AmaKristu Okuqala NooThixo BaseRoma

KWILETA awayeyibhalela uMlawuli waseRoma uTrajan, uPliny Omncinane, owayeyirhuluneli yaseBhithiniya wathi: “Nantsi into endandiyenza kwabo batyholwa ngokuba bangamaKristu. Ndandibabuza ukuba bangamaKristu na, yaye xa bevuma ndandibabuza kude kube kathathu ndize ndibathembise ngokubohlwaya. Abo baqhubeka besithi bangamaKristu ndandisithi mababulawe.” Abo babukhanyelayo ubuKristu ngokuqalekisa uKristu nokunqula umfanekiso oqingqiweyo womlawuli nemifanekiso yoothixo uPliny awayeyizise enkundleni, wabhala wathi ngabo: “Ndakubona kufanelekile ukuba ndibakhulule.”

AmaKristu okuqala atshutshiswa ngenxa yokwala ukunqula umlawuli nemifanekiso yoothixo abahlukahlukeneyo. Kuthekani ngezinye iinkonzo ezikuBukhosi baseRoma? Ziziphi izithixo ezazinqulwa, yaye amaRoma ayezijonga njani? Kwakutheni ukuze amaKristu atshutshiswe ngenxa nje yokungavumi ukubingelela koothixo baseRoma? Iimpendulo zale mibuzo ziya kusinceda sikwazi ukujamelana neengxaki ezifanayo eziphathelele ukunyaniseka kwethu kuYehova.

Unqulo Olwalukho Ebudeni BoBukhosi BaseRoma

KuBukhosi baseRoma abantu babesebenzisa iilwimi namasiko amaninzi yaye babenqula noothixo abaninzi. Nangona ubuYuda babuyinto engaqhelekanga kumaRoma, ayebugqala njengereligio licita, okanye unqulo olwamkelekileyo yaye ayebukhusela. Kabini ngosuku kwitempile yaseYerusalem, kwakubingelelwa ngeemvana ezimbini nenkabi yenkomo kuKesare nakuhlanga lwamaRoma. Yayingawakhathazi amaRoma into yokuba le mibingelelo iya kuthixo omnye okanye abaninzi. Into awayenomdla kuyo kukuba imibingelelo eyayisenziwa ngamaYuda yayibonisa ukunyaniseka kwawo kumaRoma.

Ubuhedeni babuxhaphakile. Iintsomi zamaGrike nokuvumisa zaba yinto eyamkelekileyo neqhelekileyo. Iinkonzo ezingaziwayo zaseMpuma zathembisa amalungu azo ukungafi, ukutyhilelwa, nokunxulunyaniswa noothixo kusetyenziswa amasiko angaqondakaliyo. Ezi nkonzo zasasazeka kubo bonke obu bukhosi. Unqulo lothixo wamaYiputa uSerapis nothixokazi uIsis, uthixokazi weentlanzi uAtargatis nothixo welanga uMithra lwaluxhaphakile ngeenkulungwane zokuqala zeXesha Eliqhelekileyo.

 Incwadi yeBhayibhile yeZenzo ibubonisa ngokucacileyo ubuhedeni obabukho ngexesha lamaKristu okuqala. Ngokomzekelo, ibamba laseSipro elingumRoma lalinxulumana nomkhafuli ongumYuda. (IZe. 13:6, 7) Abantu baseListra babecinga ukuba uPawulos noBharnabhas ngoothixo bamaGrike uHermes noZeyus. (IZe. 14:11-13) Xa wayeseFilipi, uPawulos wadibana nesicakazana esivumisayo. (IZe. 16:16-18) Lo mpostile waphawula ukuba abemi baseAthene ‘bazinikele ngakumbi ekoyikeni izithixo kunokuba abanye benjalo.’ Kweso sixeko, wabona isibingelelo ekubhalwe kuso kwathiwa “Kongaziwayo uThixo.” (IZe. 17:22, 23) Abemi base-Efese babenqula uthixokazi uArtemis. (IZe. 19:1, 23, 24, 34) Kwisiqithi saseMalta, abantu babesithi uPawulos unguthixo kuba engazange agule emva kokuba elunywe yinyoka. (IZe. 28:3-6) Kwiimeko ezinjalo, amaKristu kwakufuneka alumkele izinto ezazinokonakalisa unqulo lwawo olunyulu.

Unqulo LwamaRoma

Njengoko ubukhosi bawo babusanda, amaRoma amkela abanye oothixo ecinga ukuba ngoothixo abaqhelekileyo kodwa abanobume obahlukileyo. Kunokuba alugatye unqulo lwezinye iintlanga, amaRoma alwamkela aza aluqhelisela. Ngoko unqulo lwamaRoma lwaba yingxubakaxaka. KumaRoma, umntu wayenganyanzelekanga ukuba anqule uthixo omnye. Abantu babenokunqula oothixo abaninzi ngaxeshanye.

Phakathi koothixo bamaRoma, oyena wayephambili yayinguJupiter, owabizwa ngokuba nguOptimus Maximus, okanye oyena mkhulu. Ayekholelwa ukuba amandla akhe abonakala emoyeni, emvuleni, kumbane nakwiindudumo. Ayekholelwa ukuba udadewabo uJuno, owayelihlakani lakhe nekwakusithiwa unguthixokazi wenyanga, ujongene neenkalo ezahlukahlukeneyo zobomi babafazi. Intombi yakhe uMinerva yayinguthixokazi wemisebenzi yezandla, imisebenzi yobuchule neemfazwe.

AmaRoma ayekholelwa koothixo abaninzi. ULares noPenates babengoothixo bentsapho. UVesta wayenguthixokazi weziko. UJanus, ekwakusithiwa unobuso ngaphambili nangasemva, yena wayenguthixo wazo zonke iziqalelo. Bugcisa ngabunye babunothixo babo. AmaRoma ayenabo noothixo beengcamango. UPax wayenguthixo wokugcina uxolo, uSalus engowempilo,  uPudicitia engowokuthobeka nobunyulu, uFides engowokunyaniseka emtshatweni, uVirtus engowenkalipho yaye uVoluptas engoweziyolo. AmaRoma ayekholelwa ukuba yonke into eyayisenzeka ebomini bawo yayikukuthanda koothixo bawo. Ngoko ukuze aqiniseke ukuba ayaphumelela kuyo yonke into ayenzayo, ayezama ukukholisa uthixo waloo nto ngokucengceleza imithandazo, ngokwenza imibingelelo nemibhiyozo.

Ukuhlaba izihlabo yayiyenye yeendlela ezazisetyenziswa ukuze kwaziwe ukuthanda koothixo. Indlela yokuhlaba izihlabo eyayiphambili yayikukuhlola izibilini zezilwanyana ezibingelelweyo. Ayekholelwa ukuba imeko nenkangeleko yazo yayiya kubonisa enoba into awayeyenza iyathandwa ngoothixo kusini na.

Ngasekupheleni kwenkulungwane yesibini ngaphambi kweXesha Eliqhelekileyo, amaRoma ayesele efanisa oothixo bawo noothixo bamaGrike—efanisa uJupiter noZeyus, uJuno noHera, njalo njalo. AmaRoma ayesele ezamkele neentsomi ezingoothixo bamaGrike. Ezi ntsomi zazingathethi kakuhle ngaba thixo, kuba zazibachaza njengabaneempazamo neentsilelo ezifana nezabantu. Ngokomzekelo, uZeyus wayesaziwa njengomdlwenguli wabantu nabantwana yaye kwakusithiwa ulala nabantu abangafiyo. Ezi zinto zazisenziwa ngaba thixo bengenazintloni—nezaziqhwatyelw’ izandla kwizindlu zemidlalo—zanika abanye abantu ithuba lokwenza izinto ezimanyumnyezi.

Kusenokwenzeka ukuba bambalwa abantu abafundileyo abazamkelayo ezo mfundiso. Abanye babezigqala njengobuxoki. Mhlawumbi yiloo nto uPontiyo Pilato wabuza lo mbuzo, “Yintoni na inyaniso?” (Yoh. 18:38) Uye wajongwa “njengendlela abavakalelwa ngayo abantu abafundileyo, kuba nabo bathi umntu akanakukwazi ukufumana eyona nyaniso ngezinto.”

Ukunqulwa KoMlawuli

Ukususela kulawulo luka-Augustus (ukususela ngowama-27 B.C.E. ukusa kowe-14 C.E.), kwaqalisa ukunqulwa komlawuli. Abantu abaninzi, ngakumbi kumaphondo aseMpuma athetha isiGrike, babenombulelo kuAugustus kuba wayezise unqabiseko noxolo emva kwexesha elide kukho imfazwe. Abantu babefuna ukulawulwa ngumntu obonakalayo noza kuqhubeka ebakhusela. Babefuna umntu owayeza kumanyanisa unqulo, akhuthaze ukuthanda isizwe aze amanyanise ihlabathi “njengomsindisi” walo. Ngenxa yoko umlawuli wayegqalwa njengothixo.

Nangona uAugustus engazange avume xa abantu besithi unguthixo, wayefuna iRoma inqulwe njengothixokazi—uRoma Dea. UAugustus wenziwa uthixo emva kokufa kwakhe. Iinkolelo zezonqulo zasekuhlaleni nobuhlanga babujoliswe ebukhosini nakubalawuli babo. Oku kunqulwa komlawuli, okwasasazeka kuwo onke amaphondo, kwaba yindlela yokubonisa ukunyaniseka kuRhulumente.

UDomitian, owalawula ukususela kowama-81 ukusa kowama-96 C.E., waba ngumlawuli wokuqala waseRoma owafuna ukunqulwa njengothixo. Ngelo xesha, amaRoma ayesele ekwazi ukwahlula phakathi kwamaKristu namaYuda yaye ayechasa nantoni na egqalwa njengonqulo olutsha. Kusenokwenzeka ukuba umpostile uYohane wasiwa kwisiqithi sasePatmos ebudeni bolawulo lukaDomitian ngenxa ‘yokunikela ubungqina ngoYesu.’—ISityhi. 1:9.

Incwadi yeSityhilelo yabhalwa ebudeni bokuthinjwa kukaYohane. Kuyo uthetha ngoAntipas, umKristu owabulawa ePergamo, eyindawo yonqulo lomlawuli. (ISityhi. 2:12, 13) Ngelo xesha uRhulumente womlawuli kusenokwenzeka ukuba wayesele eqalisile ukunyanzela amaKristu ukuba abe nenxaxheba kwizithethe zakhe. Enoba oku kuyinyaniso  okanye akunjalo, ngowe-112 C.E., njengoko ileta ekhankanywe ngaphambilana awayeyibhalela uTrajan ibonisa, uPliny wayefuna amaKristu aseBhithiniya abe nenxaxheba kwezo zithethe.

UTrajan wayincoma indlela uPliny awazisingatha ngayo izikhalazo ezaziswa kuye yaye wayalela ukuba amaKristu angavumiyo ukunqula oothixo bamaRoma abulawe. UTrajan wabhala wathi: “Noko ke, xa umntu esithi akangomKristu aze akungqine oko ngokuthandaza koothixo bethu, makaxolelwe (nangona ebekhe watyholwa ngaphambili) ukuba uguqukile.”

AmaRoma ayengacingi nokucinga ngokunqula uthixo omnye kuphela. Oothixo bamaRoma babenganyanzelisi ukuba kunqulwe bona bodwa, ngoko amaRoma ayengasiboni isizathu sokuba uThixo wamaKristu afune ukunqulwa yedwa. Kuwo, ukunqula oothixo bakaRhulumente yayiyindlela nje yokubonisa intlonelo kwinkqubo yezopolitiko. Ngoko ukungavumi ukubanqula kwakugqalwa njengokungcatsha urhulumente. Njengokuba uPliny wabonayo, inkoliso yamaKristu yayingasoze ivume ukunqula oothixo kwanaxa inyanzelwa. Ukuvuma kwawo kwakuya kuntama ukunganyaniseki kuYehova yaye abaninzi kumaKristu okuqala babexolele ukufa kunokuba banqule umlawuli.

Kutheni oku kubangela umdla kuthi namhlanje? Kwamanye amazwe, abemi belizwe kulindelwe ukuba bahlonele imifanekiso yesizwe. NjengamaKristu, siyalihlonela igunya likarhulumente. (Roma 13:1) Kodwa ke ngokuphathelele imisitho ebandakanya iflegi yesizwe, siyazi ukuba uYehova uThixo ufuna uzinikelo olupheleleyo yaye iLizwi lakhe lisixelela ukuba ‘sisabe kulo unqulo-zithixo’ size ‘sizilinde kuzo izithixo.’ (1 Kor. 10:14; 1 Yoh. 5:21; Nah. 1:2) UYesu wathi: “NguYehova uThixo wakho omele umnqule, yaye nguye yedwa omele unikele inkonzo engcwele kuye.” (Luka 4:8) Ngoko masihlale sinyanisekile kuThixo esimnqulayo.

[Amagama acatshulweyo akwiphepha 5]

AmaKristu okwenyaniso azinikela ngokupheleleyo kuYehova

[Imifanekiso ekwiphepha 3]

AmaKristu okuqala akazange avume ukunqula umlawuli okanye imifanekiso yoothixo

UMlawuli uDomitian

UZeyus

[Inkcazelo]

Emperor Domitian: Todd Bolen/Bible Places.com; Zeus: Photograph by Todd Bolen/Bible Places.com, taken at Archaeological Museum of Istanbul

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 4]

AmaKristu ase-Efese akazange avume ukunqula uthixokazi owayethandwa gqitha, uArtemis.—IZe. 19:23-41