施洗約翰遺骸在保加利亞發現？

施洗約翰遺骸在保加利亞發現？
Remains of John the Baptist found in Bulgaria?
August 3rd, 2010
01:49 PM ET
John the Baptist, right, as depicted in this 14th century painting at the National Gallery, London
施洗約翰，右，正如描繪在這幅在 倫敦國家畫廊的 14世紀畫中

Archaeologists in Bulgaria claim they have found remains of John the Baptist while excavating the site of a 5th century monastery on the Black Sea island of Sveti Ivan.
在保加利亞的考古學家宣稱，他們已發現施洗約翰的遺骸，當挖掘黑海島嶼聖伊万一間五世紀修道院的地點的時候。
A reliquary – a container for holy relics – discovered last week under the monastery’s basilica was opened on Sunday and found to contain bone fragments of a skull, a hand and a tooth, Bulgaria’s official news agency BTA reported.
一聖物箱 - 一個聖物裝載箱 - 上週被發現在修道院的大殿之下，在週日被打開和發現含有一頭骨、一隻手和一顆牙的碎片，保加利亞官方新聞社BTA報導。
Excavation leader Kazimir Popkonstantinov lifted the reliquary’s lid in a ceremony in the coastal town of Sozopol attended by dignitaries including the Bishop of Sliven, Yoanikii, and Bozhidar Dimitrov, a government minister and director of Bulgaria’s National History Museum, BTA said.
挖掘首席卡濟 Popkonstantinov打開聖物箱的蓋子，在Sozopol的沿海城市的一項儀式，出席貴賓包括斯利文主教，Yoanikii和Bozhidar季米特洛夫，一名政府部長和保加利亞國家歷史博物館的主任，BTA說。
Further tests on the fragments are due to be carried out. But Popkonstantinov is convinced the relics belong to John the Baptist because of a Greek inscription on the reliquary referring to June 24, the date when Christians celebrate John the Baptist’s birth, according to the website of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.
碎片的進一步測試到期進行，但Popkonstantinov確信文物是屬於施洗約翰的，因為聖物箱上的希臘碑文指的是6月24日，那日子當基督徒慶祝施洗約翰的出生，根據保加利亞東正教堂的網站。

A later monastery on the island, built in the 11th century, was dedicated to John the Baptist – "Sveti Ivan" means "St. John" in Bulgarian and other Slavic languages. Popkonstantinov told Bulgarian news agency Focus that it was possible the earlier basilica was also dedicated to the saint.
一在島上較後期的修道院，建於 11世紀，是獻給施洗約翰 - 在保加利亞文和其他斯拉夫語言“聖伊万”意指“聖約翰”。 Popkonstantinov告訴保加利亞通訊社焦點，它是可能早期的教堂亦專門獻給聖人的。
Fabrizio Bisconti, superintendent of the Vatican Pontifical Commission of Sacred Archaeology, told CNN that the commission "will wait until a more thorough study has been conducted, including anthropological analysis, before it will express an opinion on the finding."
梵蒂岡教皇委員會神聖考古學警司法布里奇奧比斯肯蒂告訴 CNN，委員會“將等候直至一更深入的研究已被進行，包括人類學分析，在它將會表達發現的意見之前。”
Bisconti also said there are thousands of alleged relics of John the Baptist scattered around the world. He said the pontifical commission has not been contacted by the Bulgarian archaeologists, and that it normally does not get involved in the sacred archaeology studies carried outside of Italy.
比斯肯蒂亦說，有數以千計宣稱是施洗約翰的遺物散落在世界各地。他說宗座委員會未有與保加利亞考古學家聯繫，而且它一般不會介入在意大利境外進行的神聖考古學研究。
Christians believe John the Baptist heralded the arrival of Christ and baptized Jesus in the River Jordan. According to the Gospels, John was put to death by beheading on the orders of the local ruler, Herod Antipas. He is considered a particularly significant figure in the Orthodox Church.

The newly discovered reliquary is made of alabaster and dates from approximately the middle of the 5th century, Popkonstantinov told reporters. The southern Black Sea coast was then part of the Byzantine Empire, ruled from Byzantium, now Istanbul in Turkey.

Popkonstantinov told Focus the reliquary was the first to be discovered in the region.

Dimitrov told Focus the relics may once have been donated to the monastery by the Byzantine church. The Topkapi Palace museum in Istanbul is one of several sites claiming to house relics purported to be those of John the Baptist.

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2010/08/03/remains-of-john-the-baptist-found-in-bulgaria/