UMelito WaseSardesi—Ngaba Wayekhusela Iinyaniso ZeBhayibhile?
NYAKA ngamnye amaKristu okwenyaniso enza isikhumbuzo seSidlo seNkosi Sangokuhlwa ngosuku olungqamene noNisan 14 wekhalenda yamaYuda. Athobela umyalelo kaYesu othi: “Hlalani nisenza oku nindikhumbula.” Kaloku kungolu suku, ngowama-33 C.E., emva kokuba uYesu wabhiyozela iPasika, awamisela iSikhumbuzo sokufa kwakhe okuyintlawulelo. Wafa ngaphambi kokuba olo suku luphele.—Luka 22:19, 20; 1 Korinte 11:23-28.
Ukutyhubela inkulungwane yesibini yeXesha Lethu Eliqhelekileyo, abanye bayitshintsha indlela esi sikhumbuzo esasimele senziwe ngayo. Usuku lokufa kukaYesu lwaqhubeka lubhiyozelwa eAsia Minor. Kodwa, njengokuba enye incwadi ibonisa, “kwakusisithethe eRoma naseAleksandriya ukubhiyozela ukuvuswa kukaYesu ngeCawa elandela ukufa kwakhe,” yaye balubiza olu suku ngokuthi yiPasika yoVuko. Iqela elalisaziwa ngokuba ziiQuartodecimans laqhubeka libhiyozela ukufa kukaYesu Kristu ngoNisan 14. UMelito waseSardesi wayenengcinga efanayo. Wayengubani uMelito? Wayikhusela njani le nyaniso yeBhayibhile kunye nezinye iinyaniso zayo?
‘Umkhanyiseli Wabantu Obalaseleyo’
Kwincwadi yakhe ethi Ecclesiastical History, uEusebius waseKesareya uthi ngasekupheleni kwenkulungwane yesibini iiPolycrates zase-Efese zathumela ileta eRoma zithethelela isikhumbuzo “sePasika esasisenziwa ngosuku lweshumi elinesine esichazwe kwincwadi yeVangeli. Azizange zitenxe, zalandela ngokuthe ngqo imithetho yokholo.” Ngokusuka kule leta, uMelito—uBhishopu waseSardesi, eLydia—ngomnye wabantu ababexhasa uNisan 14 njengosuku olumele lukhunjulwe. Le leta yabonisa ukuba abo babenxamnye naye babemjonga uMelito ‘njengesikhanyiso esibalaseleyo esiye sacima.’ IiPolycrates zithi uMelito akazange atshate kwaye “wayephila ngoMoya Oyingcwele yaye ulindele uvuko lwasezulwini xa evuka kwelabafileyo. Oku kubonisa ukuba uMelito wayekholelwa kwelokuba uvuko luya kubakho kuphela emva kokubuya kukaKristu.—ISityhilelo 20:1-6.
Kucace nakuthathatha ukuba uMelito wayeyindoda enokholo nezimiseleyo. Eneneni, wabhalela amaKristu incwadi ethi Apology, enye yezona ncwadi zokuqala ezathunyelwa kuMarcus Aurelius, uMlawuli waseRoma ukususela ngowe-161 ukusa kowe-180 C.E. UMelito wayengoyiki ukuthethelela ubuKristu nokubagxeka abantu abangendawo nababawayo. Aba bantu bazama ukusebenzisa imithetho eyahlukahlukeneyo yasebukhosini ukuze batshutshise baze baval’ umlomo amaKristu ngokungekho sikweni nokuze baphange izinto zawo.
Ebhalela ebhotwe, uMelito ngenkalipho wathi: “Singathanda ukwenza esi sicelo kuphela, ukuba niphande ngoonobangela bokruthakruthwano [lwamaKristu] ukuze nigwebe ngobulungisa enoba ezo zenzo zifanele isigwebo sokufa nokohlwaywa okanye inkuselo nokukhululeka. Kodwa ukuba lo mthetho nomthetho omtsha usenza sibe msulwa, ngoko nimele nisikhusele ekuphangweni ngamahlokondiba.”
Wasebenzisa IZibhalo Ukuthethelela UbuKristu
UMelito wabonisa umdla wokwenene ekufundeni iBhayibhile. Asizazi zonke iincwadi awazibhalayo, kodwa eminye imibandela awabhala ngayo ibonisa indlela awayenomdla ngayo eBhayibhileni. Nantsi eminye imixholo awabhala ngayo: On Christian Life and the Prophets, On the Faith of Man, On Creation, On Baptism and Truth and Faith and Christ’s Birth, On Hospitality and The Key nothi On the Devil and the Apocalypse of John.
UMelito wawatyelela ngokwakhe amazwe amaxesha okubhalwa kweBhayibhile ukuze azi elona nani leencwadi zeBhayibhile zesiHebhere. Wabhala wathi ngalo mbandela: “Emva kokuba ndiye eMpuma ndaza ndaya kwindawo ekushunyayelwa nekwenziwa kuyo ezi zinto ndaza ndafunda iincwadi zeTestamente Endala ngokucokisekileyo yaye ndabhala phantsi iingongoma endiye ndazifumana, ndiza kuzithumela kuwe.” Olu xwebhu lukaMelito aluyiquki incwadi kaNehemiya nekaEstere kodwa lolona luhlu ludala lweZibhalo Ezingcwele zesiHebhere eziye zabhalwa ngabo bazingomb’ izifuba ngokuthi bangamaKristu.
Ebudeni bolu phando, uMelito wenza uludwe lweendinyana zeZibhalo zesiHebhere ezaziqulethe iziprofeto ngoYesu. Le ngqokelela kaMelito eyayibizwa ngokuba ziiExtracts, ibonisa ukuba uYesu wayengulaa Mesiya kwakudala elindelwe yaye umthetho kaMoses nabaProfeti wawubhekisela kuKristu.
Ukubalaselisa Ixabiso Lentlawulelo
Kwakukho amaYuda amaninzi kwezona zixeko zikhulu zaseAsia Minor. AmaYuda aseSardesi, apho wayehlala khona uMelito, ayebhiyozela iPasika yamaHebhere ngoNisan 14. UMelito wabhala uxwebhu olunomxholo othi The Passover neyabonisa ukufaneleka kwePasika phantsi komthetho waza wathethelela amaKristu ekubhiyozeleni iSidlo seNkosi Sangokuhlwa ngoNisan 14.
Emva kokuhlomla ngesahluko 12 sencwadi ye-Eksodus nasemva kokubonisa ukuba iPasika yayifuzisela idini likaKristu, uMelito wabonisa isizathu sokuba kwakuyinto engekho ngqiqweni ngamaKristu ukwenza isikhumbuzo sePasika. Oku kwakungenxa yokuba uThixo wayesele ewutshitshisile uMthetho kaMoses. Wabonisa isizathu sokuba idini likaKristu liyimfuneko: UThixo wabeka uAdam kwiParadesi ukuze aphile ubomi obonwabisayo. Kodwa loo mntu wokuqala wawugatya umthetho owawusithi makangatyi kumthi wokwazi okulungileyo nokubi. Ngoko ke, kwavela imfuneko yentlawulelo.
UMelito wakwenza kwacaca ukuba uYesu wathunyelwa emhlabeni ukuze afe kumthi wentuthumbo nokuze kuhlawulelwe uluntu olunokholo esonweni nasekufeni. Okubangel’ umdla kukuba, uMelito wasebenzisa igama lesiGrike elithi xylon, elithetha “isibonda,” xa wayebhala ngesibonda uYesu awafela kuso.—IZenzo 5:30; 10:39; 13:29.
UMelito wayesaziwa nakwezinye iindawo ngaphandle kweAsia Minor. UTertullian, uClement waseAleksandriya kunye no-Origen babezazi izinto awazibhalayo. Noko ke, umbhali-mbali uRaniero Cantalamessa uthi: “Ukuphelelwa ludumo kukaMelito, okwathi kamva kwakhokelela ekubeni iincwadi zakhe zinyamalale, kwaqala emva kokunwenwa kwesithethe sePasika yangeCawa zaza iiQuartodeciman zagqalwa njengabaqhekeki.” Ekugqibeleni iincwadi ezabhalwa nguMelito zaphants’ ukulahleka zonke.
Ngaba Naye Wawexuka?
Emva kokufa kwabapostile, uwexuko ekwaprofetwa ngalo lwangena phakathi kwamaKristu okwenyaniso. (IZenzo 20:29, 30) Ngokucacileyo oku kwamchaphazela uMelito. Indlela yakhe entsonkothileyo yokubhala yayinuka intanda-bulumko yamaGrike kunye nendlela yamaRoma yokuphila. Mhlawumbi kungeso sizathu uMelito wabhala ngobuKristu ngokuthi “yintanda-bulumko yethu.” Kwakhona, wabiza ingxubevange yobukhosi baseRoma noko kufane kuthiwe bubuKristu ngokuthi “bubungqina . . . bempumelelo.”
UMelito akazange asiseso isiluleko sompostile uPawulos esithi: “Lumkani, ningathabatheki ziintanda-bulumko nayinkohliso elambathayo esekelwe kwizithethe zabantu, nakwizinto eziziziqalelo zehlabathi, kungekhona kuKristu.” Ngoko ke nakuba uMelito wayikhuselayo inyaniso yeBhayibhile ukusa kumkhamo othile, ngokweendlela ezininzi watenxa kuyo.—Kolose 2:8.
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 18]
UYesu wasungula iSidlo seNkosi Sangokuhlwa ngoNisan 14