UPapias Wawaxabisa Amazwi ENkosi

“ANDIKHANGE . . . ndikunandiphe ukunxulumana nabo bathetha gqitha, kodwa ndiye ndanandipha ukunxulumana nabo bebefundisa okuyinyaniso.” Wabhala oko uPapias, owayezibabaza engumKristu ngenkulungwane yesibini yeXesha lethu Eliqhelekileyo.

UPapias wayephila ngexesha kanye elalisemva kokufa kwabapostile bakaYesu Kristu. Enyanisweni, wayesisinxulumani sikaPolycarp, ekuthiwa wafundiswa ngumpostile uYohane. Ezi zinto, kunye neendlela zikaPapias zokufuna ulwazi, zenza sicinge ukuba umele ukuba wayenolwazi oluchanileyo.

Iindlela Zenyameko

Ukunxanelwa kukaPapias inyaniso kubonakala ngokucacileyo kwiincwadi ezintlanu awazibhalayo ngamazwi eNkosi. Kwiminyaka yakhe yokuqala, ngokungathandabuzekiyo uPapias wawagcina engqondweni amazwi amaninzi enyaniso awayewavile. Kamva, kwindawo awayehlala kuyo kwisixeko saseFrigi eHierapolis, eAsiya Mayina, uPapias wayebuza iingwevu ukuze aqinisekise enoba zazikhe zabona okanye zeva ngaye nawuphi na umpostile kaYesu. Wayezibuza ngolangazelelo aze akubhale phantsi oko zazikuthetha.

UPapias uyacacisa: “Andisayi kuthandabuza ukubhala phantsi . . . nantoni na endiye ndayifunda ngenyameko ngalo naliphi na ixesha kwiingwevu, nendithe ndayikhumbula ngenyameko ndikuqinisekisa ngokunyanisa kwayo. Kuba andikhange, njengabantu abaninzi, ndikunandiphe ukunxulumana nabo bathetha kakhulu, kodwa ndiye ndanandipha ukunxulumana nabo bebefundisa okuyinyaniso; ndingakhange ndikunandiphe nokunxulumana nabo babalisa imithetho yabanye, kodwa ndinandiphe ukunxulumana nabo banikela ingxelo ngemithetho yeNkosi nangokholo namazwi enyaniso. Yaye ukuba bendingadibana naye nabani na obengumlandeli weengwevu, bendiya kumbuza ngoko kwathethwa ziingwevu—oko kwathethwa nguAndreya okanye nguPetros, okanye oko kwathethwa nguFilipi okanye uTomas okanye uYakobi, okanye uYohane okanye uMateyu, okanye nokuba nguwuphi na umfundi weNkosi.”

Iincwadi Zakhe

Ngokungathandabuzekiyo uPapias wayenentabalala yolwazi lwezinto zokomoya. Sinokuyithelekelela nje indlela awayeziphulaphula ngenyameko ngayo iinkcukacha ezingobomi nobulungiseleli bompostile ngamnye. Malunga nowe-135 C.E., uPapias wabhala oko wayefuna ukukubhala encwadini yakhe. Okulusizi kukuba le ncwadi iye yanyamalala. Yacatshulwa nguIrenaeus, owayezibabaza engumKristu ngenkulungwane yesibini yeXesha Eliqhelekileyo, nangumbhali-mbali wenkulungwane yesine uEu-sebius. Enyanisweni, yayisafundwa ngenkulungwane yesi-9 C.E. yaye isenokuba yayikho de kwayinkulungwane ye-14.

UPapias wayekholelwa kuLawulo Lweminyaka Eliwaka oluzayo lukaKristu. (ISityhilelo 20:2-7) Ngokutsho kukaIrenaeus, wabhala ngexesha “laxa indalo, yenziwe yantsha yaza yakhululeka, iya kuvelisa intabalala yokudla okuzintlobo ngeentlobo, ukusuka kumbethe wasezulwini nokuchuma komhlaba, kanye njengokuba iingwevu, ezabona uYohane, umfundi weNkosi, zabalisa ukuba zeva ngendlela iNkosi eyayiya kufundisa ngayo ngokuphathelele loo maxesha.” UPapias wahlabela mgama wabhala oku: “Kumakholwa ezi zinto zisengqiqweni. Yaye xa uYuda, umngcatshi, engazange avume ukukholwa waza wabuza oku, ‘Iya kufezwa njani into enjalo yiNkosi?’ iNkosi yathi, ‘Abo baya kuba bephila ngaloo maxesha baya kubona.’”

UPapias wabhala ngexesha laxa ubuGnostiki babuxhaphakile. AmaGnostiki ayexuba intanda-bulumko, intelekelelo neenkolelo zobuhedeni nobuKristu obuwexukileyo. Enyanisweni, inkcazelo kaPapias yezihlabo, okanye amazwi eNkosi, yayililinge lokuphelisa ukusasazeka kobuGnostiki. Emva kwakhe, uIrenaeus waqhubeka ebuxhathisa ubumoya bobuxoki nobubaxiweyo bamaGnostiki. Iincwadi zamaGnostiki zimele ukuba zazinkulu gqitha, zibangela uPapias ngokuphoxisayo athi “abo banento eninzi gqitha yokuthetha.” Injongo yakhe yayicacile—ukoyisa ubuxoki ngenyaniso.—1 Timoti 6:4; Filipi 4:5.

Amagqabaza Ngeencwadi Zevangeli

Kwiinxalenye zemibhalo kaPapias ezisafumanekayo, sifumana amabali abhalwe nguMateyu noMarko. Ngokomzekelo, uPapias uthi ngengxelo kaMarko: “UMarko, owayeyitoliki kaPetros, ngokuchanileyo wabhala yonke into awayikhumbulayo.” Ngokungakumbi engqina ukuchana kwale ncwadi yeVangeli, uPapias uqhubeka esithi: “Ngoko ke uMarko akazange enze mpazamo, ngoxa wayebhala izinto awazikhumbulayo; kuba waqinisekisa ukuba akashiyi nanye into awayivayo, okanye afakele nanye inkcazelo yobuxoki.”

UPapias unikela ubungqina obucacileyo bokuba uMateyu ekuqaleni wabhala incwadi yakhe yeVangeli ngolwimi lwesiHebhere. UPapias uthi: “Wawabhala amazwi ngolwimi lwe-siHebhere, yaye ngamnye kubo wawatolika ngeyona ndlela ichanileyo.” Kusenokwenzeka ukuba uPapias wabhekisela kwiingxelo zeVangeli kaLuka nekaYohane, kwanakweminye imibhalo yeZibhalo zamaKristu zesiGrike. Ukuba kunjalo, umele ukuba ungomnye wamangqina okuqala ukunikela ubungqina ngokuchana nokuphefumlelwa kwabo nguThixo. Noko ke, ngelishwa, ziinxalenye ezincinane kuphela zemibhalo kaPapias ezisekhoyo.

Wayeyixhalabele Intswelo Yakhe Yokomoya

Njengomveleli kwibandla laseHierapolis, uPapias wayengumphengululi ongadinwayo. Ukongezelela ekubeni ngumphengululi ozibhokoxayo, wabonisa uxabiso olunzulu ngeZibhalo. UPapias wenza isigqibo esifanelekileyo sokuba nayiphi na ingxelo engemfundiso kaYesu Kristu nabapostile Bakhe kwakuxabiseke ngakumbi ukuyicacisa kunezinye iingxelo eziguquguqukayo ezazifumaneka kuncwadi lomhla wakhe.—Yuda 17.

Kuthiwa uPapias waba ngumfeli-nkolo ePergamo ngowe-161 okanye ngowe-165 C.E. Akunakutshiwo ngokuqinisekileyo ukuba iimfundiso zikaYesu Kristu zabuchaphazela ngokunzulu kangakanani na ngokwenene ubomi nokuziphatha kukaPapias. Sekunjalo, wayenomnqweno onzulu wokufunda nokuthetha ngeZibhalo. Kukwanjalo nangamaKristu okwenyaniso namhlanje, kuba ayixhalabele intswelo yawo yokomoya. (Mateyu 5:3) Yaye njengoPapias ayawaxabisa amazwi eNkosi.