolved him of guilt in her death. 法庭赦免了他在她的死亡中所犯的罪。

16 secrecy   

n.秘密，保密，隐蔽

参考例句：

• All the researchers on the project are sworn to secrecy.该项目的所有研究人员都按要求起誓保守秘密。
• Complete secrecy surrounded the meeting.会议在绝对机密的环境中进行。