Kaisareya ndi Akristu Oyambirira

MZINDA wakale wa kugombe wa Kaisareya, wopezedwa ndi Herode Wamkulu mwamsanga pambuyo pa kubadwa kwa Yesu Kristu, wakhala malo a zopezedwa zingapo za zofukulidwa pansi za posachedwapa. “King Herod’s Dream” (Loto la Mfumu Herode), chiwonetsero cha zopezedwazi, pa nthaŵi ino chikuyendera North America.a

Herode anakometsera chiyanjo cha wolamulira Wachiroma Kaisara Augustus. Chotero, iye anautcha mzindawo Kaisareya (kutanthauza kuti, “Wa Kaisara”) ndipo doko lake Sebastos (liwu la Chigriki kaamba ka “Augustus”). Antchito a Herode anamanga doko lozizwitsa kaamba ka mwinamwake masitima a m’madzi zana limodzi, ndipo anamanga kachisi yaikulu yokhala ndi chifano chosemedwa chachikulu kaamba ka ulambira kwa wolamulirayo.

Ulamuliro Wachiroma

Kaisareya anakhala malo a lamulo a olamulira Achiroma​—amuna omwe anayang’anira Yudeya. Kaisareya anali malo apakati a machitachita a ndale zadziko ndi ankhondo a Aroma. Kunali kumeneko kumene nduna ya gulu lankhondo Korneliyo ndi “abale ake ndi mabwenzi ake enieni” anakhala osakhala Ayuda osadulidwa oyamba kulandira Chikristu. (Machitidwe, mutu 10) Mlengezi Filipo anapita ku Kaisareya; anateronso mtumwi Petro. Zina za zombo zomwe mtumwi Paulo anagwiritsira ntchito m’maulendo ake a umishonale zinaima pa doko la Kaisareya. Ndipo chifupifupi chaka cha 56 C.E., Paulo ndi Luka anakhala panyumba ya Filipo, amene mwachiwonekere anakhazikika kumeneko ndi amene ana ake akazi anayi anatumikiranso Mulungu.​—Machitidwe 8:40; 12:18, 19; 18:21, 22; 21:8, 9.

Kunali ku Kaisareya kumene Paulo anabweretsedwa kudzawonekera pamaso pa bwanankubwa Wachiroma Felix. Kumenekonso Paulo analongosola mawu ake otchuka kwa Fesitasi: “Ndikatulukire kwa Kaisara!”​—Machitidwe, mitu 23–26.

Chiwonetserocho

Pa kuloŵa pa chiwonetsero chimenechi, mumayang’ana chifano chowumba cha Tyche, mulungu wachikazi wa Kaisareya. Dzina lake limatanthauza “Mwaŵi” kapena “Mwaŵi Wabwino.” Ngakhale kuli tero, Akristu kumeneko anakhulupirira osati mwa mulungu wachikazi wa mwaŵi koma mwa Mulungu wowona, Yehova. Iwo analinso ndi chikhulupiriro mwa Yesu Kristu, amene Mfumu Herode anayesera kumupha.

M’zipinda ziŵiri zotsatira, mumawona mmene ofukula zinthu zofotseredwa pansi anapezera zinthu zopezeka mu Kaisareya ndi mmene dokolo linamangidwira. Kenaka, m’chipinda chachinayi, mumawona kutulutsidwanso kwa chopezedwa chimodzi chachikulu cha pa Kaisareya. Chiri mawu ozokotedwa okha odziŵika a bwanankubwa Wachiroma pamaso pa amene Yesu Kristu anatengedwa. Mawu ozokotedwawo amaŵerengedwa kuti: “Pontiyo Pilato, woyang’anira wa Yudeya.”

Ndiponso m’chipindachi muli ndalama ziŵiri zazing’ono za mkuwa zomwe ziri zokondweretsa mopambanitsa. Yoyambayo (kulamanja) iri ndi mawu ozokotedwa akuti: “Chaka chachiŵiri cha ufulu wa Ziyoni.” Pa yachiŵiri pali mawu akuti: “Chaka chachinayi ku chipulumutso cha Ziyoni.” Ophunzira amaika deti ndalama zimenezi kukhala 67 C.E. ndi 69 C.E. “Ufulu” wolozeredwakowo unali nyengo mkati mwa imene Ayuda anatenga Yerusalemu, pambuyo pakuti Cestius Gallus anachotsa magulu ake owukira Achiroma m’chaka cha 66 C.E.

Kubwerera kumeneko kunapangitsa kuthaŵa kuchoka m’Yerusalemu kukhala kothekera. Anthu omwe anakhulupirira mwa Yesu anathaŵa, popeza iye anali atanena mwachindunji kuti: “Koma pamene paliponse mudzawona Yerusalemu atazingidwa ndi magulu ankhondo, zindikirani pamenepo kuti chipululutso chake chayandikira. Pamenepo iwo ali m’Yudeya athaŵire ku mapiri, ndi iwo ali mkati mwa uwo atuluke, ndi iwo ali kumiraga asaloŵemo.” (Luka 21:20, 21) Mwachiwonekere, opanga a ndalama “za chilakiko” zimenezi anali ndi lingaliro lochepera ponena za chiwonongeko chomwe chinawayembekezera iwo!

M’chaka cha 70 C.E., magulu ankhondo Achiroma anabwerera, kugonjetsa Yerusalemu, ndi kuwononga kachisi. Mogwirizana ndi Josephus, iwo anapha anthu oposa miliyoni imodzi omwe anasonkhana mumzindawo kaamba ka Paskha. Kazembe wankhondo Wachiroma Titus anakondwerera chipambanochi​—ndi tsiku lobadwa la mbale wake Domitian​—ndi maseŵera m’bwalo lamaseŵera lozungulira la Kaisareya. Kumeneko andende 2,500 anaponyedwa ku zirombo zolusa, anatenthedwa, kapena kuphedwa m’maseŵera omenyana ndi zinyama.

Chipinda chotsatira cha chiwonetserocho chiri ndi chifano chowumba cha mulungu wachikazi wakubala wokhala ndi maere ambiri Artemis wa ku Efeso. Uyu ndi mulungu wamkazi mmodzimodziyo amene alambiri ake anayambitsa chipolowe mu Efeso pamene kulalikira kwa Paulo kunapangitsa ambiri kukana kulambira mafano konyansa ndi kutsatira Yesu Kristu.​—Machitidwe 19:23-41.

Chiwonetsero cha mapale osweka chimasonyeza ukulu wa kuyenda kwa m’zana loyamba monga momwe kwavumbulidwa m’Malemba. M’kokha nyumba yosungira zinthu yakale imodzi, zidutswa za mapale zinapezedwa kuchokera ku malo otalikana olekanalekana onga Yugoslavia, Italy, Spain, ndipo mwinamwake North Africa. Ndi kuyenda kokulira koteroko, chiri chopepuka kumvetsetsa kuti alendo ochokera m’malo akutali a Ufumu wa Roma akakhala m’Yerusalemu pa Pentekoste wa 33 C.E. Kumeneko, ambiri anamva mbiri yabwino m’chinenero chawo, kukhala okhulupirira, ndipo anabatizidwa. Mwachidziŵikire, ena anatenga mbiri yabwino kupita nayo ku maiko akwawo atakwera zombo kuchokera ku Kaisareya.​—Machitidwe, mutu 2.

M’chipinda chotsatira, chokometsera chachikulu choyera cha ngondya zinayi chimachirikiza chidutswa cha marble cha zana lachitatu kapena lachinayi. Icho poyambirira chinandandalitsa zigawo 24, kapena njira, za mabanja ansembe m’dongosolo mu limene iwo anatumikira pa kachisi ya Yerusalemu. Kachisi imeneyo inali inakhala bwinja kwa mazana angapo a zaka, koma Ayuda anali ndi chidaliro chakuti iyo posachedwapa ikamangidwanso. Zaka mazana angapo pambuyo pake iwo anali adakali kupemphera kuti Mulungu akabwezeretsa njira zaunsembe m’tsiku lawo. Koma kachisiyo sinamangidwenso. Yesu anali ataneneratu za chiwonongeko chake. Ndipo iyo isanawonongedwe, mtumwi Paulo, Myuda ndipo amene kale anali Mfarisi, analozera kuti Mulungu anali atabwezeretsa kachisi ameneyo ndi chinachake chabwinopo​—chokhala ndi kachisi yaikulu koposa, yauzimu, imene chimango chomangidwa ndi manja m’Yerusalemu chinangochitira fanizo kokha, kuchitira chithunzi, kapena kuimira.​—Mateyu 23:37–24:2; Ahebri, mitu 8, 9.

Zaka mazana angapo zinapita ndipo ogonjetsa anabwera ndi kupita. Mabwinja a Kaisareya pomalizira pake anamira pansi pa mchenga ndi nyanja. Kumeneko iwo anadikira akatswiri ofukula zofotseredwa amakono, amene zopeza zawo zatithandiza ife kumvetsetsa zochulukira ponena za moyo m’nthaŵi zakale ndi ponena za zinthu zina zimene timaŵerenga m’Mawu a Mulungu, Baibulo.

[Mawu a M’munsi]

[Chithunzi patsamba 24]

Tyche, mulungu wamkazi wa “mwaŵi wabwino” wa ku Kaisareya

[Mawu a Chithunzi patsamba 23]

Pictorial Archive (Near Eastern History) Est.

Courtesy of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County

[Mawu a Chithunzi patsamba 24]

Aaron Levin

Israel Department of Antiquities and Museums; zithunzi kuchokera ku Israel Museum, Jerusalem

Courtesy of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County