UEusebius—“Ngaba Ngumseki Wembali YeCawa”?

NGOWAMA-325 C.E., uMlawuli ongumRoma uConstantine wahlab’ ikhwelo lokuba bonke oobhishopu baye kudibana eNicaea. Injongo yakhe yayikukuba kukhe kushukuxwe umba ongundaba-mlonyeni wolwalamano phakathi kukaThixo noNyana wakhe. Phakathi kwababekho apho, yayinguEusebius waseKesareya, owayegqalwa njengesifundiswa ngelo xesha. UEusebius wayezifunde ngenzondelelo iZibhalo yaye wayemele inkolelo yamaKristu yobukho boThixo omnye.

IEncyclopædia Britannica isibalisela ukuba kweli Bhunga laseNicaea, “iintambo zazibanjwe nguConstantine ngokwakhe, engusihlalo, ibe yeza naye . . . indlela yokuchaza ulwalamano lukaKristu noThixo nekwaphunywa nayo kwelo bhunga yokuba ‘ukwimo enye noBawo’ . . . Besoyika lo mlawuli, aba bhishopu, ngaphandle nje kwababini, bavumelana nale ngcamango, nangona yayichasene nendlela ababekholelwa ngayo abaninzi kubo.” Ngaba uEusebius wayephakathi kwabo bangazange bavumelane naye? Ukuma kwakhe kusifundisa ntoni? Makhe sijonge imvelaphi kaEusebius—iimfaneleko zakhe nezinto awazifezayo.

Iincwadi Zakhe Ezidumileyo

Kusenokwenzeka ukuba uEusebius wazalelwa ePalestina malunga nowama-260 C.E. Esemncinane, wanxulumana noPamphilus, owayengumveleli wecawa eKesareya. Njengoko wayefunda kwisikolo sezakwalizwi sikaPamphilus, uEusebius waba ngumfundi ozimiseleyo. Walisebenzisa ngokupheleleyo ithala likaPamphilus elalineencwadi ezininzi. UEusebius wazimisela gqitha kwizifundo zakhe, ingakumbi ekufundeni iBhayibhile. Kanti wayengumhlobo osenyongweni kaPamphilus, kamva ezibiza ngokuba “unguEusebius kaPamphilus.”

Ngokuphathelele iinjongo awayenazo, uEusebius wathi: “Ndifuna ukubhala ingxelo ngokuphathelele amaxesha asemva kwemihla yabaPostile abangcwele kwanangokuphathelele ixesha elisemva kwelo loMsindisi wethu ukuza kuthi ga kweli lethu; ndibalise ngeziganeko ezininzi nezibalulekileyo ekuthiwa zenzeka kwimbali yecawa; ndize ndithethe ngabo babesongamela icawa nababekhonza kwiindawo ezibalulekileyo, nabo baye ngexesha labo bavakalisa ilizwi likaThixo okanye babhala ngalo.”

Enye into emenza akhumbuleke uEusebius, yincwadi yakhe ethandwa kakhulu ethi History of the Christian Church. Imiqulu yayo elishumi eyapapashwa malunga nowama-324 C.E. igqalwa njengequlethe eyona mbali yecawa ibalulekileyo neyabhalwa mandulo. Ngenxa yayo, uEusebius waziwa njengomseki wembali yecawa.

Ngaphandle kweChurch History le, uEusebius wabhala iChronicle, enemiqulu emibini. Umqulu wokuqala wawushwankathela imbali yehlabathi. Ngenkulungwane yesine, kwakubhekiselwa kuwo xa kujongwa ukulandelelana kweziganeko zehlabathi. Umqulu wesibini wona wawunemihla yeziganeko zembali. Esebenzisa imihlathi yawo, uEusebius wabonisa ukulandelelana kwezikumkani zeentlanga ezahlukeneyo.

Eusebius wabhala ezinye iincwadi ezimbini zembali, enye inomxholo othi Martyrs of Palestine kanti enye isithi Life of Constantine. Ezi ncwadi zinembali esusela kunyaka wama-303 ukusa kowama-310 C.E. yaye zithetha ngabafeli-nkolo ababephila ngaloo maxesha. Kusenokwenzeka ukuba uEusebius wazibonela ngawakh’ amehlo ezi ziganeko. Le yesibini neyapapashwa njengemiqulu emine, emva kokufa koMlawuli uConstantine ngowama-337 C.E., yayineenkcukacha ezibalulekileyo zembali. Kunokuba ibhalwe ngendlela ecacileyo, ubukhulu becala ingumbongo.

Iincwadi eziphikisayo zikaEusebius ziquka impendulo eya kuHierocles—irhuluneli engumRoma yelo xesha. Xa uHierocles wagxeka amaKristu, uEusebius wawamela. Ngaphezu koko, ngelokumela isibakala sokuba iZibhalo zibhalwe nguThixo, wabhala iincwadi ezingama-35, ezigqalwa njengezona zibalulekileyo nezicacileyo. Ezili-15 zokuqala zazithethelela ukwamkela kwamaKristu izibhalo ezingcwele zesiHebhere. Kanti ezinye ezingama-20 zazinikela ubungqina bokuba amaKristu ayefanele ukungayinanzi imithetho yamaYuda aze amkele eminye imigaqo nendlela entsha yokwenza izinto. Ngokwembono kaEusebius, zonke ezi ncwadi zazikhusela ubuKristu.

UEusebius waphila iminyaka emalunga nama-80 (c.260-c.340 C.E.), engomnye wababhali abadumileyo bexesha lamandulo. Iincwadi awazibhalayo ziquka iziganeko ezenzeka kwiinkulungwane zokuqala ezintathu ukuya kutsho kwixesha loMlawuli uConstantine. Kwiminyaka yokugqibela yobomi bakhe, umsebenzi wakhe njengombhali wawuquka ukuba ngubhishopu welaseKesareya. Nangona wayedume kakhulu njengombhali-mbali, uEusebius wayekwanguye nommeli wonqulo lwakhe, umzobi weemaphu, umshumayeli, umhlalutyi, nombhali ngezonqulo.

Injongo Yakhe Entlu-mbini

Kwakutheni ukuze uEusebius enze umsebenzi omninzi kangaka? Kaloku wayekholelwa kwelokuba wayephila ngexesha lokutshintsha kwezinto. Wayevakalelwa kukuba zininzi iziganeko ezibonakalayo ezenzekileyo ukutyhubela izizukulwana yaye kwakufuneka kubhalwe ingxelo ukwenzela izizukulwana eziza kulandela.

UEusebius wayenenye injongo—le yokuba ngummeli wonqulo. Wayekholelwa kwelokuba ubuKristu buvela kuThixo. Kodwa abanye babengavumelani naye kule nkalo. UEusebius wabhala wathi: “Kwakhona ndineenjongo zokuchaza amagama, nezihlandlo abathe ngazo abo bathanda utshintsho benza iimpazamo ezinkulu, bathi balufumene ulwazi bexoka ke phofu, befana nje neengcuka ezikhohlakeleyo eziye zadlakazelisa umhlambi kaKristu.”

Ngaba uEusebius wayezigqala njengomKristu? Kuyabonakala ukuba kunjalo, kuba wabhekisela kuKristu “njengoMsindisi wethu.” Wathi: “Ndiza kubalisa . . . ngamashwa aye ehlela lonke uhlanga lwakwaYuda ngequbuliso ngenxa yamayelenqe olwawenzela uMsindisi wethu ndize ndibhale ngeendlela nezihlandlo ilizwi likaThixo eliye lahlaselwa ngazo ngabeeNtlanga, ndingabalibali nabo baye bathi ngaxa lithile balilwela nakuba babephethwe kakubi bengcungcuthekiswa, ndiyitsho nento yokuvunywa kwezono kwimihla yethu, kwanoncedo lobubele oluye lwanikelwa nguMsindisi wethu kubo bonke.”

Uphando Olunzulu Awalwenzayo

Zininzi gqitha iincwadi ezafundwa nguEusebius waza wabhekisela kuzo. Abantu abathile abadumileyo ababephila ebudeni beenkulungwane ezintathu zeXesha Eliqhelekileyo baye baziwa ngenxa yeencwadi zikaEusebius. Ziincwadi zakhe kuphela ezineengxelo eziluncedo ngokuphathelele imibutho ebalulekileyo. Ayisafumaneki nemithombo yolwazi awayephanda kuyo xa wayezibhala.

UEusebius wayezimisele yaye ecokisa xa eqokelela ulwazi. Kubonakala ukuba wayezimisele ukuhluza kakuhle phakathi kweengxelo ezinokuthenjwa nezingenakuthenjwa. Sekunjalo akho amakhwiniba kwiincwadi zakhe. Maxa wambi, wayekhe abethe ecaleni xa echaza iziganeko yaye wayengayiqondi indlela abantu abazenza ngayo izinto. Wayekhe azilandelelanise ngendlela engachananga iziganeko. Kanti uEusebius wayephelelwa nabubuchule bokubeka izinto. Noko ke, nakuba kwakukho loo makhwiniba, inkitha yeencwadi zakhe igqalwa njengobuncwane obuxabisekileyo.

Ngaba Wayeyithanda Inyaniso?

UEusebius wayesawuxhalabele umba owawungekazinziswa wolwalamano lukaYise noNyana. Ngaba uBawo wabakho ngaphambi koNyana, njengoko uEusebius wayekholelwa? Okanye ngaba uBawo noNyana babakho ngaxeshanye? Wabuza: “Ukuba ke babakho ngaxeshanye, uBawo ukwazi njani ukuba nguBawo, uNyana yena akwazi njani ukuba nguNyana?” Waxhasa iinkolelo zakhe ngeZibhalo, ecaphula uYohane 14:28, othi ‘uBawo mkhulu kunoYesu,’ noYohane 17:3, apho kubhekiselwa kuYesu ‘njengalowo uthunywe’ ngokuphela koThixo oyinyaniso. Ebhekisela kweyabaseKolose 1:15 nakuYohane 1:1, uEusebius walimela elokuba uLogos, okanye uLizwi “ungumfanekiselo kaThixo ongabonakaliyo”—uNyana kaThixo.

Noko ke, okumangalisayo kukuba, ekupheleni kwentlanganiso yeBhunga laseNicaea, uEusebius waxhasa ingcamango awayengavisisani nayo. Ngokwahlukileyo ekumeleni kwakhe iZibhalo kwisibakala sokuba uThixo noKristu babengengobantu abalinganayo nababakho ngaxeshanye, wavumelana nomlawuli.

Isifundo

Kwakutheni ukuze uEusebius alalanise kwiBhunga laseNicaea aze axhase inkolelo echasene nezibhalo? Ngaba wayejonge iingenelo zezobupolitika? Khona wayefuna ntoni kwelo bhunga? Nangona kwakuhlatywe ikhwelo kubo bonke oobhishopu, ligcudwana nje—labangama-300—elezayo. Ngaba mhlawumbi uEusebius, wayefuna ukulondoloza iwonga awayenalo ekuhlaleni? Yaye kwakutheni ukuze uMlawuli uConstantine amhlonele kangako? UEusebius wayehleli ngasekunene kwalo mlawuli apho ebhungeni.

Kuyabonakala ukuba, uEusebius wayengawunanzanga umyalelo kaYesu wokuba abalandeli Bakhe ‘bangabi yonxalenye yehlabathi.’ (Yohane 17:16; 18:36) Umfundi uYakobi wabuza: “Bakrexezikazindini, anazi na ukuba ubuhlobo kunye nehlabathi bubutshaba kunye noThixo?” (Yakobi 4:4) Ibe hayi indlela esifaneleke ngayo esi siluleko sikaPawulos esithi: “Musani ukubotshwa edyokhweni kunye nabangakholwayo”! (2 Korinte 6:14) Ngamana singaqhubeka sahlukile ehlabathini njengoko ‘sinqula uBawo ngomoya nenyaniso.’—Yohane 4:24.

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 31]

Umfanekiso obonisa ibhunga laseNicaea

[Inkcazelo]

Scala/Art Resource, NY

[Inkcazelo Ngomfanekiso okwiphepha 29]

Courtesy of Special Collections Library, University of Michigan