Ngaba Ubusazi?
Sasiyintoni isibingelelo ‘soThixo Ongaziwayo’ umpostile uPawulos awadibana naso eAthene?—IZenzo 17:23.
▪ Baliqela ababhali bamaGrike ababhekisela kwizibingelelo ezinjalo. Ngokomzekelo, isazi ngembali nangokuma komhlaba uPausanias, owayephila ngenkulungwane yesibini Ngexesha Eliqhelekileyo, wathi eOlympia, kwakukho “isibingelelo soothixo abangaziwayo.” Iciko nentanda-bulumko uPhilostratus wathi eAthene, “izibingelelo zazisakhelwa kwanoothixo abangaziwayo.”
Ngenkulungwane yesithathu yeXesha Eliqhelekileyo umbhali uDiogenes Laertius uchaza imvelaphi yesithethe sokwakhiwa “kwezibingelelo ezingenagama.” Ibali elidala, elisusela ngenkulungwane yesithandathu okanye eyesixhenxe Ngaphambi Kwexesha Eliqhelekileyo, lichaza indlela uEpimenides awayihlambulula ngayo iAthene kwinyhikityha yokufa. UDiogenes ubhala athi: “[uEpimenides] wathatha iigusha. . . wazizisa eAriyopago; waza ukufika kwakhe apho waziyeka zahamba, wayalela abo babe zilandela ukuba bajonge indawo igusha ngaye eye yahlala kuyo baze benze idini kuthixo wasekuhlaleni. Kuthiwa emva koko isibetho saphela. Ngenxa yoko nanamhla oku kunokufunyanwa izibingelelo zikwiindawo ezahlukahlukeneyo zaseAttica zingabhalwanga magama.”
IThe Anchor Bible Dictionary, ithi kunokwenzeka ukuba esinye sezizathu zokuba kwakhiwe izibingelelo zothixo abangaziwayo, “babesoyika ukutyeshela ukuhlonela uthixo okanye uthixokazi ongaziwayo ngalo ndlela baphulukane neengenelo abanokuzifumana kwezo zithixo, okanye bazicaphukise.”
Kwakutheni ukuze amaYuda enkulungwane yokuqala abajongele phantsi abaqokeleli berhafu?
▪ Abaqokeleli berhafu asingobantu bathandwayo. Ngenkulungwane yokuqala kwaSirayeli babejongwa njengabona bantu bakhohlakeleyo nabanobuqhetseba.
Amagunya aseRoma ayebiza isikhuntyu serhafu ebantwini. Amagosa aseRoma ayeqokelela irhafu yomhlaba neyentloko, kodwa loo msebenzi wawusenziwa ngoyena mntu ukulungeleyo ukuqokelela eyona mali ininzi, kwizinto ezingenayo, kweziphumayo nezo zihamba kwiindlela zelizwe. Ngaloo ndlela, oosomashishini basekuhlaleni babelithenga ilungelo lokuqokelela irhafu kwimimandla ethile. ICyclopædia kaM’Clintock noStrong’s ithi ekubeni babezivumela basetyenziswe ngamaRoma athiyiweyo, abo bantu babezondwa ngeyona ndlela ngamanye amaYuda, awayebajonga “njengabangcatshi nabawexuki abangcoliswa kukusoloko bedibana nabahedeni.”
Abaqokeleli berhafu babenganyanisekanga kwaphela bengoohlohl’ esakhe abacinezela abantu belizwe labo. Abanye babebiza imali egqithisileyo xa beqikelela ixabiso lezinto ekufuneka zirhafelwe baze ingeniso bayihlise ngomlenze, ngoxa abanye babesebenzisa izimangalo zobuxoki ukuze baphange amahlwempu. (Luka 3:13; 19:8) Ngenxa yoko, abaqokeleli berhafu babebotshwa ngebande elinye kunye naboni, yaye iThe Jewish Encyclopedia ithi: “babengena kuba ngabagwebi okanye amangqina etyaleni.”—Mateyu 9:10, 11.
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 18]
Isibengelelo sothixo ongaziwayo, kumabhodlo asePergamo eTurkey
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 18]
Isaphulelo serhahu saseRoma esibonisa umqokeleli werhafu ngenkulungwane yesi-2 okanye yesi-3 yexesha eliqhelekileyo
[Inkcazelo]
Erich Lessing/Art Resource, NY