Ake Ulandele UPawulu Eya EBhereya

Umsebenzi walezi zithunywa zevangeli ezimbili wawuza kahle kakhulu futhi abantu abaningi baba amakholwa. Kodwa kwathi kusenjalo isixuku saziphikisa. Ngakho kwenziwa isinqumo. Ngenxa yebandla elalisanda kumiswa kanye nokuphepha kwalezi zithunywa zevangeli, kwadingeka zibaleke phakathi nobusuku. Ngakho, uPawulu noSila basuka ethekwini laseMakedoniya eThesalonika cishe ngo-50 C.E. Babhekisa amabombo endaweni abase bezoshumayela kuyo—iBhereya.

UMA sikude, isivakashi sanamuhla, njengoba kwakunjalo nangesivakashi sasendulo, singakwazi ukubona iBhereya (iVéroia) esengxenyeni esempumalanga yeNtaba iBermios enothe ngohlaza. IBhereya iqhele ngamakhilomitha angaba ngu-65 eningizimu-ntshonalanga yeThesalonika nangamakhilomitha angaba ngu-40 e-Aegean Sea. INtaba i-Olympus, izinganekwane ezithi iyindawo yonkulunkulu abayinhloko basendulo bamaGreki, yona iseningizimu.

Abafundi beBhayibheli banesithakazelo kule ndawo yaseBhereya ngoba iyindawo uPawulu ashumayela futhi waguqula kuyo abaningi baba amaKristu. (IzEnzo 17:10-15) Ake sihambe lapho uPawulu ahamba khona sihlole umlando waleli dolobha.

Umlando Wayo

Akekho oqinisekayo ukuthi abantu baqala nini ukuhlala eBhereya. Abantu bakhona bokuqala, cishe izizwe zaseFrigiya, baxoshwa abaseMakedoniya cishe ngekhulu lesi-7 B.C.E. Ngemva kwamakhulu eminyaka amathathu, iMakedoniya yaceba ngenxa yokunqoba kuka-Alexander Omkhulu. Kwakhiwa izakhiwo nezindonga ezinhle kakhulu, zafana nezindlu ezingcwele zoZeyusi, u-Arthemisi, u-Apollo, u-Athena nabanye onkulunkulu bamaGreki.

Enye incwadi yomlando iphawula ukuthi phakathi namakhulu eminyaka, iBhereya “yabamba iqhaza elikhulu ekuthuthukeni kwayo nayo yonke inyakatho yeGrisi.” Leli dolobha laduma ngokukhethekile phakathi nokubusa kohlanga lokugcina lwamakhosi aseMakedoniya, ama-Antigonid (306-168 B.C.E.), agcina egumbuqelwe iRoma.

I-Encyclopædia Britannica ithi lapho amaRoma enqoba iNkosi uPhilip V ngo-197 B.C.E., “kwaba khona ukuthikamezeka esimisweni sokubusa sakudala futhi iRoma yaba ungqo-shishilizi empumalanga yeMedithera.” Ngo-168 B.C.E., ujenene waseRoma wanqoba umbusi wokugcina waseMakedoniya yasendulo, uPerseuse, endaweni ebizwa ngokuthi iPydna, eqhele ngamakhilomitha ambalwa eningizimu yeBhereya. Njengoba isiprofetho seBhayibheli sasibikezele, umbuso wezwe waseGrisi wathathelwa indawo yiRoma. (Daniyeli 7:6, 7, 23) Ngemva kwaleyo mpi, iBhereya yaba ngomunye wemizi yokuqala yaseMakedoniya eyazinikela eRoma.

Ekhulwini lokuqala B.C.E., uPompey noJulius Caesar balwela eMakedoniya. Eqinisweni, uPompey wamisa ikomkhulu lakhe nebutho lakhe phakathi eBhereya.

Ukuchuma Lapho Seyibuswa IRoma

Phakathi ne-Pax Romana, noma uKuthula KwaseRoma, izivakashi zaseBhereya zazijabulela ukubona izitaladi zamatshe ezinemipheme. Umuzi wawunezindawo zomphakathi zokugeza, izinkundla zemidlalo, imitapo nezakhiwo zemiqhudelwano yezilwi. Kwakunamapayipi amanzi okuphuza futhi umuzi wawunamapayipi amanzi ahamba ngaphansi komhlaba. IBhereya yaduma njengesikhungo sezentengiselwano esivakashelwa abathengisi, abadwebi, abadlali bemidlalo, kanti izibukeli zaziza zizobuka ezemidlalo nokunye. Izifiki zazikwazi ukuthola indawo yokukhulekela lapho zazingase zikwazi ukwenza imikhosi yezinkolo zazo. Yebo, leli dolobha lagcwala amahlelo amaningi aseRoma futhi axubana.

Ngemva kokufa, ababusi baseRoma babenziwa onkulunkulu futhi bekhulekelwa eBhereya. Kungenzeka ukuthi lokhu kwakungeyona into eyisimanga kubantu baseBhereya ngoba u-Alexander Omkhulu waba ngumbusi wokuqala owakhulekelwa futhi wahlonishwa njengonkulunkulu. Enye incwadi yesiGreki ithi: “Njengoba ayejwayele ukukhulekela inkosi lapho isaphila, amaHellene [amaGreki] oMbuso wasempumalanga ayebakhulekela ngendlela efanayo ababusi baseRoma . . . Imali yensimbi inombusi ovezwe njengonkulunkulu ogqoke umqhele okhazimulayo. Ayemkhulekela ngendlela ayekhulekela ngayo onkulunkulu, ngamahubo nangezingoma.” Kwakwakhiwa ama-altare namathempeli, enzelwe imihlatshelo. Ngisho nababusi babeza bathamele imikhosi yamahlelo yasembusweni, eyayihlanganisa imiqhudelwano yezemidlalo, yezobuciko neyokubhalwa kwezincwadi.

Kungani iBhereya yayiyisikhungo sokukhulekela kwamaqaba? Yingoba kwakuhlala iKoinon yaseMakedoniya. IKoinon yayiyithimba lamanxusa asemizini yaseMakedoniya. La manxusa ayehlangana njalo eBhereya ukuze axoxe ngezindaba zomuzi nezesifunda futhi ayezisingatha eqondiswa amaRoma. Omunye wemisebenzi eyinhloko yeKoinon kwakuwukwengamela imikhosi yamahlelo eyayenziwa embusweni.

Sasinjena-ke isimo emzini uPawulu noSila abaya kuwo ngemva kokubaleka eThesalonika. Ngaleso sikhathi, kwase kungamakhulu amabili eminyaka iBhereya ibuswa iRoma.

Izindaba Ezinhle Zifika EBhereya

UPawulu waqala umsebenzi wakhe wokushumayela esinagogeni lomuzi waseBhereya. Abantu bamamukela kanjani uPawulu? Ukulandisa okuphefumulelwe kubika ukuthi amaJuda alapho ‘ayenengqondo enhle kunawaseThesalonika, ngoba amukela izwi ngengqondo enokulangazela okukhulu, ehlola ngokucophelela imiBhalo nsuku zonke ukuthi zinjalo yini lezi zinto.’ (IzEnzo 17:10, 11) Njengoba ‘ayenengqondo enhle,’ awazange abe nenkani anamathele emasikweni awo. Nakuba ayeqala ukuzizwa lezi zinto, awazange abe nesimo sokungakholwa noma sokucasuka. Kunokwenqaba umyalezo kaPawulu, awunikeza ithuba, amlalela futhi angambandlulula.

Lawo maJuda ayengase azi kanjani ukuthi imfundiso kaPawulu yayiyiqiniso noma cha? Izinto ayezizwa azivivinya ngokusebenzisa isimiso esithembeke kunazo zonke. Ahlola imiBhalo ngokucophelela nangenkuthalo. Isazi seBhayibheli uMatthew Henry saphetha: “Njengoba uPawulu ayebonisana nawo ngemiBhalo, futhi ewakhomba eThestamenteni Elidala ukuze athole ubufakazi bezinto ayezisho, ayengafunda emaBhayibhelini awo, avule izindawo ayethe azivule, afunde yonke indaba, acabangele umongo athole umqondo wawo, aqhathanise neminye imiBhalo, athole ukuthi amaphuzu kaPawulu ngale miBhalo ayeyiqiniso yini abese efika eziphethweni ezifanele.”

Lokhu kwakungekhona nje ukutadisha okukha phezulu. AbaseBhereya babetadisha ngenkuthalo bengayeki, futhi babetadisha nsuku zonke, hhayi ngeSabatha nje kuphela.

Cabanga ngomphumela. AmaJuda amaningi aseBhereya amukela iqiniso futhi aba amakholwa. AmaGreki amaningana, mhlawumbe kuhlanganise nalawo ayengamaproselithe enkolweni yamaJuda, nawo akholwa. Kodwa azidonsela amehlo. Lapho amaJuda aseThesalonika ezwa ngalokhu, aphuthuma aya eBhereya “ukuze avuse abantu futhi abayaluzise.”—IzEnzo 17:4, 12, 13.

Kwadingeka ukuba uPawulu ahambe eBhereya, kodwa waqhubeka nokushumayela kwenye indawo. Kulokhu wahamba ngomkhumbi owawuya e-Athene. (IzEnzo 17:14, 15) Noma kunjalo, wayejabula ngokuthi kwasunguleka ubuKristu eBhereya ngenxa yomsebenzi wakhe lapho. Nanamuhla usathela izithelo.

Yebo, basekhona abantu eBhereya (eVéroia) abayihlola ngokucophelela imiBhalo ukuze ‘baqiniseke ngazo zonke izinto’ futhi ‘babambelele baqinise’ ezintweni eziqinile neziyiqiniso. (1 Thesalonika 5:21) Amabandla amabili achumayo oFakazi BakaJehova kuleli dolobha ayashumayela njengoba kwenza uPawulu, futhi axoxela abanye ngomyalezo weBhayibheli. Afuna abanhliziyo ziqotho futhi abonisane nabo ngemiBhalo, avumele amandla eBhayibheli ashukumisayo ukuba asize bonke abafuna ukwazi uJehova, uNkulunkulu weqiniso.—Hebheru 4:12.

[Ibalazwe ekhasini 13]

(Ukuze ubone ukuthi indaba ihlelwe kanjani, bheka encwadini)

Ingxenye yendawo uPawulu ayihambela ohambweni lwakhe lwesibili njengesithunywa sevangeli

IMISIYA

ITrowa

INeyapholi

IFilipiI

IMAKEDONIYA

I-Amfipholi

IThesalonika

Bhereya

IGRISI

I-Athene

IKorinte

I-AKHAYA

I-ASIYA

I-Efesu

IRODU

[Isithombe ekhasini 13]

Imali yensimbi ebonisa u-Alexander Omkhulu njengonkulunkulu waseGrisi

[Umthombo]

Coin: Pictorial Archive (Eastern History) Est.

[Isithombe ekhasini 14]

Isango elingena endaweni yamaJuda eBhereya (eVéroia)

[Isithombe ekhasini 15]

Isinagoge elidala eBhereya (eVéroia) yanamuhla