世界小史 第186期:羅馬帝國
Constantine no longer ruled the empire from Rome.
君士坦丁不再坐鎮(zhèn)羅馬進(jìn)行統(tǒng)治。
In those days the chief threat came from the east, the Persians having once again become powerful.
當(dāng)時(shí)帝國在東方受到最大的威脅，受到波斯人的威脅，波斯人又強(qiáng)大起來了。
So he chose as his seat the ancient Greek colony of Byzantium on the Black Sea, upon which it was renamed Constantine's City, or Constantinople.
于是他選中黑海附近的古希臘殖民地拜占庭為他的王室所在地，
Today we know it as Istanbul.
從此他便按他的名字叫君士坦丁市：君士坦丁堡。
By 395, the Roman empire didn't only have two capitals, it had two states: the Western Empire, consisting of Italy, Gaul, Britannia,
此后不久，自395年起，羅馬帝國不僅有兩個(gè)首都，而且分裂為兩個(gè)國家：講拉丁語的西羅馬帝國，包括意大利、高盧不列顛、
Spain and North Africa, where people spoke Latin, and the Eastern Empire, consisting of Egypt, Palestine, Asia Minor, Greece and Macedonia, where they spoke Greek.
西班牙、北非;講希臘語的東羅馬帝國，包括埃及、巴勒斯坦、小亞細(xì)亞、希臘和馬其頓。
In both states Christianity became the official religion from 380 onwards.
現(xiàn)在，自380年起，在這兩個(gè)國家中基督教均成為國教。
This meant that bishops and archbishops became important dignitaries who wielded great influence in the affairs of state.
這就是說，主教和大主教是身居要職的顯貴，他們?cè)趪沂聞?wù)中也擁有很大的影響力。
Christians no longer met in underground passages, but in grand churches with fine pillars.
基督徒們不再在地下房間里，而是在華麗的、用柱子裝飾起來的教堂里聚會(huì)
And the Cross, symbol of the deliverance from suffering, now became the legions' battle emblem.
而十字架這苦難中的拯救標(biāo)志被作為戰(zhàn)爭標(biāo)志，由人們扛著行進(jìn)在軍團(tuán)的前列。
