Ingabe UMelito WaseSardesi Wayengumlweli Wamaqiniso EBhayibheli?

UNYAKA ngamunye, amaKristu eqiniso agubha iSidlo SeNkosi Sakusihlwa ngosuku oluqondana noNisani 14 ekhalendeni lamaHebheru. Asuke elalela umyalo kaJesu othi: “Qhubekani nikwenza lokhu ningikhumbula.” Empeleni uJesu wasimisa ngalolo suku, ngo-33 C.E., iSikhumbuzo sokufa kwakhe okuwumhlatshelo, ngemva kokuba egubhe iPhasika. Wabulawa ngalo lolo suku.—Luka 22:19, 20; 1 Korinte 11:23-28.

Phakathi nekhulu lesibili C.E., abanye baqala ukushintsha isikhathi salo mkhosi nendlela owawugujwa ngayo. E-Asia Minor kwaqhutshekwa kugcinwa usuku lokufa kukaJesu. Nokho, njengoba enye incwadi isho, “inkambiso yaseRoma nase-Aleksandriya kwakuwukugubha ukuvuka [kukaJesu] ngeSonto elilandela [ukufa kwakhe],” kubizwe ngokuthi iPhasika Lovuko. Iqembu elalaziwa ngokuthi amaQuartodeciman (oMhla ka-14) lakulwela ukukhunjulwa kokufa kukaJesu Kristu ngoNisani 14. UMelito waseSardesi wayevumelana nale mfundiso. Wayengubani lo Melito? Walilwela ngayiphi indlela leli qiniso leBhayibheli, kuhlanganise namanye amaqiniso?

‘Inkanyiso Enkulu’

Encwadini yakhe ethi Ecclesiastical History, u-Eusebius waseKhesariya uthi ngasekupheleni kwekhulu lesibili leminyaka, uPolycrates wase-Efesu wathumela incwadi eRoma elwela ukugujwa “kwePhasika ngokomthetho wokholo, ngosuku lweshumi nane ngokusho kweVangeli, futhi kungachezukwa kulo.” Ngokwale ncwadi, uMelito—uMbhishobhi WaseSardesi, eLydia—wayengomunye walabo ababethi kufanele kugujwe usuku lwangoNisani 14. Le ncwadi yathi abantu ababephila ngesikhathi sikaMelito babembheka njengophakathi ‘kwezinkanyiso ezinkulu esezalala.’ UPolycrates wathi uMelito akazange ashade, “waphilela uMoya Ongcwele ngokugcwele futhi ulele eSardesi ulindele ukubizwa avuke kwabafileyo.” Lokhu kungase kusho ukuthi uMelito wayephakathi kwalabo ababekholelwa ukuthi uvuko lwaluyokwenzeka lapho uKristu ebuya.—IsAmbulo 20:1-6.

Ngakho, kubonakala sengathi uMelito wayeyindoda  enesibindi nenokuzimisela. Eqinisweni, wabhala incwadi ethi Apology, elwela amaKristu. Lena incwadi yokuqala ngqa elwela amaKristu eyabhalwa, uMelito ayibhalela uMarcus Aurelius, uMbusi WaseRoma kusukela ngo-161 kuya ku-180 C.E. UMelito wayengesabi ukulwela ubuKristu nokusola abantu abonakele nabahahayo. Abantu abanjalo babefuna umbuso ukhiphe imithetho ehlukahlukene ukuze nje kushushiswe futhi kujeziswe amaKristu ngokungemthetho, bese bona bentshontsha izinto zawo.

Nanka amazwi abonisa isibindi uMelito awabhalela uMbusi WaseRoma: “Nasi isicelo esisiletha kuwe. Sicela kube nguwe ohlola laba baphehli bodweshu [amaKristu], futhi wahlulele ngokulunga ukuthi kubafanele yini ukubulawa nokujeziswa noma bafanelwe ukulondeka nokuvikeleka. Kodwa, uma lesi siqondiso nomthetho omusha ongafaneli ngisho nezitha ezingamaqaba ungaveli kuwe, sikuncenga nakakhulu manje ukuba ungashayi sengathi awuboni njengoba siphangwa ngokungemthetho.”

Wasebenzisa ImiBhalo Ukuze Alwele UbuKristu

UMelito wayekuthakasela kakhulu ukutadisha imiBhalo Engcwele. Asinalo uhlu lwazo zonke izincwadi azibhala, kodwa ezinye izihloko zezincwadi zakhe zibonisa ukuthi wayenesithakazelo ezindabeni zeBhayibheli. Nazi ezinye zazo: On Christian Life and the Prophets [Ukuphila KobuKristu NabaProfethi], On the Faith of Man [Ukholo Lomuntu], On Creation [Indalo], On Baptism and Truth and Faith and Christ’s Birth [Ubhapathizo Neqiniso, Nokholo Nokuzalwa KukaKristu], On Hospitality [Ukwamukela Izihambi], The Key [Isihluthulelo], nesithi On the Devil and the Apocalypse of John [UDeveli Nesambulo SikaJohane].

UMelito waya ngokoqobo ezindaweni eziseBhayibhelini eyocwaninga ukuthi zingaki ngempela izincwadi zemiBhalo YesiHebheru. Mayelana nalokhu, wabhala: “Ngesikhathi ngiye eMpumalanga futhi ngisendaweni lapho lezi zinto zashunyayelwa futhi zenziwa khona, nangemva kokuba ngizifundisise kahle izincwadi  zeThestamente Elidala futhi ngaloba ngengangikutholile, ngazithumela kuwe.” Lolu hlu alunayo incwadi kaNehemiya neka-Esteri, kodwa luwumbhalo omdala kakhulu wezincwadi eziyiqiniso zemiBhalo YesiHebheru emibhalweni eyabhalwa amaKristu.

Phakathi nocwaningo kwakhe, uMelito wabhala uchungechunge lwamavesi ayewathathe emiBhalweni YesiHebheru aneziprofetho ezikhuluma ngoJesu. Incwadi kaMelito ethi Extracts, ibonisa ukuthi uJesu wayenguMesiya okwase kuyisikhathi eside elindelwe nokuthi uMthetho KaMose nabaProfethi kwakhomba kuKristu.

Walwela Ukubaluleka Kwesihlengo

Ithonya elikhulu lamaJuda lalizwakala emadolobheni abalulekile ase-Asia Minor. AmaJuda aseSardesi, lapho uMelito ayehlala khona, ayegubha iPhasika LamaHebheru ngoNisani 14. UMelito wabhala intshumayelo enesihloko esithi The Passover eyabonisa ukuthi iPhasika lalifaneleka ngempela eMthethweni futhi yalwela ukugujwa kweSidlo SeNkosi Sakusihlwa okwakwenziwa amaKristu ngoNisani 14.

Ngemva kokuthi fahla fahla ngo-Eksodusi isahluko 12 nokubonisa ukuthi iPhasika lalimelela umhlatshelo kaKristu, uMelito wachaza ukuthi kungani kungenangqondo ngamaKristu ukugubha iPhasika. Lokhu kungenxa yokuthi uNkulunkulu wayewuqedile uMthetho KaMose. Wabe esebonisa isizathu esenza umhlatshelo kaKristu udingeke: UNkulunkulu wabeka u-Adamu ePharadesi ukuze aphile ukuphila okujabulisayo. Kodwa umuntu wokuqala akawulalelanga umthetho wokungadli emthini wolwazi lokuhle nokubi. Saba khona kanjalo isidingo sesihlengo.

UMelito waqhubeka wachaza ukuthi uJesu wathunyelwa emhlabeni futhi wafela esigxotsheni ukuze ahlenge isintu esikholwayo esonweni nasekufeni. Kuyathakazelisa ukuthi uMelito wasebenzisa igama lesiGreki elithi xylon, elisho ukuthi “ukhuni,” lapho ebhala ngesigxobo uJesu afela kuso.—IzEnzo 5:30; 10:39; 13:29.

UMelito wayaziwa kabanzi, hhayi e-Asia Minor kuphela. UTertullian, uClement wase-Aleksandriya no-Origen babezazi izincwadi zakhe. Noma kunjalo, isazi-mlando, uRaniero Cantalamessa sithi: “Ukuwa kukaMelito, okuyinto eyazishabalalisa kancane kancane izincwadi azibhala, kwaqala ngemva kokudlondlobala kwesiko lePhasika LangeSonto, lapho amaQuartodeciman eqala ukubhekwa njengamambuka.” Ekugcineni, izincwadi zikaMelito zacishe zanyamalala zonke.

Ingabe Wathonywa Ukuhlubuka?

Ngemva kokufa kwabaphostoli, ukuhlubuka okwakubikezelwe kwangena ebuKristwini beqiniso. (IzEnzo 20:29, 30) Kusobala ukuthi lokhu kwamthonya uMelito. Indlela yakhe yokubhala eyinkimbinkimbi ibonisa ukuthi wayethonywe imibhalo yefilosofi yamaGreki nezwe laseRoma. Mhlawumbe yingakho abiza ubuKristu ngokuthi “ifilosofi yethu.” Futhi wayebheka ukuhlanganiswa kwalokho okuthiwa ubuKristu noMbuso WaseRoma ngokuthi “ubufakazi obukhulu kakhulu . . . bempumelelo.”

Kusobala ukuthi uMelito akazange asilalele iseluleko somphostoli uPawulu: “Xwayani: mhlawumbe kungase kube khona oyomuka nani njengezisulu zakhe ngefilosofi nangenkohliso eyize ngokwesiko labantu, ngokwezinto zokucathula zezwe hhayi ngokukaKristu.” Ngakho, nakuba uMelito awalwela amaqiniso eBhayibheli ngezinga elithile, ngezindlela eziningi wawashiya.—Kolose 2:8.

[Isithombe ekhasini 18]

UJesu wamisa iSidlo SeNkosi Sakusihlwa ngoNisani 14