Umbono WeBhayibheli
Ingabe Umphostoli UPawulu Wayemelene Nabesifazane?
‘IZIMFUNDISO zikamphostoli uPawulu ziye zasetshenziswa njengesisekelo sokubandlululwa okukhulu kwabesifazane esontweni lobuKristu.’ Washo kanjalo uMahlulel’ uCecilie Rushton wase-Auckland, eNew Zealand, encwadini eyathulwa ekuqaleni kuka-1993 eMhlanganweni we-Commonwealth Law eCyprus. Wanezela: “INcwadi yakhe eya kuThimothewu yembula ukucabanga kwakhe: ‘Kepha angimvumeli owesifazane ukuba afundise, nokuba abuse phezu kwendoda; kodwa makazithulele.’”—1 Thimothewu 2:12.
Lapho uPawulu ebhala ngendima noma ngesikhundla sabesifazane, ingabe wayemane nje eveza umbono wakhe siqu, noma wayephefumlelwe ngokwaphezulu? Uma zibhekwa zonke, ingabe izincwadi zikaPawulu ngempela ziveza ukubandlululwa kwabesifazane? Amazwi uPawulu awasho kuThimothewu, acashunwe ngenhla, asebenza ngamuphi umqondo?
Igunya LikaPawulu
Izincwadi ezingu-14 kwezingu-27 zemiBhalo YamaKristu YesiGreki zalotshwa uPawulu. Okubonisa ukuthi umoya ongcwele wawusebenza phezu kwakhe kwakuyikhono lakhe eliyisimangaliso lokukhuluma izilimi eziningi. Ngaphezu kwalokho, wafakazela imibono engaphezu kwemvelo. (1 Korinte 14:18; 2 Korinte 12:1-5) Isibonelo sakhe sokuzidela, nokuzinikela ngomphefumulo wonke, nesothando sabangela isibopho esiqinile sothando lobuzalwane phakathi kwakhe namaKristu ayephila nawo. (IzEnzo 20:37, 38) Imibhalo yakhe, kuhlanganise nalokho akusho ngabesifazane, kwakha ingxenye yayo ‘yonke imiBhalo ephefumlelwe uNkulunkulu futhi elungele ukufundisa.’—2 Thimothewu 3:16.
Abesifazane Ezincwadini ZikaPawulu
Ukuqaphela kukaPawulu abesifazane nokubazisa kwakhe kunobufakazi obuningi kuyo yonke imibhalo yakhe. Ngokuphindaphindiwe, ubhekisela kubo ezindimeni zabo ezihlukahlukene ebandleni nasemikhayeni. Kwenye yezincwadi zakhe, wafanisa izimfanelo ezithandekayo zomalusi ongumKristu nalezo eziboniswa umdlezane.—1 Thesalonika 2:7.
Odadewabo abaningi balomphostoli abangamaKristu, ababizwe ngamagama ezincwadini zakhe, ubatusa ngokufudumele. Imikhonzo yakhe eyayiya emalungwini ebandla laseRoma yayihlanganisa imikhonzo eyayiya ngokuqondile kwabesifazane abathile ‘abakhandleka kakhulu eNkosini.’ (Roma 16:12) Ngokuphathelene no-Evodiya noSintike, wakhuthaza abazalwane baseFilipi ukuba ‘balekelele labobesifazane, ababebambisana naye evangelini.’ (Filipi 4:3) Encwadini yakhe eya kuThimothewu, uPawulu waphawula ukholo oluyisibonelo lukagogo waleyonsizwa uLowisi nonina, u-Evnike.—2 Thimothewu 1:5.
Ngakolunye uhlangothi, ingabe bukhona ubufakazi bokuthi odadewabo bakaPawulu abangamaKristu babezizwa kanjani ngaye? Ngokwazisa, wafakaza ngo-Akwila noPriska, umbhangqwana oshadile ayesondelene nawo, ukuthi kwakungeyena u-Akwila kuphela kodwa futhi nomkakhe, uPriska, “abadela ukuphila kwabo ngenxa yokuphila [kwakhe].”—Roma 16:3, 4.
Ukubandlululwa Kwabesifazane?
“Ungayikhaci indoda endala, kodwa yiyale njengoyihlo, namadoda amasha njengabafowenu, abesifazane abadala njengawonyoko, nabesifazane abasha njengawodadewenu ngenhlanzeko epheleleyo.” (1 Thimothewu 5:1, 2) Ingabe lamazwi uPawulu awasho kuThimothewu awabonisi inhlonipho efanele ngabesifazane? UPawulu wanikeza amadoda nabesifazane ebandleni lobuKristu udumo olulinganayo. Wabhala: “Akakho umJuda nomGreki, akakho oboshiweyo nokhululekileyo, akakho owesilisa nowesifazane, ngokuba nina nonke nimunye kuKristu Jesu.”—Galathiya 3:28.
Ngokuphathelene nezindima abazabelwe uNkulunkulu emshadweni, uPawulu wabhala: “Abafazi mabathobele amadoda abo kungathi kukuyo iNkosi, ngokuba indoda iyinhloko yomfazi, njengokuba noKristu uyinhloko yebandla, yena engumsindisi womzimba.” (Efesu 5:22, 23; qhathanisa neyoku-1 Korinte 11:3.) Yebo, indima yendoda neyomfazi zihlukene, kodwa lokhu akusho ukuthi omunye umngane womshado akalutho. Lezizindima ziyaphelelisana, futhi ukufezwa kwendima ngayinye kunenselele ethuthukisa inhlalakahle yomkhaya uma kuhlangatshezwana nayo. Ngaphezu kwalokho, ukusebenzisa kwendoda ubunhloko kwakungamelwe kucindezele noma kungabi nothando. UPawulu waqhubeka: “Amadoda afanele ukuthanda omkawo njengemizimba yawo,” ezimisele ukuzidela ngempela ngenxa yabo. (Efesu 5:28, 29) Abantwana kwakumelwe balalele bobabili ubaba nomama.—Efesu 6:1, 2.
Okufanele kuphawulwe futhi amazwi kaPawulu ngokuphathelene nokusondelana emshadweni. UPawulu wayengabandlululi lapho ebhala: “Indoda ayinike umfazi okumfaneleyo; nomfazi enze njalo endodeni. Umfazi kanamandla phezu kowakhe umzimba, kodwa yindoda enawo; kanjalo nayo indoda ayinamandla phezu kowayo umzimba, kodwa ngumfazi onawo.”—1 Korinte 7:3, 4.
“Owesifazane . . . Makazithulele”
Ngokuphathelene namazwi kaPawulu kweyoku-1 Thimothewu 2:12, acashunwe esigabeni sokuqala, ingabe ukusekela kwakhe ‘ukuthula’ kwabesifazane kwakubangelwa ukubabandlulula? Cha! ‘Ukuthula’ okwakudingeka kwakuhlobene nokufundisa nokuba negunya elingokomoya ebandleni, lokhu kubangelwa ukwazisa ubuhlobo bendoda nomfazi obamiswa ngokwaphezulu okukhulunywe ngabo ekuqaleni.a
Lokhu akusho ukuthi abesifazane abanakuba abafundisi beqiniso laphezulu. UPawulu wakhuthaza abesifazane abadala ukuba babe “ngabafundisi bokuhle” kwabesifazane abasebasha. Belandela isibonelo sika-Evnike noLowisi, abafundisa uThimothewu, omama abangamaKristu kumelwe baqeqeshe abantwana babo ngezindlela zokwesaba uNkulunkulu. (Thithu 2:3-5; 2 Thimothewu 1:5) Namuhla, emabandleni oFakazi BakaJehova, abesifazane abangamaKristu abangamakhulu ezinkulungwane bathola ukwaneliseka okungokomoya ngokulandela izibonelo zika-Evodiya noSintike ekushumayeleni izindaba ezinhle obala nasekwenzeni amadoda nabesifazane babe abafundi.—IHubo 68:11; Mathewu 28:19; Filipi 4:2, 3.
Ngakho, siyini isinqumo sakho? Ingabe imibhalo kaPawulu, lapho ibhekwa yonke, iyakuvuma ukumangalelwa ngokuthi ibandlulula abesifazane?
[Umbhalo waphansi]
a Ngokuqondene namazwi athi ‘ukuthobeka konke’ kweyoku-1 Thimothewu 2:11 (New International Version), isazi seBhayibheli uW. E. Vine sithi: “Lomyalo awubhekiselwe ekuzideleni kwengqondo nonembeza, noma ekulahleni umsebenzi wokwahlulela komuntu siqu; amazwi athi ‘nokuthobeka konke’ ayisixwayiso ngokumelene nokugabadela igunya, njengoba, ngokwesibonelo, kuboniswe evesini elilandelayo.”