UPapias Wayebheka Amazwi ENkosi Njengabalulekile

“ANGIZANGE . . . ngijabulele ubungane nalabo abakhuluma kakhulu, kodwa ngiye ngabujabulela nalabo abafundisa iqiniso.” Wabhala kanjalo uPapias, owayethi ungumKristu ekhulwini lesibili leSikhathi Sethu Esivamile.

UPapias waphila enkathini eyalandela ngokushesha ngemva kokufa kwabaphostoli bakaJesu Kristu. Eqinisweni, wayengumngane kaPolycarp, okubikwa ukuthi wafunda kumphostoli uJohane. Lobufakazi, kanye nendlela kaPapias yokuzuza ulwazi, kubonisa ukuthi cishe wayenalo ulwazi.

Ukwenza Ngokucophelela

Ukomela kukaPapias iqiniso kubonakala ngokucacile ezincwadini ezinhlanu zomsebenzi wakhe wamazwi eNkosi. Akungabazeki ukuthi eminyakeni yakhe yangaphambili, uPapias waqongelela amazwi amaningi eqiniso ayewazwile. Kamuva, esemzini wakhe edolobheni lasePhrygia yaseHierapolis, e-Asia Minor, uPapias wabuza kwasebekhulile ukuze athole ukuthi babeke babona noma bezwa noma yimuphi wabaphostoli bakaJesu. Wababuzisisa futhi waloba lokho ababekusho.

UPapias uyachaza: “Anginakunqikaza ukubhala phansi . . . noma yini engiyifunde ngokucophelela kwabadala nganoma yisiphi isikhathi, futhi ngayikhumbula ngokunakekela, ukuze nginiqinisekise ngeqiniso labo. Ngoba, njengabantu abaningi, angizange ngijabulele ubungane nalabo abakhuluma kakhulu, kodwa ngiye ngabujabulela nalabo abafundisa iqiniso; futhi angizange ngijabulele ubungane nalabo abalandisa imithetho yabanye, kodwa ngiye ngabujabulela nalabo ababika imithetho yokholo eyanikezwa yiNkosi esekelwe eqinisweni ngokwalo. Futhi uma kungeza noma ubani kimi owayengumlandeli wabadala, ngiyombuza ngokulandisa okwanikezwa abadala—lokho u-Andreya noma uPetru abakusho, noma lokho uFilipi, uTomase noma uJakobe, noma lokho uJohane noma uMathewu abakusho, noma noma yibaphi abanye abafundi beNkosi.”

 Umsebenzi Wakhe

Akungabazeki ukuthi uPapias wayenengcebo yolwazi olungokomoya. Singacabanga nje ngendlela okumelwe ukuba wayeyilalela ngokunakekela ngayo imininingwane ehlobene nokuphila nenkonzo yomuntu siqu yomphostoli ngamunye. Cishe ngo-135 C.E., uPapias wabhala lokho ayezokusho encwadini yakhe siqu. Ngokudabukisayo, lencwadi yanyamalala. Yacashunwa u-Irenaeus, owayethi ungumKristu ekhulwini lesibili C.E., nayisazi-mlando sekhulu lesine u-Eusebius. Eqinisweni, yayisafundwa ekhulwini lesi-9 C.E. futhi kungenzeka ukuthi yaba khona kwaze kwaba sekhulwini le-14.

UPapias wayekholelwa ekuBuseni KukaKristu Kweminyaka Eyinkulungwane okuzayo. (IsAmbulo 20:2-7) Ngokuka-Irenaeus, wabhala ngesikhathi “lapho indalo, eyenziwe yaba yintsha futhi yakhululwa, iyokhiqiza inala yazo zonke izinhlobo zokudla, okuyovezwa amazolo ezulu nokuvunda komhlaba, njengoba nje abadala, ababona uJohane, umfundi weNkosi, balandisa ukuthi babezwile indlela iNkosi eyayifundisa ngayo ngalezo zikhathi.” UPapias waqhubeka ebhala: “Kwabakholwayo lezizinto zinokwethenjelwa. Futhi lapho uJuda, umkhapheli, enqaba ukukukholelwa futhi ebuza, ‘INkosi iyoyifeza kanjani into enjalo?’ iNkosi yathi, ‘Labo abayobe bephila ngalesosikhathi bayobona.’”

UPapias wabhala ngesikhathi okwakudlange ngaso ubu-Gnostic. Ama-Gnostic aye ahlanganisa ifilosofi, ukucabangela, nokukholelwa ezimfihlakalweni kobuqaba nobuKristu bezihlubuki. Empeleni, ukudalula kukaPapias amazwi eNkosi, kwakuwumzamo wokuqeda igagasi lobu-Gnostic. Ngemva kwakhe, u-Irenaeus waqhubeka emelana nengokomoya lama-Gnostic elingamanga neliyihaba. Kumelwe ukuba izincwadi zama-Gnostic zaziyimiqulu eminingi, okwenza ukuba uPapias akhulume ngokubabhuqa “labo ababekhuluma kakhulu.” Injongo yakhe yayisobala—ukumelana namanga ngeqiniso.—1 Thimothewu 6:4; Filipi 4:5.

Ukukhulumela AmaVangeli

Ezingcezwini zemibhalo kaPapias ezisatholakala, sithola ukukhulumela ngezindaba ezabhalwa uMathewu noMarku. Ngokwesibonelo, uPapias uthi ngencwadi kaMarku: “UMarku, owayengumhumushi kaPetru, wabhala ngokunembile konke ayekukhumbula.” Eqhubeka eqinisekisa ukunemba kwaleliVangeli, uPapias uyaqhubeka: “Ngakho uMarku akazange alenze iphutha, nakuba abhala phansi izinto ezithile njengoba ayezikhumbula; ngoba kwakuyinto ayeyikhathalela ngokuyinhloko ukuba kungasali lutho kulokho ayekuzwile, noma abhale indaba engamanga lapho.”

UPapias unikeza ubufakazi bangaphandle bokuthi ekuqaleni uMathewu wabhala iVangeli lakhe ngolimi lwesiHeberu. UPapias uthi: “Wabhala lamazwi ngolimi lwesiHeberu, futhi ngamunye wawahumusha ngendlela engcono kakhulu ngangokunokwenzeka.” Kungenzeka ukuthi uPapias wabhekisela ekulandiseni kweVangeli likaLuka noJohane, kuhlanganise nakokunye ukwaziswa okulotshiwe kwemiBhalo YamaKristu YesiGreki. Uma kunjalo, ungomunye wofakazi bokuqala abaye basekela ukunemba nokuphefumlelwa kwayo kwaphezulu. Nokho, ngeshwa izingcezu ezincane kakhulu zemibhalo kaPapias ezisekhona.

Ukukhathalela Isidingo Sakhe Esingokomoya

Njengombonisi ebandleni laseHierapolis, uPapias wayengumphenyi ongakhathali. Ngaphezu kokuba umcwaningi ozikhandlayo, wabonakalisa ukwazisa okujulile ngemiBhalo. UPapias washo ngokufanelekile ukuthi noma iyiphi indaba eyimfundiso kaJesu Kristu noma abaphostoli baKhe yayiyoba ngebaluleke kakhulu ukuyichaza kunezindaba eziguquguqukayo ezazitholakala ezincwadini zosuku lwakhe.—Juda 17.

Kubikwa ukuthi uPapias waba umfel’ ukholo ePhergamu ngo-161 noma ngo-165 C.E. Ukuthi izimfundiso zikaJesu Kristu ziye zakuthonya ngokujule kangakanani ukuphila nokuziphatha kukaPapias akunakushiwo ngokuqiniseka. Nokho, wayenesifiso esijulile sokufunda nokuxoxa ngemiBhalo. Kungokufanayo nangamaKristu eqiniso namuhla, ngoba akhathalela isidingo sawo esingokomoya. (Mathewu 5:3, qhathanisa ne-NW.) Futhi njengoPapias abheka amazwi eNkosi njengabalulekile.