OJI 12

Ma “N’eju Ẹgbo Akọla Ef Ondu”

Pọl kpai Barnabas du n̄a kaku ma n’uhiọla wanẹ, ma n’ẹdọ ẹgbo, ọla ma la kpa n̄wu ukọlọ uchẹnyọ ejẹ n

Alu ki dẹ ef’ọtakada Ẹwñ 14:1-28

1, 2. Am’ẹn̄wu che ẹgba ki Pọl kpai Barnabas d’efewo Listra?

Gba al’ichi Pidgin, Ẹnẹfu

² Gba al’ichi Pidgin, Ẹnẹfu

3. Am’ene ẹn̄wu a na kọla oji n̄wu?

³ Gba al’ichi Pidgin, Ẹnẹfu

“Ọwọ Amonẹ Lile . . . Kẹdọno” (Ẹwn̄ 14:1-7)

4, 5. Ẹn̄wu chi ki Pọl kpai Barnabas lo t’ewo Aikonium, ẹn̄wu la che ọmọ?

⁴ Gba al’ichi Pidgin, Ẹnẹfu

⁵ Gba al’ichi Pidgin, Ẹnẹfu

ICONIUM—CITY OF PHRYGIA PEOPLE

Iconium na level land, but the place wey e dey high. E get water well-well, and the ground de produce well. E connect Syria, Rome, Greece and Asia wey Rome people de rule. So this city dey important as people de pass-am go do business.

People for Iconium de worship Cybele wey be Phrygia people woman god of fertility. For their worship, them de follow some tradition wey them get from Greek people wey rule them for old time. Rome people start to rule this city for 65 B.C.E., and when Paul and Barnabas dey there, na big place for business and farm work. Even though say many Jew people wey get big position de live for Iconium, e be like say the city still de follow Greek people culture. The book of Acts, even talk about Jew and “Greek” people wey de live for there.—Acts 14:1.

Iconium dey the border between Lycaonia and Phrygia for Galatia people area. People wey de write those days, like Cicero and Strabo, talk say Iconium na city for Lycaonia, and if person look where the city dey, e go see say e really dey that area. But the book of Acts, show say Iconium dey different from Lycaonia, where them de speak “Lycaonia language.” (Acts 14:1-6, 11) Na this one make some people talk say the book of Acts no correct. But for 1910, people wey de dig ground to find wetin don happen for past see things wey people write for the city of Iconium wey show say na Phrygia language them de use even two hundred years after Paul and Barnabas go there. So the person wey write the book of Acts dey correct as e show say Iconium dey different from the cities for Lycaonia.

6. Ẹn̄wu jẹn̄wu Pọl kpai Barnabas ch’akonẹ ẹn̄wu ọmẹmẹlẹ, abu a neke ch’awọli ma?

⁶ Gba al’ichi Pidgin, Ẹnẹfu

7. (a) Ẹn̄wu amonẹ ache ẹgba kuma j’uchẹnyọ ruma? (b) Ichẹn̄wu k’akwọra unyi wẹ chẹ kpẹru todu kẹ r’Ọjọ, ẹn̄wu dukpẹ kẹ rewa?

⁷ Gba al’ichi Pidgin, Ẹnẹfu

8. Ẹn̄wu chi ki Pọl kpai Barnabas kwef’ewo Aikonium, ẹn̄wu a kọchẹ kwef ujiwe ma?

⁸ Gba al’ichi Pidgin, Ẹnẹfu

Rida . . . Tugbo Ọjọ Ki Deju” (Ẹwn̄ 14:8-19)

9, 10. Oj’anẹ ugbo Listra dẹ, ẹn̄wu a ma lugbo abo ki d’ojanẹ lẹ?

⁹ Gba al’ichi Pidgin, Ẹnẹfu

¹⁰ Gba al’ichi Pidgin, Ẹnẹfu

LYSTRA AND THE WORSHIP OF ZEUS AND HERMES

Lystra dey for one valley and e far from the major roads. Na Caesar Augustus make this city part of the area wey Rome de rule, and e name the city Julia Felix Gemina Lustra. The group of soldiers wey dey here de protect Galatia people area from the tribes wey dey the mountain area. Lystra people de follow Rome people law and their people wey get big position de bear Latin titles. But even with this one, Lystra people still de follow their own culture. Them no really de do things like Rome people. Even the people of Lystra wey the book of Acts talk about de speak Lycaonia language.

For the area wey Lystra for Bible time dey, people wey de dig ground to find wetin happen for past don see some things wey people write about “priests of Zeus,” one statue of the god wey them de call Hermes, and one altar wey them make for Zeus and Hermes.

Ovid (43 B.C.E. to 17 C.E.) na one Rome man wey de write poem. E talk one story wey fit help us understand the book of Acts. E talk say, the Roman gods Jupiter and Mercury, wey be like the Greek gods, Zeus and Hermes, visit the country of Phrygia ontop hill, and pretend to be ordinary human being. Them beg people for plenty-plenty house if them fit stay with them, but nobody gree welcome them enter their house. Na only one old husband and wife, wey their name na Philemon and Baucis, welcome them enter their house. Because of this one, Zeus and Hermes change the house to temple of gold and marble, and make the old husband and wife the priest and priestess. Them destroy the house of all the people wey no gree welcome them. The Book of Acts in Its Graeco-Roman Setting talk say, “If the people for Lystra remember that story when them see Paul and Barnabas de heal the man wey no fit waka, e no go surprise anybody say them go want do sacrifice to welcome them.”

Paul and Barnabas de try stop the people for Lystra make them no worship them. Plenty people de play music, de prepare sacrifice, and de bow down for front of the two men. — “Turn back from this useless things and follow the God wey dey alive, the Person wey make heaven, [and] earth.”—Acts 14:15

11-13. (a) Ẹn̄wu Pọl kpai Barnabas ka lugbo abo ki d’odo oj’anẹ Listra? (b) Ẹn̄wu ch’ukọ ka, ka neke nẹ kwefu ukọla Pọl kpai Barnabas?

¹¹ Gba al’ichi Pidgin, Ẹnẹfu

¹² Gba al’ichi Pidgin, Ẹnẹfu

¹³ Gba al’ichi Pidgin, Ẹnẹfu

14-16. Ẹn̄wu ch’ukọ ekeji kpai ẹkẹta ka neke kọchẹ kwefu ọla ki Pọl kpai Barnabas ka n̄wu abo Listra?

¹⁴ Gba al’ichi Pidgin, Ẹnẹfu

¹⁵ Gba al’ichi Pidgin, Ẹnẹfu

¹⁶ Gba al’ichi Pidgin, Ẹnẹfu

“Ma M’uma Ko Jọ N̄wu Ondu” (Ẹwn̄ 14:20-28)

17. Ubi kuma kw’ewo Dẹrbi, ugbo Pọl kpai Barnabas lo, ẹn̄wu la chi?

¹⁷ Gba al’ichi Pidgin, Ẹnẹfu

18. Ẹn̄wu a ch’udago omaye ta kuma chi t’efu ab’ogijo?

¹⁸ Gba al’ichi Pidgin, Ẹnẹfu

19. Ẹnẹ ab’ogijo ak’ohi n̄wu, abu a neke ch’awọli Pọl kpai Barnabas?

¹⁹ Gba al’ichi Pidgin, Ẹnẹfu

20. Abu a neke jile kwefu inabali ukọlọ ọmẹmẹlẹ ki kwugbo am’omaye wa?

²⁰ Gba al’ichi Pidgin, Ẹnẹfu