Chiyambi cha Helo

NEW Catholic Encyclopedia, ikulongosola kuti, liwu lakuti “helo,” “limagwiritsidwa ntchito kusonyeza malo achilango.” Bukhu lanazonse Lachiprotesitanti likufotokoza helo kukhala “malo achilango cha mtsogolo cha oipa.”a Koma kukhulupirira malo amenewo achilango cha mtsogolo pambuyo pa imfa sikuli kolekezera ku matchalitchi aakulu a Dziko Lachikristu. Iko kunayambika mazana ambirimbiri Dziko Lachikristu lisanakhaleko.

Helo Wachimesopotamiya

Chifupifupi zaka 2,000 Yesu asanabadwe, Asumeria ndi Ababulo anakhulupirira m’dziko lakunsi lomwe analitcha Dziko Losabwereranso. Chikhulupiriro chakale chimenechi chimawonekera m’ndakatulo Zachisumeria ndi Akadiya zodziŵika monga “The Epic of Gilgamesh” ndi “Descent of Ishtar to the Underworld.” Izo zimalongosola malo a anthu akufa amenewa kukhala nyumba ya mdima, “nyumba imene aliyense woloŵamo sakhala ndi moyo.”

Ponena za mikhalidwe yokhala kumeneko, lemba lakale la Asuri limalongosola kuti “dziko lakunsilo linadzazidwa ndi zowopsya.” Kalonga Wachiasuri yemwe akulingaliridwa kukhala anapatsidwa masomphenya a malo a anthu akufa akunsi amenewa akutsimikizira kuti “miyendo yake inanjenjemera” ndi zimene anawona. Akumafotokoza za Nergal, mfumu ya dziko lakunsiko, iye analemba kuti: “Iye anafuula kwa ine mwaukali ngati namondwe wokuntha.”

Zipembedzo Zachiigupto ndi Zakum’mawa

Aigupto akale anakhulupirira m’kusafa kwa moyo, ndipo anali ndi lingaliro lawo la dziko la pambuyo pa imfa. The New Encyclopædia Britannica ikulongosola kuti: “Malemba amaliro Achiigupto amasonyeza njira yopitira ku dziko lotsatira kukhala yodzazidwa ndi zinthu zowopsya: zirombo zowopsya, nyanja zamoto, zipata zomwe zingadutsidwe mwa kugwiritsira ntchito matsenga, ndi munthu wowopsya wowolotsa anthu yemwe zolinga zake zoipa zingathetsedwe ndi matsenga.”

Zipembedzo za ku Indo-Iran zinakulitsa mitundu yosiyanasiyana ya zikhulupiriro za chilango cha pambuyo pa imfa. Ikumalankhula za chikhulupiriro Chachihindu, Encyclopædia Universalis (Bukhu la Nazonse la Chilengedwe cha Ponseponse) Yachifalansa ikulongosola kuti: “Pali zisonyezero zosaŵerengeka za mahelo 21 olingaliridwa ndi Ahindu. Ochimwa amadyedwa ndi zirombo ndi njoka, kuwotchedwa mwankhanza, kuchekedwachekedwa, kuzunzidwa ndi ludzu ndi njala, kuwiritsidwa m’mafuta, kapena kuperedwa m’zotengera zachitsulo kapena mwala.”

Chiphunzitso Chachijain ndi chiphunzitso Chachibuddha zonse ziŵiri ziri ndi mitundu yawo ya helo, kumene ochimwa osalapa amazunzidwa. Chiphunzitso Chachizoroastrian, choyambitsidwa mu Iran, kapena Perisiya, nachonso chiri ndi helo​—malo ozizira, onunkha moipa kumene miyoyo ya ochimwa imazunzidwa.

Mosangalatsa, chikuwoneka kuti zizunzo za mitundu ya helo ya Chiigupto, Chihindu, Chijain, Chibuddha, ndi Chizoroastrian siziri zosatha. Malinga ndi zipembedzo zimenezi, pambuyo pa nyengo ya kuvutika, miyoyo ya ochimwa imasamukira ku malo ena kapena mkhalidwe, kudalira pa lingaliro la chipembedzo la chiyembekezo cha munthu. Malingaliro awo a helo amafanana ndi purigatoriyo wa chiphunzitso Chachikatolika.

Helo Wachigriki, Wachietruscan, ndi Wachiroma

Agriki akale anakhulupirira m’kupulumuka kwa moyo (psy·kheʹ, liwu lomwe amagwiritsiranso ntchito kaamba ka gulugufe). Iwo anatcha Hade kukhala bwalo la akufa ndi kukhulupirira kuti linalamuliridwa ndi mulungu wokhala ndi dzina limodzimodzilo. M’bukhu lake lakuti Orpheus​—A General History of Religions, katswiri Wachifalansa Salomon Reinach analemba za Agriki kuti: “Chikhulupiriro chofala chinali chakuti [moyo] unaloŵa m’magawo a kunsi (inferno) pambuyo powoloka mtsinje wa Styx m’bwato la Charon, munthu wowolotsa anthu, yemwe anatenga monga malipiro obolus [kobiri], imene inaikidwa mkamwa mwa munthu wakufayo. M’magawo a kunsiko inawonekera pamaso pa oweruza atatu a kumaloko . . . ; ngati inaweruzidwa chifukwa cha maupandu ake, iyo inafunikira kuvutika mu Tartarus. . . . Agriki anapanganso Limbo, malo a ana omwe anafa mu ubwana, ndi Purigatoriyo, kumene zilango zopepuka zinayeretsa miyoyo.” Mogwirizana ndi The World Book Encyclopedia, miyoyo yomwe inathera mu Tartarus “inavutika ndi chizunzo chamuyaya.”

Mu Italy Aetruscan, amene kutsungula kwawo kunapambana kuja kwa Aroma, anakhulupiriranso m’chilango cha pambuyo pa imfa. Dictionnaire des Religions (Dikishonale ya Zipembedzo) ikulongosola kuti: “Chisamaliro chopambanitsa chimene Aetruscan anapereka kwa akufa awo chalongosoledwa ndi lingaliro lawo la zigawo zakunsi. Mofanana ndi Ababulo, iwo analingalira zimenezi kukhala malo a chizunzo ndi kusoŵa chochita kwa manes [mizimu ya akufa]. Mpumulo wawo wokha ukabwera kuchokera ku nsembe zachiwombolo zopangidwa ndi mbadwa zawo.” Bukhu lina lolozerako likulengeza kuti: “Manda Achietruscan amasonyeza zochitika zowopsya zomwe zinapangitsa zopakidwa utoto za helo Wachikritsu.”

Aroma anatsanzira helo Wachietruscan, akumaitcha kukhala Orcus kapena Infernus. Iwo anabwerekanso nthano Zachigriki zonena za Hade, mfumu ya dziko lakunsi, kumutcha iye Orcus, kapena Pluto.

Ayuda ndi Malemba Achihebri

Kodi bwanji ponena za Ayuda tsiku la Yesu lisanafike? Ponena za iwo, timaŵerenga mu Encyclopædia Britannica (1970) kuti: “Kuyambira m’zaka za zana la 5 B.C. kunka mtsogolo, Ayuda anali ogwirizana ndi Aperisiya ndi Agriki, onse amene anakulitsa bwino lomwe malingaliro a moyo wa pambuyo pake. . . . Pa nthaŵi ya Kristu, Ayuda anali atatsanzira chikhulupiriro chakuti miyoyo yoipa ikazunzidwa pambuyo pa imfa mu Gehena.” Komabe, Encyclopædia Judaica ikulongosola kuti: “Palibe lingaliro lirilonse la mbali yomalizira ya Gehena imeneyi lomwe likupezeka m’Malemba.”

Ndemanga yomalizira imeneyi njolondola. Palibe lingaliro lirilonse m’Malemba Achihebri la chilango cha pambuyo pa imfa cha moyo mu helo wa moto. Chiphunzitso chochititsa manthachi chinayambira kumbuyoko m’zipembedzo Zachibabulo za Chigumula chisanadze, osati Baibulo. Chiphunzitso cha Dziko Lachikristu cha chilango mu helo chinayambitsidwa ndi Ababulo akale. Lingaliro Lachikatolika la kuvutika kowongolera m’purigatoriyo linayambira kumbuyoko m’zipembedzo zoyambirira Zachiigupto ndi Zakum’mawa. Limbo anatengedwa kuchokera ku nthano Yachigriki. Mapemphero ndi nsembe za akufa zinachitidwa ndi Aetruscan.

Koma kodi kulingalira kumeneku kwa ziphunzitso za chilango cha pambuyo pa imfa kunazikidwa pa chiyani?

[Mawu a M’munsi]

[Chithunzi patsamba 5]

Kuwoloka Styx monga momwe kwalongosoledwera mu “Inferno” ya Dante

[Mawu a Chithunzi]

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