Wayengubani UTheophilus Wakwa-Antiyokwe?

“UTHI ndingumKristu, ngokungathi bendingafanelanga ukuba ndibizwe ngolo hlobo, mna, kwelam icala, ndivuma ngeliphandle ukuba ndingumKristu, kwaye ndineli gama ukuze ndibe yintandane kaThixo, ndinethemba lokuba uThixo uya kundisebenzisa.”

Leyo yingabula-zigcawu kaTheophilus kwincwadi yakhe enamacandelo amathathu enomxholo othi Theophilus to Autolycus. Esi yayisisiqalo sakhe sokulwa nowexuko lwenkulungwane yesibini. Ngenkalipho uTheophilus uzichaza njengomlandeli kaKristu. Ubonakala ezimisele ukuphila ngendlela eza kumenza abe “yintandane kaThixo,” ngokuvisisana nentsingiselo yesiGrike yegama lakhe. Kanye kanye wayengubani uTheophilus? Wayephila nini? Yaye yintoni awayifezayo?

Imbali Yakhe

Kuncinane okwaziwayo ngembali kaTheophilus. Wakhuliswa ngabazali ababengengomaKristu. Kamva uTheophilus waguqukela kubuKristu kodwa emva kokufundisisa ngokucokisekileyo iZibhalo. Waba ngubhishophu webandla lakwa-Antiyokwe yelaseSiriya, namhlanje elaziwa njengeAntakya, eTurkey.

Ngokuvisisana nomyalelo kaYesu, amaKristu enkulungwane yokuqala ashumayela phakathi kwabemi bakwa-Antiyokwe. ULuka wabhala ngempumelelo yabo esithi: “Isandla sikaYehova sasikunye nawo, yaye inani elikhulu elaba ngamakholwa laphethukela eNkosini.” (IZenzo 11:20, 21) Njengoko babeyalelwa nguThixo, abalandeli bakaYesu Kristu baziwa njengamaKristu. Eli gama lasetyenziswa okokuqala kwa-Antiyokwe yelaseSiriya. (IZenzo 11:26) Kwinkulungwane yokuqala yeXesha lethu Eliqhelekileyo, umpostile uPawulos wathabatha uhambo oluya kwa-Antiyokwe yelaseSiriya, yaye elo laba likhaya lakhe. UBharnabhas noPawulos, bephelekwa nguYohane Marko, baqalisa uhambo lwabo lokuqala lokushumayela ukusuka kwa-Antiyokwe.

AmaKristu okuqala elakwa-Antiyokwe amele ukuba ayekhuthazwa gqitha kukutyelela kwabapostile kwisixeko sawo. Indlela awayesabela ngehlombe ngayo kwinyaniso yeLizwi likaThixo yayibangelwa ngokuyinxenye kukutyelela okomeleza ukholo kwabameli bequmrhu elilawulayo lenkulungwane yokuqala. (IZenzo 11:22, 23) Hayi indlela ekumele ukuba kwawavuyisa ngayo ukubona abemi abaninzi gqitha bakwa-Antiyokwe besahlulela ubomi babo kuYehova uThixo! Noko ke, kwakungaphezu kweminyaka eli-100 kamva awathi uTheophilus wahlala kwa-Antiyokwe.

Umbhali-mbhali uEusebius wanikela ingxelo yokuba uTheophilus wayengubhishophu wesithandathu wakwa-Antiyokwe, ebala ukususela kwixesha labapostile bakaKristu. UTheophilus wabhala inani elikhulu leengxubusho neempikiswano nxamnye noqhekeko. Uqukiwe phakathi kwabakhuseli bobuKristu abali-12 nangaphezulu bomhla wakhe.

Ukuhlola Oko Wakubhalayo

Esabela kwincoko yabo yangaphambili, uTheophilus ubhalela uAutolycus ongumhedeni ngala mazwi entshayelelo: “Kumadoda amabi nawonakaliswe ingqondo, ulwimi olutyibilikayo nendlela yokuthetha enezangotshe ibangela uyolo kunye nokuzidumisa okunjalo njengokuba befumana uyolo lwamampunge.” UTheophilus utyatyadula esithi: “Umthandi wenyaniso akanikeli ngqalelo kwiintetho zobuciko, kodwa uhlolisisa owona mongo wentetho . . . Undithuthumbise ngamazwi obuxoki, uqhayisa ngoothixo bakho abenziwe ngomthi nangamatye, abakhandiweyo baza babunjwa, bakrolwa baza baqingqwa, ababoni yaye abeva, kuba bazizithixo, yaye bayimisebenzi yezandla zabantu.”—Thelekisa INdumiso 115:4-8.

UTheophilus utyhila ukuba ngamampunge kokunqula izithixo. Ngendlela yakhe eqhelekileyo yokubhala, uzama ukuchaza ngokucacileyo nangamazwi agqithiseleyo uhlobo alulo uThixo oyinyaniso. Ucacisa esithi: “Imbonakalo kaThixo ayichazeki yaye akanakubonwa ngamehlo enyama. Kuba ubuqaqawuli Bakhe bungaphaya kwamandla engqondo, mkhulu ngokungenakulinganiswa, uphakame ngokungenakuthelekelelwa, amandla akhe akanakuthelekiswa nanto, ubulumko bakhe abunakudlulwa mntu, ukulunga kwakhe akunakuxeliswa, inceba yakhe ayithetheki.”

Esaleka umsundulo kule nkcazelo ingoThixo, uTheophilus uhlabela mgama esithi: “Kodwa uyiNkosi, ngenxa yokuba Yena ulawula indalo iphela; unguBawo, ngenxa yokuba wabakho ngaphambi kweento zonke; unguMyili noMenzi, ngenxa yokuba Yena udale waza wenza indalo iphela; ungoyena uPhakamileyo, ngenxa yokuba Yena ungaphezu kweento zonke; yaye unguSomandla, ngenxa yokuba Yena ulawula yonke into.”

Ngokulandelayo, enikela ingqalelo koko kuye kwafezwa nguThixo, uTheophilus uhlabela mgama ngendlela yakhe ecokisekileyo yaye ephindaphinda esithi: “Kuba amazulu angumsebenzi Wakhe, umhlaba yindalo Yakhe, ulwandle ngumsebenzi wezandla Zakhe; umntu ubunjwe Nguye yaye ungumfanekiselo Wakhe; ilanga, inyanga neenkwenkwezi zizidalwa Zakhe, ezenzelwe imiqondiso namaxesha onyaka neentsuku neminyaka, ukuze zisebenze zibe ngamakhoboka abantu; yaye uThixo wenza izinto ezikhoyo ngezinto ezingekhoyo, ukuze ngemisebenzi Yakhe ubukhulu Bakhe baziwe buze buqondwe.”

Umzekelo obhekele phaya wokuhlasela kukaTheophilus oothixo bobuxoki bomhla wakhe ubonakala kula mazwi alandelayo aya kuAutolycus: “Amagama abo uthi uyabanqula, ngamagama abantu abafileyo. . . . Yaye babeluhlobo olunjani lwabantu? YayingengoSaturn owafunyaniswa elizim, elatshabalalisa laza labimbiliza abantwana balo? Yaye ukuba uthetha ngonyana wakhe uJupiter, . . . indlela awanyiswa ngayo yibhokhwe . . . Nezinye izenzo zakhe,—ukwenza kwakhe umbulo, nokukrexeza nenkanuko engalawulekiyo.”

Ethetha ngokubhekele phaya, uTheophilus ubethelela indlela aluchase ngayo unqulo lwezithixo lwabahedeni. Ubhala athi: “Ngaba ngokubhekele phaya ndifanele kwakhona ndibale intlaninge yezilwanyana ezinqulwa ngamaYiputa, izilwanyana ezirhubuluzayo, neenkomo, namarhamncwa asendle, neentaka neentlanzi zasemlanjeni . . . AmaGrike nezinye iintlanga, anqula amatye nemithi nezinye izinto.” UTheophilus uthi: “Kodwa mna, ndinqula uThixo, uThixo ophilileyo noyinyaniso.”—Thelekisa eyesi-2 kaSamuweli 22:47; IZenzo 14:15; Roma 1:22, 23.

Ingxelo Exabisekileyo

Iziluleko nezibongozo ezikule ncwadi kaTheophilus enamacandelo amathathu ephikisa uAutolycus ziqulethe iinkalo ezininzi yaye zineenkcukacha. Ezinye iincwadi zikaTheophilus wazibhala ngokuchasene noHermogenes noMarcion. Kwakhona wabhala iincwadi zomyalelo nokhanyiselo, esongezelela iinkcazelo ezithile kwiincwadi zeVangeli. Noko ke, ziincwadi ezintathu kuphela eziya kuAutolycus, eziye zagcinwa njengombhalo-ngqangi omnye.

Incwadi yokuqala yokukhusela ukholo ibhalelwe uAutolycus ukuze kukhuselwe unqulo lwamaKristu. Incwadi yesibini eya kuAutolycus iphikisana nonqulo oluthandwayo lobuhedeni, intelekelelo, izithandi zobulumko neembongi. Uncwadi lwabahedeni luthelekiswa neZibhalo kwincwadi yesithathu kaTheophilus.

Kuyabonakala ukuba ekubhalweni kwencwadi yesithathu kaTheophilus, uAutolycus wayesenoluvo lokuba iLizwi lenyaniso liyintsomi. UTheophilus uyamgxeka uAutolycus, esithi: “Uyavuyiswa kukunyamezela iziyatha. Kungenjalo ngowungaphenjelelwanga ngamadoda azizidenge ukuba ukholelwe kumazwi obuxoki nakumarhe adumileyo.”

Ayeyintoni la “marhe adumileyo”? UTheophilus uyawutyhila umthombo wawo. Abo banobuqhophololo “bengahloneli Thixo ngobuxoki bayasityhola, [thina] banquli bakaThixo nababizwa ngokuba bangamaKristu, bema ngelithi abafazi bethu banamadoda amaninzi kwalapha kuthi yaye kubolekiswana ngabo ukuze basetyenziselwe injongo yokuziphatha okubi; yaye senza umbulo noodadewethu, yaye, eyona nto igabadeleyo nekhohlakeleyo kunazo zonke, yeyokuba sitya inyama yabantu.” UTheophilus wasebenza ukuze alwe nale mbono ingachananga yobuhedeni yabo babesithi bangamaKristu ngenkulungwane yesibini. Wasebenzisa ukukhanya kwenyaniso okuseLizwini likaThixo eliphefumlelweyo.—Mateyu 5:11, 12.

Okungqinela isibakala sokuba uTheophilus wayeqhelene neLizwi likaThixo kukusebenzisa nokubhekisela kwakhe ngokuthe rhoqo kwiindinyana zeBhayibhile zesiHebhere nezesiGrike. Wayengomnye wabo bagqabaza kuqala ngeencwadi zeVangeli. Iimbekiselo ezininzi zikaTheophilus eZibhalweni zinikela ukuqonda ngendlela yokucinga eyayiqhelekile ngexesha lakhe. Wasebenzisa ulwazi lwakhe ngemibhalo ephefumlelweyo ukubonisa umgangatho wayo xa ithelekiswa nentanda-bulumko yobuhedeni.

Ukulungelelaniswa kweencwadi zikaTheophilus, indlela yakhe yokubhala nokuphindaphinda kusenokungabangeli mdla kwabanye. Enoba uwexuko olwaxelwa kwangaphambili lwakuchaphazela kangakanani ukuchana kweembono zakhe, okwangoku asinakukuchaza. (2 Tesalonika 2:3-12) Noko ke, ngexesha lokufa kwakhe, malunga nowe-182 C.E., kuyabonakala ukuba uTheophilus wayengumkhuseli wokholo ozinikeleyo, oncwadi zakhe ezibangela umdla kumaKristu okwenene esizukulwana sethu.

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 30]

UTheophilus waziphikisa ngenkalipho iingcamango zika-Autolycus

[Inkcazelo Ngomfanekiso okwiphepha 28]

Illustrations on pages 28 and 30 reproduced from Illustrirte Pracht - Bibel/Heilige Schrift des Alten und Neuen Testaments, nach der deutschen Uebersetzung D. Martin Luther’s