UGamaliyeli—Wafundisa USawule WaseTarso

KWATHI nzwanga kweso sihlwele. Ngaphambi nje koko, sasiphantse sambulala umpostile uPawulos. Okwaziwa ngokuba nguSawule waseTarso, wasindiswa yimikhosi yamaRoma yaye abo bantu wayebabonela ekumanqwanqwa akufutshane netempile yaseYerusalem.

Ewangawangisa ngesandla ukuba bazole, uPawulos waqalisa ukuthetha ngesiHebhere, esithi: “Madoda, bazalwana noobawo, kuveni ukuzithethelela kwam kuni ngoku. . . . NdingumYuda, owazalelwa eTarso yaseKilikiya, kodwa ndafundiswa kwesi sixeko ezinyaweni zikaGamaliyeli, ndayalelwa ngokobungqongqo boMthetho wamanyange, ndinenzondelelo ngoThixo kanye njengoko nonke nina ninjalo ngalo mhla.”—IZenzo 22:1-3.

Ekubeni ubomi bakhe babusengozini, kwakutheni ukuze uPawulos atshayelele intetho yakhe ngokuthi wayefundiswe nguGamaliyeli? Wayengubani uGamaliyeli, yaye kwakubandakanya ntoni ukufundiswa nguye? Ngaba loo ngqeqesho yamchaphazela uSawule kwanasemva kokuba ngumpostile uPawulos ongumKristu?

Wayengubani UGamaliyeli?

UGamaliyeli wayengumFarisi owaziwayo. Wayengumzukulwana woMdala uHillel, owayengumseki wesinye sezikolo ezimbini eziphambili zokuqeqesha abaFarisi sabangamaYuda.a Iimfundiso zikaHillel zazigqalwa njengezona zibalaseleyo kunezehlakani lakhe, uShammai. Emva kokutshatyalaliswa kwetempile yaseYerusalem ngowama-70 C.E., iBet Hillel (iNdlu kaHillel) yayithandwa ngakumbi kuneBet Shammai (iNdlu kaShammai). INdlu kaHillel yagqalwa ngokusemthethweni njengesazulu sobuYuda, ekubeni onke amanye amahlelo athi shwaka emva kokutshatyalaliswa kwetempile. Ngokufuthi izigqibo zeBet Hillel zisisiseko somthetho wamaYuda okwiMishnah, eyaba sisiseko seTalmud, yaye ifuthe likaGamaliyeli lalinguthunywashe ophambili wokubalasela kwayo.

UGamaliyeli wayehlonelwa kangangokuba wayengowokuqala ukubizwa rabban, isikhundla esingasentla kwesoorabhi. Eneneni, uGamaliyeli waba ngumntu ohlonelwayo kangangokuba iMishnah ithi ngaye: “Ekufeni komdala u-Rabban Gamaliyeli, iTora yalahlekelwa luzuko eyayinalo, yaye ukubalasela nobungcwele [okanye “ukwahluka”] baphela.”—Sotah 9:15.

Wafundiswa NguGamaliyeli—Njani?

Xa umpostile uPawulos wayexelela isihlwele esasiseYerusalem ukuba ‘wayefundiswe ezinyaweni zikaGamaliyeli,’ wayethetha ukuthini? Kwakubandakanya ntoni ukufundiswa ngumntu onjengoGamaliyeli?

Ngokuphathelele loo ngqeqesho, uNjingalwazi Dov Zlotnick weJewish Theological Seminary of America ubhala oku: “Ukuchana komthetho odluliselwa ngomlomo, ngokukodwa ukuthembeka kwawo, ubukhulu becala kuxhomekeke kulwalamano lomqeqeshi nomfundi: inyameko ebonakaliswa ngumqeqeshi xa efundisa umthetho nomdla wokufunda kumfundi. . . . Ngoko ke, abafundi babeyalelwa ukuba bahlale ezinyaweni zabaqeqeshi babo . . . ‘yaye amazwi abo bawasele ngokungathi banxaniwe.’”—Avot 1:4, the Mishnah.

Kwincwadi yakhe ethi A History of the Jewish People in the Time of Jesus Christ, uEmil Schürer uchaza iindlela ababefundisa ngazo oorabhi benkulungwane yokuqala. Ubhala oku: “Ngokufuthi abona Rabhi badumileyo babehlala bengqongwe lulutsha olunzi olufuna ukuqeqeshwa, ukuze balufundise kakuhle ‘umthetho odluliselwa ngomlomo’ ophangaleleyo noqulethe izinto ezininzi kunene. Kolo qeqesho kwakufundiswa nezicengcelezo ezingapheliyo. . . . Umfundisi wabo wayebabuza imibuzo engokwasemthethweni abafundi bakhe aze abanik’ ithuba lokuyiphendula okanye ayiphendule ngokwakhe. Abafundi babelinikwa nethuba lokumbuza imibuzo umfundisi wabo.”

Ngokwembono yoorabhi, abafundi babengafanele bazamele ukuphumelela ezifundweni zabo nje kuphela. Abo babefundiswa ngabo bafundisi babelumkiswa ngelithi: “Nabani na olibala nento enye koko akufundileyo—iSibhalo sithi lowo ngumbandela wokufa nokuphila.” (Avot 3:8) Eyona ndumasi yayifunyanwa ngumfundi owayefana “nequla elityatyekiweyo, elingavuzi nethontsi.” (Avot 2:8) Leyo yingqeqesho uPawulos, owayesaziwa ngegama lakhe lesiHebhere, uSawule waseTarso, awayifumana kuGamaliyeli.

Intsusa Yeemfundiso ZikaGamaliyeli

Ngokuvisisana nemfundiso yabaFarisi, uGamaliyeli wayebalaselisa umthetho odluliselwa ngomlomo. Ngoko wayebalaselisa izithethe zoorabhi ngakumbi kuneZibhalo eziphefumlelweyo. (Mateyu 15:3-9) IMishnah icaphula uGamaliyeli esithi: “Zifunele umfundisi [urabhi] uze ungabi namathandabuzo, kuba akumele unikele izishumi ezininzi ngoxa uthandabuza.” (Avot 1:16) Oku kwakuthetha ukuba xa iZibhalo zesiHebhere zingakutsho ngokuphandle oko kufanele kwenziwe, umntu wayengafanele enze isigqibo ngokwengqiqo okanye isazela sakhe. Kunoko, wayefanele afune urabhi ofanelekileyo owayenokumenzela eso sigqibo. Ngokutsho kukaGamaliyeli, kungale ndlela kuphela umntu awayenokukuphepha ngayo ukwenza isono.—Thelekisa eyabaseRoma 14:1-12.

Noko ke, uGamaliyeli wayesaziwa njengomntu onolwazelelelo nobhetyebhetye xa kufikelelwa kwizigqibo zonqulo. Ngokomzekelo, wabonakalisa ulwazelelelo kumabhinqa xa wafikelela kwisigqibo sokuba “amvumele umfazi aphinde atshate xa likho ingqina elinye lokuba [indoda yakhe ifile].” (Yevamot 16:7, the Mishnah) Ngaphezu koko, ukukhusela abantu abaqhawule umtshato, uGamaliyeli wongezelela imiqathango eliqela kwincwadi yoqhawulo-mtshato.

Esi simo sengqondo siyabonakala nakwindlela uGamaliyeli awayeqhubana ngayo nabalandeli bokuqala bakaYesu Kristu. Incwadi yeZenzo ithi xa ezinye iinkokeli zamaYuda zazifuna ukubulala abapostile bakaYesu ezazibavalele ngenxa yokushumayela, “kwasukuma umntu othile kwiSanhedrin, umFarisi ogama linguGamaliyeli, umfundisi woMthetho owayehlonitshwa ngabantu bonke, waza wanikela umyalelo wokuba aba bantu bakhutshelwe ngaphandle okwethuba elincinane. Yaye wathi kubo: ‘Madoda akwaSirayeli, nikelani ingqalelo kuni ngokwenu mayela noko nizimisela ukukwenza ngokuphathelele aba bantu. . . . Ndithi kuni, Musani ukugxuphuleka kwaba bantu, kodwa bayekeni; . . . kungenjalo, mhlawumbi nisenokufunyanwa okunene ningabo balwa nxamnye noThixo.’” Icebiso likaGamaliyeli laphulaphulwa, yaye abapostile bakhululwa.—IZenzo 5:34-40.

Kwakuthetha Ntoni Oku KuPawulos?

UPawulos wayeqeqeshwe waza wafundiswa ngomnye wabona rabhi babalaseleyo kwinkulungwane yokuqala yeXesha lethu Eliqhelekileyo. Ngokungathandabuzekiyo ukukhankanywa kukaGamaliyeli ngulo mpostile kwabangela eso sihlwele sasiseYerusalem siyiphulaphule ngenyameko intetho yakhe. Kodwa wathetha naso ngoMfundisi omkhulu ngakumbi kunoGamaliyeli—uYesu, uMesiya. UPawulos wayethetha neso sihlwele njengomfundi kaYesu, kungekhona okaGamaliyeli.—IZenzo 22:4-21.

Ngaba ingqeqesho kaGamaliyeli yayichaphazela indlela awayefundisa ngayo uPawulos njengomKristu? Mhlawumbi, ekubeni wayezifundiswe ngokungqongqo iZibhalo nomthetho wamaYuda, oko kwangqineka kuluncedo kuPawulos njengomfundisi ongumKristu. Ukanti, iileta zikaPawulos eziphefumlelwe nguThixo eziseBhayibhileni zibonisa kakuhle ukuba wazigatya iinkolelo zobuFarisi zikaGamaliyeli. UPawulos wayewalathisela kuYesu Kristu amaYuda nabanye abantu, kungekhona koorabhi bamaYuda okanye kwizithethe zabantu.—Roma 10:1-4.

Ukuba uPawulos wayeqhubekile engumfundi kaGamaliyeli, ngewayezuze iwonga elikhulu. Abanye ababefundiswa nguGamaliyeli bancedisa ekusekeni ikamva lobuYuda. Ngokomzekelo, unyana kaGamaliyeli uSimeon, mhlawumbi owayengumfundi noPawulos, waphumeza indima ephambili kwimvukelo yamaYuda nxamnye neRoma. Emva kokutshatyalaliswa kwetempile, umzukulwana kaGamaliyeli, uGamaliel II wahlaziya igunya leSanhedrin, wayifudusela eYavneh. Umzukulwana kaGamaliel II uJudah Ha-Nasi waqulunqa iMishnah, eye yasisiseko seenkolelo zamaYuda ukuza kuthi ga kumhla wethu.

Njengomfundi kaGamaliyeli, uSawule waseTarso ngewayebalasele kubuYuda. Sekunjalo, ngokuphathelele loo msebenzi, uPawulos wabhala: “Izinto ebeziyinzuzo kum, ndazigqala ziyilahleko ngenxa kaKristu. Kaloku, ngako oko, eneneni ndikwazigqala zonke izinto ziyilahleko ngenxa yexabiso eligqwesileyo lolwazi olungoKristu Yesu iNkosi yam. Ngenxa yakhe ndiye ndalahlekelwa zizinto zonke yaye ndizigqala njengenkunkuma eninzi, ukuze ndimzuze uKristu.”—Filipi 3:7, 8.

Ngokuwulahla umsebenzi wakhe wobuFarisi nangokuba ngumlandeli kaYesu Kristu, uPawulos wayesebenzisa icebiso lomfundisi wakhe wangaphambili lokukulumkela ‘ukufunyanwa okunene usilwa nxamnye noThixo.’ Ngokuyeka ukubatshutshisa abafundi bakaYesu, uPawulos wayeka ukulwa nxamnye noThixo. Kunoko, ngokuba ngumlandeli kaKristu, waba ngomnye ‘wabasebenzi abangamadlelane kaThixo.’—1 Korinte 3:9.

Isigidimi samaKristu okwenyaniso siyaqhubeka sivakaliswa ngamaNgqina kaYehova anenzondelelo kumhla wethu. NjengoPawulos, inkoliso yawo iye yenza iinguqulelo ezinkulu ebomini bayo. Bambi baye bancama nemisebenzi emihle ukuze babe nesabelo ngakumbi kumsebenzi wokushumayela ngoBukumkani, umsebenzi “kaThixo” ngokwenene. (IZenzo 5:39) Hayi indlela abavuya ngayo ngenxa yokuba belandele umzekelo kaPawulos kunalowo womfundisi wakhe wangaphambili, uGamaliyeli!

[Umbhalo osemazantsi]

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Njengompostile uPawulos, uSawule waseTarso wavakalisa iindaba ezilungileyo kubantu bazo zonke iintlanga