对于一代代奔赴未知战场的美国军人而言，塞在制服口袋里最重要的物品之一，往往是一本圣经。
For generations of American service members heading into the unknown, one of the most important things tucked into a uniform pocket was a Bible.
有些人从战火中归来时，圣经已破损不堪；而另一些人则阅读着家人写下的真挚祈祷，期盼他们的儿子和丈夫能够平安回家。其中一种圣经被金属外壳包裹，紧贴着士兵的心脏佩戴。
Some returned battered from war, while others read heartfelt prayers written by family members hoping their sons and husbands would come home. One type was encased in metal and carried over a soldier's heart.
另一本圣经则被带到了南极洲的冰天雪地，将经文传至世界的尽头。
Another Bible traveled to the frozen reaches of Antarctica, sharing Scripture to the very ends of the world.
如今，正值美国独立宣言发表250周年之际，圣经博物馆的“战争中的圣经”展览正利用这些幸存的文物，追溯美国军人在历代冲突中如何依靠上帝的话语获取力量与希望。
Now, as the U.S. marks 250 years since the Declaration of Independence, the Museum of the Bible's "Bible in Times of War" exhibit is using those surviving artifacts to trace how American service members turned to God's Word for strength and hope through generations of conflict.
阵亡将士纪念日次日，美国对逝者的亏欠依然存在。圣经博物馆的早期现代策展人、海军陆战队退伍军人韦斯利·维纳（Wesley Viner）策划了这场在华盛顿特区举办的特别展览。他告诉福克斯新闻数字版，馆藏中一些最动人的故事，并非属于著名的将军或备受赞誉的英雄，而是属于那些名字本可能从历史中消失的普通美国人。
THE DAY AFTER MEMORIAL DAY, AMERICA’S DEBT TO THE FALLEN STILL REMAINS Wesley Viner, an early modern curator at the Museum of the Bible and Marine veteran who curated the special display in Washington, D.C., told Fox News Digital that some of the most powerful stories preserved in the collection belong not to famous generals or celebrated heroes, but to ordinary Americans whose names may have otherwise disappeared from history.
其中最易辨认的文物是所谓的“心盾圣经”，这是一种小型口袋圣经，配有薄金属 ，部分美国军人在二战及朝鲜战争期间随身携带。
Among the most recognizable artifacts are so-called "Heart Shield Bibles," small, pocket-sized Bibles with thin metal covers carried by some American service members during World War II and into the Korean War.
这些圣经通常由亲属为即将出征的军人购买，设计为可放入胸前口袋、紧贴心脏的位置，这也催生了金属 的书籍理论上能阻挡子弹的说法。然而，维纳表示，真相并没有电影里那么戏剧化。
The Bibles were frequently purchased by relatives for departing service members and designed to fit into a breast pocket over the heart, helping fuel stories that the metal-covered books could theoretically stop a bullet. Viner, however, said the truth is less cinematic.
稀有美国圣经与建国者书信追溯信仰在国家诞生中的作用。他说，这种薄金属 极不可能阻挡二战时期高速飞行的弹药，但他也不排除其有可能保护军人免受弹片或飞溅碎片伤害的可能性。“许多关于‘护心盾圣经’的传说可能都有夸大成分，”维纳说。
RARE AMERICAN BIBLE AND FOUNDERS’ LETTERS TRACE FAITH’S ROLE IN BIRTH OF THE NATION The thin metal covers were rather unlikely to stop World War II-era ammunition traveling at high speed, he said, though he would not rule out the possibility that one could have protected a service member from shrapnel or flying debris. "Many of the tales that surround the 'Heart Shield Bibles' are likely a bit exaggerated," Viner said.
但这些书是否真的挡住了子弹，或许会掩盖它们对送亲人上战场的家庭所代表的意义。
But whether the books literally stopped bullets may obscure what they represented to the families who sent loved ones to war.
“这是一种保护的寄托，一种力量的源泉，能让他们平安无事，”维纳在描述这块金属护盾时说，它主要具有象征意义。
"It was a source of protection. It was a source of strength. It would keep them safe," Viner said, describing the metal shield as largely symbolic.
信仰能帮助病人康复吗？资深医生揭露亲眼所见 这种希望最动人的证据，保存在书皮内页真挚的手写字迹中。
CAN FAITH HELP PATIENTS HEAL? VETERAN DOCTOR REVEALS WHAT HE'S WITNESSED FIRSTHAND Some of the most affecting evidence of that hope survives in heartfelt handwriting inside the covers.
维纳说，20世纪上半叶大量生产了小型口袋圣经，方便家庭为即将部署的儿子、兄弟和丈夫购买。“献给我亲爱的孩子，愿上帝保佑你平安，”一条留言写道。
Viner said small pocket Bibles were produced on a large scale during the first half of the 20th century, allowing families to purchase them for sons, brothers and husbands preparing to deploy. "To my dear boy, may God keep you safe," one note reads.
另一条仅写着“圣诞节为你祈祷”。维纳说，在许多情况下，历史学家不知道是谁写的这些留言，也不知道送给了谁。他说，这种匿名性反而让它们更具力量。
Another simply says, "praying for you at Christmas." In many cases, Viner said, historians do not know who wrote the messages or who received them. He said the anonymity can make them even more powerful.
“读到这些，我会想到送孩子、送亲人上战场的家庭成员，在临别时把这本书交到他们手中，那是多么深沉、庄重且意义重大，”维纳说。
"As I read those, I think about how profound and serious and meaningful that was for the family members who sent their kids, their loved ones off to war and gave them this as they left," Viner said.
在“护心盾圣经”出现80多年前，另一本如今已残破不堪的圣经曾随一名联邦士兵征战，维纳因这本士兵留下的书，得以部分重构其生平。
More than 80 years before the "Heart Shield Bibles," another now-tattered Bible traveled with a Union soldier whose life Viner was able to partially reconstruct because of the book he left behind.
据维纳介绍，约翰·魏森海默在俄亥俄第107志愿步兵团服役，这是一个以德语为主的部队，经历了包括葛底斯堡战役在内的多场惨烈内战。魏森海默入伍时已近50岁，比普通士兵年长许多。
John Weissenheimer served in the 107th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, a largely German-speaking unit that endured bloody Civil War battles, including Gettysburg, according to Viner. Weissenheimer was already in his late 40s when he enlisted, older than what was typical for a soldier.
入伍记录显示，魏森海默在该部队许多重大战役之前就已参军，维纳说道。多年后，他圣经中的一处题字显示，他在华盛顿特区的林肯医院服役，属于伤残军团，该部队由受伤、生病或因其他原因残疾、无法再执行常规前线任务的士兵组成。
Viner said enlistment records show Weissenheimer joined before many of the unit's major engagements. Years later, an inscription in his Bible places him at Lincoln Hospital in Washington, D.C., serving with the Invalid Corps, which was composed of injured, sick or otherwise disabled soldiers who could no longer perform regular front-line duty.
现存证据并未揭示魏森海默究竟遭遇了什么，他也未留下大量笔记解释这本圣经对他意味着什么。但这本破旧的书确立了一件对历史学家而言或许更有趣的事：魏森海默一直保留着它。
The surviving evidence does not reveal exactly what happened to Weissenheimer, nor did he leave extensive notes explaining what the Bible meant to him. But the battered book establishes something perhaps even more interesting for historians in that Weissenheimer kept it.
维纳说：“如果没有这本圣经，”魏森海默将“很大程度上只是一个被遗忘的名字。”“这本圣经让我们能够从历史中挖掘出这个无名小卒——一个历史教科书绝不会提及的人——并将其呈现出来，讲述他们的故事，”他说道。
"If not for this Bible," Viner said, Weissenheimer would be "largely a forgotten name." CHRISTIAN COP IN UK SUSPENDED FOR ASKING QUESTIONS ABOUT ISLAM DURING DEI TRAINING WINS SETTLEMENT "This Bible allows us to take this anonymous person from history, this person who no historical textbook is ever going to talk about, and surface them and tell their story," he said.
无论魏森海默经历了什么，维纳说，他最终达到了一个无法在常规部队服役的地步，继续在伤残军团服役，并随身携带着圣经。
Whatever Weissenheimer endured, Viner said, he ultimately reached a point where he could no longer serve in a regular unit, continued serving in the Invalid Corps and had his Bible with him. "For some reason, he found something in that Bible that meant a lot to him," Viner said.
维纳说：“出于某种原因，他在那本圣经中找到了对自己意义重大的东西。”
Not every Bible in the exhibit accompanied an American into battle, however. In the 1950s, Navy chaplain Peter Boal took part in Operation Deep Freeze, the umbrella term for U.S. military operations in Antarctica. During his time there, Boal gave a Bible to a man identified in its inscription only as "Bill." Viner said the museum cannot definitively establish Bill's identity, though he believes one possibility is Petty Officer William Stroop, who helped lead an expedition to establish a smaller Antarctic station.
不过，展览中的并非每一本圣经都曾随美国士兵踏上战场。20世纪50年代，海军随军牧师彼得·博尔参与了“深冻行动”，这是美国在南极军事行动的统称。在此期间，博尔将一本圣经赠予一名男子，题字中仅署名为“比尔”。维纳表示，博物馆无法确切确认比尔的身份，但他认为一种可能是威廉·斯特鲁普军士长，他曾协助领导远征队建立一个较小的南极站。然而，博尔写给这本圣经接收者的文字却保存了下来。
Not every Bible in the exhibit accompanied an American into battle, however. In the 1950s, Navy chaplain Peter Boal took part in Operation Deep Freeze, the umbrella term for U.S. military operations in Antarctica. During his time there, Boal gave a Bible to a man identified in its inscription only as "Bill." Viner said the museum cannot definitively establish Bill's identity, though he believes one possibility is Petty Officer William Stroop, who helped lead an expedition to establish a smaller Antarctic station. What Boal wrote to the recipient of that Bible, however, survives.
康涅狄格州因“宗教性质”禁止在州议会大厦展示圣诞马槽场景，诉讼威胁称 “旅途顺利，” Viner念道碑文上的字句。“我们会为你祈祷。愿主保佑你平安归来。” 对Viner而言，这件文物展示了《圣经》在截然不同的环境中发挥着相似的作用。它不再陪伴军人历经战火，而是随美国人踏上孤立且未知的边疆。
CONNECTICUT BARS NATIVITY DISPLAY IN STATE CAPITOL BECAUSE IT'S 'RELIGIOUS,' LAWSUIT THREAT SAYS "Best of luck on your journey," Viner recounted from the inscription. "We'll be praying for you. We hope the Lord brings you back safely." For Viner, the artifact shows the Bible serving a familiar purpose in a dramatically different setting. Instead of accompanying a serviceman through combat, it traveled with Americans venturing into an isolated and uncertain frontier. One of the oldest Bibles in the display reaches back to the nation's founding and comes with a story Viner said is probably more legend than fact.
展品中最古老的《圣经》之一可追溯至建国时期，附带的故事据Viner所说，恐怕更多是传说而非事实。
The German-language Bible was printed in Philadelphia in 1776 by Christoph Sauer and eventually became known as the "Gun-Wad Bible." One popular version of the story held that British soldiers seized copies from Sauer's printing operation, tore out the pages and used them as wadding for their muskets, hence the 'Wad.' Another version turned the story around, claiming American colonists confiscated the Bibles because the Sauer family held Loyalist sympathies.
这本德语《圣经》于1776年由Christoph Sauer在费城印刷，后来被称为“火药垫圣经”。一个流传甚广的版本称，英军从Sauer的印刷厂缴获副本，撕下书页用作火枪的火药垫，因而得名“垫”。另一个版本则反其道而行，声称美国殖民者没收了这些《圣经》，因为Sauer家族同情保皇派。
The German-language Bible was printed in Philadelphia in 1776 by Christoph Sauer and eventually became known as the "Gun-Wad Bible." One popular version of the story held that British soldiers seized copies from Sauer's printing operation, tore out the pages and used them as wadding for their muskets, hence the 'Wad.' Another version turned the story around, claiming American colonists confiscated the Bibles because the Sauer family held Loyalist sympathies.
Viner表示，这两个故事恐怕都鲜有真实成分，但他承认这些相互竞争的叙事本身颇具启示性。它们表明，人们明白将对手描绘为不敬《圣经》能败坏对方名声，反映出当时人们赋予《圣经》的重要地位。
Viner said there is likely little truth to either tale, but conceded the competing stories are revealing in their own way. They suggest people understood that portraying an opponent as disrespecting the Bible could tarnish that side's reputation, reflecting the significance attached to Scripture at the time. The books also preserve more mundane, everyday records of what American service members actually did with the Bibles they carried.
这些书籍还保存了美国军人随身携带《圣经》的更多平凡、日常记录。
As smaller and more durable editions became increasingly available, Viner said surviving examples more commonly contain handwritten notes and other markings. Some service members used blank pages to record their movements.
随着更小、更耐用的版本日益普及，Viner表示，存世样本中手写笔记和其他标记更为常见。一些军人利用空白页记录行踪。
As smaller and more durable editions became increasingly available, Viner said surviving examples more commonly contain handwritten notes and other markings. Some service members used blank pages to record their movements.
一名一战士兵实际上将其《圣经》作为个人部署记录，记录了从家乡到征兵站，再到纽约、英国、法国的旅程，最终记下了返乡的那一天。
One World War I soldier effectively used his Bible as his own record of deployment, documenting his journey from his hometown to a recruiting depot, then to New York, England and France before eventually recording his return home.
维纳表示，该收藏表明，面对战争的危险和压力，军人们以不同方式应对这些境况，但许多人转向《圣经》，寻求“力量、勇气、慰藉”和“希望”。几个世纪过去了，一些携带这些书籍的人仍可被辨认，而另一些人则只剩下一个名字，或是写在破旧 内寥寥数语。
Viner said the collection shows that service members facing the dangers and stresses of war responded to those circumstances in different ways, but many turned to Scripture for "strength, courage, relief" and "hope." Centuries later, some of the people who carried the books remain identifiable and others have been reduced to only a first name or precious few words written inside a battered cover.
但他们的家人随他们踏上战场的寄语，在我们现代人眼中依然熟悉，如圣诞节的祈祷、对庇佑的期盼，以及亲人平安归来的庄严恳求。
But the messages their families sent with them into battle remain familiar even in our modern eyes, like a prayer at Christmas, a hope for protection and a solemn plea that a loved one come back home.
“战争中的圣经”展览位于圣经博物馆二楼，是“美国的圣经”展区的一部分。
The Bibles in Times of War Exhibit is located on the second floor of the Museum of the Bible as part of the Bible in America section.