Wayengubani UTheophilus Wase-Antiyokiya?

“UNGIBIZA ngomKristu, njengokungathi leli igama okuyisiqalekiso ukuba nalo, kodwa mina, ngokwami, ngikusho ngeqholo ukuthi ngingumKristu, futhi nginaleli gama ukuze ngibe othandekayo kaNkulunkulu, nginethemba lokuba ofanelekayo ukusetshenziswa uNkulunkulu.”

UTheophilus uyethula kanjalo incwadi yakhe ehlukaniswe izingxenye ezintathu enesihloko esithi Theophilus to Autolycus. Iyisiqalo sokulwa kwakhe nokuhlubuka kwekhulu lesibili. UTheophilus uziveza ngesibindi njengomlandeli kaKristu. Ubonakala ezimisele ukuziphatha ngendlela yokuba abe umuntu ‘ongothandekayo kaNkulunkulu,’ ngokuvumelana nencazelo yolimi lwesiGreki yegama lakhe. Wayengubani nje ngempela uTheophilus? Wayephila nini? Futhi yini ayifeza?

Umlando Wakhe Siqu

Kuncane okwaziwayo ngomlando kaTheophilus. Wakhuliswa abazali abangewona amaKristu. Kamuva uTheophilus waphendukela ebuKristwini, kodwa kwakungemva kokutadisha imiBhalo ngokucophelela. Waba umbhishobhi webandla lase-Antiyokiya yaseSiriya, namuhla eyaziwa ngokuthi i-Antakya, eTurkey.

Ngokuvumelana nomyalo kaJesu, amaKristu ekhulu lokuqala ashumayela kubantu base-Antiyokiya. ULuka waloba ngempumelelo yawo, ethi: “Isandla sikaJehova sasinawo, futhi isibalo esikhulu esaba amakholwa saphendukela eNkosini.” (IzEnzo 11:20, 21) Ngesiqondiso saphezulu, abalandeli bakaJesu Kristu baziwa ngokuthi amaKristu. Leli gama laqala ukusetshenziswa e-Antiyokiya yaseSiriya. (IzEnzo 11:26) Ngekhulu lokuqala C.E., umphostoli uPawulu wathatha uhambo oluya e-Antiyokiya yaseSiriya, futhi lendawo yaba ikhaya lakhe. UBarnaba noPawulu, behamba noJohane Marku, bathatha uhambo lwabo lokushumayela lokuqala besuka e-Antiyokiya.

Kumelwe ukuba kwawakhuthaza kakhulu amaKristu okuqala ase-Antiyokiya ukuhambela kwabaphostoli emzini wakubo. Ngokungangabazeki ukusabela kwawo ngentshiseko eqinisweni leZwi likaNkulunkulu ngokwengxenye kwabangelwa ukuhambela okuqinisa ukholo kwabameleli bendikimba ebusayo bekhulu lokuqala. (IzEnzo 11:22, 23) Yeka ukuthi kumelwe ukuba kwakukhuthaza kangakanani kubo ukubona izakhamuzi eziningi zase-Antiyokiya zinikezela ukuphila kwazo kuJehova uNkulunkulu! Nokho, kwase kudlule iminyaka engaphezu kweyikhulu ngenkathi uTheophilus ehlala e-Antiyokiya.

Isazi-mlando u-Eusebius sathi uTheophilus wayengumbhishobhi wesithupha wase-Antiyokiya, uma kubalwa kusukela esikhathini sabaphostoli bakaKristu. UTheophilus waloba izingxoxo nezindaba eziningana eziphikisa umbono wokuhlubuka. Ubalwa phakathi kwabalweli bokholo abangamaKristu abangaba ngu-12 noma ngaphezulu bosuku lwakhe.

Ukubheka Imibhalo Yakhe

Ephendula ingxoxo ababebe nayo ngaphambili, uTheophilus ubhalela u-Autolycus oyiqaba eqala ngalamazwi: “Ukuqephuza nobuciko bamazwi bunikeza injabulo nodumo oluyize, kubantu abalusizi abonakalisiwe engqondweni.” UTheophilus uyachaza, ethi: “Othanda iqiniso akazigqizi qakala izinkulumo ezifekethisiwe, kodwa uhlola umnyombo wenkulumo . . . Ungihlasele ngamazwi awudwadwa, uqhosha ngonkulunkulu bakho bokhuni netshe, abakhandwe ngesando nababunjiwe, ababaziwe nabaxhoziwe, abangaboni futhi abangezwa, ngoba beyizithombe, nemisebenzi yezandla zabantu.”—Qhathanisa namaHubo 115:4-8.

UTheophilus udalula umqondo oyiphutha wokukhonza izithombe. Ngendlela yakhe yokubhala evamile, nakuba ephindaphinda, ngobuciko uzama ukuchaza isimo sangempela sikaNkulunkulu weqiniso. Uyachaza: “Isimo sikaNkulunkulu asikhulumeki futhi asichazeki, futhi asinakubonwa ngamehlo enyama. Ngoba ngenkazimulo akanakuqondwa, ngobukhulu akanakulinganiswa, ngokuphakama akanakucatshangwa, ngamandla akanakuqhathaniswa, ngokuhlakanipha akanakubangiswa, ngobuhle akanakulingiswa, ngomusa akanakuchazwa.”

Enezela kulencazelo kaNkulunkulu, uTheophilus uyaqhubeka: “Kodwa uyiNkosi, ngoba ubusa phezu kwendawo yonke; uBaba, ngoba uza ngaphambi kwazo zonke izinto; uMklami noMenzi, ngoba ungumdali nomenzi wendawo yonke; Ophakeme kakhulu, ngenxa yokuba kwaKhe ngaphezu kwakho konke; futhi unguMninimandla onke, ngoba Yena uqobo ubusa futhi asingathe konke.”

Ngokulandelayo, egxila ezintweni ezithile uNkulunkulu aye wazifeza, uTheophilus uyaqhubeka ngendlela yakhe evamile yokugeqa amagula nethanda ukuphindaphinda, ethi: “Ngoba amazulu angumsebenzi waKhe, umhlaba uyindalo yaKhe, ulwandle umsebenzi wezandla zaKhe; umuntu ungokubunjiweyo kwaKhe nomfanekiso waKhe; ilanga, inyanga, nezinkanyezi indalo yaKhe, kwenzelwe izimpawu, izinkathi, nezinsuku, neminyaka, ukuze zikhonze futhi zibe izigqila zomuntu; futhi zonke izinto uNkulunkulu azenzile ngezinto ezazingekho zaba izinto ezikhona, ukuze ngemisebenzi yaKhe ubukhulu baKhe baziwe futhi buqondwe.”

Esinye isibonelo sokuhlasela kukaTheophilus onkulunkulu bamanga bosuku lwakhe sibonakala emazwini alandelayo aqondiswe ku-Autolycus: “Amagama alabo othi uyabakhulekela, angamagama abantu asebafa. . . . Futhi babengabantu abanjani? USaturn akatholakali yini eyizimu, ebulala futhi edla izingane zakhe siqu? Futhi uma ubiza indodana yakhe ngoJupiter, . . . indlela anceliswa ngayo imbuzi . . . Futhi izenzo zakhe,—ukulala kwakhe nezihlobo zakhe, ukuphinga, nokukhanuka kwakhe.”

Enaba, uTheophilus ugcizelela ukuma kwakhe okumelene nokukhonza izithombe kobuqaba. Uyabhala: “Ingabe kufanele ngiqhubeke ngilandise ngoquqaba lwezilwane ezazikhulekelwa abaseGibithe, kokubili izilwane ezihuquzelayo, nezinkomo, nezilwane zasendle, nezinyoni, nezinhlanzi zasemfuleni . . . AmaGreki nezinye izizwe, akhulekela amatshe nokhuni, nezinye izinto ezakhiwe.” “Kodwa mina ngikhulekela uNkulunkulu, uNkulunkulu ophilayo noweqiniso,” kusho uTheophilus.—Qhathanisa neyesi-2 Samuweli 22:47; IzEnzo 14:15; Roma 1:22, 23.

UbuFakazi Obuwusizo

Iziyalo nezikhuthazo ezisencwadini kaTheophilus ehlukaniswe izingxenye ezintathu ephikisa u-Autolycus zinezici nemininingwane eminingi. Eminye imibhalo kaTheophilus yayiqondiswe kuHermogenes noMarcion. Waloba nezincwadi zokufundisa nezokuziphatha, enezela ngezincwadi ezihlaziya amaVangeli. Nokho, izincwadi ezintathu eziya ku-Autolycus nombhalo wesandla owodwa kuphela okuye kwalondolozwa.

Incwadi yokuqala iyincwadi eyayivikela inkolo yobuKristu eyayiya ku-Autolycus. Incwadi yesibili eya ku-Autolycus iphikisa inkolo ethandwayo yabahedeni, ukuqagela, izazi zefilosofi, nezimbongi. Encwadini yesithathu kaTheophilus izincwadi zabahedeni ziqhathaniswa nemiBhalo.

Esethulweni sencwadi yesithathu kaTheophilus, kubonakala sengathi u-Autolycus wayesabambelele embonweni wokuthi iZwi leqiniso liyinganekwane. UTheophilus ugxeka u-Autolycus, ethi: “Ubekezelela iziwula ngentokozo. Ukube akunjalo ngabe awuzange ushukunyiswe abantu abangenangqondo ukuba uthonywe amazwi awudwadwa, nokuba ukholelwe amahemuhemu adlangile.”

Ayeyini lawo “mahemuhemu adlangile”? UTheophilus umbula umthombo wawo. Abanyundeli “abanezindebe ezingenakho ukuhlonipha uNkulunkulu basimangalela ngamanga, [thina] esingabakhulekeli bakaNkulunkulu, futhi esibizwa ngamaKristu, bezisholo ukuthi abafazi bethu sonke bayahlanganyelwa futhi basetshenziselwe ukuziphatha okubi kobulili; nokuthi ngisho nathi silala nodadewethu, futhi, okuhlambalazayo nokuwubuqaba kunakho konke, ukuthi sidla inyama yabantu.” UTheophilus wazikhandla ukuze aqede lombono owawuphaphalaza kakhulu ngokuqondene nalabo ababethi bangamaKristu ngekhulu lesibili leminyaka. Wasebenzisa ukukhanya kweqiniso okuqukethwe iZwi likaNkulunkulu eliphefumulelwe.—Mathewu 5:11, 12.

Okufakazela ukujwayelana kukaTheophilus neZwi likaNkulunkulu ukusebenzisa nokubhekisela kwakhe kaningi emibhalweni yeBhayibheli yesiHeberu neyesiGreki. Wayengomunye wabahlaziyi bamaVangeli bokuqala ngqá. Ukubhekisela kukaTheophilus emiBhalweni kaningi kwenza indlela yokucabanga yabantu bangesikhathi sakhe iqondakale ngezinga elikhulu. Wasebenzisa ukujwayelana kwakhe nemibhalo ephefumulelwe ukuze abonise ukuphakama kwayo okukhulu ngaphezu kwefilosofi yamaqaba.

Indlela ukwaziswa kukaTheophilus okuhlelwe ngayo, amazwi akhe ayintshumayelo nomkhuba wakhe wokuphindaphinda kungase kunganambitheki kahle kwabanye. Ukuthi mhlawumbe ukuhlubuka okwakubikezelwe kwase kukuthonye ngezinga elingakanani ukunemba kwemibono yakhe, okwamanje asinakusho. (2 Thesalonika 2:3-12) Nokho, ngesikhathi sokufa kwakhe, cishe ngo-182 C.E., ngokusobala uTheophilus wayesaqhubeka engumlweli wokholo ongapheli amandla, onemibhalo ethakazelisayo kumaKristu angempela esikhathi sethu namuhla.

[Isithombe ekhasini 30]

UTheophilus wayiphikisa ngesibindi imibono ka-Autolycus

[Umthombo Wesithombe ekhasini 28]

Illustrations on pages 28 and 30 reproduced from Illustrirte Pracht - Bibel/Heilige Schrift des Alten und Neuen Testaments, nach der deutschen Uebersetzung D. Martin Luther’s