Theophilus wa ku Antiokeya Kodi Anali Yani?

“MUNDITCHA ine kuti Mkristu, monga ngati kuti limeneli ndi dzina lachabechabe, koma mwa ine ndekha, ndilengeza kuti ndine Mkristu, ndipo ndinyamula dzina lokondedwa ndi Mulungu limeneli, ndi chikhulupiriro chakuti Mulungu andigwiritsire ntchito.”

Ndimo mmene Theophilus amayambira mabuku ake a mbali zitatu otchedwa Theophilus to Autolycus. Ndiko kuyamba kwa kudzitetezera kwake pa mpatuko wa m’zaka za zana lachiŵiri. Theophilus akudzidziŵikitsa mwamphamvu kukhala wotsatira wa Kristu. Akuoneka kukhala wotsimikiza kuchita zinthu zake kuti akhale ‘wokondedwa ndi Mulungu,’ mogwirizana ndi tanthauzo la dzina lake m’chinenero chachigiriki. Kodi Theophilus anali yani? Kodi anakhalako liti? Ndipo anachitanji?

Mbiri Yake

Sitimadziŵa zambiri ponena za mbiri ya Theophilus. Analeredwa ndi makolo osakhala Akristu. Pambuyo pake Theophilus anatembenuka kukhala Mkristu ataphunzira Malemba mosamalitsa. Anakhala bishopu wa mpingo wa Antiokeya wa Suriya, amene lero amadziŵika kukhala Antakya, ku Turkey.

Mogwirizana ndi lamulo la Yesu, Akristu a m’zaka za zana loyamba analalikira kwa anthu a ku Antiokeya. Luka analemba za chipambano chawo, akumati: “Dzanja la [Yehova, NW] linali nawo; ndi unyinji wakukhulupira unatembenukira kwa Ambuye.” (Machitidwe 11:20, 21) Monga momwe Mulungu anawalamulira, otsatira a Yesu Kristu anadziŵika kukhala Akristu. Dzina limeneli linagwiritsiridwa ntchito choyambirira ku Antiokeya wa Suriya. (Machitidwe 11:26) M’zaka za zana loyamba C.E., mtumwi Paulo anapita ku Antiokeya wa Suriya, ndipo anakhala kwawo. Barnaba ndi Paulo, limodzi ndi Yohane Marko, anayamba ulendo wawo woyamba waumishonale kuchokera ku Antiokeya.

Akristu oyambirira a ku Antiokeya ayenera kukhala atalimbikitsidwa kwambiri ndi maulendo a atumwi mumzinda wawo. Chifukwa china chimene iwo analabadirira choonadi cha Mawu a Mulungu mwachangu mosakayikira chinali maulendo olimbitsa chikhulupiriro a oimira bungwe lolamulira a m’zaka za zana loyamba. (Machitidwe 11:22, 23) Kuyenera kukhala kutawalimbikitsa chotani nanga kuona nzika zambiri za Antiokeya zikupatulira moyo wawo kwa Yehova Mulungu! Komabe, panali patapita zaka zoposa 100 pamene Theophilus anakhala ku Antiokeya.

Wolemba mbiri Eusebius anati Theophilus anali bishopu wachisanu ndi chimodzi wa Antiokeya, kuyambira panthaŵi ya atumwi a Kristu. Theophilus analemba makambitsirano ndi zigomeko zambiri zotsutsa chipanduko. Iye ali mmodzi wa Akristu ochirikiza chikhulupiriro chawo khumi ndi aŵiri kapena kuposa pamenepo a m’tsiku lake.

Kupenda Zolemba Zake

Poyankha makambitsirano amene anachitika poyamba, Theophilus akulembera Autolycus wakunja mwa kuyamba ndi mawu awa: “Lilime lochenjera ndi kulankhula mokometsera zimasangalatsa ndi kupereka chitamando chopanda pake, kwa anthu ovutika amene maganizo awo anapotozedwa.” Theophilus akufotokoza, akumati: “Wokonda choonadi samangomvetsera mawu okometseredwa, koma amapenda tanthauzo lenileni la mawuwo . . . Undiukira ndi mawu opanda pake, ukumadzitamandira ndi milungu yako ya mitengo ndi miyala, yokhomedwa ndi kusulidwa, yosemedwa kapena kuzokotedwa, imene siona kapenanso kumva, pakuti ndiyo mafano, ndi ntchito za manja a anthu.”​—Yerekezerani ndi Salmo 115:4-8.

Theophilus akuvumbula chinyengo cha kupembedza mafano. Mwa kalembedwe kakekake, iyeyo mwamphamvu, ngakhale kuti akubwereza mawu, akuyesa kufotokoza mkhalidwe weniweni wa Mulungu woona. Akufotokoza kuti: “Kaonekedwe ka Mulungu nkosalongosoleka kapena kosafotokozeka, ndipo sangaonedwe ndi maso akuthupi. Pakuti mu ulemerero Iye sangazindikiridwe bwino, mu ukulu wake sangayeseke, mu utali wake sangamvetsetseke, mu mphamvu yake ngwosayerekezereka, mu nzeru yake alibe wina wonga iye, mu ukoma wake palibe wofanana naye, m’kukoma mtima kwake wosaneneka.”

Kuwonjezera pa kufotokoza Mulungu kumeneku, Theophilus akupitiriza kuti: “Koma iye ndiye Mbuye, chifukwa Iyeyo amalamulira chilengedwe chonse; Atate, chifukwa amatsogolera zinthu zonse; Wolinganiza ndi Wopanga, chifukwa Iye ndiye mlengi ndi mpangi wa chilengedwe chonse; Wamwambamwamba, chifukwa cha kukhala Kwake pamwamba pa zonse; ndi Wamphamvuyonse, chifukwa Iye Yekha amalamulira ndi kusamalira zonse.”

Kenako, pofotokoza za zochita zapadera za Mulungu, Theophilus akupitira m’njira yake yosamalitsa ndi yobwereza mawuyo, akumati: “Pakuti kumwamba ndiko ntchito Yake, dziko lapansi ndilo chilengedwe Chake, nyanja ndiyo ntchito ya manja Ake; munthu ndiye choumbidwa Chake ndi chifanefane Chake; dzuŵa mwezi, ndi nyenyezi ndizo zolengedwa Zake, zopangidwa kaamba ka zizindikiro, ndi nyengo, ndi masiku, ndi zaka, kuti zitumikire ndi kukhala akapolo a munthu; ndipo zinthu zonsezi Mulungu wazipanga kuchokera mu zinthu zimene kunalibe kukhala zinthu zimene ziliko, kuti mwa ntchito Zake ndi ukulu Wake adziŵike ndi kuzindikiridwa.”

Chitsanzo china cha kutsutsa kwa Theophilus milungu yonama ya m’tsiku lake chikuoneka m’mawu otsatirapowa onenedwa kwa Autolycus: “Maina a aja amene iwe umanena kuti umawalambira, ndi maina a anthu akufa. . . . Ndipo kodi iwo anali anthu otani? Kodi Saturn samadziŵika kukhala wodya anthu, kuwononga ndi kulikwira ana ake omwe? Ndipo ngati utchula za mwana wake Jupiter, . . . mmene mbuzi inamuyamwitsira . . . ndi zochita zake zina,​—kugona achibale, ndi chigololo, ndi chilakolako chake.”

Pokulitsa chigomeko chake, Theophilus akulimbitsa kaimidwe kake kotsutsa kupembedza mafano kwachikunja. Akulemba kuti: “Kodi ndipitirizebe kutchula nyama zambiri zimene Aigupto amazilambira, zokwaŵa zonse, ng’ombe, ndi nyama zakuthengo, ndi mbalame, ndi nsomba za m’mitsinje . . . Agiriki ndi mitundu ina, iwo amalambira miyala ndi mitengo, ndi mitundu ina ya zinthu.” “Koma ine ndimalambira Mulungu wamoyo ndi woona,” akunena motero Theophilus.​—Yerekezerani ndi 2 Samueli 22:47; Machitidwe 14:15; Aroma 1:22, 23.

Umboni Wofunika

Malangizo ndi machenjezo a mabuku atatu a Theophilus olembedwa motsutsa Autolycus ali ndi mfundo zosiyanasiyana ndi zofotokozedwa bwino. Zolemba zina za Theophilus anazilembera Hermogenes ndi Marcion. Analembanso mabuku a malangizo ndi achilimbikitso, akumawonjezera ndemanga zake pa Mauthenga Abwino. Komabe, mabuku atatu omka kwa Autolycus, opanga mpukutu umodzi wa malembo apamanja ndiwo okha amene asungidwa.

Buku loyamba ndilo mawu ochirikiza chikhulupiriro olembedwa kumka kwa Autolycus potetezera chipembedzo chachikristu. Buku lachiŵiri lomka kwa Autolycus likutsutsa chipembedzo chachikunja chotchuka, malingaliro opeka, anthanthi, ndi andakatulo. Mabuku achikunja akuyerekezeredwa ndi Malemba m’buku lachitatu la Theophilus.

Pachiyambi cha kulembedwa kwa buku lachitatu la Theophilus, mwachionekere Autolycus anali akali ndi lingaliro lakuti Mawu a choonadi anali nthano wamba. Theophilus akuimba mlandu Autolycus, akumati: “Umapirira mokondwera ndi zitsiru. Chifukwa chakuti sukanasonkhezeredwa ndi anthu opanda pake kumvetsera mawu awo opanda pake, ndi kuchirikiza mphekesera zofala.”

Kodi ‘mphekesera zofalazo’ zinali zotani? Theophilus akusonyeza kumene zinachokera. Anthu oneneza “a milomo yosapembedza atiimba mlandu monama, [ife] amene tili olambira Mulungu, ndi amene timatchedwa Akristu, akumanena kuti timabwerekana akazi athu onse ndi kumagonana nawo; ndi kuti timagonana ndi alongo a ife eni, ndipo, chinthu chopanda umulungu ndi chauchinyama koposa zonse, akuti timadya nyama ya anthu.” Theophilus anachita zamphamvu kuletsa lingaliro lokhota kwambiri lachikunja limeneli la amene ananena kuti anali Akristu a m’zaka za zana lachiŵiri. Anagwiritsira ntchito kuunika kwa choonadi kokhala m’Mawu ouziridwa a Mulungu.​—Mateyu 5:11, 12.

Umboni wakuti Theophilus anadziŵa Mawu a Mulungu ndiwo kugwiritsira ntchito kwake kochuluka ndi kutchula kwake malemba achihebri ndi achigiriki omwe a Baibulo. Iye anali mmodzi wa othirira ndemanga oyambirira pa Mauthenga Abwino. Kutchula Malemba kochuluka kwa Theophilus kukupereka chidziŵitso chofunika pa maganizo amene anali ofala mu nthaŵi yake. Anagwiritsira ntchito kudziŵa kwake malembo ouziridwa kusonyeza kupambana kwake kwakukulu pa nthanthi zachikunja.

Dongosolo la zolemba za Theophilus, mamvekedwe a liwu lake la kuphunzitsa ndi kubwereza mawu zingakhale zosakopa kwa ena. Pakali pano sitingathe kunena kuti mpatuko wonenedweratuwo unayambukira kulondola kwa malingaliro ake kufikira pati. (2 Atesalonika 2:3-12) Komabe, podzafika panthaŵi ya imfa yake, cha ku ma 182 C.E., Theophilus mwachionekere anali atakhala wochirikiza chikhulupiriro wosatopa, amene zolemba zake zili zofunika kwambiri kwa Akristu oona a m’nyengo yathu.

[Chithunzi patsamba 30]

Theophilus anatsutsa zigomeko za Autolycus molimba mtima

[Mawu a Chithunzi patsamba 28]

Zinthunzithunzi pamasamba 28 ndi 30 zojambulidwanso kuchokera mu Illustrirte Pracht-Bibel/​Heilige Schrift des Alten und Neuen Testaments, nach der deutschen Uebersetzung D. Martin Luther’s