Xelisa Umzekelo KaPawulos EBhereya
Umsebenzi wabavangeli basemazweni ababini waba nempumelelo gqitha, ibe baba yinkitha abantu ababa ngamakholwa. Kwathi kusenjalo bavukelwa lihlokondiba, kwanyanzeleka ukuba kuxozwe mphini wumbi. Ngenxa yelo bandla lalisandul’ ukumiselwa nokuba sesichengeni kobomi baba bavangeli basemazweni, kwafuneka bahambe buphuthuphuthu, ezinzulwini zobusuku. Ngoko, malunga nowama-50 C.E. uPawulos noSilas balishiya izibuko laseMakedoni eTesalonika. Baya kushumayela komnye ummandla—eBhereya.
NAMHLANJE umntu otyelele eBhereya (iVéroia), angayibona esemgama ithe thande kumazantsi eNtaba iBermios eyenileyo luhlaza. IBhereya ikumgama weekhilomitha ezingama-65 kumzantsi-ntshona weTesalonika neekhilomitha ezingama-40 ukusuka kuLwandle iAegean. Apho kumazantsi ayo kukho iNtaba iOlympus, ezaliswe zizithixo eziphambili zamaGrike amandulo.
IBhereya ibangel’ umdla kubafundi beBhayibhile kuba kulapho uPawulos washumayela khona waza waguqula abaninzi baba ngamaKristu. (IZenzo 17:10-15) Makhe sihlolisise izinto awazenzayo uPawulos nembali yesi sixeko.
Imbali Yaso Yamandulo
Akakho umntu owaziyo ukuba yabakho nini iBhereya. Kusenokwenzeka ukuba abemi bayo bokuqala ngamaFrigiya awakhutshwa ngomva ngabantu baseMakedoni malunga nenkulungwane yesixhenxe ngaphambi kweXesha Eliqhelekileyo. Kwiinkulungwane ezintathu kamva, iMakedoni yema kakuhle emva koloyiso luka-Aleksandire Omkhulu. Kwakhiwa izakhiwo ezingayiwayo njengetempile kaZeyus, ka-Artemis, ka-Apollo, ka-Athena nezezinye izithixo zamaGrike.
Enye incwadi yembali ithi ukutyhubela iinkulungwane, iBhereya “yayinendima enkulu kulo mmandla ikuwo nakweminye ekumantla eGrisi.” Esi sixeko saduma ngakumbi ebudeni bolawulo lookumkani bokugqibela baseMakedoni, ekwakusithiwa ziiAntigonids (306-168 B.C.E.) nababhukuqwa yiRoma.
IEncyclopædia Britannica ithi, xa amaRoma oyisa uKumkani uPhilip V ngowe-197 B.C.E., “ulawulo lwalapho lwahexa atsho ke amaRoma akhonya kwimpuma Meditera.” Ngowe-168 B.C.E., ePydna, ekumgama weekhilomitha nje kumazantsi eBhereya, injengele yamaRoma yamngqula phantsi umlawuli wokugqibela eMakedoni, uPerseus. Kanye njengoko isiprofeto seBhayibhile satshoyo, igunya lehlabathi lamaGrike lathatyathelw’ indawo yiRoma. (Daniyeli 7:6, 7, 23) Emva kwelo dabi, iBhereya yaba sesinye sezixeko zokuqala zaseMakedoni ukunikezela kwiRoma.
Kwinkulungwane yokuqala ngaphambi kweXesha Eliqhelekileyo iMakedoni yaba sisigqubu samadabi awayesiliwa nguPompey noJulius Caesar. Enyanisweni, uPompey wamisa ikomkhulu lakhe nomkhosi kanye apho eBhereya.
Izinto Ziyihambela Kakuhle Kulawulo LwamaRoma
Ngexesha lwePax Romana, okanye Uxolo LwamaRoma, xa utyelele eBhereya wawufika iindlela zesitrato zigangathwe ngamatye neentsika emacaleni. Kwesi sixeko kwakukho neendawo zokuhlamba zikawonke-wonke, iiholo zemiboniso, amathala eencwadi, nezakhiwo zokulwa. Kwakukho nemibhobho yamanzi okusela, nemisele yamanzi asesitratweni. IBhereya yaba liziko eliphambili labarhwebi, abazobi neembaleki ngoxa abanye abantu babesiza kubukela imidlalo nezinye izinto. Nabani na otyelele apho wayeyifumana indawo yonqulo olunxulumene nolwakhe. Eneneni, kwesi sixeko zazikho zonke iintlobo zonqulo lwamaRoma.
Emva kokuba befile abalawuli baseRoma babenqulwa eBhereya. Oku kunqulwa kwabalawuli emva kokuba befile kusenokuba akuzange kubothuse abantu baseBhereya kuba noAleksandire Omkhulu wanqulwa njengothixo. Enye incwadi yamaGrike ithi: “Ekubeni ayeqhelene nokuhlonela izikumkani njengothixo ngoxa zisaphila, kwaba yinto elula kumaGrike oBukhosi basempuma ukwenjenjalo nakubalawuli bamaRoma . . . Iingqekembe zemali zazinabalawuli balapho abenziwe oothixo, bethwaliswe izithsaba ezimenyezelayo. Umlawuli wayedunyiswa ngendlela efanayo nothixo, evunyelwa neengoma.” Wayesenzelwa izibingelelo neetempile kuze kunyuswe nemibingelelo kuye. Aba balawuli babesibakho kule minyadala, eyayiquka ukhuphiswano lweembaleki, lwabazobi nelokufunda.
Kwakutheni ukuze iBhereya ibe liziko lonqulo lwabahedeni? Kungenxa yokuba apho kwakuhlala amaKoinon aseMakedoni. Eli yayiliqela labathunywa abavela kwizixeko zaseMakedoni. Aba bathunywa babehlanganisana rhoqo eBhereya ukuze baxubushe imibandela yesixeko nephondo baze ke badlulisele inkcazelo kulawulo lwaseRoma. Omnye wemisebenzi yabo ephambili yayikukuqinisekisa ukugcinwa konqulo lwabalawuli.
Yayinjalo ke imeko yesixeko abaya kuso uPawulos noSilas emva kokushiya kwabo elaseTesalonika. Ngelo xesha iBhereya yayisele iphantsi kolawulo lweRoma kangangeenkulungwane ezimbini.
Iindaba Ezilungileyo Zifikelela EBhereya
UPawulos waqalisa ukushumayela eBhereya kwindlu yesikhungu yeso sixeko. Wamkelwa njani kuyo? Ingxelo ephefumlelweyo ithi amaYuda alapho ‘ayechubekile kunalawo aseTesalonika, kuba alamkela ilizwi ngeyona ntumekelelo inkulu yengqondo, ezincina ngenyameko iZibhalo mihla le mayela nokuba zinjalo kusini na ezo zinto.’ (IZenzo 17:10, 11) Ekubeni ‘ayechubekile,’ akazange abambelele ngenkani kwizithethe zawo. Nakuba zazintsha kuwo ezi zinto ayeziva, akazange akhawuleze acaphuke. Kunokuba asikhabe isigidimi sikaPawulos, amphulaphula ngenyameko, azipha ithuba lokuva oko wayekuthetha ibe enjenjalo ngokukhululekileyo nangengqiqo.
Loo maYuda ayeza kuyiqonda njani inyaniso koko kwakushunyayelwa nguPawulos? Ahlolisisa oko ayekuvile esebenzisa eyona ndlela inokuthenjwa. Ahlolisisa ngenyameko nangocoselelo iZibhalo. Umphengululi weBhayibhile uMatthew Henry uthi: “Ekubeni uPawulos wayeqiqa nawo ngezibhalo, ecaphula iTestamente Endala ukuze angqine oko wayekuthetha, ayemele abuyele kwiiBhayibhile zawo, ahlole ezo ndawo ebethetha ngazo, afunde umongo ukuze afumane eyona ngongoma abe sele ezithelekisa nezinye izibhalo, esenzela ukuhlolisisa ukuba indlela aqiqa ngayo uPawulos yeyemvelo yaye inyanisekile kusini na.”
Oku kwakungenakwenziwa isihlandlo esinye ngokungakhathali. AmaBhereya azinikela ngamandla, aqhubeka efundisisa, ezipha ixesha mihla le, kungekhona ngeSabatha kuphela.
Khawucinge nje ngemiphumo yoko. AmaYuda amaninzi aseBhereya asamkela isigidimi aza aba ngamakholwa. Iqela lamaGrike, mhlawumbi kuquka athile awayeguqukele ebuYudeni, aba ngamakholwa. Noko ke, oku akuzange kwenzeke nje lula. Athi amaYuda aseTesalonika esakuva ngako, akhawuleza ukuya eBhereya “ukuze azivuselele aze aziphazamise iindimbane.”—IZenzo 17:4, 12, 13.
Kwanyanzeleka ukuba uPawulos ayishiye iBhereya, kodwa waqhubeka eshumayela kwenye indawo. Kwesi isihlandlo wakhwela inqanawa eyayisiya eAthene. (IZenzo 17:14, 15) Nakuba kunjalo, wavuyiswa kukwazi ukuba ngenxa yokushumayela kwakhe eBhereya, kwabakho amaKristu apho. Oko kusathwala isiqhamo nanamhlanje.
Ewe, kusekho abantu abazihlolisisa ngenyameko iZibhalo eBhereya (iVéroia) ‘ukuqinisekisa ngezinto zonke nababambelele nkqi’ koko kunesihlahla nokuyinyaniso. (1 Tesalonika 5:21) Amabandla amabini amaNgqina kaYehova kweso sixeko axakekile eshumayela kanye njengoPawulos, esabelana nabanye ngesigidimi seBhayibhile. Akhangela abo bantliziyo zinyanisekileyo aze aqiqe nabo ngeZibhalo, evumela amandla ashukumisayo eBhayibhile ukuba ancede abo bafuna ukumazi uYehova, uThixo oyinyaniso.—Hebhere 4:12.
[Imaphu ekwiphepha 13]
(Ukuba ufuna inkcazelo ehlahlelwe kakuhle, yiya kwimpapasho)
Inxalenye yohambo lukaPawulos lwesibini lobuvangeli basemazweni
MISIYA
Trowa
Neyapoli
Filipi
MAKEDONI
Amfipoli
Tesalonika
Bhereya
GRISI
Athene
Korinte
AKHAYA
ASIYA
Efese
RODO
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 13]
Ingqekembe yesilivere enoAleksandire Omkhulu uthixo wamaGrike
[Inkcazelo]
Coin: Pictorial Archive (Near Eastern History) Est.
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 14]
Isango lokungena kwindawo ehlala amaYuda eBhereya (iVéroia)
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 15]
Indlu yesikhungu endala eBhereya (iVéroia) namhlanje