UDiocletian Uhlasela UbuKristu

KUMSITHO wothixo wamaRoma uTerminus owawungoFebruwari 23, 303 C.E., owaqhutyelwa eNicomedia eAsia Minor, ikomkhulu elitsha lasebukhosini, abantu babesukuzana befuna ukubonisa ukuthand’ izwe kwabo. Kodwa iqela elikhulu lamaKristu kwakuphawuleka ukuba lalingekho apho.

Besendaweni yebhotwe ababenokubona kakuhle kuyo, uMlawuli uDiocletian nomlawuli ongaphantsi uGalerius Kesare babondele indawo yokuhlanganisana yamaKristu yasekuhlaleni. Kwakuba kwenziwe umqondiso, amajoni namagosa aseburhulumenteni atyhoboza angena kweso sakhiwo samaKristu, asiphanga aza ayitshisa imibhalo yeBhayibhile awayifumanayo apho. Ekugqibeleni, asidiliza eso sakhiwo.

Ngaloo ndlela kwaqalisa ixesha lentshutshiso elathi lashiya ibala kulawulo lukaDiocletian. Ababhali-mbali bakuchaza oku ngokuthi “intshutshiso enkulu yokugqibela,” “eyona ntshutshiso inogonyamelo,” kwanangokuthi “into eyabucim’ igama ubuKristu.” Ukukhangela kwimvelaphi yezi ziganeko zichukumisayo kungqineka kukucacisa oku.

Ubuhedeni Ngokuchasene NobuKristu

UDiocletian, owazalelwa eDalmatia, engummandla wendawo eyathi yaba yiYugoslavia, waqala ukubaluleka ngenxa yezigxina zomkhosi wamaRoma. Emiselwe njengomlawuli ngowama-284 C.E., waye waduma ngokuhlaziya ezobupolitika xa wamisela ulawulo lwabalawuli abane ngaxeshanye, ukuba bakhokele kobo bukhosi. UDiocletian wamisela uMaximian, owayelijoni elikhulileyo elalisebenza kunye naye, ukuba asebenzisane naye njengomlawuli wesibini, uAwugusto wesibini, enembopheleleko ekhethekileyo kwinxalenye engasentshona yobo bukhosi. UDiocletian noMaximian babenooKesare abangaphantsi ababebanike amalungelo okulawula emva kwabo. UConstantius Chlorus wasebenza njengoKesare kuMaximian, ngoxa uGalerius owayesuka eThrace wayelawula ngaphantsi kukaDiocletian.

UGalerius Kesare, njengoDiocletian, wayengumkhonzi ozinikeleyo woothixo bobuhedeni. Enamabhongo okulawula emva kwalo mlawuli, uGalerius wazenza owoyikayo ukwenza ubuqhetseba emkhosini. Wayengayithandi impembelelo ekhulayo yamajoni awayezibanga engamaKristu. Ngokwembono yomlawuli, ukwala kwawo ukuthabath’ inxaxheba kunqulo lobuhedeni kwakulingana nokucela umngeni igunya lakhe. Ngoko uGalerius wabongoza uDiocletian ukuba athabathe amanyathelo okuphelisa ubuKristu. Ekugqibeleni, kubusika bowama-302/303 C.E., lo mlawuli wayamkela ingcamango kaKesare echasene nobuKristu yaye wavuma ukuwagxotha amajoni namaphakathi angaweloqela. Kodwa uDiocletian wayengahambisani nokuphalazwa kwegazi, esoyikela ukuba abafeli-nkolo abangamaKristu babeya kushukumisela abanye ekubeni bagqibe kwelokuba bavukele.

Sekunjalo, enganelisekanga ngamanyathelo athatyathiweyo ukusombulula loo ngxaki, uDiocletian wadlan’ indlebe nabaphathi namagosa asemkhosini, kuquka noHierocles, irhuluneli yaseBhitini. Lo uzinikele kwinkqubo yamaGrike wayexhasa isenzo sogonyamelo nxamnye nawo onke amaKristu. Ukuxhasa kukaDiocletian oothixo besithethe bamaRoma kwakhokelela kungquzulwano nobuKristu. Ngokutsho kweDiocletian and the Roman Recovery, ebhalwe nguStephen Williams, umphumo waba “yimfazwe engaphele ndawo ukusa ekuphetheni phakathi koothixo baseRoma nothixo wamaKristu.”

Imiyalelo

Ukuze aqhubeke nephulo lakhe lentshutshiso, uDiocletian wavakalisa imiyalelo emine elandelelanayo. Ngosuku olulandelayo emva kokuhlaselwa kweNicomedia, wayalela ukuba zonke iindawo zokuhlanganisana zamaKristu nezinto zawo zitshatyalaliswe yaye wawisa umthetho wokuba iincwadi ezingcwele zinikezelwe zize zitshiswe. AmaKristu akwizigxina zaseburhulumenteni ayemele athotywe kwizikhundla zawo.

Xa kwaqhambuka imililo kangangezihlandlo ezibini kanye phakathi kwibhotwe lomlawuli, ityala labekwa kumaKristu awayesebenza apho. Oku kwabangela kubekho umyalelo wesibini, owamisela ukuba kubanjwe kuze kuvalelwe bonke oobhishophu, amadoda amakhulu nabadikoni. Ugunyazisa nokuthuthumbisa ukuba kuyimfuneko, umyalelo wesithathu waba lilinge lokwenza aba bantu bawexuke, unyanzelisa ukuba benze amadini koothixo bamaRoma. Umthetho wesine wona wawungapheleliselwanga apho ibe wabangela ukuba kube lityala elinzulu kumntu wonke ukuthi ungumKristu.

Umphumo welo phulo lenkohlakalo wavelisa udidi olwalubizwa ngokuthi luziitraditores (elithetha ukuthi, “abo banikezelayo”), abangcatshi bakaThixo noKristu abazama ukukhusela ubomi babo ngokunikezela ngemibhalo yabo yeZibhalo. Ngokutsho kombhali-mbali uWill Durant, “amawaka-waka amaKristu arhoxa . . . Kodwa inkoliso yabo babetshutshiswa yema iqinile; yaye xa babebona okanye besiva ngenkalipho yabanye abazalwana ababethuthunjiswa lwalusomelela ukholo lwabo babexengaxenga yaye bazuza amalungu amatsha kuloo mabandla ayetshutshiswa,” AmaKristu aseFrigi, eKapadoki, eMesopotami, eFenike, eYiputa nakwinkoliso yeminye imimandla yoBukhosi baseRoma afela inkolo.

Umbhali-mbali weCawa uEusebius waseKesareya waqikelela ukuba amaKristu awafa ebudeni bentshutshiso ayengamawaka. Kwelinye icala, uEdward Gibbon, umbhali weThe Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, uthetha ngenani elingaphantsi kwamawaka amabini. Omnye umbhali ucacisa athi: “UGibbon uyaluthandabuza uninzi lwala mabali, ekubeni evela kwimithombo ephenjelelwe bubuKristu eyayizimisele ukuzukisa abafeli-nkolo ize ikhuthaze abathembekileyo.” Uhlabela mgama athi, “Akuthandabuzeki ukuba, bayabaxa ababhali abathi ngokulula bajike ukufa kwebathwana kube ‘zizihlwele,’ abangenzi mahluko phakathi kokufela ukholo okunganyanzeliswanga kunye nokubangelwe kukuxhokonxwa kwangabom; yaye ababalisa ngendlela amarhamncwa kwizindlu zemiboniso awazidlavula ngokunengcwangu ngayo zonke ezinye izaphuli mthetho kodwa anqandwa ‘ngamandla angaphezu kwawemvelo’ ukuba angawachukumisi amaKristu. Kodwa, kwanangokuyophulela le nkohliso, oko kuseleyo kubi kakhulu.” Ngokuqinisekileyo eyona ntshutshiso inenkohlakalo yenziwa ngezixhobo zokuthuthumbisa, ngokutshiswa, ngokuyuculwa isikhumba yaye kusetyenziswa neeplayasi ukuze kuthuthunjiswe.

Kwincwadi ezithile kuthiwa nguGalerius kungekhona uDiocletian, owayengoyena mphembeleli wentshutshiso. UNjingalwazi uWilliam Bright kwiThe Age of the Fathers uthi, “Kungenxa yezizathu ezivakalayo le nto imigudu yegunya lehlabathi labahedeni yokucim’ igama uBukumkani obungebubo obeli hlabathi kusithiwa yenziwa nguDiocletian, kunokuba kuthiwe yenziwa ngoyena msunguli wayo wokwenyaniso uGalerius.” Sekunjalo, kwanakulawulo lwabalawuli abane, uDiocletian wayengumlawuli owongamileyo, njengokuba umbhali uStephen Williams eqinisekisa: “Akuthandabuzeki ukuba uDiocletian wayelawula konke ukuwiswa kwemithetho emikhulu eBukhosini de kwangowama-304, yaye enembopheleleko enkulu ngaloo ntshutshiso de kwanguloo mhla.” UDiocletian wagula yaye ekugqibeleni woyisakala ukulawula ngowe-305 C.E. Kangangeminyaka emithandathu kamva, ukuqhubeka kwentshutshiso kwabonisa intiyo ekrakra kaGalerius ngobuKristu buphela.

UbuKristu Benkulungwane Yesine

Ezi ziganeko zihlasimlisayo zasebutsheni benkulungwane yesine ziqinisekisa oko kwakuchazwe kwangaphambili ngumpostile uPawulos noPetros, kunye nabanye ababhali abaphefumlelweyo. “Umchasi-mthetho” owaxelwa kwangaphambili, udidi olulawulayo lwabefundisi abathi bangamaKristu, wayesele eqinisekisiwe, njengokuba imiyalelo kaDiocletian, ingakumbi owesibini, ikungqina oko. (2 Tesalonika 2:3, 4, NW; IZenzo 20:29, 30; 2 Petros 2:12) Ngenkulungwane yesine, uqheliselo lwabawexuki lwalusele luqhelekile. Babebaninzi ababezibabaza bengamaKristu ababengamalungu omkhosi wamaRoma. Ngaba ayengekho ngoko amaKristu awayethembekile “kumzekelo wamazwi aphilileyo” awayewafumene kubapostile?—2 Timoti 1:13.

UEusebius uchaza amaxhoba athile aloo ntshutshiso, ude asichazele ngokweenkcukacha ngokuthuthunjiswa, ngokubandezeleka, yaye ekugqibeleni nokufela kwabo ukholo. Enoba bonke abo bafeli-nkolo bafa begcine ingqibelelo kwinyaniso eyayityhiliwe eyayifumaneka ngelo xesha, oko asinakukwazi ngoku. Alithandabuzeki elokuba abathile baye basithabathela entliziyweni isilumkiso sikaYesu sokuba baphephe amahlelo, ukuziphatha okubi nazo zonke iintlobo zokulalanisa. (ISityhilelo 2:15, 16, 20-23; 3:1-3) Kuyabonakala ukuba, abathile abathembekileyo abasindayo bahlala befihlakele ngokwembono engokwezembali. (Mateyu 13:24-30) Eneneni, yayiphumelele loo milinganiselo yokuthibaza unqulo lwasekuhlaleni lwamaKristu kangangokuba kwindlu yesikhumbuzo yaseSpeyin ngeloo xesha uDiocletian wothulelwa umnqwazi ‘ngokuphelisa inkolelo kaKristu.’ Sekunjalo, loo migudu yokuphanga neyokutshabalalisa imibhalo yeZibhalo, inkalo eyintloko yentlaselo kaDiocletian kubuKristu, yasilela ukulitshayela ngokupheleleyo iLizwi likaThixo.—1 Petros 1:25.

Ewephantsi ekubucimeni igama ngokupheleleyo ubuKristu, uSathana uMtyholi, umlawuli weli hlabathi, waqhubeka nezo zenzo zakhe zichuliweyo esebenzisa uMlawuli uConstantine, owayelawula ukususela ngowama-306 ukusa kowama-337 C.E. (Yohane 12:31; 16:11; Efese 6:11, umbhalo osemazantsi weNW) Umhedeni onguConstantine akazange alwe namaKristu. Kunoko, wakufumanisa kufanelekile ukuba avube iinkolo zobuhedeni nezobuKristu kwicawa entsha yeSizwe.

Esinjani sona isilumkiso esibekelwe thina sonke! Xa sijamelene nentshutshiso enenkohlakalo, uthando lwethu ngoYehova luya kusinceda siphephe ukulalanisa ngenxa yokukhululeka ngokwasemzimbeni kokomzuzwana. (1 Petros 5:9) Ngokufanayo, asiyi kuvumela imeko yokuba seluxolweni ikhukulise unyamezelo lwethu lobuKristu. (Hebhere 2:1; 3:12, 13) Ukunamathela ngokungqongqo kwimigaqo yeBhayibhile kuya kusigcina sithembekile kuYehova, uThixo onako ukusindisa abantu bakhe.—INdumiso 18:25, 48.

[Inkcazelo Ngomfanekiso okwiphepha 28]

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