Ukwakhela Ezisekelweni Zobuqaba
PHAKATHI kwezakhiwo eziyisikhumbuzo eziningi ezikhangayo ababuki bamazwe abazivakashelayo eRome, e-Italy, iPantheon. Lesi sakhiwo saseRoma esakhiwa ngobuciko singesinye sezakhiwo ezimbalwa zalapho cishe ezisenjengoba zazinjalo endulo. Saqalwa u-Agrippa cishe ngo-27 B.C.E., sabe sesakhiwa kabusha uHadrian cishe ngo-120 C.E. Isici esiphawulekayo salesi sakhiwo isiqongo saso esikhulu esiyindilinga esingamamitha angu-43 ububanzi, esaze sadlulwa ngobubanzi ezikhathini zanamuhla. IPantheon ekuqaleni yayiyithempeli lamaqaba, ‘indawo yabo bonke onkulunkulu,’ ngokwencazelo yegama lokuqala lesiGreki. Namuhla, isabhekwa njengesonto lamaRoma Katolika. Lwenzeka kanjani lolu shintsho olumangalisayo?
Ngo-609 C.E., uPapa uBoniface IV walinikezela kabusha leli thempeli okwase kuyisikhathi eside lingasetshenziswa, laba isonto “lamaKristu.” Ngaleso sikhathi, lethiwa ngokuthi iSonto Eliyisiyingi LikaSanta Mariya. Ngokwesihloko esanyatheliswa ngo-1900 kumagazini waseNtaliyane wamaJesuit i-Civiltà Cattolica, uBoniface wayefuna ukuba lisetshenziselwe ngokukhethekile “ukudumisa ndawonye bonke abafel’ ukholo bobuKristu, noma uma kubekwa kahle, bonke osanta, kodwa owokuqala nosemqoka iNcasakazi enguNina kaNkulunkulu.” Amagama iSonto LamaRoma Katolika elaqamba ngawo iPantheon namuhla—elithi Santa Maria ad Martyres noma, elithi Isiyingi SikaSanta Mariya—abonisa leso sisusa okungesona esingokomBhalo.—Qhathanisa nezEnzo 14:8-15.
“Kuncane kakhulu okwadingeka kwenziwe ukuze kuvunyelaniswe [iPantheon] nenjongo yayo entsha,” kuqhubeka sona leso sihloko. “UBoniface walandela imithetho elula nebonisa umusa kakade eyayisimiswe [uSanta] Gregory Omkhulu [uPapa uGregory I], owayemandulele, i-maestro nesibonelo ekushintshweni kwamathempeli amaqaba ukuze asetshenziselwe ukukhulekela kobuKristu.” Imiphi leyo mithetho?
Encwadini eyayiya esithunyweni sevangeli esasizoya eBrithani yamaqaba ngo-601 C.E., uGregory wanikeza lesi siqondiso: “Amathempeli ezithombe akulelo lizwe akufanele abhidlizwe; kodwa [makubhidlizwe] izithombe kuphela ezingase zibe kuwo . . . Uma lawo mathempeli akhiwe kahle, kudingeka ashintshwe ekubeni awokukhulekela odeveli abe awenkonzo kaNkulunkulu weqiniso.” Umqondo kaGregory wawuwukuthi uma abantu abangamaqaba bebona amathempeli abo angaphambili engonakalisiwe, babengase bathambekele kakhudlwana ekuqhubekeni beza kuwo. Upapa wabhala ukuthi nakuba amaqaba ayevame “ukuhlaba izinkomo eziningi enza umhlatshelo kodeveli,” kwase kwethenjwa ukuthi “ayengeke esenzela udeveli imihlatshelo yezilwane kodwa ayezozihlabela ukuzidla azijabulise, adumise uNkulunkulu.”
UbuRoma Katolika baphinde “baqeda” ukukhulekela kobuqaba ngokumisa eduze namathempeli abo akuqala, amasonto anikezelwe kubasekeli ‘bamaKristu.’ Imikhosi yasendulo yamukelwa yabe isishintshwa iba ‘eyobuKristu.’ Uma sikubeka ngamazwi e-Civiltà Cattolica: “Zonke izazi namuhla ziyazi ukuthi amasiko athile nemikhosi engokwenkolo yamaKristu okuqala kwakuhlobene nemikhuba nezindlela ezithile zobuqaba. Kwakuyimikhuba eyigugu kakhulu kubantu, namasiko ayegxile kakhulu futhi eyingxenye ebalulekile yokuphila komphakathi nokwangasese kwabantu bezwe lasendulo. Isonto elingumama, elinomusa nelihlakaniphile, alizange likholelwe ukuthi kwakudingeka liwakhiphe ngokuphelele; kunalokho, ngokuwashintsha abe nomqondo wobuKristu, nokuwenza ahlonishwe ngesizathu esisha futhi abe masha, lawanqoba ngezindlela ezinamandla kodwa ezimnene, ukuze lizuzele kulo imiphefumulo yeningi kanye neyezifundiswa ngaphandle kwezinxushunxushu.”
Yiqiniso, isibonelo esaziwayo somkhosi wobuqaba owamukelwa uKhisimusi. Empeleni, u-December 25 wayewusuku amaRoma asendulo ayegubha ngalo i-dies natalis Solis Invicti, okuwukuthi, “ukuzalwa kwelanga elingenakunqotshwa.”
Ngakho-ke, isonto alizange linamathele eqinisweni ngenxa yesifiso salo sokuzuza amaqaba. Lasekela ukuxutshwa kwezinkolelo, ukwamukelwa kwezinkolelo nemikhuba yobuhedeni “eyigugu eningini.” Umphumela waba isonto elixubile, elihlubukile, elihluke kakhulu ezimfundisweni zobuKristu beqiniso. Ngenxa yalokhu okungenhla, mhlawumbe akumangalisi kangako ukuthi ithempeli laseRoma ‘elalingelabo bonke onkulunkulu’—iPantheon—liye laba isonto lamaRoma Katolika elinikezelwe kuMariya nakubo bonke “osanta.”
Nokho, kufanele kube sobala ukuthi ukushintsha ukunikezelwa kwethempeli noma igama lomkhosi akwanele ukuba kushintshe ‘ukukhulekelwa kodeveli kube inkonzo kaNkulunkulu weqiniso.’ “Linakuvumelana kuni ithempeli likaNkulunkulu nezithombe?” kubuza umphostoli uPawulu. “‘Phumani phakathi kwabo, nizihlukanise,’ kusho uJehova, ‘futhi niyeke ukuthinta into engahlanzekile’; ‘ngizonamukela.’ ‘Futhi mina ngiyoba uyihlo, nina niyoba amadodana namadodakazi kimi,’ kusho uJehova uMninimandla onke.”—2 Korinte 6:16-18.