Tatian—Defendim Truth or Againstim Church?
KLOSAP long end bilong mek-thri missionary gogo bilong hem, aposol Paul meet witim olketa olo man long kongregeson long Ephesus. Hem talem olketa: “Mi savve hao bihaen mi go olketa raf wild dog bae kam midolwan long iufala and bae no deal witim olketa sheep long kaenfala wei, and from midolwan long iufala seleva samfala man bae start for talem olketa giaman samting for pullim olketa disaepol for followim olketa.”—Acts 20:29, 30.
Olsem Paul hem talem, mek-tu century C.E. hem taem wea evri samting hem change and datfala wei for apostate hem start. Wanfala muvment bilong religion and olketa difren idea wea olketa kolem Gnosticism, hem start for kamap big and hem spoelem faith bilong samfala. Olketa Gnostic bilivim hao evri spiritual samting hem gud and evri physical samting hem wicked. From olketa tingse evri flesh hem wicked, olketa rejectim marit and wei for bornem pikinini, from olketa sei tufala samting hia start kam from Satan. Samfala Gnostic bilivim hao bikos olketa samting wea join witim spirit nomoa hem gud, hem no important hao man iusim physical body bilong hem. Kaen tingting olsem mekem pipol garem barava difren kaen living, samfala barava strict and samfala barava olabaot. Biliv bilong olketa Gnostic hao salvation hem kam from Gnosticism, or savve bilong man seleva, barava againstim truth bilong Word bilong God.
Hao nao olketa wea sei olketa Christian deal witim disfala danger bilong Gnosticism? Samfala wea garem education tok aot againstim olketa false teaching, bat samfala narawan start for bilivim. Olsem example, Irenaeus iusim full laef bilong hem for faet againstim olketa teaching wea againstim teaching bilong church. Teacher bilong hem, Polycarp, hem wanfala man wea stap long semtaem olsem olketa aposol. Polycarp encouragem pipol for strong for followim olketa teaching bilong Jesus Christ and olketa aposol. Bat, nomata Polycarp teachim Florinus tu wea hem wanfala fren bilong Irenaeus, gogo Florinus acceptim teaching bilong Valentinus, main bigman bilong datfala Gnostic muvment. Hem wanfala taem wea evri samting change tumas.
Wanfala man for raet long mek-tu century, Tatian, storyim tingting bilong pipol abaotem religion long datfala taem. Wanem kaen man nao Tatian? Hao nao hem kamap wanfala wea sei hem Christian? And waswe, tingting bilong olketa Gnostic affectim hem? Olketa wea luk aotem truth distaem savve lane from example and olketa ansa bilong hem.
Lukim “Samfala Difren Raeting”
Tatian hem man bilong Syria. Wei wea hem travel long staka ples and readim staka samting mekem hem garem bigfala savve abaotem olketa kastom bilong Greece and Rome long taem bilong hem. Tatian kam long Rome olsem wanfala traveling pablik speaker. Bat, taem hem stap long Rome hem start for interest long Christian Wei. Hem start for kaban witim Justin Martyr, maet olsem student bilong hem.
Long story bilong hem abaotem hao hem kamap wanfala Christian, Tatian hem sei: “Mi luk aotem wei wea mi savve faendem truth.” Abaotem samting wea happen long hem taem hem kasem chance for readim olketa Scripture, hem sei: “Mi lukim samfala difren raeting, wea old tumas mekem man no savve markem witim tingting bilong olketa long Greece, wea holy tumas mekem man no savve markem witim olketa mistek bilong Greek raeting; and simpol wei wea olketa raetem muvim mi for putim trust long hem, wei wea olketa wea raetem diswan olketa honest, wei wea olketa savve long samting wea bae happen long future, olketa nambawan law, and wei wea olketa scripture sei God hem ruler bilong gavman bilong universe.”
Tatian no hol bak for encouragem olketa long taem bilong hem for lukluk gud long Christian Wei and for lukim hao hem simpol and klia taem man markem witim olketa heathen teaching wea hard for minim and mekem man konfius. Wanem nao iumi savve lanem from raeting bilong hem?
Wanem Nao Raeting Bilong Hem Showimaot?
Raeting bilong Tatian showim hao hem wanfala man wea no fraet for defendim wanem hem bilivim. Hem barava againstim olketa heathen idea. Long raeting bilong hem Address to the Greeks, Tatian strongim hao heathen teaching hem iusles and hao Christian Wei hem balance. Raeting bilong hem barava tok strong againstim wei bilong olketa long Greece. Olsem example, hem sei olsem abaotem savveman Heracleitus: “Dae bilong hem showimaot hao disfala man hem krangge. From hem studyim medicine and olketa difren idea, taem hem kasem sik dropsy hem kavarem hemseleva witim siti bilong buluka, and taem diswan hem drae and kamap hard, diswan pullim flesh long body bilong hem, mekem body bilong hem pisis and hem dae.”
Tatian barava tinghae long biliv wea sei wanfala God nomoa stap, Creator bilong evri samting. (Hebrews 3:4) Long Address to the Greeks, hem storyim God olsem “wanfala Spirit” and hem sei: “Hem nomoa no garem start, and Hemseleva hem start bilong evri samting.” (John 4:24; 1 Timothy 1:17) Tatian rejectim wei for iusim olketa image long worship taem hem raet: “Hao nao mi savve sei olketa pis timba and ston olketa god?” (1 Corinthians 10:14) Hem bilivim hao datfala Word, or Logos, hem firstborn bilong olketa samting wea Father long heven wakem and bihaen hem helpem Father bilong hem for creatim universe. (John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:13-17) Tatian hem sei olsem abaotem resurrection long taem wea God appointim: “Mifala bilivim hao wanfala resurrection bae kamap for olketa body bihaen evri samting hem finis.” Saed long why nao iumi dae, Tatian hem raet: “God no creatim iumi for dae, bat iumi dae bikos long rong wea iumiseleva duim. Free will bilong iumi spoelem iumi; iumi wea free firstaem kamap olketa slave; iumi kamap slave bikos long sin.”
Wei wea Tatian explainim soul hem mekem man konfius. Hem sei: “Iufala olketa long Greece, soul hem savve dae. Bat maet hem savve stap laef. Sapos soul no savve long truth, hem bae dae, and hem bae finis witim body, bat bae laef bak moa long end bilong world witim body and bae kasem judgment for dae long wei for kasem panis for olowe.” Hem no klia wanem nao mining bilong samting Tatian talem hia. Maet from hem trae for mekem olketa nara savveman hapi, hem hol strong long samfala Bible teaching bat mixim olketa nara truth witim olketa heathen idea.
Narafala important raeting bilong Tatian hem Diatessaron, or Harmony of the Four Gospels. Tatian hem first wan for givim olketa Gospel long olketa kongregeson long Syria long languis bilong olketa. Pipol barava tinghae long disfala raeting wea joinim fofala Gospel insaed wanfala story. Syrian Church iusim diswan.
Wanfala Christian or Man for Againstim Church?
Taem iumi lukluk gud long raeting bilong Tatian, hem showaot klia hao hem respectim and savve gud long Bible. Hem sei olsem abaotem wei wea Bible affectim hem: “Mi no aftarem riches; mi no willing for kamap komanda long army; mi heitim fornication; mi no lovem tumas material samting dastawe mi no waka long ship; . . . mi no aftarem bignem . . . Sun hem shaen long evriwan and evriwan dae, nomata olketa garem gud living or olketa poor fogud.” Tatian givim disfala encouragement: “Finis for followim world, rejectim krangge wei bilong hem. Live followim God, and letem savve bilong iu abaotem Hem muvim iu for changem fasin bilong iu.”—Matthew 5:45; 1 Corinthians 6:18; 1 Timothy 6:10.
Bat, tingim raeting bilong Tatian wea garem title On Perfection According to the Doctrine of the Savior. Insaed diswan hem sei Devil nao startim marit. Hem tok strong againstim marit from hem sei olketa wea marit bae kamap slave bilong disfala world wea bae finis.
Hem luk olsem long samting olsem 166 C.E., bihaen Justin Martyr hem dae, Tatian startim or maet kaban witim wanfala sect wea olketa kolem Encratites wea garem strict living. Olketa hia mekhae long fasin for kontrolem seleva and for bossim body. Olketa followim barava strict living wea stopem wine, marit, and wei for garem staka samting.
Wanfala Leson for Lanem
Why nao Tatian barava no followim wanem Bible hem talem? Waswe, hem kamap “man wea herem samting and forgetim”? (James 1:23-25) Waswe, Tatian fail for rejectim olketa false story and from diswan acceptim olketa idea bilong man? (Colossians 2:8; 1 Timothy 4:7) From hem saportim olketa idea wea barava rong evribit, maet tingting bilong hem miss for lelebet taem.
Nomata wanem, raeting and example bilong Tatian helpem iumi minim lelebet samting abaotem tingting bilong pipol saed long religion long taem bilong hem. Raeting bilong hem showimaot hao olketa idea bilong disfala world savve spoelem pipol. Iumi mas lisin long warning bilong aposol Paul for tanawe “from olketa iusles toktok wea spoelem holy samting and from olketa toktok wea no mek sense and wea pipol giaman for kolem ‘savve.’”—1 Timothy 6:20.