EMHUOGHAẠPH PHỌ 25

“Mị Masighẹ Ḍighiton Phọ Amị Rakiomaạn Siza”

APọl aphighi emạ eḍeenhaan ilọ oghaạph ophelhọm iiḅi iinhaghạn phọ

Okpasị ḍinyạ Iiḍighi phọ 25:1–26:32

1, 2. (a) Ḍighẹn adọl kụ edị aPọI asoman? (b) Ḍighẹn aḍipuru dị egbolhomaam iphẹn aPọl asighẹ bọ ḍighiton phọ aghiomhaạn Siza kụ memite?

¹Bạl onhụ English

² Bạl onhụ English

“Uw-emạ Phọ ARom Kụ [Kakaạph] Ḍighiton Phọ Ami” (Iiḍighi 25:1-12)

3, 4. (a) Eeghe kụ iḍighi kụ abuọ aJu phọ olhọm bọ mọ oḅuIemhi PọI epẹ JeruseIem, kụ ika kụ idị odị akpetenhaan ḍuugh? (b) Ika kụ idị aZihova raloghonhaạn ghan ḍighaạgh rebenhẹ phọ odị rodon idiphọ odị alhoghonhaạn bọ ḍighaạgh PọI?

³ Bạl onhụ English

⁴ Bạl onhụ English

5. AFestọs aphụr aḍighi ika mem mọ odị aghaaphạn bọ PọI?

⁵ Bạl onhụ English

6, 7. Eeghe kụ iḍighi kụ aPọI asighẹ bọ ḍighiton phọ aghiomhaạn Siza, kụ eḍeenhaan phọ odị itughemhị iyira eeghe?

⁶ Bạl onhụ English

⁷ Bạl onhụ English

People in a courtroom, reacting to a verdict. A brother, his lawyers, and several Witnesses in attendance are solemn. Non-Witnesses are happy and congratulating the legal team who argued the case against the brother. — We appeal unfavorable legal decisions

“Mị U/moọgh Oḅom Emụ” (Iiḍighi 25:13–26:23)

8, 9. Eeghe kụ iḍighi kụ Agripạ odaạm emhạ phọ aghị bọ Sizaria?

⁸ Bạl onhụ English

APPEALING ON BEHALF OF TRUE WORSHIP IN MODERN TIMES

Jehovah’s Witnesses have at times appealed to high courts in hopes of removing obstacles to the preaching of the good news of God’s Kingdom. Here are two examples.

On March 28, 1938, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned state court decisions and exonerated a group of Witnesses who had been arrested for distributing Bible literature in Griffin, Georgia, U.S.A. This was the first of many appeals made to that high court regarding the right of the Witnesses to preach the good news.a

Another case involved a Witness in Greece named Minos Kokkinakis. Over a period of 48 years, he was arrested more than 60 times for “proselytism.” On 18 occasions, he faced prosecution in court. He spent years in prison and in exile on remote islands in the Aegean Sea. After his last conviction in 1986, Brother Kokkinakis lost his appeals to the higher courts of Greece. He then sought relief through the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). On May 25, 1993, that Court ruled that Greece had violated Brother Kokkinakis’ freedom of religion.

Jehovah’s Witnesses have appealed to the ECHR for relief in dozens of cases, prevailing in most of them. No other organization, religious or otherwise, has had such success in defending basic human rights before the ECHR.

Do others benefit from the legal victories of Jehovah’s Witnesses? Scholar Charles C. Haynes wrote: “We all owe the Jehovah’s Witnesses a debt of gratitude. No matter how many times they’re insulted, run out of town or even physically attacked, they keep on fighting for their (and thus our) freedom of religion. And when they win, we all win.”

a See the account of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision regarding free speech, which was published in Awake! January 8, 2003, pages 3-11.

⁹ Bạl onhụ English

10, 11. Ika kụ idị aPọI aḍeenhaan Agripạ olhọgh eegu, kụ odị aḅenhị odaạm emhạ phọ ighẹn araraạr dị odị aḍighi ghan?

¹⁰ Bạl onhụ English

¹¹ Bạl onhụ English

12, 13. (a) APọl aghaạph mọ odị aḍighi ika onyọ aKristẹn? (b) Ika kụ idị aPọI amhiinhẹ ghan loor odị?

¹² Bạl onhụ English

¹³ Bạl onhụ English

14, 15. APọI aghaạph eeghe dị egbolhomaam raraạr phọ odị manmeeghi bọ siphẹ aghuḍum mọ odị?

¹⁴ Bạl onhụ English

¹⁵ Bạl onhụ English

16. Ika kụ idị yira kotuughaạny PọI mem dị yira rokaạph ilọ omheeraam mọ ayira koḅenhị buugboom iiruẹn r’abutooghiạ?

¹⁶ Bạl onhụ English

“Nạ Ragbiom Ghan Ologhi Mọ . . . Nạ Katue Ni Uḍighi Imị Onyọ Akristen Ḍughụm?” (Iiḍighi 26:24-32)

17. AFestọs amhegheron ika kụ aghị esi ikpo-onhụ phọ aPọI, kụ ika kụ idị ibadị rodon romegheron aani ghan eniin phọ eten phọ?

¹⁷ Bạl onhụ English

18. APọI aphagharanhaạn ika Festọs, kụ Agripạ aphagharanhaạn ika Pọl?

¹⁸ Bạl onhụ English

19. AFestọs r’Agripạ usopha eeghe dị egbolhomaam Pọl?

¹⁹ Bạl onhụ English

20. Eeghe kụ iḍighi kụ enhighẹ bọ dị aPọI kagbạ apelhaạm emhụ odị ghisigh iyạl abutooghiạ phọ?

²⁰ Bạl onhụ English

21. Mem dị yira oghiọm ghisigh oḍighi omhạr phọ etigheri ḍikparamhinheẹn, eeghe imạ kụ keḍuạ emite?

²¹ Bạl onhụ English

ROMAN PROCURATOR PORCIUS FESTUS

Our only firsthand information about Porcius Festus comes from Acts of Apostles and the writings of Flavius Josephus. Festus succeeded Felix as procurator of Judea in about 58 C.E. and evidently died in office after governing for just two or three years.

For the most part, Festus appears to have been a prudent and capable procurator, in contrast with his predecessor, Felix, and his successor, Albinus. At the beginning of Festus’ time in office, Judea was plagued by bandits. According to Josephus, “Festus . . . made it his business to correct those that made disturbances in the country. So he caught the greatest part of the robbers, and destroyed a great many of them.” During his tenure, the Jews built a wall to prevent King Agrippa from observing what took place in the temple area. Festus initially ordered them to dismantle it. At the Jews’ request, however, he later allowed them to present the matter to the Roman Emperor Nero.

Festus appears to have taken a firm stand against criminals and insurgents. But in his desire to maintain good relations with the Jews, he was willing to set aside justice—at least in his dealings with the apostle Paul.

KING HEROD AGRIPPA II

The Agrippa referred to in Acts chapter 25 was King Herod Agrippa II, great-grandson of Herod the Great and son of the Herod who had attacked the Jerusalem congregation 14 years earlier. (Acts 12:1) Agrippa was the last of the Herodian princes.

At the death of his father in 44 C.E., 17-year-old Agrippa was in Rome, where he was being educated at the court of Roman Emperor Claudius. The emperor’s advisers considered Agrippa too young to inherit his father’s domain; thus, a Roman governor was appointed instead. Even so, according to Flavius Josephus, while Agrippa was still in Rome, he intervened for the Jews and represented their interests.

In about 50 C.E., Claudius assigned Agrippa kingship over Chalcis and in 53 C.E., over Ituraea, Trachonitis, and Abilene. Agrippa was also given oversight of Jerusalem’s temple, with authority to appoint the Jewish high priests. Claudius’ successor Nero extended Agrippa’s realm to include parts of Galilee and Perea. At the time of his meeting Paul, Agrippa was in Caesarea with his sister Bernice, who had left her husband, the king of Cilicia.—Acts 25:13.

In 66 C.E., when Agrippa’s efforts failed to calm the Jewish rebellion against Rome, he himself became a target of the rebels, and he was left no choice but to join the Romans. After the Jewish revolt was crushed, a new emperor, Vespasian, gave Agrippa further territories as a reward.