Abaptisi! Abaptisi! Abaptisi!​—Shi Mɛni Hewɔ?

MIBAPTISI hii, yei, kɛ gbekɛbii fe akpei nyɔŋma yɛ nyɔji fioo pɛ mli.” Nɛkɛ ji bɔ ni Jesuit maŋsɛɛ sanekpakpa shiɛlɔ Francis Xavier ŋma yɛ nii ni etsu yɛ Travancore maŋtsɛyeli lɛ mli, yɛ India lɛ he. “Mijɛ akrowa kome mli kɛtee akrowa kroko mli ni mifee amɛ Kristofoi. Ni he fɛɛ he ni mitee lɛ, mishi wɔwolo ni sɔlemɔi kɛ kitai yɔɔ mli lɛ eko miha amɛ yɛ amɛmaŋ wiemɔ mli.”

Akɛni ehiɛ sɔ Francis Xavier woji lɛ waa hewɔ lɛ, King John ni jɛ Portugal lɛ fã ni adamɔ shiɛmɔ kpokui fɛɛ anɔ akane wolo lɛ waa ní mɔ fɛɛ mɔ anu, yɛ emaŋtsɛyeli lɛ mli he fɛɛ he. Akpɛlɛ po akɛ esa akɛ akala wolo ni eŋma yɛ January 1545 ni wɔtsɛ yisɛɛ lɛ. Mɛni jɛ mli ba? Manfred Barthel ŋma yɛ ewolo The Jesuits​—History & Legend of the Society of Jesus lɛ mli akɛ: “Oya nɔŋŋ kɛkɛ ni nikaselɔi ni yɔɔ Europa lɛ ateŋ mɛi fã kpotoo ‘ho amɛkula shi ni amɛfɔse yaafonui babaoo amɛshwie shi,’ kɛ hepelemɔ akɛ amɛmiisumɔ ni amɛya India ni amɛyatsake wɔŋjalɔi lɛ.” Ekɛfata he akɛ: “Etamɔ nɔ ni yɛ nakai beaŋ lɛ, mɛi pii susuko he akɛ ebaabi babaoo fe mɛi fioo ko ni kɛ nu-krɔŋkrɔŋ shwãa mɛi anɔ kɛ kotoku bibioo ni dɛhiɛmɔ woji eyi lɛ obɔ dani anyɛ atsake maŋtsɛyeli muu fɛɛ.”

Mɛni diɛŋtsɛ anyɛ atsu kɛ mɛi pii ni atsake amɛ kɛkɛ nɛɛ? Jesuit Nicolas Lancilloto kɛ anɔkwayeli bɔ Roma amaniɛ yɛ anɔkwale mli akɛ: “Mɛi ni abaptisi amɛ lɛ ateŋ mɛi pii hiɛ jwɛŋmɔ fɔŋ ko. Arabiabii kɛ Hindubii anyɔji lɛ ahiɛ ka nɔ akɛ amɛbaatsɔ nɔ amɛna heyeli aloo amɛbaana hebuu kɛjɛ nuŋtsɔmɛi yiwalɔi adɛŋ, aloo amɛbaana sɔlemɔ atade loo yifiinii hee. Mɛi pii feɔ nakai koni amɛkɛjo toigbalamɔ naa foi. . . . Abuɔ mɔ fɛɛ mɔ ni lɛ diɛŋtsɛ eyiŋkpɛɛ tsirɛɔ lɛ ni ebatsɔɔ yiwalaheremɔ yɛ wɔtsɔɔmɔi amli lɛ akɛ sɛkɛyelɔi. Mɛi pii kwa hemɔkɛyeli lɛ ni amɛku amɛsɛɛ kɛtee amɛ tsutsu wɔŋjamɔ nifeemɔi lɛ ahe yɛ amɛ baptisimɔ lɛ sɛɛ be fioo pɛ mli.”

Europabii ni fã gbɛ yɛ nakai beaŋ kɛha maŋsɛɛ shikpɔji ahe nikasemɔ lɛ hu yasumɔ akɛ amɛaaná wɔŋjalɔi lɛ ni abaptisi amɛ lɛ mli gbɛfaŋnɔ. Awieɔ akɛ Christopher Columbus baptisi klɛŋklɛŋ “Indiabii” ni ekɛkpe yɛ Caribbean lɛ. The Oxford Illustrated History of Christianity lɛ wie akɛ: “Spania Nɔyeli lɛ mla naa gbɛjianɔtoo lɛ kɛ maŋbii ni ji shikwɛ̃ɛ bii lɛ atsakemɔ ye klɛŋklɛŋ gbɛhe. Beni shɛɔ afii ohai nyɔŋma kɛ ekpaa lɛ naagbee gbɛ lɛ, no mli lɛ, kɛ hoo lɛ, Indiabii 7,000,000 ni yɔɔ Spania nɔyeli lɛ shishi lɛ etsɔmɔ mɛi ni akɛ gbɛi Kristofoi lɛ miitsɛ amɛ. Anaa faŋŋ yɛ hei ni wɔyɔɔ amɛtsakemɔ lɛ he akɔntaabuu lɛ akɛ (Pedro de Gante, ni ji Maŋtsɛ charles V wekunyo ko, ni yafata maŋsɛɛ sanekpakpa shiɛlɔi lɛ ahe lɛ wie akɛ ebaptisi mɛi 14,000 kɛtsɔ hefatalɔ kome pɛ yelikɛbuamɔ nɔ yɛ gbi kome mli) anyɛko akɛ shishijee tsɔsemɔ ni hiɛdɔɔ yɔɔ he aha.” Bei pii lɛ, nɔ ni fataa nɛkɛ hiɛaŋhiɛaŋ tsakemɔi nɛɛ ahe ji nɔnyɛɛ kɛ yiwaa keketee ni akɛyeɔ nakai maji lɛ anɔ bii lɛ anɔ.

Bɔ ni asusu akɛ baptisimɔ he hiaa waa lɛ wo nɛkɛ gbɛfalɔi nikaselɔi kɛ maŋsɛɛ sanekpakpa shiɛlɔi nɛɛ ekaa. Yɛ 1439 mli lɛ, Paapa Eugenius IV wo akpɔ ko yɛ Florence Gwabɔɔ lɛ shishi akɛ: “Baptisimɔ Krɔŋkrɔŋ yeɔ klɛŋklɛŋ gbɛhe yɛ krɔŋkrɔŋ nii lɛ fɛɛ ateŋ, ejaakɛ no ji mumɔŋ shihilɛ lɛ naa shinaa; ejaakɛ no nɔ atsɔɔ afeɔ wɔ Kristo gbɔmɔtso lɛ fa ni wɔkɛ Sɔlemɔ lɛ feɔ ekome. Ni akɛni gbele tsɔ klɛŋklɛŋ gbɔmɔ lɛ nɔ ebote mɔ fɛɛ mɔ mli hewɔ lɛ, kɛ ajɛɛɛ nu kɛ Mumɔ Krɔŋkrɔŋ lɛ mli afɔɔɔ wɔ lɛ, wɔnyɛŋ wɔbote Ŋwɛi maŋtsɛyeli lɛ mli.”

Shi, béi te shi waa, yɛ mɛi ni aaakɛɛ akɛ amɛbaptisimɔ hi lɛ he. The Encyclopedia of Religion lɛ wie akɛ: “Akɛni no nɔŋŋ ji shishijee kusum ni atsɔɔ nɔ afeɔ sɔlemɔ lɛ mlibii lɛ ateŋ mɔ kɔ hewɔ lɛ, sɔlemɔi krokomɛi ni etsi amɛhe, ni amɛteŋ mɔ fɛɛ mɔ tsɛɔ ehe sɔlemɔ lɛ diɛŋtsɛ, ni etsɛɔ ekrokomɛi lɛ akɛ hemɔkɛyeli kwalɔi kɛ mɛi ni etsi amɛhe lɛ pii kɛ oyaiyeli wie baptisimɔ he akɛ klɛŋklɛŋ nii ni ataoɔ yɛ gbɔmɛi lɛ ahe. Anyɛɛɛ ajo tsakemɔi ni afee yɛ baptisimɔ kusumii lɛ amli yɛ kui bibii lɛ amli lɛ anaa foi.”

Shi kɛlɛ, nifeemɔ ni ji baptisimɔ lɛ etsɛ fe Kristofoi ahemɔkɛyeli lɛ. Akɛtsu nii yɛ Babilonia kɛ blema Mizraim, he ni asusu yɛ akɛ Nilo faa lɛ mli nui ni mli ejɔ lɛ baamɔ hewalɛ babaoo, ni ehaa mɔ shihilɛ ni gbele bɛ mli lɛ. Helabii lɛ hu he amɛye akɛ baptisimɔ nyɛɔ ehaa mɔ hewalɛ hee ni ekɛ shihilɛ ni gbele bɛ mli haa mɛi ni kɛ amɛhe woɔ mli lɛ. Yudafoi akuu ni hi Qumran lɛ kɛ amɛhe wo baptisimɔ mli akɛ nifeemɔ ni akɛheɔ mɔ awoɔ amɛkuu lɛ mli. Abi ni afolɔ Jeŋmajiaŋbii ni tsakeɔ kɛyaa Yuda jamɔ mli lɛ ketia, ni gbii kpawo sɛɛ lɛ, abaptisi amɛ kɛtsɔ numiimɔ nɔ yɛ odasefoi ahiɛ.

Eyɛ faŋŋ akɛ, abu baptisimɔ akɛ nifeemɔ ko ni he hiaa waa yɛ yinɔi fɛɛ mli. Shi ŋmɛnɛ hu? Ani ehe miihia yɛ ŋmɛnɛŋmɛnɛ bei nɛɛ amli? Kɛ nakai lɛ, mɛni hewɔ? Yɛ anɔkwale mli lɛ, ani esa akɛ abaptisi bo?