Malo a ku Dziko Lolonjezedwa

Gerasa​—Kumene Ayuda ndi Agiriki Anakumana

MTUMWI Paulo analemba kuti pakati pa mbewu yowona ya Abrahamu, ‘palibe Myuda kapena Mgiriki.’ (Agalatiya 3:26-29) Inde, chiyambi cha mtundu kapena mwambo sizinafunike kuti munthu apeze chivomerezo cha Mulungu.

Mawu amenewo angawonekere kukhala oyenerera kwa Akristu okhala mozungulira chigawo cha Roma, chonga ngati Galatiya, kumene kunali kusanganikirana kwa Ayuda, Agiriki, Aroma, ndi anthu amomwemo. Koma bwanji za mbali za Israyeli weniweniyo, monga ngati Gileadi?

Chigawocho chiri kummaŵa kwa Yordano, pakati pa Nyanja ya Mchere (Yakufa) ndi Nyanja ya Galileya. Pafupifupi chapakati pa chitunda chathyathyathya cha chonde chimenechi, Mtsinje wa Yaboki umatsika kumka ku Yordano. Chithunzithunzi chapamwambapachi chikusonyeza ena a mabwinja ochititsa chidwi a Gerasa, tsopano otchedwa Jerash, amene anali pafupi ndi kumtunda kwa Yaboki.

Njira yakale yoyenda ochita malonda ya kumpoto kumka kummwera yotchedwa ‘njira ya mfumu’ inadutsa m’Gileadi. Pochoka m’Harana, mwachiwonekere Yakobo ndi banja lake anayenda ulendowo mumsewu umenewu kutsikira ku Yaboki. Analimbana ndi mngelo ndi kukumana ndi Esau pafupi ndi kumene Gerasa akamangidwako. (Genesis 31:17-25, 45-47; 32:22-30; 33:1-17) Pambuyo pake, Aisrayeli anasamuka kuchoka kummwera kumka chakumpoto ku Dziko Lolonjezedwa kudzera mumsewu wa mfumu. Mitundu iŵiri ndi theka inakhala chakumpoto ndi kummwera kwa Yaboki m’mbali mwa msewu woyenda ochita malondawo.​—Numeri 20:17; Deuteronomo 2:26, 27.

Kodi Agiriki anaphatikizidwa m’dera limeneli, ndipo ngati ndichoncho, motani? Inde, anatero pamene Alexander Wamkulu anagonjetsa chigawocho. Malinga nkunena kwa mwambo, iye anakhazikitsa Gerasa kaamba ka ngwazi zake zankhondo. Mwapang’onopang’ono, chisonkhezero cha Agiriki chinakhazikika bwino lomwe. Khumi ya mizinda yolamulidwa ya chigawocho kummaŵa kwa Yordano ndi Nyanja ya Galileya inaumba mgwirizano wodziŵika monga Dekapoli. Mungakhale mutawona dzinalo m’Baibulo, limene limasimba kuti “inamtsata [Yesu] mipingomipingo ya anthu ochokera ku Galileya ndi ku Dekapoli ndi ku Yerusalemu, ndi ku Yudeya, ndi kutsidya lija la Yordano.” Gerasa unali umodzi wa mizinda ya Dekapoli.​—Mateyu 4:25.

‘Inali mbali ya makonzedwe a Alexander kukhazikitsa anthu Achigiriki m’madera onse a ulamulirowo. Makamaka, Suriya wakumunsi [kuphatikizapo Dekapoli], monga amodzi a malo ofunika kwambiri angaka, analandira chiŵerengero chachikulu cha Ahelene. Kufikira lerolino palibe mbali yakummaŵa kwa dziko imene iri ndi mabwinja ochuluka ndi ochititsa chidwi chotero a Agiriki monga momwe liliri dera la kummaŵa kwa Yordanolo. Mwachiphamaso, mizinda ya Agiriki inasonyeza, kukhazikitsidwa kotheratu kwa masukulu a Agiriki ndi miyambo​—akachisi ochititsa chidwi a milungu yachimuna ndi yachikazi ya Agiriki, mabwalo a maseŵero, malo osambira anthu onse, mapwando a chaka ndi chaka a maseŵero, ndipo m’zochitika zambiri masukulu a filosofe ndi makoleji.’​—Hellenism, lolembedwa ndi Norman Bentwich.

Ngati mutakawona mabwinja a Gerasa, mudzapeza umboni wokwanira wa zimenezo. Pafupi ndi chipata chakummwera, pali bwalo lozungulira, kapena msika wa anthu onse, wowoneka m’chithunzithunzi. Mwachiwonekere mudzadabwa ndi malo osambira, akachisi, nyumba zamaseŵero, ndi nyumba zaboma, zambiri za izo zogwirizanitsidwa ndi misewu yamiyala yokhala ndi zipilala. Kunja kwa mzindawo, mungathe kuwona zichiri kapena zisonyezero za mitunda m’mbali mwa msewu wakalewo umene unagwirizanitsa Gerasa ndi mizinda ina ya Dekapoli ndi kumka kumadoko a Mediterranean.

Ngakhale pamene Roma analanda Gerasa mu 63 B.C.E., chisonkhezero cha Ahelene chinapitirizabe. Mungayerekezere mmene chisonkhezero chimenechi chinakhozera kuyambukira Ayuda okhala m’Gerasa ndi chigawocho. Bukhulo Hellenism limati: “Pang’ono ndi pang’ono koma motsimikizirika Ayudawo anayamba kulandira malingaliro achipembedzo a anthu owazinga, ndi kuyang’ana Malemba mosonkhezeredwa ndi chiyambukiro cha malingaliro amenewo.”

Pamene kuli kwakuti Yesu angakhale sanalalikire mumzindamo, iye analoŵa m’chigawo cha Gerasa, chimene chingakhale chitafika ku Nyanja ya Galileya. Iye anatulutsa ziŵanda mwa munthu wina wa m’chigawocho, akumazilola kuloŵa m’nkhumba. (Marko 5:1-17) Mwachiwonekere, ophunzira ake oyambirira analalikira kwa Ayuda okhala m’mizinda ya Dekapoli, ndipo pambuyo pa 36 C.E., mbiri yabwino ikanatha kulankhulidwa kwa Agiriki a m’Gerasa. Kaya munthu amene anavomereza Chikristu anali wosunga Chiyuda mwamphamvu, Myuda wotembenuzidwira ku Chihelene, kapena Mgiriki, akanalandiridwa ndi Mulungu wowona kukhala mbali ya mbewu ya Abrahamu yauzimu.

[Mapu patsamba 24]

(Onani m’magazini yeniyeni kuti mumvetse izi)

Dion

Gerasa (Jarash)

Philadelphia (Rabbah)

King’s Road

Salt Sea

Jerusalem

Jordan

Jabbok

Pella

Scythopolis (Beth-shean)

Gadara

Sea of Galilee

[Mawu a Chithunzi]

Chozikidwa pa mapu okopedwa ndi Pictorial Archive (Near Eastern History) Est. ndi Survey of Israel.

[Chithunzi patsamba 24]

Chithunzithunzi chiri pamwambachi chiri mumpangidwe waukulu mu Kalenda ya Mboni za Yehova ya 1992

[Mawu a Chithunzi]

Pictorial Archive (Near Eastern History) Est.

[Mawu a Chithunzi patsamba 25]

Pictorial Archive (Near Eastern History) Est.