Walumkele “AmaEpikure”

“Ulunge gqitha! Uphila ngemilinganiselo ephakamileyo yokuziphatha. Akatshayi, akasebenzisi ziyobisi okanye ntetho engcolileyo. Enyanisweni, ulunge ngaphezu kwabathile abathi bangamaKristu!”

NGABA ukhe weva abathile beqiqa njalo ukuze bazithethelele ngobuhlobo obungalunganga ababuhlakulelayo? Ngaba oko kuyangqinelana neZibhalo? Umzekelo webandla lokuqala lamaKristu uyasicacisela kulo mbandela.

Ngenkulungwane yokuqala, umpostile uPawulos walumkisa ibandla laseKorinte wathi: “Ningalahlekiswa. Unxulumano olubi lonakalisa imikhwa esebenzisekayo.” Mhlawumbi, bambi kuloo maKristu babenxulumana nabo babenempembelelo yentanda-bulumko yamaGrike, kuquka leyo yamaEpikure. Ayengoobani amaEpikure? Ayenokuba luvavanyo njani kukholo lwamaKristu aseKorinte? Ngaba kukho abantu abanjengawo namhlanje, esimele sibalumkele?—1 Korinte 15:33.

Ayengoobani AmaEpikure?

AmaEpikure ayengabalandeli besithandi sobulumko samaGrike uEpicurus, owayephila ukususela ngowama-341 ukusa kowama-270 B.C.E. Wafundisa ukuba uyolo ngundoqo okanye luyeyona nto ilungileyo ebomini. Ngaba oko kuthetha ukuba amaEpikure ayephila ubomi bukavula-zibhuqe, engenamigaqo, ephila impilo ewohlokileyo ngokuziphatha kwiphulo lokuqhubeka ekhangela indlela yokuzonwabisa? Okumangalisayo kukuba, uEpicurus akazange abafundise loo ndlela yokuphila abalandeli bakhe! Kunoko, wabafundisa ukuba uyolo lufunyanwa kakuhle ngokuba nobulumko, inkalipho, ukuzeyisa nokusesikweni. Wayefuna kusukelwe uyolo, hayi olufumaneka kwangoko nelomzuzwana, kodwa uyolo oluhlala lukho ubomi bonke. Ngaloo ndlela amaEpikure kusenokuba abonakala ngathi angamalungisa xa ethelekiswa nabo baqhelisela isono esinzulu.—Thelekisa uTito 1:12.

Ngaba Ayafana NobuKristu?

Ukuba ubulilungu lebandla lokuqala laseKorinte, ngaba ngewawuchukumisekile ngamaEpikure? Kuyabonakala ukuba abathile kusenokuba baqiqa ngelithi ukuba nezinto ezixabisekileyo kwamaEpikure kwakuwabangela abe zizinxulumani ezilungileyo zamaKristu. Kwakhona bezithethelela, abaseKorinte kusenokuba baphawula ukuba kwakukho umahluko phakathi kwemigaqo yamaEpikure neyeLizwi likaThixo.

Ngokomzekelo, amaEpikure ayengcathu kusukelo lwawo lokuzonwabisa. Ayexabisa uyolo lwengqondo ngaphezu koyolo lwasemzimbeni. Loo nto umntu ayityayo yayingabalulekanga njengolwalamano analo naloo mntu ayitya naye. AmaEpikure ade azikhwebula kuko nakuphi na ukubandakanyeka kwezobupolitika nokwenza ububi ngasese. Hayi indlela ekwakungelula ngayo ukucinga ukuba: “Bafana nqwa nathi!”

Noko ke, ngaba amaEpikure ayefana nqwa namaKristu okuqala? Ngokuqinisekileyo ayengafani. Abo banengqondo ekrelekrele bawubona umahluko obalulekileyo. (Hebhere 5:14) Ngaba wena unokuwubona? Makhe siqwalasele iimfundiso zamaEpikure.

Icala Elibi Leengcamango ZamaEpikure

Ukuze ancede abantu bayeke ukoyika izithixo nokufa, uEpicurus wabafundisa ukuba izithixo azinamdla kuluntu yaye azingeneleli kwiingxaki zoluntu. Ngokutsho kukaEpicurus, izithixo azizange zakhe umhlaba, yaye nobomi babakho ngengozi. Ngaba oku ngokucacileyo akungqubani nemfundiso yeBhayibhile ethi kukho “uThixo omnye,” uMdali, yaye uzikhathalele izidalwa ezingabantu?—1 Korinte 8:6; Efese 4:6; 1 Petros 5:6, 7.

Kwakhona uEpicurus wafundisa ukuba akunakuze kubekho ubomi emva kokufa. Oku, eneneni, kwakuphikisana nemfundiso yeBhayibhile yovuko. Enyanisweni, xa umpostile uPawulos wayethetha eAreyopago, kuyabonakala ukuba amaEpikure ayephakathi kwabo babengavumelani noPawulos ngemfundiso yovuko.—IZenzo 17:18, 31, 32; 1 Korinte 15:12-14.

Kusenokuba eyona nkalo yayiyingozi kwintanda-bulumko kaEpicurus yayikwayeyona ichuliweyo. Ukungavumelani nokubakho kobomi emva kokufa kwamkhokelela ekubeni agqibe ngelithi umntu umele onwabe kangangoko efuna ngelo xesha lifutshane aliphilayo emhlabeni. Njengokuba sesibonile, imbono yakhe yayingeyiyo eyokuba aphile ngesono kodwa, kunoko, yayikukunandipha, ubomi bangoku, ekubeni ikuphela kwabo.

Ngaloo ndlela, uEpicurus wayengakuxhasi ukwenza ububi ngasese ukuze aphephe ukubanjwa, eyona nto isongela ulonwabo lwangoku. Wayekhuthaza ukuba ngcathu ukuze aphephe imiphumo yokuzintyintya ngokugqithiseleyo, esinye isithintelo sokufumana ulonwabo. Kwakhona wakhuthaza unxulumano oluhle nabanye ngenxa yokuba kwakubanceda bakwazi ukubuyiselana. Kakade ke, ukukuphepha ukwenza ububi ngasese, ukuhlakulela ubungcathu, ukuhlakulela ubuhlobo zizinto ezilungileyo kubo. Ngoko kwakutheni ukuze intanda-bulumko kaEpicurus ibe yingozi kumaKristu? Ngenxa yokuba isiluleko sakhe sasisekelwe kwimbono yakhe yokungabi nalukholo: “Masidle size sisele, kuba ngomso siza kufa.”—1 Korinte 15:32.

Kuyavunywa ukuba, iBhayibhile iyababonisa abantu indlela yokuphila ngolonwabo ngoku. Noko ke, iyasiluleka: “Zigcineni kuthando lukaThixo, ngoxa nilindele inceba yeNkosi yethu uYesu Kristu nikhangele kubomi obungunaphakade.” (Yude 21) Ewe, iBhayibhile igxininisa ngakumbi kwikamva elingenasiphelo, hayi kule nkqubo idlula ngokukhawuleza. KumKristu, ukukhonza uThixo kokona kubalulekileyo, yaye ufumanisa ukuba xa ebeka uThixo kuqala, uyonwaba yaye uyoneliseka. Kwangendlela efanayo, uYesu kunokuba azixakekise ngezilangazelelo zakhe, wachitha onke amandla akhe ekhonza uYehova ngokungazingci yaye enceda nabantu. Abafundi bakhe wabafundisa ukwenza okulungileyo kwabanye, hayi ngenxa yokuba benethemba lokubuyiselwa, kodwa ngenxa yothando lokwenene ngabo. Licacile elokuba, iingcamango zamaEpikure nezamaKristu zahluke gqitha.—Marko 12:28-31; Luka 6:32-36; Galati 5:14; Filipi 2:2-4.

Ingozi Echuliweyo

Okuhlekisayo kukuba, ngoxa amaEpikure ayegxininisa kulonwabo, olwabo yayilulonwabo olwalusikelwe umda ngandlela zonke. Ukuswela “uvuyo lukaYehova,” uEpicurus wabubiza ubomi ngokuthi “sisipho esikrakra.” (Nehemiya 8:10) Hayi indlela awayonwabe ngayo amaKristu okuqala xa kuthelekiswa noko! UYesu wayengancomeli ubomi bokungonwabi bokuzibandeza uyolo. Enyanisweni, ukulandela emanyathelweni akhe yeyona ndlela ikhokelela kulonwabo olukhulu.—Mateyu 5:3-12.

Ukuba wambi amalungu ebandla laseKorinte ayecinga ukuba anganxulumana nabo banempembelelo yamaEpikure ngaphandle kokonakalisa ukholo lwawo, ayephazama. Ngexesha uPawulos wayebhala ileta yokuqala ebhalela abaseKorinte, bambi kubo babesele bengenalukholo eluvukweni.—1 Korinte 15:12-19.

Ngaba Zisekho Iingcamango ZamaEpikure Namhlanje?

Nangona iingcamango zamaEpikure zaphelelwa ngenkulungwane yesine yeXesha Eliqhelekileyo, namhlanje kukho abo bamkela imbono efanayo yokuphilela inamhlanje. Aba bantu banokholo oluncinane okanye abanalukholo kumadinga kaThixo obomi obungenasiphelo. Sekunjalo, bambi kubo banemilinganiselo ephakamileyo yokuziphatha.

UmKristu usenokulingelwa ekubeni abe nolwalamano olusenyongweni nabanjalo, mhlawumbi eqiqa ngelithi ukubonakala kwabo beziphethe kakuhle kuvula amathuba obuhlobo. Noko ke, nangona singazigqali njengababalulekileyo, kufuneka siqonde ukuba lonke “unxulumano olubi”—kuquka olo lunempembelelo embi nechuliweyo—lonakalisa “imikhwa esebenzisekayo.”

Intanda-bulumko yokuphilela inamhlanje iye ivele ngokungalindelekanga kwezinye iintlanganiso zoosomashishini, kwiincwadi zamacebiso, kwiinoveli, kwimiboniso-bhanyabhanya, kwiinkqubo zikamabonwakude nakumculo. Ngoxa zingakhuthazi ukuziphatha okubi ngokuthe ngqo, ngaba le mbono ibonakalisa ukungabi nalukholo inokusiphembelela ngeendlela ezichuliweyo? Ngokomzekelo, ngaba sinokuzixakekisa gqitha ngezinto zethu zobuqu de siphelelwe nangumbono wembambano yolongamo lukaYehova? Ngaba sinokulahlekiselwa ekubeni ‘senze umsebenzi omncinane,’ kunokuba sibe “nokuninzi kokukwenza emsebenzini weNkosi”? Okanye ngaba sisenokulahlekiswa ngokuthandabuza ukulunga neengenelo zemilinganiselo kaYehova? Kufuneka silumkele ukuzichanaba kwimifanekiso engokuziphatha okubi, ugonyamelo nokusebenzelana nemimoya kwanakwabo baphenjelelwa ziimbono zehlabathi!—1 Korinte 15:58; Kolose 2:8.

Ngoko ke, masihlakulele unxulumano, ngokuyintloko nabo balandela ukhokelo lukaYehova ngentliziyo evumayo. (Isaya 48:17) Ngenxa yoko, imikhwa yethu esebenzisekayo iya komelezwa. Ukholo lwethu luya kuqiniswa. Siya kuhlala sonwabile hayi ngoku kuphela kodwa ngonaphakade sinombono wobomi obungunaphakade.—INdumiso 26:4, 5; IMizekeliso 13:20.

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 24]

Courtesy of The British Museum

[Inkcazelo]

UEpicurus wafundisa ukuba izithixo azinamdla eluntwini