Unyaka ngu-59 C.E. Zigadwé amasosha akhathazwe uhambo olude, iziboshwa eziningana zingena eRoma ngesango elibizwa ngokuthi iPorta Capena. EGqumeni LasePalatine kunesigodlo soMbusi uNero, esiqashwe abaQaphi Bombusi abafihle izinkemba ngaphansi kwezingubo zabo ezinde. * UJuliyu induna yekhulu udlula eSigcawini SaseRoma neziboshwa zakhe, bakhuphukele eGqumeni LaseViminal. Badlula ngasengadini enama-altare amaningi onkulunkulu baseRoma badlule nangasenkundleni amasosha aviliyela kuyo.

Phakathi kweziboshwa kukhona nomphostoli uPawulu. Ezinyangeni ezedlule ngesikhathi esemkhunjini owawupheshulwa isiphepho, ingelosi kaNkulunkulu yayithe kuye: “Kumelwe ume phambi kukaKhesari.” (IzE. 27:24) Ingabe yilokho osekuzokwenzeka kuPawulu? Njengoba ephenduka ukuze abuke inhloko-dolobha yoMbuso WaseRoma, akungabazeki ukuthi ukhumbula amazwi iNkosi uJesu eyawasho kuye ngesikhathi eseMbhoshongweni Ka-Antonia eJerusalema. UJesu wathi: “Yiba nesibindi! Ngoba njengoba ubufakaza ngokungashwampuluzi ngezinto eziphathelene nami eJerusalema, kanjalo kumelwe ufakaze futhi naseRoma.”—IzE. 23:10, 11.

Mhlawumbe uPawulu uma kancane ukuze abheke iCastra Praetoria—inqaba enkulu enezindonga eziphakeme ezakhiwe ngesitini esibomvu ezinemibhoshongo nezivikelo zempi. Kule nqaba kuhlala amalungu ebutho labaQaphi Bombusi, abakhonza njengabaqaphi bakhe nanjengamaphoyisa  omuzi. Njengoba kwakunamaqembu angu-12 * amabutho abaQaphi Bombusi kanye namanye amaqembu amaningi amabutho abekwe lapho, le nqaba yayingahlalisa izinkulungwane zamasosha kuhlanganise nalawo agibela amahhashi. ICastra Praetoria iyisikhumbuzo sokuthi kungani umbuso waseRoma wawunamandla. Njengoba iziboshwa ezivela kwezinye izifunda, zigadwa abaQaphi Bombusi, uJuliyu uhola iqembu lakhe alingenise ngelinye lamasango amane ayinhloko. Ngemva kohambo oluyingozi lwezinyanga eziningana, ekugcineni useze wafika nazo endaweni ayeziletha kuyo.—IzE. 27:1-3, 43, 44.

Phakathi nohambo lwabo lwasolwandle, uNkulunkulu wanika uPawulu imibono eyamazisa ukuthi bonke abantu abasemkhunjini babezosinda ekuphahlazekeni komkhumbi. Ukulunywa inyoka enobuthi akuzange kumlimaze. Waphulukisa abantu abagulayo esiqhingini saseMelitha, okwenza abantu bendawo baqala ukuthi uwunkulunkulu. Kungenzeka ukuthi lezi zindaba zafika nakubaQaphi Bombusi ababenezinkolelo-ze.

UPawulu usebabonile kakade abazalwane baseRoma ‘abafika eSigcawini sika-Aphiyo naseTresi Thaberne bezomhlangabeza.’ (IzE. 28:15) Nokho, njengoba ayeyisiboshwa, wayezosifeza kanjani isifiso sakhe sokumemezela izindaba ezinhle eRoma? (Roma 1:14, 15) Abanye bacabanga ukuthi iziboshwa zaziyiswa kumphathi wabaqaphi. Uma kunjalo, kungenzeka ukuthi uPawulu wayiswa ku-Afranius Burrus, umphathi wabaQaphi Bombusi, mhlawumbe owayengowesibili ngobukhulu ngemva koMbusi. * Kunoma yikuphi, kunokuba agadwe izinduna zamabutho, uPawulu manje ugadwa isosha elilodwa elisesikhundleni esiphezulu eliyilungu lebutho labaQaphi Bombusi. Uyavunyelwa ukuba azihlelele indawo yokuhlala nokuba abe nezivakashi futhi ashumayele kuzo “ngaphandle kwesithiyo.”—IzE. 28:16, 30, 31.

Kungenzeka ukuthi ngaphambi kokwethula udaba lukaPawulu kuNero, uBurrus waxoxa kaningi nalo mphostoli ngesikhathi enza izabelo zakhe zokwahlulela, esigodlweni noma ekamu labaQaphi Bombusi. UPawulu akaliyekanga lelo thuba elikhethekile ‘lokufakaza kwabancane nabakhulu.’ (IzE. 26:19-23) Kungakhathaliseki ukuthi yini uBurrus ayithola, uPawulu akathunyelwa ejele elisekamu labaQaphi Bombusi. *

 Indawo yokuhlala uPawulu ayeyiqashile inkulu ngokwanele ukuba akwazi ukwamukela ‘amadoda avelele kumaJuda’ futhi anikeze ubufakazi kuwo ‘nasenanini elikhulu labanye ababefika kuye endaweni ayehlala kuyo.’ Amasosha ayemgadile nawo ayamuzwa njengoba ‘enikeza ubufakazi obuphelele’ kumaJuda ngokuphathelene noMbuso noJesu ‘kusukela ekuseni kuze kuhlwe.’—IzE. 28:17, 23.

Iqembu lamasosha ayinkulungwane elisebenza esigodlweni lishintshwa nsuku zonke ngehora lesishiyagalombili. Nomuntu oqapha uPawulu ushintshwa njalo. Phakathi neminyaka emibili yokuboshwa kukaPawulu, amasosha ayemuzwa njengoba ebizela othile izincwadi eziya kumaKristu ase-Efesu, eFilipi, eKolose nakumaHebheru, futhi ambona lapho eyibhala ngokwakhe incwadi eyayiya kumKristu ogama lakhe linguFilemoni. Ngesikhathi eboshiwe, uPawulu unaka ngokukhethekile isigqila esibalekile, u-Onesimu, ‘esiba umntwana amzala ngesikhathi eboshiwe esetilongweni’ futhi usibuyisela emuva enkosini yaso. (Filem. 10) Ngokungangabazeki uba nesithakazelo nakubaqaphi bakhe. (1 Kor. 9:22) Singambona ngeso lengqondo ebuza isosha ngezembatho zempi ezahlukahlukene abese esebenzisa leyo mininingwane emfanekisweni omuhle.—Efe. 6:13-17.

Ukuboshwa kukaPawulu kusiza ‘ekuqhubekiseleni phambili izindaba ezinhle’ kubo bonke abaQaphi Bombusi nakwabanye. (Fil. 1:12, 13) Abantu abahlala eCastra Praetoria baxhumana nabantu abakuwo wonke uMbuso WaseRoma, kanye nombusi nabendlu yakhe enkulu. Abendlu yombusi bahlanganisa amalungu omkhaya, izikhonzi nezigqila, abanye kubo ababa amaKristu. (Fil. 4:22) Ukushumayela kukaPawulu ngesibindi kwenza abazalwane eRoma babe nesibindi “sokukhuluma izwi likaNkulunkulu ngokungesabi.”—Fil. 1:14.

Ukushumayela kukaPawulu eRoma kuyisikhuthazo nakithi njengoba ‘sishumayela izwi ngenkathi evumayo nangenkathi enzima.’ (2 Thim. 4:2) Abanye bethu bavaleleke ezindlini, emakhaya asebekhulile noma ezibhedlela ngisho nasemajele ngenxa yokholo lwethu. Kungakhathaliseki ukuthi izimo zethu zinjani, singakhuluma nalabo abeza kithi, mhlawumbe abazosibona noma abazosenzela izinkonzo ezithile. Lapho siba nesibindi sokufakaza ngawo wonke amathuba, sizibonela mathupha ukuthi ‘izwi likaNkulunkulu alinakuboshwa.’—2 Thim. 2:8, 9.