Mfundo Zodzitsutsa za Tertullian

‘KODI Mkristu afanana pati ndi munthu wokonda nzeru za dziko? Afanana pati wopotoza choonadi, ndi wina wokonza choonadicho ndi kuchiphunzitsa? Pali mgwirizano wotani pakati pa sukulu za Akadame ndi Tchalitchi?’ Tertullian, wolemba mabuku wa m’zaka za m’ma 100 ndi 200 C.E., ndiye anafunsa mafunso ovutaŵa. Anadziŵika monga “mmodzi wa anthu odziŵa zochuluka za mbiri ya Tchalitchi ndiponso ya ziphunzitso za m’nthaŵi yake.” Anali kudziŵa pafupifupi zonse zokhudza moyo wachipembedzo.

N’kutheka kuti Tertullian anatchuka chifukwa cha mfundo zake zooneka zodzitsutsa, monga izi: “Ndiye kuti Mulungu ndi wamkulu kwambiri, ngakhale Ali wamng’ono.” “M’pofunika kukhulupiriradi [imfa ya Mwana wa Mulungu] chifukwa chakuti ndi yopanda tanthauzo.” “[Yesu] anaikidwa m’manda, naukanso; munthu sangakayikire zimenezi, chifukwa n’zosatheka.”

Si mawu okhaŵa a Tertullian amene amakhala ngati akudzitsutsa. Pali zinthu zinanso. Ngakhale kuti Tertullian ankafuna kuti zolemba zake ziteteze choonadi ndi kulimbitsa umodzi wa tchalitchi ndi ziphunzitso za tchalitchi, kwenikweni anapotoza ziphunzitso zoona. Chachikulu chomwe iye anachita m’Gawo la Matchalitchi Achikristu n’kuyambitsa mfundo yomwe olemba mabuku a m’tsogolo mwake anayambirapo chiphunzitso cha Utatu. Kuti tione momwe zimenezi zinachitikira, tiyeni choyamba tione moyo wa Tertullian mwachidule.

“Amachititsa Chidwi”

Tikudziŵapo zinthu zochepa chabe pa moyo wa Tertullian. Akatswiri ambiri amavomereza kuti iye anabadwa cha m’ma 160 C.E. mu mzinda wa Kafeji kumpoto kwa Africa. N’zosachita kufunsa kuti anali munthu wophunzira kwambiri ndi kutinso ankadziŵa bwino kwambiri magulu akuluakulu a anthu okonda nzeru za dziko masiku akewo. Zikuoneka kuti anachita chidwi ndi Chikristu chifukwa chakuti anthu odzitcha Akristu anali odzipereka kufera chikhulupiriro chawo. Pankhani ya Akristu ofera chikhulupiriro, iye anafunsa kuti: “Ndani amene amati akamalingalira nkhaniyi, safuna kudziŵa chimene chimachititsa munthu zimenezi? Ndipo ndani, amene atadziŵa, sakhulupirira ziphunzitso zathu?”

Atatembenuka kuloŵa chimene amaganiza kuti ndi Chikristu, Tertullian anakhala katswiri wolemba mabuku, waluso lofotokoza zinthu zanzeru m’mawu ochepa kwambiri. Buku la The Fathers of the Church limati: “[Iye] anali ndi luso lomwe silionekaoneka pakati pa akatswiri a maphunziro apamwamba a zaumulungu. Amachititsa chidwi.” Katswiri wina anati: “Tertullian [anali] ndi mphatso yosankha bwino mawu kusiyana ndi ziganizo ndipo n’kosavuta kumvetsa njerengo zake kusiyana ndi kutsatira zigomeko zake. Mwina ndiye chifukwa chake anthu amakonda kwambiri kugwira mawu ake kusiyana ndi kugwira mawu ndime zitalizitali za m’mabuku ake.”

Kuteteza Chikristu

Buku lotchuka kwambiri la Tertullian ndi Apology, lomwe anthu amati ndi buku lamphamvu kwambiri poteteza chimene iwo amaganiza kuti ndi Chikristu. Analilemba pamene Akristu anali kuzunzidwa kaŵirikaŵiri ndi magulu otengekatengeka. Tertullian anateteza  Akristu ameneŵa ndi kudzudzula nkhanza zomwe anthu ankawachitira. Anati: “[Adani] amaganiza kuti Akristu ndiwo amachititsa tsoka ndiponso vuto lililonse lomwe anthu amakumana nalo. . . . Ngati Nile sasefukira n’kufika kuminda, ngati nyengo sisintha, ngati pachitika chivomezi, pagwa chilala, mliri​—nthaŵi yomweyo pamamveka mfuwu yakuti: ‘Tengani Akristu muponyere mikango!’”

Ngakhale kuti Akristu nthaŵi zambiri ankawaimba mlandu wotsutsa Boma, Tertullian anayesetsa kusonyeza kuti iwo anali nzika zokhulupirika kwambiri m’dzikolo. Atatchula ziwembu zingapo zofuna kulanda boma, iye anakumbutsa adaniwo kuti anthu omwe ankakonza ziwembu zimenezo anali akunja, osati Akristu. Tertullian ananena kuti akamanyonga Akristu, Boma ndi limene limavutika kwambiri.

Mabuku ena a Tertullian anali okhudza moyo wachikristu. Mwachitsanzo, m’buku lake la On the Shows, Tertullian anadzudzula mchitidwe wopezeka pamalo ena a chisangalalo, pamaseŵero ndi zisudzo zachikunja. Zikuoneka kuti panali ena omwe anali atangotembenuka mtima kumene ndipo sankaona vuto lililonse kupezeka pamsonkhano wophunzira Baibulo kenako n’kukakhalanso nawo pamaseŵero achikunja. Pofuna kuwathandiza kuti aganizepo bwino, Tertullian analemba kuti: “N’zonyansa kuchoka m’tchalitchi cha Mulungu kupita kwa mdyerekezi​—kusiya zaumulungu kukachita zauchinyama.” Anati: “Chomwe mumakana mwa ntchito zanu, musachivomere ndi mawu anu.”

Anapotoza Choonadi Pochiteteza

Tertullian anayamba nkhani yake yakuti Against Praxeas ndi mawu akuti: “Mdyerekezi walimbana ndipo wakana choonadi m’njira zosiyanasiyana. Nthaŵi zina cholinga chake chakhala kupasula choonadi mwa kuchiteteza.” Munthu wa dzina la Praxeas wa m’nkhaniyi sadziŵika bwinobwino, koma Tertullian anatsutsa zimene iyeyo ankaphunzitsa ponena za Mulungu ndi Kristu. Iye ankaona Praxeas ngati mtumiki wa Satana amene ankafuna kuipitsa Chikristu mwakabisira.

Panthaŵiyo, nkhani yomwe inkavuta kwambiri pakati pa anthu odzitcha Akristu inali yokhudza ubale wa Mulungu ndi Kristu. Ena, makamaka Agiriki, zinkawavuta kumvetsa kuti zitheka bwanji kukhulupirira Mulungu mmodzi pamene Yesu ndiye Mpulumutsi ndi Momboli. Praxeas anayesa kuthetsa vuto lawo mwa kuphunzitsa kuti Yesu anali chabe maonekedwe ena a Atate ndipo Atateyo sasiyana ndi Mwana. Chiphunzitsochi chimati Mulungu anadzionetsa “monga Atate m’Chilengedwe ndi popereka Chilamulo, monga Mwana mwa Yesu Kristu, ndiponso monga Mzimu Woyera Kristu atakwera kumwamba.”

Tertullian anasonyeza kuti Malemba amasiyanitsa Atate ndi Mwana bwino kwambiri. Atagwira mawu 1 Akorinto 15:27, 28, anafotokoza kuti: “Iye amene anagonjetsa (zinthu zonse), ndi Iye amene zinagonjetsedwa kwa Iye​—ayenera kukhala Osiyana.” Tertullian anatchulanso mawu a Yesu mwiniyo, akuti: “Atate ali wamkulu ndi  Ine.” (Yohane 14:28) Pogwiritsa ntchito mawu ena opezeka m’Malemba Achihebri, monga Salmo 8:5, iye anasonyeza mmene Baibulo limafotokozera kuti Mwana ndi “wamng’ono.” Tertullian anati: “Chotero Atate ndi wosiyana ndi Mwana, pokhala wamkulu kuposa Mwana.” Ananenanso kuti: “Popeza kuti Wobala ndi wina, Wobadwa ndi winanso; nayenso Wotuma ndi wina, Wotumidwa ndi winanso; ndiponso Wopanga ndi wina, ndipo Iye amene chinthu chapangidwa kudzera mwa iye ndi winanso.”

Tertullian ankaona Mwana monga wamng’ono kwa Atate. Komabe, poyesayesa kulimbana ndi chiphunzitso chakuti Mulungu ali ndi maonekedwe osiyanasiyana, iye ‘anapitirira zimene zinalembedwa.’ (1 Akorinto 4:6) Pamene Tertullian ankayesa kutsimikiza umulungu wa Yesu mwa chiphunzitso china, anayambitsa mfundo ya “mmodzi mwa atatu,” komwe kunali kulakwitsa. Pogwiritsa ntchito maganizo ameneŵa, iye anayesa kusonyeza kuti Mulungu, Mwana wake, ndi mzimu woyera ndi osiyana ndipo ndiwo atatu okhala mwa Mulungu mmodzi. Motero, Tertullian anakhala munthu woyamba kugwiritsa ntchito liwu la Chilatini la “utatu” pa Atate, Mwana, ndi mzimu woyera.

Chenjerani ndi Nzeru ya Dziko

Kodi Tertullian anatha bwanji kuyambitsa chiphunzitso cha “mmodzi mwa atatu”? Yankho tikulipeza m’mfundo yake inanso yodzidzutsa​—maganizo ake pa nzeru ya dziko. Tertullian anati nzeru ya dziko ndi “‘ziphunzitso’ za anthu ndi ‘za ziŵanda.’” Anadzudzula mosapita m’mbali mchitidwe wogwiritsa ntchito nzeru ya dziko pochirikiza choonadi cha Chikristu. Anati: “Peŵani zoyesayesa zonse zofuna kupanga Chikristu chopotoka chotsata mfundo za Astoiki, Plato, ndi za mikangano ya anzeru.” Chikhalirecho, Tertullian mwiniyo ankagwiritsa ntchito kwambiri nzeru ya dziko ikagwirizana ndi maganizo ake.​—Akolose 2:8.

Buku lina lamaumboni limati: “Chiphunzitso cha Utatu chinafunika mfundo za Agiriki kuti chikhazikike ndi kumveka.” Nalonso buku lakuti The Theology of Tertullian limati: “Njira yodabwitsa imene Tertullian anasakanizira mfundo ndi mawu za m’malamulo komanso za nzeru ya dziko inam’thandiza kufotokoza utatu m’njira imene inayala maziko oti anthu adzakambirane za chiphunzitsochi pa Msonkhano wa ku Nesiya, ngakhale kuti chinali kupereŵera zina ndiponso chinali cholakwika.” Chotero, mfundo ya Tertullian, ya atatu mwa Mulungu mmodzi, inathandiza kwambiri kufalitsa tchimo la chipembedzo m’Matchalitchi Achikristu.

Tertullian ankadzudzula anthu ena kuti akuwononga choonadi pamene iwo ankayesa kuchiteteza. Koma, chodabwitsa n’chakuti mwa kusakaniza choonadi cha m’Baibulo chouziridwa ndi Mulungu ndi nzeru za anthu, iye anachitanso zomwezo zimene ankadzudzula nazo anzake. Chotero tiyeni tilabadire chenjezo la m’Malemba loletsa “kusamala mizimu yosocheretsa ndi maphunziro a ziŵanda.”​—1 Timoteo 4:1.

[Zithunzi patsamba 29, 30]

Tertullian ankatsutsa nzeru ya dziko koma anaigwiritsa ntchito polimbikitsa maganizo akeake

[Mawu a Chithunzi]

Masamba 29 ndi 30: © Cliché Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris

[Chithunzi patsamba 31]

Akristu oona amapeŵa kusakaniza choonadi cha m’Baibulo ndi nzeru ya anthu