A historic renovation of the Church of the Nativity is lifting spirits in the biblical town of Bethlehem ahead of Christmas, offering visitors a look at ancient mosaics and columns that have been restored to their original glory for the first time in 600 years.
City officials hope the renovation at the traditional birthplace of Jesus will boost tourism and a weak economy in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and perhaps slow a decades-long drain of the Christian population from the lands where the faith was born.
The renovation started in 2013, a year after UNESCO declared the church a world heritage site, and is expected to be completed by the end of next year.
Photo: EPA
照片:歐新社
One of Christianity’s most sacred shrines, the church was built in the fourth century by St. Helena over a cave where the Virgin Mary is said to have given birth. What pilgrims mostly see today is the basilica built by Byzantine Emperor Justinian I, who ruled from 527 to 565. Neglected for decades before the renovation, the roof of the church was leaking, windows were broken, mosaics were covered in grime and walls and columns were damaged. After five years of work, it has been transformed.
Bethlehem is heavily dependent on Christmas tourism, with hotels, restaurants and gift stores doing much of their business during the short holiday season. The renovated church has become a popular destination.
(AP)
Photo: EPA
照片:歐新社
伯利恆耶穌誕生教堂的史跡整修工程,讓這座聖經中的著名城市在耶誕節前精神為之一振。六百年來,參觀者首度能夠一睹古老馬賽克鑲嵌畫和圓柱修復後展現出的往日榮光。
藉由修繕耶穌傳統上的出生地,市政府官員希望可以促進觀光,改善以色列占領的西岸地區當地疲弱的經濟,或許也藉此減緩這處信仰發祥地長達數十年的基督教徒人口流失。
整修工程始於二○一三年,也就是聯合國教科文組織宣布將該教堂列為世界遺產翌年,預期將於明年底完工。
Photo: Reuters
照片:路透
耶穌誕生教堂是基督教中最為神聖的聖殿之一,西元四世紀時由聖海倫納建造於傳說聖母瑪利亞生下耶穌的馬槽原址。不過,今日朝聖者看到的絕大部分建築,主要是拜占庭帝國查士丁尼一世(統治時期為西元五二七年到五六五年間)建造的長方形教堂。在修繕行動開始前,這間教堂被忽略了數十年,不但屋頂漏水、窗戶破損、馬賽克鑲嵌畫遭塵土覆蓋,只見斷垣殘壁和受損的石柱。經過五年多的努力,現在教堂已大為改觀。
伯利恆市極度仰賴耶誕節的觀光業。當地旅館、餐廳、紀念品店整年的業績主要都來自於這個短短的假期。修復後的教堂,現在已成為大受歡迎的旅遊景點。
(台北時報章厚明譯)
Taiwanese cuisine boasts a rich culture of thick soups, with various options available at street vendors or high-end restaurants. In English, this style of dish is typically called “thick soup.” Western cuisine typically uses flour, cream, or mashed vegetables to create a creamy consistency, while in Taiwan, thick soups are made by simply incorporating food starch into the soup and creating a smooth and silky texture. Tutuo fish in thick soup is such a soup with fried tutuo fish chunks, shiitake mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and wood ears. 台灣羹品飲食文化豐富,無論是巷口小店或是高檔餐廳,都有提供羹料理。羹在英文稱作「濃湯」,西式濃湯是以麵粉、鮮奶油、蔬菜泥等達到濃稠的口感,台灣的羹湯用太白粉即能做出濃稠絲滑的湯頭。土魠魚羹就是在勾芡的羹湯中加入炸土魠魚塊、香菇、竹筍、木耳等食材的料理。 boast (v.) 擁有(令人驕傲的事物) consistency (n.) 濃稠度 chunk (n.) 厚塊,大塊 wood ear (n. ph.) 木耳 The star of this
Huge stretches of coral reef around the world are turning a ghostly white this year amid record warm ocean temperatures. On April 15, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirmed the world’s fourth mass global bleaching event is underway — with serious consequences for marine life and for the people and economies that rely on reefs. WHAT ARE CORALS? Corals are invertebrates that live in colonies. Their calcium carbonate secretions form hard and protective scaffolding that serves as a home to many colorful species of single-celled algae. The two organisms have evolved over millennia to work together, with corals providing shelter to algae,
A: So who were Hollywood’s highest-paid stars of 2023? B: No. 5 to No. 2 were: Matt Damon with US$43 million, Ryan Gosling with US$43 million, Tom Cruise with US$45 million, and Margot Robbie with US$59 million. A: Didn’t Tom Cruise top the list? B: Nope, Adam Sandler was No.1, having made US$73 million, which is about NT$2.34 billion. A: Wow, maybe I should change my career to acting. A: 好萊塢去年的片酬排行榜前幾名是誰? B: 第5到2名是︰麥特戴蒙、4300萬美元,雷恩葛斯林、4300萬美元,湯姆克魯斯、4500萬美元,瑪格羅比、5900萬美元。 A: 冠軍竟然不是阿湯哥? B: 是亞當山德勒、片酬7300萬美元,大約23.4億台幣! A: 天啊或許我也該轉行當演員啦。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
A symbol of purity and cleanliness, the color white is the standard color for coats worn by doctors. While this has been the case for well over 100 years, it hasn’t always been so. In fact, before the late 19th century, doctors wore formal black attire, which was similar to that worn by clergymen. Black was chosen for practical reasons—it hid stains from medical procedures and presented a sense of seriousness. The major reason for the color change of the doctor’s coat was to distinguish qualified, professional doctors from those with little or no medical training. Since medical science