Ibibazo by’abasomyi

Hari abantu bamwe bavuze ko ubwato Pawulo yarimo butarohamye ku kirwa cya Melita mu majyepfo ya Sisile, ahubwo ko bwarohamye ku kindi kirwa. Ubwo bwato bwarohamye he?

Iki kibazo kirerekeza ku bintu biherutse kuvugwa, ko ubwato intumwa Pawulo yari arimo butarohamiye ku kirwa cy’i Melita, ahubwo ko ari ku kirwa cya Céphalonie (cyangwa se Kefallinía) kiri hafi y’icyambu cya Corfu kiri mu Nyanja ya Ionie, ku nkombe y’iburengerazuba bw’u Bugiriki. Inkuru yahumetswe itubwira ko Pawulo yavuye i Kayisariya ari mu maboko y’umutware w’umutwe wo mu ngabo z’Abaroma witwa Yuliyo, hamwe n’abandi basirikare, n’izindi mbohe zari kumwe na Pawulo. Nk’uko bigaragara ku ikarita, baratsutse bafata i Sidoni n’i Mura. Bamaze kujya mu nkuge  nini yatwaraga ibinyampeke ivuye muri Alekizanderiya ho mu Misiri, bakomeje urugendo berekeza iburengerazuba bagera i Kinido. Ntibari bagishoboye gukomeza inzira bari bagambiriye kunyuramo yambukiranya inyanja ya Egée, ikanyura mu majyepfo y’u Bugiriki ikagera i Roma. Umuyaga w’ishuheri wabahatiye kujya ku kirwa cy’i Kirete maze bikinga umuyaga ku nkombe yacyo. Bahageze, bomokeye ku cyambu cyitwa i Myaro myiza. Bakimara ‘kuva i Kirete,’ inkuge yahise ‘ihehwa’ n’“umuyaga uhuha cyane witwa Urakulo.” Iyo nkuge yatwaraga ibinyampeke kandi ikaba yari iremereye, ‘yateraganywe hirya no hino mu nyanja’ igeza mu ijoro rya 14. Amaherezo abantu 276 bari bayirimo bose barohamiye ku kirwa Ibyanditswe Byera bya Kigiriki byita Me·liʹte.—Ibyakozwe 27:1–28:1.

Uko imyaka yagiye ihita, hagiye hatangwa ibitekerezo bitandukanye ku bihereranye no kumenya icyo kirwa cy’i Me·liʹte icyo ari cyo. Hari bamwe batekereje ko cyari ikirwa cya Melite Iluriko ari na cyo ubu cyitwa Mljet, kikaba kiri mu nyanja ya Adiriya uvuye ku nkengero za Korowasi. Ibyo ariko bisa n’aho bidashoboka, bitewe n’uko amajyaruguru ya Mljet nta ho ahuriye n’ahandi hantu Pawulo yakurikijeho mu ngendo ze ari ho i Surakusa, i Sisile no ku nkombe y’iburengerazuba bwa Italiya.—Ibyakozwe 28:11-13.

Abenshi mu bahinduzi ba Bibiliya, bahurije hamwe bemeza ko Me·liʹte ari ikirwa cya Melite Africanus, ubu kikaba ari cyo Melita. Icyambu cya nyuma ubwato Pawulo yarimo bwahagazeho mbere yo gukomeza urugendo, ni icy’ahitwa i Myaro myiza kiri i Kirete. Hanyuma umuyaga uhuha cyane wabujyanye iburengerazuba, ku karwa kitwa Kilawuda. Ubwo bwato bwamaze iminsi myinshi buteraganwa n’umuyaga. Birumvikana rwose ko ubwo bwato bwatwarwaga n’umuyaga w’ishuheri bwari kugenda bugana kure mu burengerazuba, maze bukagera i Melita.

Conybeare na Howson bahereye ku miyaga ikunze kuba muri ako karere hamwe n’“umuvuduko ndetse n’icyerekezo iyo miyaga ihuha iganamo,” bandika mu gitabo cyabo bagira bati “hagati ya Kilawuda [cyangwa Kawuda] na Melita hari ibirometero bigera kuri 770. Ibyo bihuje neza n’ibyabaye ku bwato Pawulo yari arimo, ku buryo rwose bisa n’ibidashoboka ko haba hari ikindi kirwa abasare baba baromokeyeho mu ijoro rya cumi na kane, kitari icy’i Melita. Hari ibihamya byinshi bigaragaza ko icyo kirwa ari icy’i Melita.”—The Life and Epistles of St. Paul

N’ubwo hari ahandi hantu bashobora kuvuga ko ari ho ubwo bwato bwarohamye, kuvuga ko ubwo bwato bwarohamye i Melita nk’uko bigaragara kuri iyi karita, bihuje n’ibyo Bibiliya ivuga.

[Ikarita/Ifoto yo ku ipaji ya 31]

(Niba wifuza kureba uko bimeze, reba mu Munara w’Umurinzi)

Yerusalemu

Kayisariya

Sidoni

Mura

Kinido

KIRETE

KILAWUDA

MELITA

SISILE

Surakusa

Roma

MLJET

U BUGIRIKI

CÉPHALONIE