Ibhalwe ngu-St. Irenaeus waseLyon
1. Labo abasola ukuthi ngaphambi kokuphuma kwabo, ngomyalo kaNkulunkulu, abantu bathatha kwabaseGibhithe izitsha zezinhlobo zonke nezingubo basuka (nalezi zinto), okwakwenziwa ngazo itabernakele ehlane; bese bezigxeka bona abangenalwazi ngokulungisiswa kukaNkulunkulu nemiyalelo Yakhe, njengoba kusho nomphathi. Ngokuba uma uNkulunkulu ubengazimiselanga ukwenza lokhu ohlakeni lwabameleli, khona-ke akekho owayengasindiswa manje ekuphumeni kwethu kwangempela, okungukuthi, okholweni esimi kulo, esahlukaniswa ngalo phakathi kwabezizwe. Ngoba sonke singabempahla encane noma enkulu, esiyithola “kunothile wokungalungi.” Ngokuba sizithathaphi izindlu esihlala kuzo, nezingubo esizimboza ngazo, nezitsha esizisebenzisayo, nakho konke okudingekile ekuphileni kwethu kwansuku zonke; ukuhaha noma ukwamukela kubazali bethu abangamaqaba? , izihlobo noma abangane, ngemva kokukuthola ngamanga? – Angisho ukuthi siyazuza manje njengoba sesingamakholwa. Ngoba ubani othengisa futhi ongafuni ukwenza inzuzo kumthengi? Futhi othengayo futhi akafuni. ukuthenga okuthile kumthengisi? Imuphi usozimboni owenza umsebenzi wakhe wokuhweba hhayi ukuze adle ngawo? Futhi amakholwa asesigodlweni kawasebenzisi yini impahla kaKesari, futhi ngamunye wabo unakekela abampofu ngokwamandla akhe? AbaseGibhithe babekweleta abantu (amaJuda), ngokobuhle bangaphambili bukaPatriaki uJosefa, hhayi kuphela ngempahla yabo, kodwa nangempilo yabo; futhi yini amaqaba asikweleta yona, esithola kuyo kokubili inzuzo nenzuzo? Lokho abakuthola ngobunzima, thina makholwa sikusebenzisa ngaphandle kobunzima.
2 Kuze kube yileso sikhathi, abantu baseGibhithe basebugqilini obunzima kakhulu, njengoba umBhalo usho: “AbaseGibithe benza ubudlova obukhulu kubantwana bakwa-Israyeli, benza ukuphila kwabo kube yinzondo kubo ngomsebenzi onzima, nangobumba nangodaka. , nawo wonke umsebenzi wasemasimini, nazo zonke izinhlobo zemisebenzi abacindezela kakhulu ngayo”; Babakhela imizi enezivikelo eziqinile, basebenza kanzima futhi andisa ingcebo yabo phakathi neminyaka eminingi kanye nazo zonke izinhlobo zobugqila, nakuba babengagcini nje ngokubonga kubo, kodwa futhi befuna ukubabhubhisa bonke. Yikuphi ukungabi nabulungisa okwenziwa uma bethatha okuncane kokuningi? futhi sasingaba nini nengcebo eningi, uma sasingekho ebugqilini, futhi saphuma sicebile, sathola umvuzo omncane kakhulu ngobugqila bethu obukhulu, futhi siphume simpofu? Njengokungathi othile okhululekile, othathwe ngomunye ngenkani, wamsebenzela iminyaka eminingi futhi andisa ingcebo yakhe, wabe esethola isabelo futhi, ngokusobala, wayenokuthile emcebweni wakhe, kodwa eqinisweni, ngenxa yemisebenzi yakhe eminingi kanye nokuzuza kwakhe okukhulu, wathatha okuncane wahamba, futhi othile wayezomsola ngakho, njengokungathi wenze ngokungafanele; khona-ke umahluleli ngokwakhe uzobonakala engalungile kulowo owathathwa ngenkani ebugqilini. Banjalo futhi labo abasola abantu abathathe okuncane kokuningi, futhi bangasoli labo abangazange babonge ngenxa yobuhle babazali babo, baze babafaka ebugqilini bethuna, futhi bathola inzuzo enkulu kakhulu kubo. bona. Laba (abamangaleli) bathi (ama-Israyeli) abenza ngokungafanele, bethatha umsebenzi wabo, njengoba ngishilo, igolide elingaxutshiwe nesiliva ezitsheni ezimbalwa, futhi ngokwabo bathi - kufanele sikhulume iqiniso, nakuba lokhu kungase kubonakale kuhlekisa. kwabanye - benza ukulunga lapho, ngenxa yomsebenzi wabanye, bephethe izikhwama zabo zegolide, isiliva nethusi elinombhalo nomfanekiso kaKhesari.
3. Uma siqhathanisa phakathi kwethu nabo, ngubani-ke oyokwamukela ngokulunga kakhulu - abantu (u-Israyeli) kwabaseGibhithe, ababenecala kubo kukho konke, noma thina kumaRoma nezinye izizwe ezingasikweleta lutho? Futhi izwe lijabulela ukuthula ngabo (amaRoma), futhi sihamba emigwaqweni ngaphandle kokwesaba futhi sihamba ngomkhumbi nomaphi lapho sithanda khona. Ngokumelene nabantu abanjalo, amazwi eNkosi ayoba usizo kakhulu: “Mzenzisi, khipha kuqala ugongolo esweni lakho, khona-ke uyobona (ukukhipha kanjani ucezwana esweni lomfowenu.” Ngokuba uma lowo onimangalela ngalokho, ezigabisa ngokwazi kwakhe, ezehlukanisile nenhlangano yabezizwe, engenalutho lwabezizwe, kepha wayenqunu ngokoqobo, nezinyawo zingenalutho, ehlala ezintabeni njengesilwane esidlayo. amakhambi , ke ufanelwe ububele ngoba akazazi izidingo zomphakathi wakithi. Uma esebenzisa lokho abantu abakubiza ngokuthi ongaphandle, futhi (ngasikhathi sinye) egxeka isibonelo salokhu, khona-ke uzibonakalisa engalungile kakhulu futhi aziphendulele izinsolo ezinjalo. Ngoba uzozithola ephethe okungeyona eyakhe futhi efisa okungekona okwakhe; futhi yingakho iNkosi yathi: “Ningahluleli, funa nahlulelwe, ngokuba ngokwahlulela enahlulela ngakho nani niyokwahlulelwa. Hhayi ukuthi asibajezisi abonayo noma abavumelana nezenzo ezimbi, kodwa ukuthi singalahli imiyalo kaNkulunkulu ngokungafanele, ngokuba ukhathalela ngokufanele (...kukho konke okuzakusebenzela okuhle. sisebenzise kahle impahla yethu okufanele siyithole komunye, uthi: “Onezingubo ezimbili, kapha abampofu, nalowo onokudla, enze kanjalo.” Futhi: “Ngangilambile, nanginika ukudla; nganginqunu, nangembathisa.” Futhi: “Lapho wabela izipho, isandla sakho sokhohlo masingakwazi esikwenzayo esokunene.” Futhi siphenduka sibe abalungile lapho senza noma yikuphi okuhle, njengokungathi ukuhlenga okwethu esandleni somunye umuntu: Ngithi “esandleni somunye” hhayi ngomqondo wokuthi izwe liyoba umfokazi kuNkulunkulu, kodwa ngoba samukela izipho zalolu hlobo kwabanye, njengalabo (ama-Israyeli) kwabaseGibhithe singamazi uNkulunkulu - futhi ngayo yona le nto sakha ikhaya likaNkulunkulu kithi, ngoba uNkulunkulu uhlala kulabo abenza okuhle, njengoba kusho uJehova: "Zenzele abangane ngenotho engalungile, ukuze kuthi lapho nibaleka, linamukele ezindlini eziphakade.” Ngokuba lokho esakuzuza ngokungalungi sisengabahedeni, sesingamakholwa, siphendukela ekuzuzeni iNkosi futhi silungisiswa.
4 Ngakho, lokhu kwakudingeka kuqala engqondweni phakathi naleso senzo sokuguqula, futhi ngalezozinto itabernakele likaNkulunkulu liyakhiwa, ngoba labo (ama-Israyeli) bamukela ngokufaneleyo, njengoba ngibonisile, futhi kukho safanekiselwa ngaphambili, okwakufanele khonza uNkulunkulu ngezinto zabanye “Ngokuba lonke udwendwe lwabantu abavela eGibhithe, ngokweNkathi Yomusa kaNkulunkulu, lwaluwumfuziselo nomfanekiso wemvelaphi yeBandla, okwakufanele livele kumaqaba, ngakho-ke Yena ngesikhathi ukuphela (kwesikhathi) kuyalikhipha lapha liya efeni lalo, elingesiye uMose inceku kaNkulunkulu, kodwa uJesu iNdodana kaNkulunkulu alinika njengefa. Futhi uma noma ubani ebhekisisa amazwi abaprofethi mayelana nokuphela nalokho uJohane umfundi weNkosi akubona ekwambulweni, uyothola ukuthi izizwe ziyozamukela izinhlupho ezifanayo ngokuvamile ezashaya iGibhithe kancane.
Umthombo: I-St. Irenaeus yaseLyon. 5 Izincwadi Ezimelene Namambuka. Incwadi 4. Ch. 30.
