Kodi Kulambira Mulungu Mayi Kudakalipo?

KULAMBIRA mulungu mayi kunkachitidwabe m’masiku a Akristu oyambirira. Mtumwi Paulo anakupeza ku Efeso m’Asia Minor. Mofanana ndi Atene, mzinda wina wolambira milungu yaikazi, iye anachitira umboni “Mulungu amene analenga dziko lapansi,” Mlengi wamoyo, yemwe sali ‘wofanafana ndi golidi, kapena siliva, kapena mwala, wolocha ndi luso ndi zolingalira za anthu.’ Zimenezi zinali zosakhoza kulekereredwa ndi Aefeso, amene unyinji wawo analambira Artemi mulungu mayi. Awo amene anapeza zofunika za moyo mwakupanga tiakachisi tasiliva ta mulungu wamkaziyo anayambitsa chipolowe. Kwapafupifupi maola aŵiri, gululo linafuula kuti: ‘Wamkulu ndi Artemi wa Aefeso.’​—Machitidwe 17:24, 29; 19:26, 34.

Artemi wa Aefeso

Agiriki nawonso analambira Artemi, koma Artemi wolambiridwa ku Efeso angafanane naye pang’ono. Artemi wa Agiriki anali mulungu namwali wamkazi wa kusaka nyama ndi wakubala. Artemi wa Aefeso anali mulungu wamkazi wakubala. Kachisi wake wamkulu ku Efeso ankawonedwa kukhala chimodzi cha zozizwitsa zisanu ndi ziŵiri za padziko. Fano lake, lolingaliridwa kukhala linagwa kuchokera kumwamba, linamuimira monga chitsanzo cha kubala, chifuwa chake chinakutidwa ndi mizera ya maŵere a mpangidwe wa mazira. Mpangidwe wapadera wa maŵere ameneŵa wachititsa malongosoledwe osiyanasiyana, monga akuti iwo amaimira zokometsera za mazira kapena ngakhale machende a ngo’mbe yamphongo. Mulimonse mmene kulongosolako kungakhalire, chizindikiro cha kubala nchowonekera bwino.

Mokondweretsa, mogwirizana ndi The New Encyclopædia Britannica, fano loyambirira la mulungu wamkazi ameneyu “linapangidwa ndi golidi, matabwa a phingo, siliva, ndi mwala wakuda.” Fano lotchuka la Artemi wa Aefeso, lozindikiridwa kuchokera m’zaka za zana lachiŵiri C.E., limamsonyeza ali ndi nkhope yakuda, manja, ndi mapazi.

Fano la Artemi linkaimikidwa m’makwalala monse. Katswiri wa Baibulo R. B. Rackham amati: “Mkati mwa kachisi [wa Artemi munali] kusungidwa . . . mafano ake, tiakachisi, ndi zotengera zopatulika, za golidi ndi siliva, zimene zinkanyamulidwa pa mapwando kupita ku mzinda ndi kubwezedwanso ndi ligubo lalikulu.” Mapwando ameneŵa anakopa mazana a zikwi za apaulendo wachipembedzo kuchokera ku Asia Minor konse. Iwo anagula tiakachisi tating’ono ta mulungu wamkaziyo ndi kumlemekeza monga wamkulu, dona wawo, mfumukazi, namwali, “yemwe amamvetsera ndi kulandira mapemphero.” M’malo otero, Paulo ndi Akristu ena oyambirira anafunikira kukhala olimba mtima kwambiri kuti alemekeze “Mulungu amene analenga dziko lapansi,” mmalo mwa milungu ndi milungu yaikazi yopangidwa ndi “golidi, kapena siliva, kapena mwala.”

Kuchokera ku Mulungu Mayi Nkukhala “Mayi wa Mulungu”

Kunali kwa akulu a mpingo Wachikristu wa ku Efeso kumene mtumwi Paulo ananeneratu za mpatuko. Iye anachenjeza kuti ampatuko adzauka nalankhula “zokhotakhota.” (Machitidwe 20:17, 28-30) Pakati pa maupandu oyembekezeredwa nthaŵi zonse ku Efeso panali kubwezeretsedwanso kwa kulambira mulungu mayi. Kodi zimenezi zinachitikadi?

Mu New Catholic Encyclopedia timaŵerenga kuti: “Pokhala malo apakati a ulendo wachipembedzo, Efeso analingaliridwa kukhala malo kumene [mtumwi] Yohane anaikidwa. . . . Mwambo wina, wochitiridwa umboni ndi Bungwe la ku Efeso (431), limagwirizanitsa Namwali Mariya Wodalitsidwa ndi Yohane Woyera. Kachisi kumene Bungwero linachitira msonkhanowo ankatchedwa Tchalitchi cha Mariya.” Bukhu lina Lachikatolika (Théo​—Nouvelle encyclopédie catholique) limanena za “mwambo wosatsimikizirika” wakuti Mariya anatsagana ndi Yohane kupita ku Efeso, kumene anakhala kwa nthaŵi ya moyo wake wonse. Kodi nchifukwa ninji kugwirizana kolingaliridwa kumeneku pakati pa Efeso ndi Mariya kuli kofunika kwa ife lerolino?

The New Encyclopædia Britannica imayankha kuti: “Kulemekeza mayi wa Mulungu kunapititsidwa patsogolo pamene Tchalitchi Chachikristu chinakhala tchalitchi cha boma pansi pa Constantine ndipo unyinji wa akunja unaloŵa m’tchalitchi. . . . Kudzipereka ndi kuzindikira kwawo kwachipembedzo kunapangidwa kwazaka zikwi zambiri kupyolera m’dzoma la kulambira mulungu wamkazi ‘mayi wamkuluyo’ ndi ‘namwali waumulungu,’ chochitika chomwe chinayambira ku zipembedzo zotchuka zakale za ku Babulo ndi Asuri.” Kodi ndimalo ati abwino kuposa Efeso omwe analiko kumene kulambira mulungu mayi “kukanapangidwa kukhala kwa Chikristu”?

Chotero, munali mu 431 C.E., ku Efeso, pamene bungwe lotchedwa bungwe lachitatu lachigwirizano linalengeza Mariya kukhala “Theotokos,” liwu Lachigiriki lotanthauza “Nakubala wa Mulungu,” kapena “Mayi wa Mulungu.” New Catholic Encyclopedia imati: “Kugwiritsiridwa ntchito kwa dzina laulemu limeneli ndi Tchalitchi mosakaikira kunali kotsimikizirika kaamba ka kufutukuka kwa chiphunzitso ndi kudzipereka kwa Mariya m’zaka za mazana a pambuyo pake.”

Mabwinja a “Tchalitchi cha Namwali Mariya,” kumene bungwelo linakumanira, angawonedwebe lerolino pa malo pamene Efeso wamakedzana anali. Nyumba ya mapemphero nayonso, imene molingana ndi mwambo inali nyumba kumene Mariya anakhala ndi kumwalirira, ingachezeredwe. Papa Paul VI anachezera akachisi a Mariya ameneŵa ku Efeso mu 1967.

Inde, Efeso anali malo apakati kaamba ka kusandulizidwa kwa kulambira mulungu mayi wachikunja, monga kumene Paulo anakumana nako m’zaka za zana loyamba, kukhala kudzipereka kwachangu kwa Mariya monga “Mayi wa Mulungu.” Kwakukulukulu kunali kupyolera mwakudzipereka kwa Mariya kuti kulambira mulungu mayi kwakhalapo m’maiko a Chikristu Chadziko.

Kulambira Mulungu Mayi Kudakalipo

Encyclopædia of Religion and Ethics imagwira mawu katswiri wa Baibulo W. M. Ramsay kukhala akulingalira kuti “m’zaka za zana la 5, ulemu woperekedwa kwa Namwali Mariya ku Efeso unali mpangidwe [woyambitsidwanso] wa kulambira kwachikunja kwakale kwa ku Anatolia kwa Mayi Namwali.” The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology imati: “Ngakhale kuti zikhulupiriro za Chikatolika za ‘mayi wa Mulungu’ ndi ‘mfumukazi ya kumwamba,’ nzapambuyo pake pa C[hipangano] C[hatsopano], zimasonya ku magwero oyambirira a mbiri yakale achipembedzo a Kum’maŵa. . . . M’kulemekeza Mariya kwapambuyo pake muli mbali zambiri za dzoma lakulambira lachikunja la mayi waumulungu.”

Mbali zimenezi nzochuluka ndi zatsatanetsatane wambiri kwakuti sizingakhale malunji. Kufanana pakati pa mafano a mayi ndi mwana a Namwali Mariya ndi mafano achikunja a milungu yaikazi, yonga ngati Isis, sikungangonyalanyazidwa. Mazanamazana a mafano ndi zithunzithunzi za Madonna Wakuda m’matchalitchi Achikatolika kuzungulira dziko lonse sangalephere kutikumbutsa fano la Artemi. Bukhulo Théo​—Nouvelle encyclopédie catholique limati ponena za Anamwali Akuda ameneŵa: “Iwo amawonekera kukhala njira yosamutsira kwa Mariya chimene chinatsalako ku kudzipereka kotchuka kwa Diana [Artemi] . . . kapena Cybele.” Maligubo a Tsiku la Kutengedwa m’Thupi kwa Namwali Mariya nawonso ngofanana ndi maligubo olemekeza Cybele ndi Artemi.

Maina aulemu enieniwo opatsidwa kwa Mariya amatikumbutsa milungu amayi yachikunja. Ishtar ankalemekezedwa monga “Namwali Woyera,” “Dona wanga,” ndi “mayi wachifundo yemwe amamvetsera mapemphero.” Isis ndi Astarte ankatchedwa “Mfumukazi ya Kumwamba.” Cybele anatchedwa “Mayi wa onse Odalitsidwa.” Maina aulemu onseŵa, okhala ndi kusiyana pang’ono, amagwiritsidwa ntchito kwa Mariya.

Bungwe la Vatican II linalimbikitsa dzoma la kulambira “Namwali Wodalitsidwa.” Papa John Paul II ngwotchuka kaamba ka kudzipereka kwake kokangalika kwa Mariya. Mkati mwa maulendo ake aakulu, samaphonya konse mwaŵi wa kuchezera akachisi a Mariya, kuphatikizapo aja a Madonna Wakuda a ku Czestochowa, m’Poland. Iye anapereka dziko lonse kwa Mariya. Chotero, nkosadabwitsa kuti pansi pa mutu wakuti “Mother Goddess” (Mulungu Mayi), The New Encyclopædia Britannica imati: “Dzinalo lagwiritsidwanso ntchito ku mafano amakedzana aakazi ofala otchedwa Venus a nyengo yotchedwa Stone Age ndi kwa Namwali Mariya.”

Koma kulemekeza Mariya kwa Roma Katolika sindiko njira yokha imene kulambira mulungu mayi kwakhalirapo mpaka tsiku lathu. Mosangalatsa, ochirikiza gulu lofuna ufulu la akazi asindikiza mabuku ochuluka onena za kulambira milungu amayi. Iwo amakhulupirira kuti akazi atsenderezedwa kotheratu m’dziko lino m’limene amuna amalamulira motsendereza ufulu wa akazi ndikuti kulambira koyedzamira kwa akazi kumasonyeza ziyembekezo za anthu kaamba ka dziko losatsendereza ufulu kwambiri. Iwo amakhulupiriranso kuti dziko lerolino likadakhala labwinopo ndi malo amtendere ngati linali loyedzamira kwa akazi.

Komabe, kulambira mulungu mayi sikunadzetse mtendere m’dziko lamakedzana, ndipo sikudzadzetsa mtendere lerolino. Kuwonjezerapo, anthu ambirimbiri lerolino, kwenikweni mamiliyoni oyanjana ndi Mboni za Yehova, ngotsimikiza kuti dziko lino silidzapulumutsidwa ndi Mariya, mosasamala kanthu kuti amampatsa ulemu ndi kumkonda motani monga wokhulupirika, mkazi wa m’zaka za zana loyamba yemwe anali ndi mwaŵi waukulu wa kubala ndi kulera Yesu. Ndipo Mboni za Yehova sizimakhulupirira kuti Women’s Liberation Movement (Gulu Lomasula Akazi), ngakhale kuti zina za zofuna zake zingalungamitsidwe, ingadzetse dziko lamtendere. Kaamba ka chimenecho iwo amayang’ana kwa Mulungu yemwe Paulo anamlengeza kwa Atene ndi Aefeso, “Mulungu amene analenga dziko lapansi ndi zonse ziri momwemo.” (Machitidwe 17:24; 19:11, 17, 20) Mulungu Wamphamvuyonse ameneyu, amene dzina lake ndi Yehova, walonjeza dziko latsopano laulemerero mmene ‘mukhalitsa chilungamo,’ ndipo motsimikizira tingadalire lonjezo lake.​—2 Petro 3:13.

Ponena za lingaliro la Baibulo pa malo a mkazi pamaso pa Mulungu ndi mwamuna, nkhaniyo idzalongosoledwa mokulira m’magazini ano.

[Chithunzi patsamba 5]

ASITORETI​—Mulungu wamkazi wa ku Kanani wa kugonana ndi wankhondo

[Mawu a Chithunzi]

Musée du Louvre, Paris

[Chithunzi patsamba 6]

ARTEMI​—Mulungu wamkazi wakubala wa ku Efeso

[Mawu a Chithunzi]

Musei dei Conservatori, Rome

[Chithunzi patsamba 7]

“MAYI WA MULUNGU” wa Chikristu Chadziko

[Mawu a Chithunzi]

Chartres Cathedral, France