AmaKristu Okuqala NoRhulumente
KWIIYURE ezimbalwa ngaphambi kokufa kwakhe, uYesu waxelela abafundi bakhe oku: ‘Aniyonxalenye yehlabathi, kodwa ndininyulile mna naphuma kulo ihlabathi, ngenxa yoku ihlabathi linithiyile.’ (Yohane 15:19) Noko ke, ngaba oku kuthetha ukuba amaKristu ayenokuba nobutshaba kumagunya eli hlabathi?
Akangawo Awehlabathi Kodwa Akanabutshaba
Umpostile uPawulos wawaxelela oku amaKristu awayehlala eRoma: “Yonke imiphefumlo mayiwathobele amagunya awongamileyo.” (Roma 13:1) Ngokufanayo, umpostile uPetros wabhala: “Ngenxa yeNkosi zithobeni kuso sonke isidalwa sabantu: enoba kukukumkani njengowongamileyo okanye kukwiirhuluneli njengezithunywe nguye ukuba ziphumeze isohlwayo kubenzi-bubi kodwa zidumise abenzi bokulungileyo.” (1 Petros 2:13, 14) Kucacile ukuba ukuthobela uRhulumente nabameli bakhe abamiselwe ngokufanelekileyo kwakungumgaqo owamkelekileyo kumaKristu okuqala. Ayezabalazela ukuba ngabemi abathobela imithetho nokuphila ngoxolo nabo bonke abantu.—Roma 12:18.
Phantsi komxholo othi “ICawa NoRhulumente,” iThe Encyclopedia of Religion ithi: “Kwiinkulungwane ezintathu zokuqala AD [kumnyaka weNkosi] icawa yamaKristu yayingahoywanga luluntu lwaseRoma . . . Noko ke, iinkokeli zamaKristu . . . zazifundisa ukuba kuthotyelwe umthetho wamaRoma nokunyaniseka kumlawuli, ngokomlinganiselo wokholo lwamaKristu.”
Wabekeni, Ningawanquli
AmaKristu ayengenabutshaba nomlawuli waseRoma. Ayelihlonela igunya lakhe yaye emnika imbeko efanele isikhundla sakhe. Ebudeni bolawulo loMlawuli uNero, umpostile uPetros wabhalela amaKristu awayehlala kwiindawo ezahlukeneyo zoLawulo lwamaRoma: “Bekani abantu bazo zonke iintlobo, . . . yibani nembeko kukumkani.” (1 Petros 2:17) Igama elithi “ukumkani” kubantu abathetha isiGrike lalingasetyenziswa kookumkani basekuhlaleni kuphela kodwa nakumlawuli waseRoma. Umpostile uPawulos waluleka amaKristu awayehlala kwikomkhulu loLawulo lwamaRoma esithi: “Nika bonke oko kubafaneleyo, . . . lowo kufuneka imbeko kuye, mnike imbeko leyo.” (Roma 13:7) Ngokuqinisekileyo umlawuli waseRoma wayefuna imbeko. Ekuhambeni kwexesha, wade wafuna ukunqulwa. Noko ke, amaKristu okuqala ayengenakuyenza loo nto.
Xa kwakuxoxwa ityala lakhe yirhuluneli ethile engumRoma ngenkulungwane yesibini yeXesha lethu Eliqhelekileyo, uPolycarp kuthiwa wathi: “NdingumKristu. . . . Sifundiswa ukuba sinikele yonke imbeko efanelekileyo . . . kubalawuli namagunya amiselwe nguThixo.” Noko ke, uPolycarp wakhetha ukufa kunokuba anqule umlawuli. Umthetheleli wokholo wenkulungwane yesibini uTheophilus wakwa-Antiyokwe wabhala: “Ndikhetha ukumbeka umlawuli, ndingamnquli, kodwa ndimthandazele. Kodwa uThixo, uThixo wenyaniso nophilayo ndiyamnqula.”
Imithandazo efanelekileyo eyayisenzelwa umlawuli ngokuqinisekileyo yayingenanto yakwenza nokunqulwa komlawuli okanye ubuzwe. Umpostile uPawulos wayichaza injongo yayo esithi: “Ngoko ke ndiyanibongoza, okokuqala kuko konke, ukuba kwenziwe izikhungo, imithandazo, izibongozelo, imibulelo, ngokuphathelele zonke iintlobo zabantu, ngokuphathelele ookumkani nabo bonke abo bakwizikhundla eziphakamileyo; ukuze siqhubeke siphila ubomi bokuzola noboxolo ngozinikelo lobuthixo nokundileka okuzeleyo.”—1 Timoti 2:1, 2.
“Ubomi Bobukheswa”
Le hambo inentlonelo yamaKristu okuqala ayizange iwakhele ubuhlobo nehlabathi awayephila kulo. Umbhali-mbali waseFransi uA. Hamman ubalisa esithi amaKristu okuqala “ayephila ubomi bobukheswa.” Eneneni ayephila ubomi bobukheswa kwiindidi ezimbini zabantu, amaYuda namaRoma, ethiyiwe yaye engaqondwa zizo zombini ezi ndidi.
Ngokomzekelo, xa wayetyholwa ziinkokeli zamaYuda, umpostile uPawulos wathi xa wayezithethelela phambi kwerhuluneli yaseRoma: “Nxamnye noMthetho wamaYuda nanxamnye netempile nanxamnye noKesare andenzanga nasiphi na isono. . . . Ndibhenela kuKesare!” (IZenzo 25:8, 11) Eqonda ukuba amaYuda ayeceba ukumbulala, uPawulos wabhenela kuNero, ngaloo ndlela ezithoba kwigunya lomlawuli waseRoma. Emva koko, xa kwakuxoxwa ityala lakhe okokuqala eRoma, kubonakala ukuba uPawulos wakhululwa. Kodwa kamva waphinda wavalelwa, ibe ngokutsho kwembali wabulawa ngokwemiyalelo kaNero.
Ngokuphathelele ukuma okunzima awayenako amaKristu okuqala kwibutho labantu abangamaRoma, isazi ngezentlalo nomfundi wezakwalizwi uErnst Troeltsch wabhala: “Yayingasiwa so yonke imisebenzi nosukelo olwalunento yokwenza nonqulo-zithixo, okanye ukunqula uMlawuli, okanye olwalunento yokwenza nokuphalazwa kwegazi okanye isigwebo sentambo, okanye olwaluya kudibanisa amaKristu nokuziphatha kakubi kwabahedeni.” Ngaba oku kuma kwaluphelisa uxolo nokuhlonelana phakathi kwamaKristu noRhulumente?
Ukunika UKesare ‘Okumfaneleyo’
UYesu wamisela umgaqo owawuza kulawula ihambo yamaKristu ngokuphathelele uRhulumente waseRoma okanye, kuye nawuphi na omnye urhulumente, xa wathi: “Buyiselani izinto zikaKesare kuKesare, kodwa izinto zikaThixo kuThixo.” (Mateyu 22:21) Esi siluleko sabalandeli bakaYesu sasahluke gqitha kwisimo sengqondo samaYuda amaninzi awayenobuzwe awayeluthiyile ulawulo lwamaRoma yaye ekuchasa ukuhlawula iirhafu kwigunya lasemzini.
Kamva, uPawulos wawaxelela oku amaKristu awayehlala eRoma: “Ngoko ke kukho isizathu esinyanzelisayo ngani sokuba nithobele, kungekuphela ngenxa yengqumbo leyo kodwa kwanangenxa yesazela senu. Kuba kungenxa yoko le nto nikwahlawula iirhafu; kuba [“amagunya awongamileyo” aseburhulumenteni] asisicaka sikawonke-wonke sikaThixo ekhonza rhoqo ngenxa yale njongo. Nika bonke oko kubafaneleyo, lowo kufuneka irhafu kuye, mnike irhafu; lowo kufuneka unikelo kuye, mnike unikelo.” (Roma 13:5-7) Ngoxa amaKristu ayengeyonxalenye yehlabathi, ayefanele abe ngabemi abanyanisekileyo, abayihlawulayo irhafu, behlawula uRhulumente ngeenkonzo azinikelayo.—Yohane 17:16.
Kodwa ngaba amazwi kaYesu apheleliselwe ekuhlawuleni iirhafu? Ekubeni uYesu engazange acacise oko ngokwenene kukuko okukaKesare nokukaThixo, kukho izinto ezithile ezithandatyuzwayo ezimele zigqitywe ngokwaloo meko okanye ngokokuyiqonda kwethu iBhayibhile yonke. Ngamanye amazwi, ukugqiba enoba ziziphi izinto umKristu anokuzinikela kuKesare maxa wambi kubandakanya isazela saloo mKristu, njengoko kuboniswa yimigaqo yeBhayibhile.
Ukulungelelanisa Ngenyameko Phakathi Kwamagunya Amabini Akhuphisanayo
Abantu abaninzi bayalibala ukuba emva kokuba ethe izinto zikaKesare zimele zibuyiselwe kuye, uYesu wongezelela wathi: “Kodwa [buyiselani] izinto zikaThixo kuThixo.” Umpostile uPetros wayibonisa eyona nto yayibalulekile kumaKristu. Emva nje kokuba eluleke ngokuthobela “ukumkani,” okanye umlawuli, kunye ‘neerhuluneli’ zakhe, uPetros wabhala: “Yibani njengabantu abakhululekileyo, ukanti ningayithabathi inkululeko yenu, njengesigqubuthelo sobubi, kodwa njengamakhoboka kaThixo. Bekani abantu bazo zonke iintlobo, yibani nothando ngomanyano lwabazalwana luphela, moyikeni uThixo, yibani nembeko kukumkani.” (1 Petros 2:16, 17) Lo mpostile wabonisa ukuba amaKristu angamakhoboka kaThixo, kungekhona awomlawuli ongumntu. Ngoxa efanele abonise imbeko nentlonelo efanelekileyo kubameli bakaRhulumente, afanele akwenze oko esoyika uThixo, onemithetho ephakamileyo.
Kwiminyaka engaphambilana uPetros wayekwenze kwacaca ukuphakama komthetho kaThixo kunowomntu. ISanhedrin yamaYuda yayilibhunga elalinikwe igunya lokulawula abantu nonqulo ngamaRoma. Xa yayalela abalandeli bakaYesu ukuba bayeke ukufundisa ngegama likaKristu, uPetros nabanye abapostile baphendula ngentlonelo kodwa bekhaliphile: “Simele sithobele uThixo njengomphathi kunabantu.” (IZenzo 5:29) Kuyacaca ukuba amaKristu okuqala kwakufuneka alugcine ngenyameko ulungelelwano phakathi kokuthobela uThixo nokuwathobela ngokufanelekileyo amagunya abantu. Ekuqaleni kwenkulungwane yesithathu yeXesha lethu Eliqhelekileyo uTertullian wachaza ngolu hlobo: “Ukuba zonke zezikaKesare, uThixo wofumana ntoni yena?”
Ukulalanisa NoRhulumente
Njengoko ixesha lalihamba, ukuma kwamaKristu enkulungwane yokuqala ngokuphathelele uRhulumente kwaya kusiba buthathaka. Uwexuko olwaluxelwe kwangaphambili nguYesu nabapostile lwaqalisa ukuvela kwinkulungwane yesibini neyesithathu yeXesha lethu Eliqhelekileyo. (Mateyu 13:37, 38; IZenzo 20:29, 30; 2 Tesalonika 2:3-12; 2 Petros 2:1-3) AmaKristu awexukileyo alalanisa namaRoma, amkela imithendeleko yawo yobuhedeni neentanda-bulumko zawo, yaye amkela kungekuphela nje imisebenzi yaseburhulumenteni kodwa kwanenkonzo yasemkhosini.
UNjingalwazi uTroeltsch wabhala: “Ukususela ngenkulungwane yesithathu ukusa phambili le meko yaba nzima ngakumbi, kuba aba maninzi amaKristu akwizikhundla eziphakamileyo kwiButho labantu nakwimisebenzi ebalulekileyo, emkhosini naseburhulumenteni. Kwizicatshulwa ezininzi zeencwadi zamaKristu [ezingeyonxalenye yeBhayibhile] kukho ukuchaswa ngokungqongqo kokubandakanyeka kwezi zinto; kwelinye icala, sifumana namalinge okulalanisa—iimpikiswano ezazenzelwe ukucinezela izazela ezazingavisisani noko . . . Ukususela ngexesha likaConstantine ezo ngxaki zanyamalala; ungquzulwano olwaluphakathi kwamaKristu nabahedeni lwaphela, ibe akwazi ukwenza yonke imisebenzi yasebuRhulumenteni.”
Ngasekupheleni kwenkulungwane yesine yeXesha lethu Eliqhelekileyo, olu hlobo lungxengiweyo, lulalanisayo lobuKristu lwaba lunqulo loRhulumente woLawulo lwamaRoma.
Ukutyhubela imbali yayo, iNgqobhoko—emelwa yiCawa yamaKatolika, amaOthodoki namaProtestanti—iye yaqhubeka ilalanisa noRhulumente, izibandakanya ngokunzulu kwiipolitiki yaye imxhasa ezimfazweni zakhe. Amalungu ecawa amaninzi anyanisekileyo aye othuswa yile nto ngaphandle kwamathandabuzo aya kuvuyiswa kukwazi ukuba akho amaKristu namhlanje abambelele kukuma kwamaKristu enkulungwane yokuqala ngokuphathelele ulwalamano lwawo noRhulumente. Amanqaku amabini alandelayo eza neenkcukacha ezibhekele phaya ngalo mbandela.
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 5]
UKesare uNero awabhala ngaye uPetros esithi: “Yibani nembeko kukumkani”
[Inkcazelo]
Musei Capitolini, Roma
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 6]
UPolycarp wakhetha ukufa kunokunqula umlawuli
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 7]
AmaKristu okuqala ayengabemi abanoxolo, abathembekileyo nabayihlawulayo irhafu