“Umthetho Uye Waba NguMkhapheli Wethu”
BANGAPHI abantwana abakuthandayo ukuqeqeshwa? Bambalwa. Ebantwaneni imithetho iba yindinisa. Abo banembopheleleko yokukhulisa abantwana bayazi ukuba bafanele babekwe esweni. Kodwa xa sele bethe dlundlu, abantwana baya kubona ukubaluleka koqeqesho. Umpostile uPawulos wasebenzisa umzekeliso wendoda ekhusela abantwana bayo ethelekisa oko nolwalamano lukaYehova uThixo nabantu bakhe.
Ngenkulungwane yokuqala amanye amaKristu aseRoma kwiphondo laseGalati, ayesithi uThixo uthanda kuphela abo bathobela uMthetho kaMoses awawunika amaSirayeli. Umpostile uPawulos wayesazi ukuba olu yayilulwimi etywaleni, kaloku uThixo wanika umoya oyingcwele abantu ababengazange babe ngaphantsi komthetho wamaYuda. (IZenzo 15:12) Ngaloo ndlela uPawulos wayilungisa imbono yabo ngomzekeliso. Ebhalela amaKristu aseGalati, wathi: “UMthetho uye waba ngumkhapheli wethu osikhokelela kuKristu.” (Galati 3:24) Omnye umphengululi uthi, “ngamaxesha amandulo [umkhapheli] wayedlala indima ebalulekileyo.” Ukwazi le ndima kusinceda siqonde ingongoma ebethelelwa ngumpostile uPawulos.
Umkhapheli Neembopheleleko Zakhe
Imizi yamaGrike, amaRoma namaYuda eyayimi kakuhle yayinabakhapheli ababeba liliso ebantwaneni ukususela ebusaneni ukusa ekufikiseni. Umkhapheli wayelikhoboka elithenjiweyo yaye ngokuqhelekileyo esele liqinile, lalisiba ngumlindi ukuze liqinisekise ukuba abantwana bakhuselekile nokuba iminqweno kayise iyahlonelwa. Imini yonke umkhapheli wayehamba nomntwana, emgcina ecocekile, amse esikolweni, emphathela iincwadi zakhe nezinye izinto yaye ehlola nezifundo zakhe.
Ngokuqhelekileyo umkhapheli wayengabi ngutitshala. Kunokuba afundise umntwana izifundo zesikolo, wayefundisa umntwana imiyalelo kayise ngendlela awayeya kwenza ngayo uyise. Phofu, wayemfundisa ngokumbek’ esweni nangokumqeqesha. Oku kwakuquka ukubethelela imilinganiselo yokuziphatha ukukhalimela nokohlwaya xa kufanelekile. Abazali ngabona babenembopheleleko yokufundisa umntwana. Kodwa njengokuba umfana wayekhula, umkhapheli wakhe wayemfundisa indlela yokuhamba, yokunxiba, yokutya, yokuhlala nokuba wayefanele aphakame xa ebona abantu abadala, athande abazali bakhe nezinye izinto.
Intanda-bulumko yamaGrike uPlato (ukususela ngowama-428-348 B.C.E.) wayekholelwa ukuba abantwana abamele bazifice kuyo yonke into. Wabhala wathi: “Njengokuba zingekho izimvu ezingenamalusi, nekhoboka elingenankosi nabantwana abanakukhula kakuhle ngaphandle komkhapheli.” Kusenokubonakala ngathi le mbono yayigabadele kodwa le yindlela awayezibona ngayo izinto uPlato.
Abakhapheli baduma ngokuba ngabacinezeli nabohlwayi abangqwabalala, benobucukubhede obungaphele ndawo, beyindisa yaye betyhola abantwana ngayo yonk’ into ephosakeleyo. Nakuba kunjalo, umkhapheli wayekhusela abantwana ngokuziphatha nangokoqobo. Umbhali-mbali wamaGrike uAppian wenkulungwane ngeXesha Eliqhelekileyo ubalisa ibali lomnye umkhapheli owathi esendleleni eya esikolweni kwafuneka akhusele umntwana awayemnyamekela ukuze angabulawa. Xa wabambelela kuloo mntwana lo mkhapheli naloo mntwana babulawa.
Ukuziphatha okubi kwakwesamele kwixesha lamaGrike. Abantwana, ngokukodwa amakhwenkwe kwakufuneka akhuselwe kwizidlengu. Ngenxa yokuba ootitshala abaninzi babengathenjwa abakhapheli abaninzi babehlala nabantwana xa befundiswa. Omnye umbalisi wamabali wamaGrike uLibanius owayephila ngenkulungwane yesine ngeXesha Eliqhelekileyo, wade wathi abakhapheli kwakufuneka “bakhusele ulutsha olufikisayo,” ukuze “bakhusele amakhwenkwe ukuba angathandani neentombi ezingekho kumgangatho wawo okanye baqhelane nazo.” Abakhapheli abaninzi babehlonelwa ngabantwana ababebakhusela. Amatye ezikhumbuzo awayesenziwa ngaba bantwana ayebonisa indlela abebenombulelo ngayo kubakhapheli babo abangasekhoyo.
Umthetho Njengomkhapheli
Kwakutheni ukuze umpostile uPawulos afanise uMthetho kaMoses nomkhapheli? Yintoni eyenza lo mzekeliso ufaneleke nangakumbi?
Inkalo yokuqala yindlela uMthetho owawukhusela ngayo. UPawulos wathi amaYuda ‘ayelindwa ngaphantsi komthetho.’ Kwakungathi ayekhuselwa ngumkhapheli. (Galati 3:23) UMthetho wawuchaphazela zonke iinkalo zobomi bawo. Wawulawula inkanuko neminqweno yawo yokwenyama. Wawusoloko ulinde ihambo yawo uwakhalimela ngenxa yezigqitho zawo ukhumbuza mSirayeli ngamnye ngokungafezeki kwakhe.
UMthetho wawuwakhusela kwimpembelelo eyonakalisayo, kwindlela yokuziphatha nakunqulo lweentlanga ezazingqonge amaSirayeli. Ngokomzekelo, ukwalela kukaThixo ukutshata nabahedeni kwakubalulekile ukuze kukhuselwe impilontle yokomoya yohlanga luphela. (Duteronomi 7:3, 4) Imimiselo enjalo yayikhusela ubunyulu bokomoya babantu bakaThixo belungiselelwa ukuba bakwazi ukufanisa uMesiya. Ngokwenene, eli yayililungiselelo lothando. UMoses wakhumbuza amaSirayeli oku: “UYehova uThixo wakho wayekulungisa, kanye njengoko umntu emlungisa unyana wakhe.”—Duteronomi 8:5.
Lo mzekeliso kaPawulos ubonisa ukuba igunya lomkhapheli lalilelokwexeshana. Xa umntwana wayephuma ebuntwaneni wayengekho phantsi kwegunya lomkhapheli. Umbhali-mbali wamaGrike uXenophon (owayephila ngowama-431-352 B.C.E.) wabhala wathi: “Xa inkwenkwe iphuma ebuntwaneni isiba ngumfana, abanye abazali bayamkhulula kwigunya [lomkhapheli] okanye [lotitshala]; akasekho ngaphantsi kwegunya labo kodwa unelungelo lokuhamba ngayibonayo.”
Kwakusenzeka okufanayo nakuMthetho kaMoses. Umsebenzi wawo wawungowexeshana “ukuze ukunxaxha kubonakaliswe, de ifike imbewu [uYesu Kristu.]” Umpostile uPawulos wachazela amaYuda ukuba uMthetho “wawungumkhapheli wethu osikhokelela kuKristu.” Ukuze amaYuda awayephila ngexesha likaPawulos anandiphe inkoloseko kaThixo kwakufuneka aqonde indima kaYesu kwinjongo yakhe. Ukuba ayekuqonda oko, yayiza kuba izalisekile injongo yomkhapheli.—Galati 3:19, 24, 25.
UMthetho uThixo awawunika amaSirayeli wawungenasiphako. Wayiphumeza injongo kaThixo yokukhusela abantu bakhe baze bazi nemilinganiselo yakhe ephakamileyo. (Roma 7:7-14) UMthetho wawungumkhapheli olungileyo. Kwabanye ababekhuselwa nguwo, babenokucinga ukuba uluxanduva. Noko ke, uPawulos wayenokubhala athi xa kufika ixesha likaThixo elimiselweyo, “uKristu wasikhulula kwisiqalekiso soMthetho.” Umthetho ‘wawusisiqalekiso’ kumaYuda angafezekanga ngengqiqo yokuba kwakufuneka athobele umthetho awayengenako ukuwuthobela ngokupheleleyo. UMthetho wawufuna kuthotyelwe izithethe ngokungqongqo. Xa umYuda wayesamkela ilungiselelo elingaphezulu ledini lentlawulelo likaYesu, ukubambelela ngokungqongqo kwimithananango yomkhapheli kwakungeyomfuneko.—Galati 3:13; 4:9, 10.
Ukufanisa kukaPawulos uMthetho kaMoses nomkhapheli kwakubonisa indlela owawusebenza ngayo nokuba wawuza kubakho ixeshana. Inkoloseko kaYehova ayizuzwa nje ngokuthobela uMthetho kodwa ngokugqala uYesu nangokuba nokholo kuye.—Galati 2:16; 3:11.
[Ibhokisi/Umfanekiso okwiphepha 21]
“AMADODA APHETHEYO NAMAGOSA”
Ngaphandle kokuba uPawulos ebhale ngomkhapheli kwakhona wenza umzekeliso ‘wamadoda aphetheyo namagosa.’ KumaGalati 4:1, 2, sifunda oku: “Ndithi ke lo gama indlalifa iselusana ayahlukanga konke konke kwikhoboka, nakuba iyinkosi yezinto zonke, kodwa iphantsi kwamadoda aphetheyo naphantsi kwamagosa de kube ngumhla omiselwe kwangaphambili nguyise.” Imisebenzi ‘yamadoda aphetheyo namagosa’ yayahlukile kweyomkhapheli kodwa ingongoma awayefuna ukuyiphuhlisa uPawulos iyafana.
Ngokomthetho wamaRoma, ‘indoda ephetheyo’ yayimiselwa ngokusemthethweni ukuze ibe ngumcebisi womntwana oyinkedama, ilawule neemali zakhe ade umntwana abe mdala. UPawulos uthi, nangona lo mntwana kusithiwa ‘yinkosi’ yelifa lakhe, ngoxa esengumntwana wayengahlukanga kwikhoboka.
Kwelinye icala ‘igosa’ lalilawula amafa. Umbhali-mbali ongumYuda uFlavius Josephus uthi, umfana ogama linguHyrcanus wacela ileta kuyise egunyazisa igosa lakhe ukuba limnike imali yokuthenga nantoni na ayifunayo.
Into okufana ngayo ukuba ngaphantsi komkhapheli, ‘indoda ephetheyo negosa’ kukungabi nankululeko ngoxa usengumntwana. Ubomi bomntwana babulawulwa ngabanye abantu ide ibe lixesha elimiselwe nguyise.
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 19]
Umzobo womkhapheli kwingqayi yamaGrike yamandulo ephethe umsimelelo
[Inkcazelo]
National Archaeological Museum, Athens
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 19]
Umfanekiso wenkulungwane yesihlanu Ngaphambi Kwexesha Eliqhelekileyo wendebe ebonisa umkhapheli (ebambelele kumsimelelo wakhe) ngoxa umntwana efundiswa imibongo nomculo
[Inkcazelo]
Bildarchiv Preussischer Kulturbesitz/Art Resource, NY