UAristarko—Iqabane Elinyanisekileyo
PHAKATHI kwabasebenzi abaninzi abanyanisekileyo umpostile uPawulos awayekunye nabo yayinguAristarko. Yintoni oyikhumbulayo xa usiva igama lakhe? Ngaba ikho? Ngaba ubuya kukwazi ukuyichaza indima yakhe kwimbali yamaKristu okuqala? Nangona uAristarko esenokungabi ngomnye wabantu ekuthethwe ngabo eBhayibhileni esiqheleneyo nabo, sekunjalo, wayebandakanyeke kwiziganeko eziliqela ekuthethwa ngazo kwiZibhalo ZamaKristu ZesiGrike.
Ngoko ke, wayengubani uAristarko? Wayenxulumene njani noPawulos? Kutheni kunokuthiwa uAristarko wayeliqabane elinyanisekileyo? Ibe yintoni esinokuyifunda ngokuhlolisisa umzekelo wakhe?
Ukukhankanywa kuka-Aristarko okuphawulekayo kwingxelo ekwincwadi yeZenzo kuphakathi kwengxolo nombhodamo kwihlokondiba eliphambeneyo kwisixeko sase-Efese. (IZenzo 19:23-41) Ukwenzela uthixo wobuxoki uArtemis iitempilana zesilivere kwakuyinzuzo kuDemetriyo nabanye abakhandi besilivere base-Efese. Ngaloo ndlela, xa iphulo lokushumayela likaPawulos esixekweni labangela inani elikhulu labathile lashiya unqulo olungacocekanga lwesi sithixo, uDemetriyo waphembelela abanye abarhwebi. Wabaxelela ukuba ukushumayela kukaPawulos kwakungazi kubangela ukuba balahlekelwe yimali kodwa kwakusenokubangela ukusingelwa phantsi konqulo lukaArtemis.
Lungakwazi ukufumana uPawulos, eli hlokondiba licaphukileyo laqweqwedisela amaqabane akhe uAristarko kunye noGayo kumabala emidlalo. Ekubeni bobabini babesengozini enkulu, abahlobo bakaPawulos bambongoza ukuba “angazibeki esichengeni kwindawo yokubonela.”
Khawube nomfanekiso-ngqondweni wakho ukuloo meko. Kangangeeyure ezimbini, eli hlokondiba liphixeneyo laqhubeka likhwaza, “Mkhulu uArtemis wamaEfese!” Ukuzifumanisa kuka-Aristarko noGayo besezandleni zehlokondiba eliphambeneyo bengakwazi nokuzithethelela kumele ukuba kwakusoyikisa ngokwenene. Babethandabuza enoba babeya kuphuma bephilile kusini na. Okuvuyisayo kukuba basinda. Eneneni, ukucaca kwengxelo kaLuka kukhokelele abanye abaphengululi ukuba bagqibe kwelokuba inkcazelo yakhe wayifumana kumangqina okuzibonela, mhlawumbi leyo ka-Aristarko noGayo.
Unongxelo wesixeko ekugqibeleni wasiphelisa esi siphithiphithi. Kumele ukuba kwabangela isiqabu esikhulu kuAristarko noGayo ukumva ebavakalisa bengenatyala nokubona eso saqunge siphela.
Wawuya kuvakalelwa njani emva kwamava anjalo? Ngaba ngewawugqibe kwelokuba ukuba ngumvangeli neqabane likaPawulos kwakungayi kukulungela, ukuba kwakuyingozi kakhulu, nokuba kwakuya kuba bhetele ukuphila ubomi obuzolileyo? Akuzange kube njalo ngoAristarko! Ekubeni wayesuka eTesalonika, kusenokwenzeka ukuba wayezazi iingozi zokuvakalisa iindaba ezilungileyo. Xa uPawulos washumayela kwisixeko sakhe kwiminyaka nje embalwa ngaphambilana, kwabakho isaqunge nalapho. (IZenzo 17:1-9; 20:4) Ngokunyaniseka uAristarko wema ngakuPawulos.
Ukusuka eGrisi ukuya eYerusalem
Kwiinyanga ezimbalwa emva kokungavisisani kwabenzi bezinto zesilivere, uPawulos wayeseGrisi kwaye wayesele eza kunduluka ngesikhephe ukuya eSiriya ukuya kuqhina ngeYerusalem xa “kwakuyilwa iyelenqe ngokunxamnye naye ngamaYuda.” (IZenzo 20:2, 3) Ngubani esimfumana ekunye noPawulos kwezi meko zinzima? NguAristarko!
Oku kusongelwa kutsha kwabangela uPawulos noAristarko, kunye namaqabane abo baguqula izicwangciso zabo, okokuqala benjenjeya ukutyhubela iMakedoniya, bandula ke bahamba besima kwizikhululo zokuphumla benxuse unxweme lwaseAsiya Mayina ngaphambi kokuba ekugqibeleni bafike eFenike esePatara. (IZenzo 20:4, 5, 13-15; 21:1-3) Kuyabonakala ukuba injongo yolu hambo yayikukudlulisela iminikelo yamaKristu aseMakedoniya naseAkaya kubazalwana bawo ababexhwalekile eYerusalem. (IZenzo 24:17; Roma 15:25, 26) Inani elikhulu labo lahamba kunye, mhlawumbi ngenxa yokuba babephathiswe le mbopheleleko ngamabandla awahlukahlukeneyo. Alithandabuzeki elokuba, iqela elingako laliya kuqinisekisa ukhuseleko.
UAristarko waba nelungelo elikhulu lokuhamba noPawulos ukusuka eGrisi ukuya eYerusalem. Noko ke, uhambo lwabo olulandelayo lwaluza kusuka kwaYuda ukusa eRoma.
Uhambo Oluya ERoma
Ngeli xesha iimeko zazahluke ngokupheleleyo. UPawulos wayevalelwe entolongweni eKesareya kangangeminyaka emibini, wabhenela kuKesare, yaye wayeza kuthunyelwa eRoma ekwimixokelelwane. (IZenzo 24:27; 25:11, 12) Zama ukuba nomfanekiso-ngqondweni wendlela amaqabane kaPawulos awavakalelwa ngayo. Uhambo olusuka eKesareya ukuya eRoma lwaluya kuba lude luze lubabangele badinwe ngokweemvakalelo, kungaqinisekwanga ukuba lwaluya kuzala nkomoni na. Ngubani owayeza kuhamba naye ukuze anikele inkxaso noncedo? Konyulwa amadoda amabini okanye azenza afumaneka njengamatsha-ntliziyo. YayinguAristarko noLuka, umbhali weZenzo.—IZenzo 27:1, 2.
Babeya kukwazi njani uLuka noAristarko ukukhwela inqanawa enye kwisihlandlo sokuqala sohambo oluya eRoma? Umbhali-mbali uGiuseppe Ricciotti uthi: “Aba babini bakhwela njengabahambi abahlukeneyo . . . okanye, ngokunokwenzeka, bavunyelwa ngenxa yobubele bomthetheli-khulu owazenza umntu obazi bengamakhoboka kaPawulos, ekubeni umthetho wawuvumela ukuba ummi waseRoma ancedwe liqela lamakhoboka.” Enjani yona indlela uPawulos ekumele ukuba womelezeka ngayo bubukho babo nalukhuthazo lwabo!
ULuka noAristarko balubonisa uthando lwabo ngoPawulos ngokubeka ubomi babo esichengeni. Enyanisweni, bajamelana nemeko esongela ubomi xa, bekunye neqabane labo elilibanjwa, baqhekekelwa ngumkhombe kwisiqithi saseMalta.—IZenzo 27:13–28:1.
“Umthinjwa Olidlelane” LikaPawulos
Xa uPawulos wabhala ileta eyayisiya kumaKolose nakuFilemon ngowama-60 ukusa kowama-61 C.E., uAristarko noLuka babesekunye naye eRoma. UAristarko noEpafra kubhekiselwa kubo ‘njengabathinjwa abangamadlelane’ kaPawulos. (Kolose 4:10, 14; Filemon 23, 24) Ngoko, kangangexesha elithile, kubonakala ukuba uAristarko wavalelwa entolongweni noPawulos.
Nangona uPawulos wayelibanjwa eRoma ubuncinane iminyaka emibini, wayevunyelwe ukuba ahlale ephantsi kweliso kwindlu yakhe awayeyiqashile, apho wayenokukwazi ukuvakalisa iindaba ezilungileyo kubahambi. (IZenzo 28:16, 30) UAristarko uEpafra, uLuka kunye nabanye ngoko babengabalungiseleli bakaPawulos, bemnceda yaye bemomeleza.
‘Uncedo Olomelezayo’
Emva kokuqwalasela iziganeko ezahlukahlukeneyo uAristarko abonakala kuzo kwingxelo ephefumlelweyo yeBhayibhile, uba nayiphi imbono ngaye? Ngokutsho kombhali uW. D. Thomas, uAristarko “wazingqina eyindoda engamelana nenkcaso aze aphumelele kuyo esenokholo olomeleleyo ezimisele ukukhonza ngenzondelelo. Uzingqina eyindoda ethanda uThixo hayi nje ngemihla elungileyo kuphela, xa ilanga liqaqambile kwisibhakabhaka esiluhlaza, kodwa phantsi kogculelo noqhwithela.”
UPawulos uthi uAristarko nabanye ‘babe luncedo olomelezayo’ (ngesiGrike, pa·re·go·riʹa) kuye, oko kukuthi, umthombo wentuthuzelo. (Kolose 4:10, 11) Ngoko ngokumthuthuzela nangokumomeleza uPawulos, uAristarko wayeliqabane lokwenene kumaxesha obunzima. Ukuba kunye nalo mpostile njengeqabane nokuba ngumhlobo wakhe kangangethuba leminyaka eliqela kumele ukuba kwakungamava anelisayo natyebileyo ngokomoya.
Sisenokungazifumanisi sikwiimeko ezibambis’ amazinyo njengezo zika-Aristarko. Sekunjalo, ukunyaniseka okufanayo kubazalwana bakaKristu bokomoya nakwintlangano kaYehova kuyafuneka kubo bonke abo bakwibandla lamaKristu namhlanje. (Thelekisa uMateyu 25:34-40.) Kungekudala, kusenokwenzeka ukuba abo sinqula nabo nesibaziyo baya kubandezeleka okanye baxhwaleke, mhlawumbi ngenxa yokufelwa, ukugula, okanye ezinye izilingo. Ngokusondelelana nabo size sinikele uncedo, intuthuzelo, nokhuthazo, singafumana uvuyo yaye sizingqine singamaqabane anyanisekileyo.—Thelekisa IMizekeliso 17:17; IZenzo 20:35.