UTatian—Ngaba Wayengumlweli Wokholo Okanye Umwexuki?

NGASEKUPHELENI kohambo lwakhe lwesithathu lobuvangeli, umpostile uPawulos wabizela amadoda amakhulu kwintlanganiso eyayikwibandla lase-Efese. Wawaxelela: “Ndiyazi ukuba emva kokumka kwam kuya kungena iingcuka ezicinezelayo phakathi kwenu yaye aziyi kuwuphatha ngemfesane umhlambi, kwaye phakathi kwenu kuya kusuka amadoda aze athethe izinto ezijijekileyo ukuze abatsale abafundi emva kwawo.”—IZenzo 20:29, 30.

Ngokuvisisana namazwi kaPawulos, inkulungwane yesibini yeXesha Eliqhelekileyo iye yangqineka ilixesha leenguqulelo nowexuko ekwakuthethwe ngalo. UbuGnostiki, umbutho wonqulo nowentanda-bulumko nowaludyobha ukholo lwamakholwa athile, wawusanda. Abantu abangamaGnostiki babekholelwa ukuba izinto zokomoya zilungile yaye yonke enye into ingcolile. Beqiqa ngelithi zonke izinto ezingokwenyama zimbi, babewugatya umtshato nokuzala, besithi ezi zinto zabangelwa nguSathana. Bambi kubo babekholelwa ukuba ekubeni izizinto zokomoya kuphela ezilungileyo, umntu angenza nantoni na ngomzimba wakhe wenyama. Iimbono ezinjalo zaphumela ekuphileni ngeendlela ezibaxiweyo, ukuzibandeza uyolo okanye ekuziphatheni okubi. Abantu abangamaGnostiki babesithi usindiso lufumaneka kuphela ngale mfundiso yabo eyimfihlelo, okanye ulwazi umntu analo, ingeyiyo inyaniso yeLizwi likaThixo.

Abo babezibiza ngokuba bangamaKristu bajamelana njani nesi sisongelo sobuGnostiki? Amadoda athile awayefundile athetha ngokuphandle ngokuchasene nale mfundiso iphosakeleyo, ngoxa amanye aphenjelelwa yiyo. Ngokomzekelo, uIrenaeus, walwa imfazwe enzima ngokuchasene neemfundiso zabawexuki. Wayengumfundi kaPolycarp, indoda eyayiphila ngexesha labapostile. UPolycarp wayegxininisa kwimfundiso kaYesu Kristu neyabapostile bakhe. Noko ke, nangona babefundiswa ngumntu omnye, umhlobo kaIrenaeus, uFlorinus ekugqibeleni wamkela iimfundiso zikaValentinus, eyona nkokeli eyayidumile yamaGnostiki. Enyanisweni lawo yayingamaxesha anzima.

Okusithela thsuphe ngendlela izinto ezazingayo ngelo xesha ziincwadi zikaTatian, umbhali owaziwayo kwinkulungwane yesibini. Wayengumntu onjani uTatian? Yintoni eyamenza aziwe njengomKristu? Yaye uTatian wajamelana njani nempembelelo yowexuko yamaGnostiki? Iimpendulo zakhe ezibangel’ umdla nomzekelo wakhe unokubanceda bafunde okuthile abo bafuna inyaniso namhlanje.

Ukudibana “Neencwadi Ezithile Zabahedeni”

UTatian wayeyinzalelwane yaseSiriya. Ukuthanda kwakhe ukukhenketha nokufunda kwamenza wanolwazi olubalaseleyo ngendlela yokuphila yamaGrike namaRoma omhla wakhe. UTatian weza eRoma njengombhali nesithethi esiliciko esasikhenketha. Noko ke, ngoxa wayeseRoma, waqalisa ukunikela ingqalelo kubuKristu. Waqalisa ukunxulumana noJustin Martyr, mhlawumbi esiba ngumfundi wakhe.

Kwingxelo ebangel’ umdla yokuguqukela kwakhe koko kufane kubizwe ngokuba bubuKristu, uTatian uthi: “Ndazibhokoxa ndikhangela indlela endinokuyifumana ngayo inyaniso.” Ecacisa oko kwenzeka kuye ngoxa wayeqala ukufunda iZibhalo, uthi: “Ndaqala ndadibana neencwadi ezithile zabahedeni, ezazindala gqitha ukuba zingathelekiswa neengcamango zamaGrike, nezaziphucuke gqitha ukuba kungathiwa ziimpazamo zawo; yaye ndeyiselwa ukuba ndizikholelwe ngenxa yendlela elula ezazibhalwe ngayo, ukunyaniseka kwababhali bazo, indlela ezazichazwa ngayo iziganeko ezingekenzeki, ukubalasela kweengcamango, nokuvakaliswa korhulumente wendalo iphela njengosekelwe kuSomandla.”

Kwangoko uTatian wakhuthaza abo wayephila nabo ngelo xesha ukuze bahlole ubuKristu bemihla yakhe baze babone indlela obulula nobucace ngayo xa buthelekiswa nobumnyama bobuhedeni. Sinokufunda ntoni kwiincwadi zakhe?

Zityhila Ntoni Iincwadi Zakhe?

Iincwadi zikaTatian zimchaza njengomlweli wokholo, umbhali ozithethelela ngokuphandle iinkolelo zakhe. Wayengazifuni kwaphela iintanda-bulumko zabahedeni. Kwincwadi yakhe ethi Address to the Greeks, uTatian wagxininisa ubuze bobuhedeni nokuba sengqiqweni koko kufane kubizwe ngokuba bubuKristu. Indlela yakhe yokubhala ingqongqo gqitha njengoko egxeka iindlela zokuphila zamaGrike. Ngokomzekelo, xa ethetha ngesithandi sobulumko uHeracleitus, uthi: “Noko ke, ukufa kwale ndoda kubonisa ubudenge bayo; kuba xa yahlaselwa yigalimoya, nangona yayifundele ubugqirha nentanda-bulumko, yaziqaba ngobulongwe, obathi njengokuba busoma, bazirhwaqelisa zonke izihlunu zomzimba wayo, yaza yafa.”

UTatian wayekholelwa ngokunzulu kuThixo omnye, uMdali wezinto zonke. (Hebhere 3:4) Kwincwadi ethi Address to the Greeks, uthetha ngoThixo “njengoMoya” aze athi: “Nguye kuphela ongazange abe nasiqalo, yaye Yena usisiqalo sezinto zonke.” (Yohane 4:24; 1 Timoti 1:17) Egxeka ukusetyenziswa kwemifanekiso kunqulo, uTatian ubhala esithi: “Ndingaqala ngaphi ukuthi izikhondo zomthi namatye nguthixo?” (1 Korinte 10:14) Wayekholelwa ukuba uLizwi, okanye uLogos, wadalwa njengesiqalo semisebenzi kaBawo wasezulwini yaye emva koko wasetyenziswa ekudaleni izinto ezibonakalayo zendalo iphela. (Yohane 1:1-3; Kolose 1:13-17) Ngokuphathelele uvuko ngexesha elimiselweyo, uTatian uthi: “Sikholelwa ukuba kuya kubakho uvuko emva kokupheliswa kwazo zonke izinto.” Ngokuphathelele isizathu sokuba sisifa, uTatian ubhala esithi: “Sasingadalelwanga ukuba sife, kodwa sifa ngenxa yeziphoso zethu. Inkululeko yethu yokuzikhethela yasitshabalalisa; abantu ababekhululekile ngoku bangamakhoboka; sithengiswe ngenxa yesono.”

Indlela uTatian awuchaza ngayo umphefumlo iyadida. Uthi: “Owu, maGrike, umphefumlo awuyonto engafiyo, kodwa uyafa. Kodwa usenokungafi. Ukuba ngokwenene awuyazi inyaniso, uyafa, uvuthuluka uze uphele nomzimba, kodwa uphinda uvuke ekupheleni kwehlabathi unomzimba, uze ubulawe ngokugwetywa ngonaphakade.” Into ngokwenene uTatian awayeyithetha ngala mazwi ayicacanga. Ngaba kusenokwenzeka ukuba ngoxa wayezama ukubambelela kwiimfundiso ezithile zeBhayibhile, kwangaxeshanye wazama ukuzithandisa kubahlobo bakhe waza ngaloo ndlela waxuba iinyaniso zeZibhalo neentanda-bulumko zobuhedeni?

Enye incwadi kaTatian eyaziwayo yethi Diatessaron, okanye Harmony of the Four Gospels. UTatian waba ngowokuqala owenza amabandla aseSiriya afumana iincwadi zeVangeli ngolwimi lwawo. Le yayiyincwadi eyayixatyiswe gqitha, eyayihlanganisa iincwadi ezine zeVangeli zibe libali elinye. Le ncwadi yasetyenziswa yiCawa yaseSiriya.

Ngaba WayengumKristu Okanye Umwexuki?

Uhlolisiso olucokisekileyo lweencwadi zikaTatian lubonisa ukuba wayeqhelene neZibhalo yaye wayezihlonela gqitha. Ngokuphathelele impembelelo ezaba nayo kuye ubhala esithi: “Andifuni kuba sisityebi; andifuni kuba segunyeni; ndiyalucekisa uhenyuzo; andikufuni ukuba ngumatiloshe ukuze ndifumane ubutyebi; . . . Andithanga phithi kukufuna udumo; . . . Bonke abantu bakhanyiselwa lilanga elinye, yaye bonke bayafa, enoba bonwabile okanye bangamahlwempu.” UTatian ulumkisa esithi: “Musa ukulithanda ihlabathi, uyigatye impambano yalo. Philela uThixo, yaye ngenxa yokumhlonela ulahle ubuntu bakho obudala.”—Mateyu 5:45; 1 Korinte 6:18; 1 Timoti 6:10.

Noko ke, phawula incwadi kaTatian enomxholo othi On Perfection According to the Doctrine of the Savior. Kule ncwadi uthi umtshato wasekwa nguMtyholi. Esithi ngomtshato abantu bakhobokisa inyama yabo ngento etshabalalayo yeli hlabathi, uTatian uwugxeka kabukhali umtshato.

Kubonakala ukuba malunga nowe-166 C.E., emva kokufa kukaJustin Martyr, uTatian waseka okanye wanxulumana nehlelo elaliphila ngemigaqo ngokungqongqo nelalibizwa ngokuba ngamaEncratites. Amarhamente alo ayekubethelela ngokungqongqo ukuzeyisa nokulawula umzimba kabani. Ayezibandez’ uyolo nto leyo eyaphumela ekubeni angayiseli iwayini, angatshati aze angabi nazinto zawo.

Into Esinokuyifunda

Kwakutheni ukuze uTatian aphambuke kangaka kwiZibhalo? Ngaba waba “ngovayo aze alibale”? (Yakobi 1:23-25) Ngaba uTatian akazange awagatye amabali obuxoki waza ngaloo ndlela wawela kumgibe weentanda-bulumko zabantu? (Kolose 2:8; 1 Timoti 4:7) Ekubeni wayexhasa iingcamango ezineempazamo ezinkulu ngolu hlobo, ngaba kusenokucingwa ukuba ngandlel’ ithile wakhe washiywa ziingqondo?

Enoba kwakwenzeke ntoni, iincwadi zikaTatian nomzekelo wakhe zisithela thsuphe ngeendlela izinto ezazingayo ngomhla wakhe kwimicimbi yonqulo. Zibonisa indlela enokonakalisa ngayo impembelelo yentanda-bulumko yehlabathi. Ngamana singathobela isilumkiso sompostile uPawulos sokukhwebuka “kwiintetho ezililize ezihlambela oko kungcwele nakwiimpikiswano zoko kubizwa ngokuba ‘lulwazi’ kuxokwa.”—1 Timoti 6:20.