UTatian—Wayengumlweli Wokholo Noma Wayeyisihlubuki?

NGASEKUPHELENI kohambo lwakhe lwesithathu njengesithunywa sevangeli, umphostoli uPawulu waba nomhlangano namadoda amadala ebandla lase-Efesu. Wathi kuwo: “Ngiyazi ukuthi ngemva kokuhamba kwami kuzongena izimpisi ezicindezelayo phakathi kwenu futhi ngeke ziwuphathe ngozwela umhlambi, naphakathi kwenu ngokwenu kuzovela amadoda, akhulume izinto ezisontekile ukuze amonyule abafundi ukuba bawalandele.”—IzEnzo 20:29, 30.

Njengoba nje uPawulu ayeshilo, ikhulu lesibili C.E. laba yisikhathi soshintsho nokuhlubuka okwakubikezelwe. Kwakudlondlobala ubuGnostic, inkolo nefilosofi eyayandile eyonakalisa ukholo lwamanye amakholwa. AmaGnostic ayekholelwa ukuthi izinto ezingokomoya zilungile nokuthi zonke izinto zenyama ziwububi. Ngenxa yokukholelwa ukuthi yonke inyama iwububi, ayekulahla ukushada nokuzala, ethi kwasungulwa uSathane. Amanye awo ayekholelwa ukuthi njengoba kuyizinto eziphathelene nomoya kuphela ezilungile, akunandaba ukuthi umuntu wenzani ngomzimba wakhe wenyama. Imibono enjalo yabangela izindlela zokuphila ezeqisayo, ukuzithiba ngokweqile noma ukuzitika ngezinto zenyama. Imfundiso yamaGnostic yokuthi insindiso itholakala kuphela ngobuGnostic obungaqondakali, noma ukuzazi, yayililahla iqiniso leZwi likaNkulunkulu.

Labo ababethi bangamaKristu benze njani njengoba babesongelwa ubuGnostic? Ezinye izazi zayiphikisa imfundiso yabo yamanga, kanti ezinye zathonyeka. Ngokwesibonelo, u-Irenaeus walwa nezimfundiso zezihlubuki ukuphila kwakhe konke. Wayefundiswe uPolycarp, indoda eyaphila ngesikhathi sabaphostoli. UPolycarp wayekhuthaze ukunamathela ngokuqinile ezimfundisweni zikaJesu Kristu nabaphostoli bakhe. Nokho, naphezu kokuthi babefundiswe umuntu oyedwa, uFlorinus, umngane ka-Irenaeus, wagcina ezamukele izimfundiso zikaValentinus, umholi ovelele wenkolo yobuGnostic. Kwakuyizikhathi zeziyaluyalu ngempela.

Okusikhanyiselayo ngesimo senkolo sangaleso sikhathi yizincwadi zikaTatian, umbhali odumile wangekhulu lesibili. Wayeluhlobo luni lomuntu uTatian? Kwenzeka kanjani ukuba athi ungumKristu? Futhi uTatian wenze njani kuleli thonya lokuhlubuka kwamaGnostic? Izimpendulo zakhe ezihlaba umxhwele kanye nesibonelo sakhe siqu kunikeza izifundo ezibalulekile kubantu abafuna iqiniso namuhla.

Ukuhlangana “Nemibhalo Ethile Yakwelinye Izwe”

UTatian wayedabuka eSiriya. Ngenxa yokuhamba nokufunda kakhulu waba nolwazi ngempucuko yamaGreki namaRoma yangosuku lwakhe. UTatian wafika eRoma njengesikhulumi sasobala esihamba amazwe. Nokho, lapho eseRoma waphambukela ebuKristwini. Waqala ukujwayelana noJustin Martyr, futhi mhlawumbe waba umfundi wakhe.

Ekulandiseni okuveza amaqiniso mayelana nokuguqukela kwakhe ebuKristwini bangaleso sikhathi, uTatian uthi: “Ngafuna indlela engangingalithola ngayo iqiniso.” Ekhuluma ngokuqala kwakhe ukufunda imiBhalo, uthi: “Kwenzeka ngahlangana nemibhalo ethile yakwelinye izwe, eyayimidala kakhulu ukuba ingaqhathaniswa nemibono yamaGreki, futhi ingcwele kakhulu ukuthi ingaqhathaniswa namaphutha ayo; futhi ngayikholelwa ngenxa yolimi lwayo olulula, ubuqotho bababhali bayo, ukwazi kwayo izenzakalo kusengaphambili, izimiso zayo ezinhle kakhulu nokusho kwayo ukuthi indawo yonke inoMbusi oyedwa.”

UTatian akangabazanga ukukhuthaza abantu ayephila nabo ukuba bahlole ubuKristu bangesikhathi sakhe futhi babone ukungabi namicikilisho nokuqondakala kwabo uma buqhathaniswa nobumnyama bobuhedeni. Yini esingayifunda ezincwadini zakhe?

Zembulani Izincwadi Zakhe?

Izincwadi zikaTatian zimveza engumbhali olwela ukholo lwakhe. Wayemelene ngokuqinile nefilosofi yamaqaba futhi eyizonda. Encwadini yakhe ethi Address to the Greeks, uTatian ugcizelela ubuze bobuqaba nokuba nengqondo kobuKristu bangaleso sikhathi. Uveza ukweyisa kwakhe izindlela zamaGreki ngokubhala ngendlela egxeka kakhulu. Ngokwesibonelo, lapho ekhuluma ngesazi sefilosofi uHeracleitus, uthi: “Nokho, ukufa kwale ndoda kwabonisa ubulima bayo; ngoba lapho iphethwe isifo sokuvuvuka, njengoba yayifunde ezokwelapha nefilosofi, yazibhixa ngobulongwe umzimba wonke, okwathi lapho boma, bashwabanisa yonke inyama yayo, yadabuka yaba izicucu, yafa kanjalo.”

UTatian wayeyihlonipha kakhulu inkolelo yokuthi munye uNkulunkulu, uMdali wezinto zonke. (Hebheru 3:4) Encwadini ethi Address to the Greeks, uthi uNkulunkulu “unguMoya” bese ethi: “Nguye yedwa ongenaso isiqalo, futhi Yena ngokwaKhe uyisiqalo sezinto zonke.” (Johane 4:24; 1 Thimothewu 1:17) Elahla ukusetshenziswa kwezithombe ekukhulekeleni, uTatian ubhala athi: “Ngingasho kanjani ukuthi izinkuni namatshe kungonkulunkulu?” (1 Korinte 10:14) Wayekholelwa ukuthi uLizwi, noma uLogos, waba izibulo lemisebenzi kaBaba wasezulwini, kamuva wasetshenziswa ekudalweni kwendalo yonke ebonakalayo. (Johane 1:1-3; Kolose 1:13-17) Mayelana novuko ngesikhathi esimisiwe, uTatian uthi: “Sikholelwa ukuthi kuyoba khona uvuko lwemizimba ngemva kwesiphelo sazo zonke izinto.” Ngokuqondene nokuthi kungani sifa, uTatian ubhala athi: “Sasingadalelwanga ukufa, kodwa sifa ngenxa yokungapheleli kwethu. Inkululeko yethu yokuzikhethela isibulele; thina esasikhululekile sesibe izigqila; sithengiswe ngenxa yesono.”

Incazelo uTatian ayinikezayo ngomphefumulo iyadida. Uthi: “MaGreki, umphefumulo ngokwawo awuwona ongafi, uyafa. Kodwa kungenzeka ukuba ungafi. Ngempela uma ungalazi iqiniso, uyafa, ushabalale kanye nomzimba, kodwa ekugcineni uphinde uvuke kanye nomzimba ekupheleni kwezwe, uthole ukufa ngokujeziswa phakade.” Akucacile ukuthi yini ayeyisho ngempela uTatian ngala mazwi. Kungenzeka yini ukuthi nakuba ayenamathela ezimfundisweni ezithile zeBhayibheli, wayebuye azame ukujabulisa ayephila nabo ngokuxuba amaqiniso emiBhalo namafilosofi amaqaba?

Enye incwadi edumile kaTatian ithi Diatessaron, noma Harmony of the Four Gospels. UTatian waba ngowokuqala ukunikeza amabandla aseSiriya amaVangeli ngolimi lwawo. Lena kwakuyincwadi eyayihlonishwa kakhulu, ihlanganisa amaVangeli amane abe indaba eyodwa. Yayisetshenziswa iSonto laseSiriya.

UmKristu Noma Isihlubuki?

Ukuhlola ngokucophelela izincwadi zikaTatian kwembula ukuthi wayejwayelene nemiBhalo futhi wayeyihlonipha kakhulu. Ngokuphathelene nethonya layo kuye ubhala athi: “Anginandaba nokuceba; angisifuni isikhundla kwezempi; ngiyabenyanya ubufebe; anginaso isifiso esinganeliseki sokuthola ingcebo esingenza ngifune ukuba itilosi; . . . Angilomele kakhulu udumo . . . Ilanga likhanyisela bonke, futhi bonke bayafa, kungakhathaliseki ukuthi baphila ngokutamasa noma bampofu.” UTatian ululeka athi: “Yifa ngokuphathelene nezwe, ulahle ububi obukulo. Phila ngokuphathelene noNkulunkulu, futhi ngokumqonda ulahle ubuntu bakho obudala.”—Mathewu 5:45; 1 Korinte 6:18; 1 Thimothewu 6:10.

Nokho, cabanga ngencwadi kaTatian ethi On Perfection According to the Doctrine of the Savior. Kule ncwadi uthi nguDeveli owasungula umshado. UTatian uwugxeka kakhulu umshado ethi ngokushada abantu bayobe babophela inyama yabo ezweni eliphelayo.

Kubonakala sengathi cishe ngo-166 C.E., ngemva kokufa kukaJustin Martyr, uTatian wasungula noma wazihlanganisa nehlelo elalibizwa ngokuthi ama-Encratite. Amalungu alo ayegcizelela ukuzithiba ngokweqile nokulawula umzimba. Ukuzithiba kwawo kwakusho ukugwema iwayini, ukushada, nokuba nezinto ezibonakalayo.

Isifundo Okufanele Sifundwe

Kungani uTatian aphambuka kangaka emiBhalweni? Ingabe waba ‘yisikhohlwa’? (Jakobe 1:23-25) Ingabe uTatian wahluleka ukwala izindaba ezingamanga futhi ngenxa yalokho waba isisulu samafilosofi abantu? (Kolose 2:8; 1 Thimothewu 4:7) Njengoba asekela izinto ezingamaphutha kakhulu kangaka, kungenzeka yini ukuthi wayephazamisekile engqondweni?

Noma ngabe ikuphi, izincwadi zikaTatian nesibonelo sakhe kunikeza umbono ngesimo sangesikhathi sakhe sezenkolo. Kubonisa indlela elingalimaza ngayo ithonya lamafilosofi ezwe. Kwangathi singasilalela isixwayiso somphostoli uPawulu sokuba sifulathele “izinkulumo ezingenangqondo ezingcolisa okungcwele, nokuphikisana ngalokho okubizwa ngokungeyikho ngokuthi ‘ulwazi.’”—1 Thimothewu 6:20.