Ani Abonsam Yɛ?

“Yɛ Kristofoi a-Sɔlemɔ lɛ mli yinɔsane mli lɛ, be ko ba ní ahe aye akɛ abonsam, Beelzebul loo Satan, efɔŋfeemɔ tsɛ lɛ yɛ diɛŋtsɛ, taakɛ bɔ ni ŋmɛnɛ mɛi komɛi kã he amɛheɔ amɛyeɔ akɛ ‘Nyɔŋmɔ’ ji mɔ ko ni yɔɔ diɛŋtsɛ lɛ; awuiyeli nifeemɔi ni yaa nɔ yɛ Yudafoi kɛ mra be mli Kristofoi lɛ ateŋ lɛ ha mɛi komɛi susu akɛ abonsam ji gbɔmɔ fã kɛ kooloo fã. Sɛɛ mli lɛ, Kristofoi lɛ bayɔse akɛ enɛ ji adesã mli gbɔmɔ ko ni bɛ nɔdaamɔ nɔ diɛŋtsɛ ko, ni no hewɔ lɛ, amɛŋmɛɛ he kpooo akɛ abonsam bɛ.”—“All in the Mind—A Farewell to God,” ni Ludovic Kennedy ŋma.

TAAKƐ niŋmalɔ kɛ amaniɛbɔlɔ Ludovic Kennedy wie lɛ, yɛ afii ohai abɔ ni eho lɛ mli lɛ, no mli lɛ mɔ ko bɛ Kristendom ni je shihilɛ diɛŋtsɛ mli ni Abonsam yɔɔ lɛ he ŋwane. Shi moŋ, taakɛ Woloŋlelɔ Norman Cohn wie he lɛ, bei komɛi lɛ, “Satan kɛ edaimonioi lɛ náa” Kristofoi lɛ “anɔ hewalɛ.” (Europe’s Inner Demons) Jeee mɛi foji ni leee woloŋ lɛ pɛ susu nakai. Ákɛ nɔkwɛmɔnɔ lɛ, Woloŋlelɔ Cohn kɛɛ akɛ, hemɔkɛyeli ni ayɔɔ akɛ Abonsam tsake esu tamɔ kooloo koni ebakwɛ efɔŋfeemɔ kɛ kusumii ni he tseee nɔ lɛ “ejeee shishi kɛjɛɛɛ mɛi babaoo ni leee woloŋ lɛ adesãi amli, shi nɔ ni tamɔɔɔ nakai lɛ, eje shishi kɛjɛ bɔ ni mɛi ni nɔ kwɔlɔ ni yɔɔ hewalɛ lɛ susuɔ je lɛ he amɛhaa lɛ nɔ.” Nɛkɛ “mɛi ni nɔ kwɔlɔ ni yɔɔ hewalɛ”—ni osɔfoi ni le woloŋ lɛ fata he—lɛ ji mɛi ni kɛ yiwaa ba Europa kɛjɛ afii ohai 15 kɛyashi afii ohai 17 lɛ mli beni akɛɛ akɛ sɔlemɔ lɛ kɛ maŋ nɔyelɔi lɛ ewa gbɔmɛi aaafee 50,000 yi ni amɛgbe amɛ akɛni amɛsusu akɛ ayɛi ji amɛ lɛ hewɔ.

Ebɛ naakpɛɛ akɛ mɛi babaoo ekpoo nɔ ni amɛbu lɛ akɛ apasa hemɔkɛyelii ni kɔɔ Abonsam he lɛ. Yɛ afii 1726 mli tɔŋŋ po lɛ, Daniel Defoe ye hemɔkɛyeli ni mɛi hiɛ akɛ Abonsam ji kooloo awuiyelɔ ni he yɔɔ gbeyei “ni yɔɔ ampaŋ fiji, akloŋtoi, nane ni agbala mli enyɔ, lei kakadaŋŋ, lilɛi ŋta, kɛ nibii ni tamɔ nakai” lɛ he fɛo. Ekɛɛ akɛ nakai “susumɔi lɛ bɛ nɔdaamɔ nɔ” ni mɛi ni kɛba ji “mɛi ni woɔ abonsam he hewalɛ kɛ mɛi ni feɔ abonsam he su ko lɛ” ni akɛ “amɛkɛ abonsam lakaa mɛi ni leee nɔ ko yɛ je lɛŋ kɛha amɛ diɛŋtsɛ amɛsɛɛnamɔ.”

Ani nakai onaa lɛ? Ani oheɔ oyeɔ akɛ “abonsam ji efɔŋ ko ni yɔɔ gbɔmɔ mli kɛkɛ”? Nakai wiemɔ lɛ jeɔ kpo yɛ The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible lɛ mli, ni mɛi babaoo ni kɛɔ akɛ Kristofoi ji amɛ lɛ susuɔ nakai. Shi fɛɛ mli lɛ, Kristendom Nyɔŋmɔjamɔ he nilelɔ Jeffrey Burton Russell kɛɛ akɛ, “ebu Abonsam kɛ daimonioi lɛ akɛ apasa hemɔkɛyelii ni jɛ blema.”

 Ni kɛlɛ, kɛha mɛi komɛi lɛ, Abonsam ji mɔ ni yɔɔ diɛŋtsɛ. Amɛsusu akɛ esa akɛ hewalɛ ko ni fe adesai anɔ ahɔ nibii fɔji ni baa yɛ adesai ayinɔsane mli lɛ sɛɛ. Russell kɛɛ akɛ: “Nibii ni yɔɔ gbeyei ni ba yɛ afii ohai nyɔŋmai enyɔ lɛ mli” lɛ ji nɔ kome hewɔ ni “hemɔkɛyeli ni ayɔɔ yɛ Abonsam mli, sane ni aŋmɛɛɛ he be kakadaŋŋ ko ni saa eteɔ shi ekoŋŋ oyayaayai lɛ.” Taakɛ woloŋmalɔ Don Lewis tsɔɔ lɛ, ŋmɛnɛŋmɛnɛ beaŋ bii babaoo ni le woloŋ ni “ye” apasa hemɔkɛyelii lɛ “ahe fɛo” ni she “amɛ blematsɛmɛi ni leee woloŋ” lɛ gbeyei lɛ “egbala amɛjwɛŋmɔ ekoŋŋ kɛba nibii fɔji ni yaa nɔ lɛ nɔ.”—Religious Superstition Through the Ages.

Belɛ, mɛni ji anɔkwale ni kɔɔ sane lɛ he? Ani Abonsam ji apasa hemɔkɛyeli ko ni shishinumɔ bɛ mli? Aloo eji mɔ ko ni esa akɛ akɛ hiɛdɔɔ asusu ehe yɛ afii ohai 21 nɛɛ mli?

[Mfoniri ni yɔɔ baafa 4]

Taakɛ nɔ ko ni Gustave Doré ekpɛ́ lɛ tsɔɔ lɛ, blema apasa hemɔkɛyelii fee Abonsam he mfoniri akɛ gbɔmɔ fã kɛ kooloo fã

[He ni Sane lɛ Jɛ]

The Judecca—Lucifer/The Doré Illustrations For Dante’s Divine Comedy/Dover Publications Inc.