Diocletian Aukira Chikristu

PAPHWANDO lolemekeza mulungu Wachiroma Terminus pa February 23, 303 C.E., lochitidwira ku Nicomedia mu Asia Minor, likulu latsopano la dzikolo, amuna ankalimbana kusonyeza kukonda kwawo dziko la fuko lawo. Koma panawonekeratu kukhala palibe Akristu.

Ali pamalo apamwamba m’nyumba yachifumu, Mfumu Diocletian ndi wachiŵiri wake Kaisara Galerius anawona nyumba yosonkhanira Akristu. Atalamulidwa, asirikali ndi nduna za boma anakaloŵa ndi mphamvu m’nyumba ya Akristu imeneyo, kuifunkha katundu, ndi kutentha makope onse a Mabaibulo omwe anapeza. Potsirizira pake, anaigwetsa.

Ndimmene nyengo yachizunzo chomwe chinaipitsa ulamuliro wa Diocletian inayambira. Olemba mbiri amati chinali “chizunzo chachikulu chomalizira,” “chizunzo chankhanza choipitsitsa,” ndikuti chinali “kufafanizidwa kwa dzina Lachikristu.” Kupenda mkhalidwe wophatikizidwa m’zochitika zodabwitsa zimenezi kumapereka umboni wokhutiritsa.

Akunja Alimbana ndi Akristu

Diocletian, yemwe anabadwira ku Dalmatia, dziko limene linadzatchedwa Yugoslavia, anafikira kukhala wolamulira kupyolera m’maudindo ake m’gulu lankhondo la Roma. Ataikidwa paufumu mu 284 C.E., anatchuka chifukwa cha masinthidwe andale mwakukhazikitsa bungwe lolamulira la anthu anayi, kuyang’anira ufumuwo. Diocletian anaika Maximian, msirikali mnzake, kutumikira monga mfumu yachiŵiri, Augusto wachiŵiri, wokhala ndi udindo wapadera kudera lakumadzulo kwa dzikolo. Aliyense wa iwo, Diocletian ndi Maximian, anali ndi Kaisara wachiŵiri kwa iye yemwe anali ndi kuyenera koloŵa ufumu. Constantius Chlorus anatumikira monga Kaisara kwa Maximian, pamene kuli kwakuti Galerius wa ku Thrace anali pansi pa Diocletian.

Kaisara Galerius, mofanana ndi Diocletian, anali wolambira wokangalika wa milungu yachikunja. Pokhala wofunitsitsa kuloŵa ufumuwo, Galerius ananena bodza lakuti gulu lankhondo linkalinganiza chiŵembu. Sanafune chisonkhezero chomakulakula cha asirikali odzitcha Akristu. Malinga ndi lingaliro la mfumuyo, kukana kwawo kutenga mbali m’kulambira kwachikunja kunadodometsa udindo wake. Choncho Galerius anafulumiza Diocletian kuchitapo kanthu kufafaniza Chikristu. Potsirizira pake, m’nyengo yachisanu cha 302/303 C.E., mfumuyo inagonja kumalingaliro otsutsa Chikristu a Kaisara niivomereza kuyeretsa gulu lankhondo ndi bwalo lamilandu mwakuchotsamo anthu otero. Koma Diocletian sanavomereze kukhetsa mwazi, powopera kuti ofera Chikristu akasonkhezera ena kupanduka.

Komabe, pokhala wosakhutira ndi njira imeneyo, Diocletian anakambitsirana ndi akazembe a magulu ankhondo ndi nduna, kuphatikizapo Hierocles, bwanamkubwa wa Bithynia. Wokhalira kumbuyo Chigiriki ameneyu anachirikiza lingaliro lakuchitira chiwawa Akristu. Pokhala wochirikiza milungu ya makolo ya Roma, Diocletian anabutsa mkangano ndi Akristu. Malinga nkunena kwa Diocletian and the Roman Recovery, yolembedwa ndi Stephen Williams, chotsatira chinali “nkhondo yosalamulirika pakati pa milungu ya Roma ndi mulungu wa Akristu.”

Malamulo

Kuti akwaniritse ndawala yake ya chizunzo, Diocletian anapanga malamulo otsatizana anayi. Patsiku lotsatira chiukiro ku Nicomedia, analamula kuti malo onse osonkhanira a Akristu ndi chuma ziwonongedwe nalamula kuti mabuku opatulika aperekedwe ndi kutenthedwa. Akristu omwe anali ndi udindo m’Boma anayenera kutsitsidwa.

Pamene moto unabuka kaŵiri mkati mwenimweni mwa nyumba yachifumu, Akristu ogwira ntchito m’menemo anaimbidwa mlandu. Zimenezo zinapangitsa lamulo lachiŵiri, limene linalamula kuti abishopu, atumiki, ndi adikoni onse agwidwe. Popeza kuti lamulo lachitatu linavomereza kuzunza ngati nkofunika, linayesa kukakamiza amunawo kukhala ampatuko, kuti adzipereka nsembe kwa milungu ya Roma. Lamulo lachinayi linaposa pamenepo popeza linanena kuti aliyense wodzitcha Mkristu anayenera kuphedwa.

Kuzunza komwe kunatsatirapo kunayambitsa gulu lotchedwa traditores (kutanthauza, “ogonja”), amdyera kuŵiri opandukira Mulungu ndi Yesu amene anayesa kusungitsa miyoyo yawo mwakupereka makope awo a Malemba. Malinga nkunena kwa wolemba mbiri Will Durant, “Akristu zikwizikwi anabweza mawu kukana chikhulupiriro chawo . . . Koma ambiri omwe anazunzidwa anachirimika; ndipo kuwona ndi kumva mbiri ya kupirira chizunzo mokhulupirika kunalimbitsa chikhulupiriro cha ofooka ndi kuwonjezera ziŵalo zatsopano m’mipingo yozunzidwayo.” Akristu ku Phrygia, Kapadokiya, Mesopotamia, Foinike, Igupto, ndi mbali zina za Ufumu wa Roma anafera chikhulupiriro chawo.

Wolemba mbiri yatchalitchi Eusebius wa ku Kaisareya ananena kuti Akristu zikwizikwi anaphedwa m’chizunzocho. Kumbali ina, Edward Gibbon wolemba bukhu la The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, anatchula chiŵerengero chosafika pa zikwi ziŵiri. “Gibbon anakaikira nkhani zambiri zimenezi, powona kuti nzotengedwa kumagwero Achikritsu okuza mawu ndi mkamwa oyedzamira pakulemekeza ofera chikhulupiriro ndi kulimbitsa okhulupirika,” anatero wolemba nkhani wina. “Kukuza mawu ndi mkamwa,” iye anamaliza motero, “kwa olemba nkhani amene mosavuta anasintha imfa zingapo kukhala ‘zochuluka’, amene sanasiyanitse kufera chikhulupiriro kwenikweni ndi kuphedwa chifukwa chakuchimwa kwadala; ndipo amene anasimba za apandu onse amene anajiwa ndi zilombo zolusa zimene zinalephera kukhudza Akristu mwa ‘mphamvu ya Mulungu’ m’mabwalo amaseŵera, nkosakaikirika. Koma, ngakhale ngati tinganene kuti zina zinali zopeka, zotsalazo zinali zenizeni ndi zowopsa ndithu.” Ndithudi chizunzo chowopsa koposa chinachitikadi mwakugwiritsira ntchito zipangizo zozunzira, kutentha, kusenda, ndi mbaniro.

Akatswiri ena amakhulupirira kuti Galerius, osati Diocletian, ndiye anayambitsa chizunzocho. “Payenera kukhala chifukwa chachikulu,” ananena tero Profesa William Bright m’bukhu la The Age of the Fathers, “chonenera kuti zoyesayesa zamphamvu za ulamuliro wa dziko lonse wachikunja zofuna kufafaniza ntchito ya Ufumu umene suli mbali ya dzikoli zinayambidwa ndi Diocletian, mmalo mwa Galerius yemwe kwenikweni anaziyambitsa.” Ndithudi, ngakhale m’bungwe lolamulira la anthu anayilo, Diocletian ndiye anali ndi mphamvu zaulamuliro koposa ena onse, monga momwe wolemba nkhani Stephen Williams akutsimikizirira kuti: “Nkosakaikiritsa kuti Diocletian anali ndi ulamuliro waukulu pazigamulo zazikulu zopangidwa mu Ufumuwo kufikira 304, ndipo iye anali ndi thayo lalikulu la chizunzo kufikira chaka chimenecho.” Diocletian anadwala ndipo pomalizira pake anatula ulamuliro wake mu 305 C.E. Kwazaka zisanu ndi chimodzi pambuyo pake, chizunzo chomapitirizacho chinasonyeza udani waukulu wa Galerius wa zinthu zirizonse Zachikristu.

Chikristu cha m’Zaka za Zana Lachinayi

Zochitika zowopsa zimenezo kuchiyambi kwa zaka za zana lachinayi zimapereka umboni wotsimikizira zimene zinanenedweratu ndi mtumwi Paulo ndi Petro, ndi olemba ena owuziridwa. “Munthu wosayeruzika” woloseredwayo, kagulu kolamulira ka atsogoleri achipembedzo odzitcha Akristu, kanali katakhazikitsidwa kale, monga momwe malamulo a Diocletian, makamaka lachiŵiri, limasonyezera. (2 Atesalonika 2:3, 4; Machitidwe 20:29, 30; 2 Petro 2:12) Pofika zaka za zana lachinayi, machitachita ampatuko anali ofala. Ambiri odzitcha Akristu anali ziŵalo za gulu lankhondo la Roma. Kodi padalibe Akristu panthaŵiyo amene anali okhulupirika ku “chitsanzo cha mawu a moyo” cholandiridwa kwa atumwi?​—2 Timoteo 1:13.

Eusebius anatchula mikole ina ya chizunzocho, ngakhale kufotokoza bwino lomwe kuzunzika kwawo, kuvutika, ndi kufera chikhulupiriro pomalizira pake. Pakali pano, sitingadziŵe ngati ofera chikhulupiriro ameneŵa anafera umphumphu wa chowonadi chenicheni chovumbulidwa panthaŵiyo. Mosakaikira ena analabadira machenjezo a Yesu akupeŵa mpatuko, chisembwere, ndi kulolera molakwa kwa mtundu uliwonse. (Chivumbulutso 2:15, 16, 20-23; 3:1-3) Mwachiwonekere, okhulupirika ena amene anapulumuka sanatchulidwe m’mbiri. (Mateyu 13:24-30) Ndithudi, zoyesayesa zakufafaniza kulambira kwapoyera kwa Akristu zinali zachipambano kwambiri moti chifano cha ku Spanya choumbidwa panthaŵiyo chimathokoza Diocletian kaamba ‘koletsa chiphunzitso cha Kristu.’ Komabe, zoyesayesa zakulanda ndi kuwononga makope a Malemba, komwe kunali cholinga chachikulu cha Diocletian poukira Chikristu, zinalephera kufafaniza Mawu a Mulungu kotheratu.​—1 Petro 1:25.

Atalephera kufafaniza Chikristu kotheratu, Satana Mdyerekezi, wolamulira wa dzikoli, anapitiriza ndi machenjera ake kupyolera mwa Mfumu Constantine, yemwe analamulira kuyambira mu 306 mpaka 337 C.E. (Yohane 12:31; 16:11; Aefeso 6:11, NW, mawu amtsinde) Constantine wachikunjayo sanalimbane ndi Akristu. Mmalomwake, anawona kuti kuphatikiza zikhulupiriro zachikunja ndi Zachikristu kupanga chipembedzo chimodzi cha Boma kunali kwaphindu.

Nchenjezo labwino chotani nanga kwa ife! Pamene tiyanga’nizana ndi chizunzo chowopsa, chikondi chathu kwa Yehova chidzatithandiza kupeŵa kulolera molakwa pofuna mpumulo wakuthupi wakanthaŵi. (1 Petro 5:9) Mofananamo, sitidzalola nyengo ya mtendere kufooketsa changu chathu Chachikristu. (Ahebri 2:1; 3:12, 13) Kumamatira zolimba kumalamulo Abaibulo kudzatithandiza kukhala okhulupirika kwa Yehova, Mulungu amene amapulumutsa anthu ake.​—Salmo 18:25, 48.

[Mawu a Chithunzi patsamba 28]

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