Diocletian Anodenha chiKristu
PAMUTAMBO wamwari weRoma anonzi Terminus pana February 23, 303 N.V., wakaitwa kuNicomedia muAsia Minor, dzimbahwe idzva ramambo, vanhu vakakwikwidzana kuti varatidzire kutsigira kwavo nyika. Asi nzanga duku yechiKristu yakacherekedzwa kuti yaisavapo.
Vari panzvimbo yavo yakanaka yeimba yamambo, Mambo Diocletian naGalerius Caesar muduku vakaona nzvimbo yokusangana yechiKristu yomunzvimbomo. Pachiratidzo chakapiwa, varwi navakuru vakuru vehurumende vakamanikidzira kupinda muchivako chamaKristu, kuchipamba, uye vakapisa makopi eBhaibheri avakawana. Pakupedzisira, vakaparadza chose chose chivako chacho.
Yakadarozvo kuvamba nhambo yechitambudzo chakashatisa kutonga kwaDiocletian. Vezvenhau vanoipa zita rokuti “chitambudzo chikuru chokupedzisira,” “chitambudzo chine masimba masimba zvikurusa,” kunyange kuti “hachisati chiri chinhu chakaderera kupfuura kuparadzwa kwezita rechiKristu.” Kunzvera mugariro wakapoteredza izvi zvinoitika zvinoshamisa kunobvumikisa kuva kunozivisa zvikurusa.
Chihedheni Chinorwisana nechiKristu
Diocletian, akaberekerwa muDalmatia, nzvimbo yeyakava Yugoslavia, akatanhamara mumapoka ehondo yeRoma. Agamuchirwa samambo muna 284 N.V., akava akakurumbira nokuda kwokushandura zvamatongerwe enyika apo akatanga umambo huna, utungamiri hwakabatanidzwa hwavana, kuti hutungamirire umambo hwacho. Diocletian akagadza Maximian, murwi biyake akura, kuti abatire pamwe chete naye samambo wechipiri, Augustus wechipiri, ane mutoro chaiwo murutivi rwokumadokero rwoumambo hwacho. Vose vari vaviri Diocletian naMaximian vakanga vana Caesar muduku uko maruramiro okutsiva akapiwa. Constantius Chlorus akabatira saCaesar kuna Maximian, nepo Galerius wokuThrace akava nesimba pasi paDiocletian.
Galerius Caesar, kufanana naDiocletian, akanga ari munamati anoshingaira wavamwari venhema. Ane gwinyiro rokutsiva mambo, Galerius akaedzesera kutya unyengeri muhondo. Haana kuda pesvedzero yaikura yavarwi vaitaura kuti maKristu. Mumurangariro wamambo, kuramba kwavo kutora rutivi mukunamata kwechihedheni kwakava denho kuchiremera chake. Naizvozvo Galerius akakurudzira Diocletian kuita nhano dzokuparadza chiKristu. Pakupedzisira, munguva yechando ya 302/303 N.V., mambo akatera kumurangariro unorwisana nechiKristu waCaesar ndokubvuma kubvisa vanhu ivava muhondo nomudare. Asi Diocletian haana kuda chishava, achitya kuti vafiri kutendeka kubasa rechiKristu vaizonyandura vamwe kukuzvidza kwakasimba.
Zvisinei, asina kugutswa nokusvika ikoku kuchinetso chacho, Diocletian akabvunza vatungamiriri vamauto navakuru vakuru, kubatanidza Hierocles, gavhuna weBithynia. Uyu muHellen anoshingaira akatsigira chiito chamasimba masimba mukurwisana namaKristu ose. Kutsigira kwaDiocletian vamwari vamagamuchidzanwa veRoma kwakatungamirira kukurwisana nechiKristu. Muuyo wacho, mukuwirirana neDiocletian and the Roman Recovery, rakanyorwa naStephen Williams, wakanga uri “hondo isina kuganhurirwa kusvikira kumugumo pakati pavamwari veRoma namwari wamaKristu.”
Mirairo
Kuti aite nhimbe yake yokutambudza, Diocletian akazivisa mirairo mina inotevedzana. Zuva rapashure pedenho muNicomedia, iye akaraira nzvimbo dzokusonganira dzose dzechiKristu nezvinhu kuparadzwa ndokuraira kuti mabhuku anoyera aunzwe ndokupiswa. MaKristu aiva nenzvimbo yebasa reHurumende aifanira kuderedzwa pabasa.
Apo mwoto miviri yakatanga mukati chaimo meimba youmambo yamambo, pomero yakava pamaKristu anoshanda ipapo. Ikoku kwakanyandura murairo wechipiri, uyo wakaraira kusungwa nokuiswa mutorongo kwamabhishopi ose, vafundisi, uye madhikoni. Uchitendera kutambudza kana kuri madikanwa, murairo wechitatu wakaedza kuita kuti ava varume vawe pakutenda, uchiraira kuti vabaire kuna vamwari veRoma. Murairo wechina wakapfuura ndokukuita mhaka huru kuti munhu upi noupi ataure kuti ndewechiKristu.
Fungu rakavapo somuuyo routsinye rakaparira boka rakanzi traditores (kureva kuti, “avo vakatera”), vatengesi kuna Mwari naKristu avo vakaedza kuchengeta upenyu hwavo kupfurikidza nokupa makopi avo aMagwaro. Mukuwirirana newezvenhau anonzi Will Durant, “zviuru zvamaKristu zvakatera . . . Asi vazhinjisa vavakatambudzwa vakamira vakatsiga; uye chiono kana kuti mushumo wokuvimbika kwoushingi muchitambudzo zvakasimbisa kutenda kwemitezo mitsva isina kutsiga neyakawanwa yeungano dzaivhimwa.” MaKristu muFirigia, Kapadhokia, Mesopotamia, Finike, Egipita, uye mamwe mativi mazhinjisa oUmambo hweRoma akatambura kufira kutendeka.
Wezvenhau wechechi Eusebius weKesaria akaziva kuti zviuru zvamaKristu zvakaparara mukati mechitambudzo. Pane rumwe rutivi, Edward Gibbon, munyori weThe Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, anotaura chiverengero chevasingasviki zviuru zviviri. “Gibbon anobata zhinji dzeidzi nhau nepanikiro yakati, dzichibva sezvadzinoita mumanyuko anoyevedza zvikuru echiKristu akarerekera kukurumbidza vafiri kutendeka ndokukwidziridza vakatendeka,” anotsanangura kudaro mumwe munyori. “Hapana panikiro,” iye anopfuurira kudaro, “kukatutsira muvanyori vanotendeudzira nenzira iri nyore nzufu shomanene kukuva ‘zviuru nezviuru,’ avo vasingatsauranisi pakati pokufira kutendeka kusingakumbirwi nouko kunobva mukutsamwiswa kwamaune; uye avo vanorondedzera nzira iyo zvikara munhandare zvakaparadza nehasha mamwe matsotsi ose asi zvakadziviswa ne‘simba rinopfuura romuzvarirwo’ kubata maKristu. Asi, tichitobvumira nzvimbo yamanyepo, zvinosara zvakaipa zvakakwana.” Zvamazvirokwazvo chitambudzo choutsinye zvikurusa chakaitika nokurova, kupisa, kubvisa ganda, uye mapinjisi zvaishandiswa nokuda kwokutambudza.
Zvimwe zviremera zvinodavira murangariro wokuti Galerius, panzvimbo paDiocletian, akanga ari munyanduri wechitambudzo. “Hakusati kuri pasina revo huru yetsika,” anotaura kudaro Purofesa William Bright muThe Age of the Fathers, “kuti nhamburiko hurusa yesimba renyika rechihedheni yokutsika-tsika upenyu hwoUmambo uhwo husati huri hwenyika ino inofanira kuva nezita raDiocletian, panzvimbo peromuvambi wayo wechokwadi Galerius.” Bva, kunyange mukati moumambo huna, Diocletian akaramba ane simba guru, sokubvuma kunoita munyori Stephen Williams, kuti: “Hapana panikiro kuti Diocletian akanga ane udzori hwomuitiro mukuru uri wose muUmambo kutozosvikira muna 304, uye ane mutoro mukuru nokuda kwechitambudzo kutozosvikira musi iwoyo.” Diocletian akarwara uye pakupedzisira akarega udzori muna 305 N.V. Kwamakore matanhatu pashure pacho, chitambudzo chinopfuurira chakaratidzira ruvengo rwakakasharara rwaGalerius rwezvinhu zvose zvechiKristu.
ChiKristu Chomuzana Ramakore Rechina
Izvi zvinoitika zvinotyisa pakuvamba muzana ramakore rechina zvinosimbisa zvakanga zvadeya kutaurwa navaapostora Pauro naPetro, pamwe chete navamwe vanyori vakafuridzirwa. “Munhu wokusateerera mutemo” akadeya kutaurwa, boka rinotonga ravafundisi ravanotaura kuti maKristu, rakanga ratosimbiswa, sokupupurira kunoita mirairo yaDiocletian, zvikurukuru wechipiri. (2 VaTesaronika 2:3, 4, NW; Mabasa 20:29, 30; 2 Petro 2:12) Pakazosvika zana ramakore rechina, miitiro yokuwa pakutenda yakanga yatova yakarovedzeka. Vaitaura kuti maKristu vasiri vashomanene vakanga vari mitezo yehondo yeRoma. Kwakanga kusina maKristu here shure panguva iyoyo akanga akatendeka ku“zvakaratidzwa zvamashoko akanaka” akagamuchirwa kuvaapostora?—2 Timotio 1:13.
Eusebius anodudza mazita vamwe vavanyajambwa vechitambudzo, achitorondedzera zvakajeka kutambudzwa kwawo, kutambura, uye kufira kutendeka kwokupedzisira. Kana ava vafiri kutendeka vose vakafa muperero kuzvokwadi yakaziviswa yaiwanikwa panguva iyoyo, hatigoni kuziva pari zvino. Pasina panikiro vamwe vakanga vafungisisa nyevero dzaJesu dzokudzivisa masekete, utere, uye kubvumirana pane zvisina kufanira kworudzi rupi norupi. (Zvakazarurwa 2:15, 16, 20-23; 3:1-3) Sezviri pachena, vamwe vanhu vakatendeka vakapukunyuka vakaramba vakavanzika mumurangariro wenhau. (Mateo 13:24-30) Zvamazvirokwazvo, mirairo yokudzvinyirira kunamata kwechiKristu kwapachena yaibudirira kwazvo zvokuti mufananidzo weSpain wenhambo yacho unorumbidza Diocletian nokuda kwokuva aka‘paradza kudavira mashura kwaKristu.’ Kunyanguvezvo, nhamburiko dzokubvuta ndokuparadza makopi aMagwaro, rutivi rukuru rwokudenha kwaDiocletian pachiKristu, dzakakundikana kubvisa Shoko raMwari zvachose chose.—1 Petro 1:25.
Asingabudiriri mukuparadza chose chose chiKristu, Satani Dhiabhorosi, mutongi wenyika, akapfuuridzira mabasa ake amanomano kupfurikidza naMambo Constantine, uyo akatonga kubvira muna 306 kusvikira muna 337 N.V. (Johane 12:31; 16:11; VaEfeso 6:11, NW, mashoko omuzasi) Constantine wechihedheni haana kurwisa maKristu. Panzvimbo pezvo, akakuwana kwakakodzera kupinza zvitendero zvechihedheni nezvechiKristu murudzidziso rweHurumende itsva.
Mune nyevero yakadini nokuda kwedu tose zvedu! Apo tinonangana nechitambudzo choutsinye, rudo rwedu nokuda kwaJehovha ruchatibetsera kudzivisa kubvumirana pane zvisina kufanira nokuda kwokuzorodzwa kupi nokupi kwokunyama kwechinguvana. (1 Petro 5:9) Nenzira yakafanana, hatisati tichizobvumira nhambo ine rugare kunetesa simba redu rechiKristu. (VaHebheru 2:1; 3:12, 13) Kusanonamatira kunheyo dzeBhaibheri kuchatichengeta takavimbika kuna Jehovha, Mwari anogona kununura vanhu vake.—Pisarema 18:25, 48.
[Vakatipa Mufananidzo uri papeji 28]
Musei Capitolini, Roma