Ukwakhela Kwiziseko Zobuhedeni
ESINYE sezakhiwo ezininzi ezihle nezihanjelwa ziindwendwe eRome, eItali, yiPan-theon. Esi sakhiwo singumsebenzi wobugcisa baseRoma sibalwa phakathi kwezakhiwo ezimbalwa ezikhoyo ubukhulu becala ezinjengokuba zazinjalo kumaxesha amandulo. Esi sakhiwo saqalwa nguAgrippa malunga nowama-27 B.C.E., saza saphinda sakhiwa nguHadrian malunga nowe-120 C.E. Enye yezona zinto zibalaseleyo kwesi sakhiwo luphahla lwaso olungqukuva oluziimitha ezingama-43 ukunqumla, olugqweswe kuphela zizakhiwo zezi mini ngobubanzi. Ekuqaleni iPantheon yayiyitempile yabahedeni, “indawo yabo bonke oothixo,” ngokutsho kwentsingiselo yantlandlolo yeli gama lesiGrike. Namhlanje, isagqalwa njengecawa yamaRoma Katolika. Yenzeka njani le nguqulelo yothusayo?
Ngowama-609 C.E., uPopu Boniface IV waphinda wayinikezela le tempile eyayihleli ixesha elide ingasetyenziswa eyenza icawa “yobuKristu.” Ngelo xesha yathiywa igama elithi iCawa yaseSanta Maria Rotunda. Ngokutsho kwenqaku elapapashwa ngowe-1900 kwiphephancwadi lamaJesuit laseItali iLa Civiltà Cattolica, eyona njongo iphambili awayecinga ngayo uBoniface “yayikukuzukisa bonke abafeli-nkolo abangamaKristu, okanye ke, zonke iingcwele, kodwa owokuqala nongoyena ubalulekileyo yiNtombi Enyulu enguNina kaThixo.” Amagama ebizwa ngawo iPantheon yiCawa yamaRoma Katolika namhlanje anjengelithi—Santa Maria ad Martyres (yeyeNgcwele uMariya Wabafeli-nkolo) okanye ngokuthi, Santa Maria Rotunda—abonisa loo njongo ingavisisaniyo neZibhaloOk for Xh.—Thelekisa IZenzo 14:8-15.
Eli nqaku linye lihlabela mgama lisithi, ukuze iPantheon iyifanelekele injongo yayo entsha, “kwakukuncinane gqitha ekwakufuneka kwenziwe. UBoniface walandela imithetho elula neyobubele eyayisele imiselwe nguSt. Gregory Omkhulu [uPopu Gregory I], umanduleli wakhe, imvumi evunyiweyo negcisa ekuguquleni iitempile zabahedeni ukuze zisetyenziselwe unqulo lobuKristu.” Yiyiphi le mithetho?
Kwileta eyayisiya kumvangeli owayezimisele ukuya kwiBritani yabahedeni ngowe-601 C.E., uGregory wanikela lo myalelo: “Iitempile zezithixo zelo lizwe ningazidilizi; kodwa naphule izithixo ezikuzo kuphela . . . Ukuba ezo tempile zakhiwe kakuhle, kuphela nje zifanele ziguqulwe zingabi zezokunqulela oosathana kodwa zibe zezenkonzo yoThixo oyinyaniso.” Ingcamango kaGregory yayikukuba xa abahedeni bebona iitempile ezazifudula zizezabo zingonakaliswanga, basenokuqhubeka besiza kuzo ngokufuthi. Upopu wabhala esithi nakuba abahedeni babeqhele “ukuxhela iinkunzi zeenkomo ezininzi benyusa amadini kusathana,” ngoku kukho ithemba lokuba “abasayi kunyusa amadini ezilwanyana kusathana kodwa baya kuzixhela ngenjongo yokuzitya ukuze kudunyiswe uThixo.”
AmaRoma Katolika kwakhona “athintela” unqulo lwabahedeni ngokumisa kufuphi neetempile zangaphambili, iicawa ezanikelwa kubalindi ‘abangamaKristu.’ Imibhiyozo yamandulo yamkelwa yaza yenziwa ‘eyobuKristu.’ Ukukubeka oku ngamazwi eLa Civiltà Cattolica: “Namhlanje bayazi bonke abaphengululi ukuba amasiko nezikhumbuzo ezithile zamaKristu amandulo ayehlobene gqitha neenkqubo ezithile zabahedeni. Ezi zinto zazithandwa gqitha ngabantu, amasiko endele nzulu yaye mandulo ayesenziwa esidlangalaleni nangasese. Icawa enkulu, ngobubele nangobulumko, ayizange icinge ukuba ifanele iwaphelise kuphele loo masiko; kunoko, yacinga ukuwaguqula ukuze ahambisane nobuKristu, iwaphucule ukuze afanelane nobomi bezidwangube nobomi obutsha, icawa yawoyisa ngendlela enamandla kodwa ethantamisayo, ukuze izuzele kuyo ingakhange igragramele imiphefumlo yomndilili nabokhanyo.”
Kambe ke, omnye umzekelo owaziwayo wokwamkelwa kombhiyozo wabahedeni ngulowo weKrismesi. Enyanisweni, umhla wama-25 kuDisemba, yayilusuku amaRoma amandulo ayebhiyozela idies natalis Solis Invicti, okuthetha ukuthi, “usuku lokuzalwa kwelanga elingoyiswayo.”
Ngenjongo yokuzuza amaguquka angabahedeni, icawa ayizange ibambelele enyanisweni. Yakuthethelela ukuxutywa kwezi nkolelo zimbini, ukwamkelwa kweenkolelo nezenzo zobuhedeni ‘ezazithandwa gqitha ngumndilili.’ Oku kwazala icawa engumxube newexukileyo, engavisisani nakancinane neemfundiso zobuKristu bokwenyaniso. Ngenxa yoku, mhlawumbi akumangalisi ukuba itempile eyayisakuba yeyaseRoma eyayinikelwe “kuzo zonke izithixo” ngaphambili—iPantheon—ibe yicawa yamaRoma Katolika ize inikelwe kuMariya nakuzo zonke “iingcwele.”
Noko ke, izicacele nje into yokuba ukunikela itempile komnye umntu okanye ukuguqula igama lombhiyozo akwanelanga ukuze kuguqulwe ‘unqulo loosathana lube yinkonzo kaThixo wokwenyaniso.’ Umpostile uPawulos wabuza: “Sisiphi na isivumelwano enaso itempile kaThixo nezithixo? . . . ‘Ngoko ke phumani phakathi kwabo, nize nizahlule,’ utsho uYehova, ‘kwaye niyeke ukuchukumisa into engahlambulukanga’; ‘yaye ndiza kunamkela.’ ‘Yaye ndiya kuba nguyihlo kuni, ibe niya kuba ngoonyana neentombi kum,’ utsho uYehova uSomandla.”—2 Korinte 6:16-18.