“M’masiku a Mfumu Herode”

POFUNA kupha Yesu ali wakhanda, Herode Wamkulu, yemwe anali mfumu ya Yudeya anatumiza anthu kukapha ana onse aamuna ku Betelehemu. M’nkhani za zochitika zakale muli zinthu zambiri zimene zinachitika “m’masiku a mfumu Herode” ndipo zinthuzo zimatithandiza kumvetsa mmene zinthu zinalili panthawi ya utumiki wa Yesu.​—Mateyo 2:1-16.

Panthawi imene Yesu anabadwa, Ayuda anali ndi mfumu yawo. Nanga n’chifukwa chiyani pamene Yesu ankaphedwa, iwo anali akulamuliridwa ndi Pontiyo Pilato, yemwe anali kazembe wachiroma? Ndiponso n’chifukwa chiyani Herode ankafuna kupha Yesu? Kuti timvetse bwino mbiri ya Herode komanso kuti tidziwe chifukwa chake anthu owerenga Baibulo ayenera kumudziwa bwino, tiyeni tikambirane zimene zinachitika kale kwambiri Yesu asanabadwe.

Kulimbirana Ulamuliro ku Yudeya

M’zaka zoyambirira za m’ma 100 B.C.E., dera la Yudeya linkalamulidwa ndi Asuri achiselukasi. Olamulira amenewa ankalamulira dera limodzi mwa madera anayi amene anachokera mu ufumu wa Alesandro Wamkulu. Komabe, cha mu 168 B.C.E., mfumu yachiselukasi inafuna kuthetsa kulambira Yehova n’kubweretsa mulungu wonyenga dzina lake Zeu m’kachisi wa ku Yerusalemu kuti azilambiridwa. Zimenezi zinachititsa kuti Ayuda, motsogoleredwa ndi banja la Amakabeo, agalukire. Amakabeo, omwe ankatchedwanso kuti Ahasimoni, analamulira dera la Yudeya kuyambira mu 142 mpaka mu 63 B.C.E.

Komabe, mu 66 B.C.E., ana awiri a kubanja lachifumu la Ahasimoni, omwe mayina awo ndi Hirikano Wachiwiri ndi mchimwene wake Arisitobulo, anayamba kukanganirana ufumu. Zimenezi zinayambitsa nkhondo yapachiweniweni ndipo aliyense pofuna kugonjetsa mnzake, anapempha thandizo kwa Pompeyi, kazembe wachiroma, amene panthawiyi anali ku Suriya. Pamenepa, Pompeyi anapezerapo mwayi woti akwaniritse zofuna zake.

Panthawi imeneyi, Aroma anali akumenya nkhondo yolanda madera ambiri a kummawa ndipo anali akulamulira dera lalikulu la Asia Minor. Popeza olamulira angapo amene anatsatizana kulamulira dziko la Suriya anali opanda mphamvu, anthu m’dzikoli ankangochita zofuna zawo ndipo zimenezi zinasokoneza mtendere umene Aroma ankafuna kuti ukhalepo m’dera lonse la kummawa. Motero, Pompeyi analanda dziko la Suriya n’kuyamba kulilamulira.

Pompeyi analowerera nkhondoyo pofuna kuthandiza Hirikana  ndipo mu 63 B.C.E., Aroma analanda Yerusalemu ndipo anaika Hirikana kukhala mfumu. Koma Hirikana sanakhale mfumu yoima payokha. Iye ankalamulira moyang’aniridwa ndi Aroma ndipo ankadalira iwowo kuti zinthu zimuyendere bwino ndiponso kuti apitirize kulamulira. Aromawo anam’patsa ufulu woti adzilamulira anthu ake mmene akufunira, koma pankhani zokhudza ubale ndi mayiko ena, anamuuza kuti azitsatira malamulo awo.

Chiyambi cha Ulamuliro wa Herode

Ulamuliro wa Hirikana unali wopanda mphamvu. Komabe, iye ankathandizidwa ndi Antipata wa ku Idumiya, yemwe anali bambo wake wa Herode Wamkulu. Antipata sanalole magulu ena a Ayuda kuti alande dera la Yudeya ndipo posakhalitsa iye anayamba kulamulira dera limeneli. Iye anathandizanso Juliasi Kaisara kugonjetsa adani ake a ku Iguputo. Pofuna kuthokoza Antipata chifukwa cha zimenezi, Aroma anam’kweza udindo kuti akhale bwanamkubwa. Nayenso Antipata anasankha mwana wake Faso, kukhala kazembe wa ku Yerusalemu ndiponso mwana wake wina Herode, kukhala kazembe wa ku Galileya.

Antipata analangiza ana akewo kuti ayenera kugwirizana kwambiri ndi Aroma kuti zinthu ziziwayendera bwino. Ndipo Herode anatsatira malangizo amenewo pamoyo wake. Panthawi yonse ya ulamuliro wake, iye ankaonetsetsa kuti sakuphwanya malamulo a Aroma pofuna kusangalatsa Ayuda omwe ankawalamulira. Iye anali waluso kwambiri pochita zinthu. Herode anasankhidwa kukhala kazembe ali ndi zaka 25 ndipo nthawi yomweyo Ayuda ndi Aroma anayamba kumukonda kwambiri chifukwa choti ankagwira ntchito mwakhama pothana ndi magulu onse a zigawenga m’dera lake.

Antipata anaphedwa atadyetsedwa poizoni m’chaka cha 43 B.C.E., ndipo zimenezi zinachititsa kuti Herode akhale ndi mphamvu zambiri ku Yudeya. Komabe, anali ndi adani ambiri. Akuluakulu a ku Yerusalemu ankamuona kuti anachita kulanda ufumu ndipo anayamba kunyengerera Aroma kuti amuchotse pampando. Komabe, zimenezi zinalephereka chifukwa Aroma ankalemekeza kwambiri Antipata, omwe anali bambo ake a Herode. Komanso, Aromawo ankaona kuti Herode anali ndi luso lochita bwino zinthu.

Herode Aikidwa Kukhala Mfumu ya Yudeya

Zomwe Pompeyi anachita pothandiza Hirikana pankhondo ya Ahasimoni, yomwe inachitika zaka 20 m’mbuyomo, zinakwiyitsa anthu ambiri. Gulu lotsatira Arisitobulo, lomwe linagonja pankhondoyo linayesetsa kangapo konse kuti lilande ulamulirowo. Ndipo mu 40 B.C.E., anthuwo anakwanitsadi kulanda ulamulirowo mothandizidwa ndi anthu a ku Pafiya, omwe anali adani a Aroma. Popezerapo mwayi pankhondo yapachiweniweni yomwe inkachitika ku Roma, anthu a ku Pafiya anagonjetsa Asuri, n’kuchotsa Hirikana pampando. Atatero, iwo anaika pampando munthu wina wa m’banja la Ahasimoni yemwe sankagwirizana ndi Aroma.

Chifukwa cha zimenezi, Herode anathawira ku Roma, komwe anamulandira bwino kwambiri. Koma Aroma ankafunitsitsa kuti anthu a ku Pafiya achotsedwe ku Yudeya ndiponso kuti deralo lizilamuliridwa ndi munthu amene iwo amusankhe. Iwo ankafuna munthu wodalirika ndipo anaona kuti Herode anali munthu woyenera. Motero, nyumba ya malamulo ya ku Roma inaika Herode kukhala mfumu ya Yudeya. Pofuna kusonyeza kuti adzachita chilichonse posangalatsa Aroma, Herode anatsogolera gulu la anthu poyenda ulendo wa ndawala kuchokera kunyumba ya malamulo kupita kukapereka nsembe kukachisi wa Jupita, yemwe anali mulungu wonyenga.

Mothandizidwa ndi asilikali achiroma, Herode anagonjetsa adani ake onse ku Yudeya ndipo anatenganso ufumu. Iye anabwezera mwankhanza kwambiri anthu onse amene ankalimbana naye. Herode anapheratu anthu onse a m’banja la Ahasimoni ndi akuluakulu achiyuda amene anali kumbali yawo ndiponso aliyense amene sankafuna kuti munthu amene akugwirizana ndi Aroma aziwalamulira.

Herode Alimbitsa Ulamuliro Wake

M’chaka cha 31 B.C.E., Okutaviya anakhala wolamulira wa Roma atagonjetsa Maliko Antoni pankhondo imene inachitika ku Akitamu. Ndipo Herode anazindikira kuti Okutaviya azimukayikira chifukwa choti ankagwirizana kwambiri ndi Maliko Antoni. Motero, Herode anafulumira kukamuuza Okutaviya kuti adzakhala wokhulupirika kwambiri kwa iye. Zimenezi zinachititsa kuti wolamulira wachiroma watsopanoyu asachotse Herode pampando, koma anamuuza kuti apitiriza kukhala  mfumu ya ku Yudeya ndipo anamuwonjezera madera oti azilamulira.

M’zaka zotsatira, Herode anachita zinthu zambiri zoti ufumu wake ulimbe komanso utukuke ndipo mzinda wa Yerusalemu anausandutsa likulu la miyambo ndi chikhalidwe cha Agiriki. Iye anayambanso ntchito yomanga nyumba zachifumu, mzinda wa Kaisareya womwe unali m’mbali mwanyanja, ndiponso zinthu zina zochititsa chidwi zomwe zinali kukachisi wa ku Yerusalemu. Komabe, iye ankachita zinthu zonse motsatira malamulo a Roma ndipo zimenezi zinam’thandiza kuti akhale ndi mphamvu.

Herode ankalamulira pachilichonse ku Yudeya. Iye analowereranso pankhani zokhudza ansembe ndipo ankasankha aliyense amene iye wafuna kuti akhale wansembe.

Ankachita Zinthu Zoipa Chifukwa cha Nsanje

Zinthu sizinkayenda bwino pabanja la Herode. Iye anali ndi akazi 10 ndipo ambiri mwa akaziwa, ankafuna kuti ana awo adzalowe ufumu, bambo awo akadzamwalira. Herode anayamba kukaikira anthu a kunyumba yachifumu kuti akhoza kumuchita chiwembu ndipo zimenezi zinachititsa kuti aziwachitira nkhanza. Chifukwa cha nsanje, Herode anapha mkazi wake dzina lake Mariamne, amene ankamukonda kwambiri. Kenako analamula kuti ana awiri a mkaziyo anyongedwe chifukwa chowaganizira kuti ankafuna kumulanda ufumu. Nkhani yopezeka m’buku la Mateyo, yonena za kuphedwa kwa ana ku Betelehemu imagwirizana ndi khalidwe la Herode lofuna kuthana ndi aliyense amene akumuganizira kuti angamulande ufumu.

Ena amanena kuti atazindikira kuti anthu sakumukondanso, Herode anafuna kuti akadzamwalira, anthu asadzasangalale koma dziko lonse lidzalire maliro ake. Pofuna kukwaniritsa cholinga chakecho, Herode anatsekera m’ndende anthu otchuka a ku Yudeya ndipo analamula kuti anthuwa adzaphedwe boma likadzalengeza kuti iye wamwalira. Koma iye atamwalira anthuwa sanaphedwe.

Mbiri Imene Herode Wamkulu Anasiya

Herode atamwalira, Aroma analamula kuti mwana wake Arikelawo alowe m’malo mwa bambo ake kukhala mfumu ya ku Yudeya ndiponso kuti ana ena awiri a Herode akhale akazembe. Iwo analamula kuti Antipa akhale wa ku Galileya ndi ku Pereya ndipo Filipo akhale wa ku Itureya ndi ku Tirakoniti. Koma anthu sankakonda Arikelawo ndipo atatha zaka 10 akulamulira, Aroma anamuchotsa pampando n’kusankha kazembe wawo, amene analamulira deralo Pontiyo Pilato asanayambe kulamulira. Koma Antipa, amene Luka anangomutchula kuti Herode, ndi Filipo anapitiriza kulamulira m’madera awo. Umu ndi mmene zinthu zinalili pa ndale pamene Yesu ankayamba utumiki wake.​—Luka 3:1.

Herode Wamkulu anali wodziwa bwino ndale komanso anali wankhanza kwambiri, ndipo nthawi imene anaonetsa nkhanza kwambiri kuposa nkhanza zonse ndi pamene anafuna kupha Yesu ali mwana. Kumvetsa mbiri ya Herode n’kothandiza kwambiri kwa anthu okonda kuwerenga Baibulo chifukwa kumathandiza kumvetsa nkhani zofunika kwambiri zokhudza mmene zinthu zinalili panthawiyo. Zimatithandizanso kudziwa mmene Aroma anayambira kulamulira Ayuda ndiponso kumvetsa moyo ndi utumiki wa Yesu.

[Mapu patsamba 15]

(Onani m’magazini yeniyeni kuti mumvetse izi)

Palestina ndi madera ena apafupi m’nthawi ya Herode

SURIYA

ITUREYA

GALILEYA

TIRAKONITI

Nyanja ya Galileya

Mtsinje wa Yorodano

Kaisareya

SAMARIYA

PEREYA

Yerusalemu

Betelehemu

YUDEYA

Nyanja ya Mchere

IDUMEYA

[Zithunzi patsamba 13]

Herode ndi mmodzi mwa olamulira a ku Yudeya omwe analamulira m’zaka 200, Yesu asanayambe utumiki wake