Indoda Engagqibekiyo UTertullian

‘NGABA kukho ukufana okuthile phakathi komKristu nesithandi sobulumko? naphakathi kwalowo ugqwetha inyaniso nalowo uyiphuhlisayo aze ayifundise abanye? Ngaba kukho isivumelwano phakathi kweSikolo sikaPlato neCawa?’ Loo mibuzo ilucelomngeni yabuzwa nguTertullian, umbhali wenkulungwane yesibini neyesithathu kwiXesha lethu Eliqhelekileyo. Wayesaziwa “njengengcaphephe kwimbali yeCawa neyeemfundiso ezazifundiswa ngexesha lakhe.” Phantse kwakungekho nkalo yonqulo wayengayazi.

Mhlawumbi uTertullian wayesaziwa gqitha ngenxa yamazwi akhe adidayo, okanye avakala ngokungathi ayaphikisana, njengala athi: “UThixo mkhulu ngokukhethekileyo, ingakumbi xa emncinane.” “Sifanele sikukholelwe [ukufa konyana kaThixo], ngoba akukholeleki.” “[UYesu] wangcwatywa waza waphinda wavuka; leyo yinyaniso engenakuphikwa, kuba loo nto ayinakwenzeka.”

Asingomazwi kuphela kaTertullian ayevakala edida. Nangona injongo yeencwadi zakhe yayikukuthethelela inyaniso nokulondoloza isidima secawa neemfundiso zayo, eneneni wazigqwetha iimfundiso eziyinyaniso. Igalelo lakhe eliyintloko kwiNgqobhoko laba ngunozala wengcamango abathi ababhali bamva bakhela phezu kwayo imfundiso kaBathathu Emnye. Ukuze siqonde oko kwenzekayo, masikhe siqale sikuthele gqabagqaba ngoTertullian ngokwakhe.

“Indoda Ebangela Umdla”

Akukho nto ingako eyaziwayo ngobomi bukaTertullian. Inkoliso yabaphengululi iyavumelana ukuba wazalwa malunga nowe-160 C.E. eCarthage, eMntla Afrika. Kuyabonakala ukuba wayesisifundiswa yaye eqhelene ngokupheleleyo neengcamango zezithandi zobulumko eziphambili zomhla wakhe. Ngokucacileyo, into eyamtsalela kubuKristu yayikukulungela kwabo bathi bangamaKristu ukufela ukholo lwabo. Ngokuphathelele ukufel’ ukholo kwamaKristu, wabuza: “Ngubani na ocinga ngokufel’ ukholo, ongaziva enehlombe lokwazi into ebangela abe nomoya onjalo? yaye ngubani othi emva kokubuza, angazamkeli iimfundiso zethu?”

Emva kokuba eguqukele koko ekufane kubizwe njengobuKristu uTertullian waba ngumbhali onobuchule bokubhala amazwi ayinyaniso nawobuciko. Incwadi ethi The Fathers of the Church ithi: “Wayenobuchule obungaqhelekanga kubafundisi bezakwalizwi. Yindoda ebangela umdla.” Omnye umphengululi wathi: “UTertullian wayenesiphiwo samazwi kungekhona izivakalisi yaye kulula ukuwaqonda amazwi akhe obuciko kunokulandela iingcamango zakhe. Mhlawumbi yiloo nto amazwi akhe ecatshulwa ngokufuthi kodwa kungafane kucatshulwe amazwi akhe amaninzi.”

Ukuthethelela UbuKristu

Eyona ncwadi kaTertullian edumileyo yethi Apology, egqalwa njengeyona ncwadi inamandla ekuthetheleleni oko kufane kubizwe ngokuba bubuKristu. Yabhalwa ebudeni bexesha laxa amaKristu ayengamaxhoba amahlokondiba aneenkolelo. UTertullian wawathethelela la maKristu waza waqhankqalaza ngenxa yokuphathwa kwawo kakubi. Wathi: “[Abachasi] babewagqala amaKristu engunobangela wayo  yonke intlekele eyayisenzeka ebantwini, nalo naliphi na ilishwa abajamelana nalo. . . . Ukuba umNayile wawungaphuphumi ukuze unkcenkceshele amasimi, ukuba imo yezulu yayingaguquki, ukuba kukho inyikima, indlala, ubhubhani—ngoko nangoko wawusiva abantu bedanduluka besithi: ‘Phoselani amaKristu ezingonyameni!’”

Nangona amaKristu ngokufuthi ayetyholwa ngokunganyaniseki kuRhulumente, uTertullian wenza umgudu ukubonisa ukuba enyanisweni ayengabona bemi banokuthenjwa emhlabeni. Emva kokubakhumbuza ngezihlandlo eziliqela zokuzama ukubhukuqa urhulumente, abo babemphikisa wabakhumbuza ukuba abo bavukeli babengabahedeni, ingengawo amaKristu. UTertullian wabonisa ukuba xa amaKristu ayebulawa, uRhulumente walahlekelwa kanobom.

Ezinye iincwadi zikaTertullian zazithetha ngokuphila kwamaKristu. Ngokomzekelo, kwincwadi yakhe ethi On the Shows, uTertullian waluleka ngokuchasene nokuya kwiindawo ezithile zokuzonwabisa, imidlalo yabahedeni neziganeko ezazisenziwa kumabala emidlalo. Ngokucacileyo, kwakukho amaguquka amatsha awayengaboni nto iphosakeleyo ngokuya kwiintlanganiso ekwakufundiswa kuzo iBhayibhile andule ke aye kwimidlalo yabahedeni. Ezama ukuwaqiqisa, uTertullian wabhala: “Hayi indlela ekungamasikizi ngayo ukusuka kwicawa kaThixo uye kwekamtyholi—ukusuka ezulwini uye kubuhlanti behagu.” Wathi: “Into oyichasileyo, akufanele uthethe nokuthetha ngayo.”

Ukugqwetha Inyaniso Ngoxa Uyithethelela

UTertullian waqalisa inqaku lakhe elithi Against Praxeas ngokuthi: “Ngeendlela ezahlukahlukeneyo umtyholi uye wayiphikisa waza wayichasa inyaniso. Maxa wambi injongo yakhe ibikukuyitshabalalisa inyaniso ngokuyithethelela.” Umntu obizwa ngokuba nguPraxeas kwinqaku lakhe akachazwanga ngokucacileyo, kodwa uTertullian uzichasile iimfundiso zakhe ezingoThixo noKristu. Umgqala uPraxeas njengesixhobo sikaSathana sokuzama ukugqwetha ubuKristu.

Eyona mbambano inkulu kwabo babezibiza ngokuba ngamaKristu ngelo xesha yayilulwalamano phakathi koThixo noKristu. Bambi phakathi kwabo, ingakumbi abo babenemvelaphi yobuGrike, babekufumanisa kunzima ukukholelwa kuThixo omnye nendima kaYesu yokuba nguMsindisi noMhlawuleli. UPraxeas wazama ukucombulula le ngxaki yabo ngokubafundisa ukuba uYesu wayekwimbonakaliso nje eyahlukileyo kwekaYise yaye kwakungekho mahluko phakathi kukaYise noNyana. Le ngcamango, eyayisaziwa ngokuba yimodalism, yayibonisa ukuba uThixo wazityhila “njengoBawo kwiNdalo naxa wayenikela uMthetho, njengoNyana kuYesu Kristu, nanjengoMoya Oyingcwele emva kokuba uKristu enyukile.”

UTertullian wabonisa ukuba iZibhalo zawucacisa umahluko phakathi koYise noNyana. Emva kokucaphula eyoku-1 yabaseKorinte 15:27, 28, waqiqa ngelithi: “Lowo uthoba (zonke izinto), naLowo ezathotyelwa kuye—kunyanzelekile ukuba babe ngaBantu ababini abahlukileyo.”  UTertullian walatha kumazwi kaYesu athi: “UBawo mkhulu kunam.” (Yohane 14:28) Esebenzisa iindinyana zeZibhalo zesiHebhere, ezinjengeNdumiso 8:5, wabonisa indlela iBhayibhile ekucacisa ngayo ukuba “ngaphantsi” kukaNyana. UTertullian washwankathela ngokuthi: “Ngenxa yoko uBawo wahlukile kuNyana, emkhulu kuNyana. Kangangokuba Lowo uzalayo ungomnye umntu, naLowo uzalwayo ungomnye; kwakhona, Lowo uthumayo ngomnye, yaye Lowo uthunywayo ngomnye; kwakhona, naLowo wenzayo ngomnye, yaye Lowo eyenziwa ngaye into ngomnye.”

UTertullian wayemgqala uNyana njengongaphantsi kuYise. Noko ke, kwilinge lakhe lokuphikisa imfundiso yemodalism, ‘wagqitha kwizinto ezibhaliweyo.’ (1 Korinte 4:6) Njengoko uTertullian wayezama ukungqina ukuba uYesu uneempawu zobuthixo ngokusebenzisa enye imfundiso, wayila imfundiso “yabantu abathathu kwisiqu esinye.” Esebenzisa le ngcamango, wazama ukubonisa ukuba uThixo, uNyana wakhe, nomoya oyingcwele babengabantu abathathu abahlukeneyo ababephila kuThixo omnye. Ngaloo ndlela uTertullian waba ngowokuqala ukusebenzisa igama lesiLatin eliguqulelwa ngokuthi “ubathathu emnye” kuYise, kuNyana nakumoya oyingcwele.

Zilumkele Iintanda-bulumko Zehlabathi

UTertullian wayiqulunkqa njani ingcamango “yabantu abathathu kwisiqu esinye”? Impendulo ifumaneka kwenye into edidayo ngale ndoda—imbono yakhe ngentanda-bulumko. UTertullian wayeyibiza intanda-bulumko ngokuthi “‘yimfundiso’ yabantu kwakunye ‘neyeedemon.’” Wayeyigxeka ngokuphandle into yokusebenzisa intanda-bulumko ukuxhasa iinyaniso zobuKristu. Wathi: “Andivumelani kwaphela nobuKristu obuxutywe nobuStoyike, neemfundiso zikaPlato, nayo nayiphi na enye ingxubevange.” Ukanti, yena uTertullian wayisebenzisa ngokukhululekileyo intanda-bulumko xa yayivumelana neengcamango zakhe.—Kolose 2:8.

Enye incwadi yakhe ithi: “Imfundiso kaBathathu Emnye yayifuna ukuxhaswa ngeengcamango zamaGrike ukuze ivakale ize yamkeleke ngokubanzi.” Yaye incwadi ethi The Theology of Tertullian ithi: “Ukuze akwazi ukuseka imfundiso kabathathu emnye, eyaba sisiseko semfundiso yamva kwiBhunga laseNicaea, nangona yayinamakhwiniba, uTertullian wancedwa yingxubevange yeengcamango zomthetho nezentanda-bulumko.” Ngenxa yoko, imfundiso kaTertullian—iziqu ezintathu kuThixo omnye—yaba nendima enkulu ekusasazeni ubuxoki obungokonqulo kuyo yonke iNgqobhoko.

UTertullian watyhola abanye ngokugqwetha inyaniso ngoxa babezama ukuyithethelela. Noko ke, okuhlekisayo kukuba ngokuxuba inyaniso yeBhayibhile ephefumlelwe nguThixo nentanda-bulumko yabantu, wawela kwakumgibe ofanayo. Ngoko ke masiphulaphule isilumkiso seZibhalo esinxamnye ‘nokunikela ingqalelo kumazwi aphefumlelweyo alahlekisayo nakwiimfundiso zeedemon.’—1 Timoti 4:1.

[Imifanekiso ekwiphepha 29, 30]

UTertullian wayigxeka intanda-bulumko kodwa wayisebenzisa ekuxhaseni iingcamango zakhe

[Inkcazelo]

Pages 29 and 30: © Cliché Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 31]

AmaKristu okwenyaniso ayakuphepha ukuxuba inyaniso yeBhayibhile nentanda-bulumko yabantu