Kuki Pawulo Yatotezaga Abakristo?

“UBWANJYE nibwiraga yuko nkwiriye gukora byinshi birwanya izina rya Yesu w’i Nazareti. No kubikora nabikoreraga iYerusalemu, ngashyira abera mu mazu y’imbohe, mpawe ubutware n’abatambyi bakuru; kandi uko babicaga nemeraga ko babica. No mu masinagogi yose nabahanaga kenshi, nkabahata gutuka Yesu; kandi kuko nasazwaga cyane no kubarakarira, ni cyo cyanteraga kubarenganiriza no mu midugudu y’abanyamahanga.”​—Ibyakozwe 26:9-11.

AYO magambo yavuzwe na Sawuli w’i Taruso, nanone witwaga intumwa Pawulo. Birumvikana ariko ko igihe yavugaga ayo magambo, yari yarahindutse umuntu mushya. Ubwo noneho ntiyari akirwanya Ubukristo, ahubwo yari umwe mu babuharaniraga babigiranye ishyaka ryinshi cyane. Ariko se, ni iki cyari cyaratumye mbere y’aho Sawuli atoteza Abakristo? Kuki yatekerezaga ko ‘akwiriye gukora’ ibintu nk’ibyo? Kandi se, haba hari isomo iryo ari ryo ryose twavana mu nkuru ye?

Ukuntu Sitefano Yaje Guterwa Amabuye

Sawuli atangira kuvugwa muri Bibiliya mu nkuru ivuga iby’abantu bateraga Sitefano amabuye. “[Bamaze gukurubana Sitefano] bamuvana mu murwa, bamwicisha amabuye. Abagabo bamushinje bashyira imyenda yabo ku birenge by’umusore witwaga Sawuli.” “Nuko Sawuli na we ashima ko yicwa.” (Ibyakozwe 7:58, 60). Ni iki cyatumye habaho icyo gikorwa cyo guhohotera Sitefano? Abayahudi, hakubiyemo bamwe bari baraturutse i Kilikiya, bagiye impaka na Sitefano, ariko ntibashobora kumutsinda. Niba Sawuli, na we w’Umunyakilikiya yari ari muri bo cyangwa atari ari kumwe na bo, nta cyo bivugwaho. Uko byari biri kose, baguririye abagabo bo guhamya ibinyoma barega Sitefano ko yatutse Imana, maze baramukurubana bamushyikiriza abanyarukiko (Ibyakozwe 6:9-​14). Iryo teraniro ry’abantu bari bahagarariwe n’umutambyi mukuru, ni ryo ryakoraga nk’urukiko rukuru rw’Abayahudi. Nanone kandi, kubera ko urwo rukiko rwafatwaga nk’aho ari rwo rukiko rw’ikirenga rwakiraga ibibazo byo mu rwego rw’idini, abari barugize barindaga icyo bitaga ukwera kw’inyigisho. Dukurikije uko babibonaga, Sitefano yari akwiriye gupfa. Mbese, ntiyanahangaye kubarega ko batubahirizaga Amategeko (Ibyakozwe 7:53)? Bari bagiye rero kumwereka uko yagombaga kubahirizwa!

Kuba Sawuli yaremeye icyo gitekerezo, byari ingaruka zumvikana z’ibyo yizeraga. Yari Umufarisayo. Ako gatsiko kari gakomeye kategekaga abantu ko bubahiriza amategeko n’imigenzo nta guca ku ruhande. Ubukristo bwafatwaga nk’aho bwari buhabanye cyane n’ayo mahame, bwigisha inzira nshya igana ku gakiza binyuriye kuri Yesu. Abayahudi bo mu kinyejana cya mbere bari biteze ko Mesiya yari kuzaza ari Umwami w’agahebuzo, wari kuzababohora ku ngoyi y’Ubutegetsi bw’Abaroma, Abayahudi bangaga cyane. Kuri bo, kuvuga ko umuntu wakatiwe n’Urukiko Rukuru rw’Abayahudi azira kuba yaratutse Imana, hanyuma akaza kumanikwa ku giti cy’umubabaro nk’umugizi wa nabi wavumwe, yari kuba ari we Mesiya, cyari ikintu kitumvikana rwose, batashoboraga kwemera kandi giteye ishozi.

Amategeko yavugaga ko umuntu wamanikwaga ku giti yabaga ari “ikivume ku Mana” (Gutegeka 21:22, 23; Abagalatiya 3:13). Uwitwa Frederick F. Bruce yavuze ko Sawuli we yabonaga ko “ayo magambo yerekeza neza neza kuri Yesu. Yari yarapfuye avumwe n’Imana, ku bw’ibyo akaba atarashoboraga kuba ari we Mesiya, uwo Imana yahaye imigisha mu rugero rutagereranywa dukurikije uko imigenzo ya Kiyahudi yamuvugaga. Ku bw’ibyo rero, kuvuga ko Yesu ari we wari Mesiya byari ugutuka Imana; abihandagaza bavuga ibyo bintu by’ubupfapfa, bari bakwiriye guhabwa igihano cy’abatuka Imana.” Nk’uko nyuma y’aho Sawuli ubwe yaje kubyivugira, byonyine kuvuga ngo ‘Kristo . . . [“wamanitswe,” NW ]: ku Bayuda byari ikigusha.’​—1 Abakorinto 1:23.

Sawuli yumvaga inyigisho nk’iyo agomba kuyirwanya amaramaje cyane uko bishoboka kose. Ndetse hagombaga gukoreshwa imbaraga za kinyamaswa kugira ngo icibwe. Yari azi neza ko ibyo ari byo Imana yashakaga. Mu gihe Sawuli yari arimo asobanura imyifatire yari afite, yagize ati “ku by’ishyaka narenganyaga Itorero, ku byo gukiranuka kuzanwa n’amategeko nari inyangamugayo.” “Nari nkabije kurenganya Itorero ry’Imana no kuririmbura. Kandi narushije benshi bo mu bwoko bwacu tungana gukurikiza idini y’Abayuda, kuko nabarushaga kugira ishyaka ry’imigenzo twahawe na ba sogokuruza.”​​—Abafilipi 3:6; Abagalatiya 1:13, 14.

Yari ku Isonga mu Bihereranye no Gutoteza

Nyuma y’urupfu rwa Sitefano, Sawuli ntiyongeye kuvugwaho kuba yari umwe mu batotezaga gusa, ahubwo ni we wari ku isonga y’iryo totezwa. Muri ubwo buryo, agomba kuba yaramenyekanye mu buryo runaka, kubera ko n’igihe yari yarahindutse Umukristo, ubwo yageragezaga kwifatanya n’abigishwa, ‘bose baramutinye, ntibemera ko ari umwigishwa.’ Ubwo byari bimaze kumenyekana neza ko yari Umukristo koko, guhinduka kwe byatumye abigishwa bishima cyane kandi bashimira, kubera ko batumvise gusa ko hari umuntu uwo ari wese wahoze abarwanya wahindutse mu mutima, ahubwo bumvise ko ‘uwabarenganyaga kera, noneho yigisha iby’idini yarimburaga kera.’​—Ibyakozwe 9:26; Abagalatiya 1:23, 24.

Kuva i Yerusalemu ukagera i Damasiko, hari urugendo rw’ibirometero bigera kuri 220​—ni ukuvuga urugendo rw’iminsi irindwi cyangwa umunani. Nyamara kandi, Sawuli yagiye ku mutambyi mukuru, amusaba inzandiko zo guha ab’amasinagogi y’i Damasiko, ari na ko akomeza “gukangisha abigishwa b’Umwami ko bicwa.” Kuki yagiye gusaba izo nzandiko? Kwari ukugira ngo nabona abantu bose bo muri ‘iyo Nzira’ ababohe abajyane i Yerusalemu. Amaze guhabwa ubutware bwo kubikora, yatangiye “guca igikuba mu itorero, no kuryonona cyane; akinjira mu mazu yose, agafata abagabo n’abagore, akabakurubana mu nzu y’imbohe.” Abandi bo ‘yabakubitiraga mu masinagogi,’ kandi ‘akemeza’ (bivuzwe uko byakabaye ijambo ku rindi, yatangaga “agasarabwayi ke kakoreshwaga batora”), akemeza ko bagomba kwicwa.​—Ibyakozwe 8:3; 9:1, 2, 14; 22:5, 19; 26:10, NW, ibisobanuro ahagana hasi ku ipaji.

Mu kuzirikana amashuri Sawuli yari yarize yigishijwe n’uwitwa Gamaliyeli, ndetse n’ubutware yari asigaye afite icyo gihe, hari intiti zimwe na zimwe zitekereza ko yari yarateye imbere, akareka kuba umwigishwa usanzwe w’Amategeko akagera ubwo aba umuntu wari ufite ubutware runaka mu idini rya Kiyahudi. Urugero, hari umwanditsi umwe wavuze ko Sawuli ashobora kuba yari yarabaye umwigisha mu isinagogi y’i Yerusalemu. Ariko kandi, icyo ‘kwemeza’ kwa Sawuli byashakaga kumvikanisha​—niba yari umwe mu banyarukiko cyangwa niba yarashakaga gusa kugaragaza ko ashyigikiye iyicwa ry’Abakristo​—nta gihamya tubifitiye.a

Kubera ko mu ikubitiro Abakristo bose bari Abayahudi cyangwa abanyamahanga bahindukiriye idini rya Kiyahudi, biragaragara ko Sawuli yiyumvishaga ko Ubukristo bwari agatsiko k’abahakanyi kari karavuye mu idini rya Kiyahudi, kandi akaba yarabonaga ko idini rya Kiyahudi ryari ryemewe ku mugaragaro ari ryo ryari rifite inshingano yo kugorora abayoboke baryo. Intiti yitwa Arland J. Hultgren, igira iti “ntibishoboka ko Pawulo watotezaga, yaba yararwanyaga Ubukristo abitewe n’uko yabonaga ko ari idini ritari irya Kiyahudi, idini ryari ribangikanye n’irya Kiyahudi. We n’abandi bashobora kuba barabonaga ko idini rya Gikristo ryari rikiri mu maboko y’ubutware bwa Kiyahudi.” Bityo rero, icyo yari agamije kwari ukugira ngo ahatire Abayahudi bayobye kwihana bakisubiraho, maze bakagarukira inyigisho zemewe, yifashishije uburyo bwose yashoboraga kubona (Ibyakozwe 26:11). Uburyo bumwe yari afite kwari ukubafunga. Ubundi buryo bwari ukubakubitira mu masinagogi, icyo kikaba cyari igihano cyari gisanzwe gitangwa, cyashoboraga guhabwa abantu babaga batumvira ubutware bwa ba rabi mu rukiko urwo ari rwo rwose rwo mu karere rwabaga rugizwe n’abacamanza batatu.

Birumvikana ko igihe Yesu yabonekeraga Sawuli mu nzira ijya i Damasiko, ibyo byose byahise birangirira aho. Sawuli yavuye mu mimerere yo kuba umwanzi warwanyaga Ubukristo mu buryo bwa kinyamaswa, mu kanya gato gusa atangira kuburwanirira abishishikariye, kandi nyuma y’igihe gito cyane, Abayahudi b’i Damasiko batangiye gushaka uko bamwica. (Ibyakozwe 9:1-​23). Mu buryo bunyuranye n’uko byari byitezwe, Sawuli yagombaga kugerwaho n’imibabaro myinshi cyane we ubwe yari yarababaje abandi abatoteza, ku buryo hashize imyaka myinshi nyuma y’aho, yashoboraga kuvuga ati “ibihe bitanu Abayuda bankubise inkoni mirongo itatu n’icyenda.”​—2 Abakorinto 11:24.

Umuntu Ashobora Kugira Ishyaka Atabitewe n’Intego Zikwiriye

Nyuma y’aho Sawuli yari ahindukiye Umukristo, ubwo yari azwi neza kurushaho yitwa Pawulo, yanditse agira ati “nabanje kuba umutukanyi n’urenganya n’umunyarugomo. Ariko narababariwe, kuko nabikoze mu bujiji ntarizera” (1 Timoteyo 1:13). Ku bw’ibyo rero, kuba umuntu ataryarya kandi akagira ishyaka mu idini rye, ntibiba ari icyemezo cy’uko yemewe n’Imana. Sawuli yagiraga ishyaka kandi agakurikiza umutimanama, ariko kandi, ibyo ntibyatumye yemerwa ko akora ibikwiriye. Yari afite ishyaka ryinshi, ariko yabaga aritewe n’intego zidakwiriye. (Gereranya n’Abaroma 10:2, 3.) Ibyo byagombye gutuma dutekereza.

Abantu benshi muri iki gihe, biringira badashidikanya ko icyo Imana ibasaba ari ukugira ingeso nziza gusa. Ariko se ni ko biri? Byaba byiza buri wese yumviye inama yatanzwe na Pawulo igira iti “mugerageze byose, mugundire ibyiza” (1 Abatesalonike 5:21). Ibyo bisobanura ko tugomba gufata igihe kugira ngo tugire ubumenyi nyakuri bw’Ijambo ry’Imana ry’ukuri, hanyuma tukabaho duhuje na ryo mu buryo bwuzuye. Mu gihe twaba tumenye binyuriye mu gusuzuma Bibiliya ko hari ihinduka tugomba kugira, icyo gihe tugomba guhinduka mu maguru mashya nta kabuza. Wenda hari bake muri twe bigeze kuba abatukanyi, abatoteza abandi, cyangwa abanyarugomo nk’uko Sawuli yari ameze. Ariko rero kimwe na we, dushobora kwemerwa n’Imana ari uko gusa dukoze ibikorwa bijyanye no kwizera hamwe n’ubumenyi nyakuri.​—⁠Yohana 17:3, 17.

[Ibisobanuro ahagana hasi ku ipaji]