Sanaganize za Kulolera Molakwa!
DZANJA la Yehova linali ndi otsatira oyambirira a Yesu Kristu. (Machitidwe 11:21) Ndi chithandizo cha Mulungu, iwo analondola njira yachilungamo mopanda kulolera molakwa. Mbiri imachitira umboni wakuti iwo anakumananso ndi udani ndipo ngakhale chizunzo chowopsa.
Umphumphu wa otsatira oyambirira okhulupirika a Kristu wakhala wodziŵika bwino lomwe. Ngakhale kufikira pakutayikiridwa ndi miyoyo yawo, iwo anakana kulolera molakwa chikhulupiriro chawo. Koma kodi nchifukwa ninji anachitiridwa mwankhalwe chotero?
Anadedwa Popanda Chifukwa
Mofanana ndi Yesu, Akristu owona sanakhale ndi mbali m’zonulirapo ndi zikhulupiriro za dzikoli. (1 Yohane 4:4-6) Ndiponso, kukula kwa Chikristu “kunali kofulumira kwambiri, ndipo chipambano chake chinali choonekera kwambiri, kwakuti kuwombana koipitsitsa [ndi boma la Roma] kunali kosapeŵeka,” akutero wolemba mbiri Edmond de Pressensé.
Nthaŵi ina Yesu anagwiritsira ntchito salmo laulosi pa iye mwini, akumati: “Anandida ine kopanda chifukwa.” (Yohane 15:25; Salmo 69:4) Asanauze ophunzira ake zimenezi, iye anachenjeza kuti: “Kapolo sali wamkulu ndi mbuye wake. Ngati anandilondalonda ine, adzakulondalondani inunso.” (Yohane 15:20) Kukakhala kovuta kulondola mapazi ake. Choyamba, atsogoleri achipembedzo pakati pa Ayuda akaona ophunzira Achiyuda a Yesu kukhala opatuka pa Chiyuda. Komabe, pamene otsatira a Yesu analamulidwa kuti asalankhulenso za iye, iwo anakana kugonja ndi kulolera molakwa chikhulupiriro chawo.—Machitidwe 4:17-20; 5:27-32.
Muumboni woperekedwa ku Bwalo la Akulu Lachiyuda mwamsanga pambuyo pa Pentekoste wa 33 C.E., wophunzira Stefano anaimbidwa mlandu wa “kunenera Mose ndi Mulungu mawu amwano.” Ngakhale kuti zinenezozo zinali zonama, iye anaponyedwa miyala kufikira kufa. Chotero, “kunayamba kuzunza kwakukulu pa mpingo unali m’Yerusalemu,” ndipo “anabalalitsidwa onse m’maiko a Yudeya ndi Samariya, koma osati atumwi ayi.” (Machitidwe 6:11, 13; 8:1) Ambiri anaikidwa m’ndende.
Ayuda analondalonda otsatira a Yesu “ndi udani wankhalwe,” likutero buku lakuti Christianity and the Roman Empire. Ndipotu, boma la Roma kaŵirikaŵiri linakakamizika kuchitapo kanthu kutetezera Akristu! Mwachitsanzo, asilikali Achiroma anapulumutsa mtumwi Paulo kwa Ayuda omwe anafuna kumupha. (Machitidwe 21:26-36) Komabe, unansi wa Akristu ndi Aroma unakhalabe woipa.
Roma Awonjezera Chizunzo
Pafupifupi zaka zisanu ndi zinayi pambuyo pa imfa ya Stefano, Herode Agripa I wolamulira wa Roma anapha mtumwi Yakobo kuti apeze chiyanjo cha Ayuda. (Machitidwe 12:1-3) Panthaŵiyo, chikhulupiriro mwa Kristu chinali chitafalikira ku Roma. (Machitidwe 2:10) Mu 64 C.E., mbali yaikulu ya mzindawo inawonongedwa ndi moto. Chizunzo chowopsa cha Akristu chinatsatirapo Nero atawaimba mlandu wa ngoziyo poyesayesa kuthetsa mphekesera yakuti ndiye amene anakoleza motowo. Kodi iye anatentha mzindawo kuti apeze chifukwa choumangiranso mwaulemerero koposa ndi kuutcha dzina lakuti Neropolis lophatikizapo dzina lake? Kapena kodi mfumukazi wake Poppaea, Myuda wotembenuzidwa wokhala ndi udani wachionekere kulinga kwa Akristu, anasonkhezera chosankha chake cha kuwaimba mlandu? Ofufuza sali otsimikizira, koma zotulukapo zake zinali zowopsa.
Wolemba mbiri Wachiroma Tacitus akuti: “Kunyodola kunawonjezedwa pa imfa; atavekedwa zikopa za zinyama, [Akristu] anakhadzulidwa nthulinthuli ndi agalu; anakhomeredwa pamitanda; anatenthedwa ndi moto, kotero kuti kukada, akhale ngati miyuni,” nyale zaumunthu zounikira minda ya wolamulira. Tacitus, amene sanali bwenzi la Akristu, akuwonjezera kuti: “Ngakhale kuti anali aliŵongo, ndipo oyenerera chilango chopereka chitsanzo, anachititsa chifundo, powonongedwa, osati chifukwa cha ubwino wa anthu onse, koma chifukwa cha nkhalwe ya munthu mmodzi,” Nero.
Kusiyana Koonekeratu
Ngakhale kuti kunali kogwirizana ndi chifuno cha Nero kuneneza Akristu za kuwononga Roma, iye sanawaletse konse kapena kuletsa Chikristu monga chipembedzo cha m’Bomalo. Chotero nchifukwa ninji Aroma anavomereza chizunzocho? Chifukwa chakuti “zitaganya zazing’ono za Akristu zinali kuvutitsa anthu akunja okondetsa zokondweretsa mwa kudzipereka kwawo ndi ubwino wawo,” akutero wolemba mbiri Will Durant. Kusiyana pakati pa Chikristu ndi kukhetsa mwazi kwa m’mipikisano yomenyana Yachiroma sikukanaposa pamenepo. Mwaŵi wa Aroma wa kufafaniza Akristu ndipo motero kutontholetsa zikumbumtima zawo unali wosayenera kuphonya.
Pokhala ulamuliro wa dziko lonse, Roma anaonekera kukhala wosakhoza kugonjetsedwa. Aroma anakhulupirira kuti chimodzi cha zifukwa za kukhala kwawo amphamvu m’nkhondo chinali kulambira kwawo milungu yonse. Chotero kunawakhalira kovuta kumvetsetsa kulambira Mulungu mmodzi yekha kwa Akristu ndi kukana kwawo milungu ina yonse, kuphatikizapo kulambira wolamulira. Kunali kosadabwitsa kuti Roma anaona Chikristu kukhala chisonkhezero chowononga maziko enieni a ulamulirowo.
Zotulukapo za Kuchitira Umboni
Chakumapeto kwa zaka za zana loyamba C.E., mtumwi Yohane anaikidwa m’ndende pachisumbu cha Patmo “chifukwa cha mawu a Mulungu ndi umboni wa Yesu.” (Chivumbulutso 1:9) Wolamulira Wachiroma Domitian akulingaliridwa kukhala atachita zimenezi. Komabe, mosasamala kanthu za chitsenderezo chimene chinaikidwa pa otsatira a Yesu, podzafika kumapeto kwa zaka za zanalo, Chikristu chinali chitafalikira mu ulamuliro wonse wa Roma. Kodi zimenezi zinatheka bwanji? A History of the Early Church imanena kuti Chikristu chinali “chogwirizanitsidwa pamodzi ndi utumiki wake.” Mofanana ndi Yohane, Akristu oyambirira ozunzidwawo sanalolere molakwa chikhulupiriro chawo koma analimbikira kulankhula mwachangu za Mulungu ndi kuchitira umboni Yesu.—Machitidwe 20:20, 21; 2 Timoteo 4:2.
Chizunzo cha Akristu chinasintha pofika mu 112 C.E., zaka ziŵiri Wolamulira Trajan ataika Pliny kukhala bwanamkubwa wa Bithynia (tsopano kumpoto koma chakumadzulo kwa Turkey). Boma lakale la kumeneko linalekerera zinthu, likumachititsa chipwirikiti. Akachisi anatsala pang’ono kusiyidwa, ndipo malonda a udzu wa zinyama za nsembe anatsika kwambiri. Amalonda anaimba mlandu njira yokhweka ya kulambira kwa Akristu, pakuti inalibe nsembe za nyama ndi mafano omwe.
Pliny anagwira ntchito zolimba kubwezeretsa kulambira kwachikunja, pamene Akristu anataya miyoyo yawo chifukwa chokana kupereka nsembe ya vinyo ndi lubani pamaso pa mafano a wolamulira. M’kupita kwa nthaŵi, akuluakulu Achiroma anavomereza kuti Akristu “anali anthu amakhalidwe abwino, koma mosamvetsetseka anali adani a miyambo yakale yachipembedzo,” akutero Profesa Henry Chadwick. Ngakhale kuti kukhala Mkristu kunali mlandu wokhala ndi chilango cha imfa, otsatira owona a Yesu sanaganize za kulolera molakwa.
Panakhalanso udani chifukwa cha “mkwiyo wa m’mabanja achikunja wochititsidwa ndi kutembenuzidwa kwa ziŵalo zawo,” akutero Profesa W. M. Ramsay. “Kakhalidwe kanali kuvuta pamene mnansi wa munthu sanagwirizane ndi miyambo wamba yakakhalidwe pamaziko akuti kuteroko kunatanthauza kuzindikira milungu yachikunja,” akutero Dr. J. W. C. Wand. Nchifukwa chake ambiri anaona Akristu oyambirira monga adani a mtundu wa anthu kapena anawalingalira kukhala osakhulupirira kukhalako kwa Mulungu.
Kuwonjezeka Kudzetsa Chizunzo Chokulirapo
Polycarp, wosimbidwa kuti anaphunzitsidwa ndi mtumwi Yohane, anakhala mkulu wolemekezeka mumzinda wa Smurna (tsopano Izmir). Chifukwa cha chikhulupiriro chake anatenthedwa pamtengo mu 155 C.E. Bwanamkubwa Wachiroma wa chigawo Statius Quadratus anasonkhanitsa makamu a anthu. Sitediyamuyo inadzala ndi akunja aukali amene ananyoza Polycarp wa zaka 86 zakubadwa chifukwa chotsutsa kulambira milungu yawo, ndipo Ayuda otengeka maganizo mofunitsitsa anasonkhanitsa nkhuni, ngakhale kuti anachita zimenezo patsiku la Sabata lalikulu.
Funde la chizunzo kenaka linafalikira kwa Akristu m’dziko lonse la Roma. Pansi pa Wolamulira Marcus Aurelius, ambiri anaphedwadi. Ngati anali nzika za Roma, anaphedwa ndi lupanga; ngati sanali, anaphedwa ndi zilombo zolusa m’mabwalo amaseŵera. Kodi upandu wawo unali wotani? Wakungokhala Akristu amene anakana kulolera molakwa kapena kukana chikhulupiriro chawo.
Mzinda wamakono wa ku France wa Lyons unachokera m’chigawo cha Roma cha Lugdunum, likulu la boma ndi malo okha oyang’aniridwa ndi asilikali a Roma pakati pa Roma ndi mtsinje wa Rhine. Pofika mu 177 C.E., unali ndi chitaganya cholimba cha Akristu chimene akunja anachitsutsa mwaukali. Zimenezi zinayamba pamene Akristu analetsedwa kumaloŵa m’malo a zokondweretsa. Gulu linasonkhezera chiwawa, ndipo chizunzo chotsatirapo chinali chachikulu kwakuti palibe Mkristu amene anayesa nkuchoka komwe panyumba. Bwanamkubwa Wachiroma analamula kuti Akristu afunidwe ndi kuphedwa.
Mphotho
Pamene atumwi a Yesu anatha kufa ndipo chiyambukiro chawo chochinjiriza chinachoka, mpatuko unayamba kukula pakati pa odzitcha Akristu. (2 Atesalonika 2:7) Chakumapeto kwa zaka za zana lachinayi C.E., Chikristu champatuko chinakhala chipembedzo cha Boma. Podzafika panthaŵiyo, chinali chitaipitsidwa ndipo chinali chokonzekera kulolera molakwa ndi kudzigwirizanitsa chokha ndi dziko—kanthu kamene Yesu ndi ophunzira ake oyambirira sanachite konse. (Yohane 17:16) Komabe, zaka zambiri pasadakhale, mabuku onse a Baibulo anali atamalizidwa, ndi mbiri yake ya chikhulupiriro Chachikristu.
Kodi kuvutika ndi imfa za zikwi za Akristu oyambirira zinali zosaphula kanthu? Kutalitali! Posaganizira zololera molakwa chikhulupiriro chawo, ‘anakhala okhulupirika kufikira imfa, ndipo anapatsidwa korona wa moyo.’ (Chivumbulutso 2:10) Atumiki a Yehova adakali kuzunzika kwambiri, koma chikhulupiriro ndi umphumphu wa okhulupirira anzawo oyambirira zikali magwero a chilimbikitso chachikulu kwa iwo. Chifukwa chake, Akristu amakono saganizanso za kulolera molakwa.
[Chithunzi pamasamba 8, 9]
Nero
Chifaniziro cha boma la Roma
Guwa la nsembe loperekedwa kukulambiridwa kwa Kaisara
[Mawu a Chithunzi]
Nero: Mwachilolezo cha The British Museum
Museo della Civiltà Romana, Roma
[Chithunzi patsamba 10]
Marcus Aurelius
[Mawu a Chithunzi]
The Bettmann Archive