Kodi Mukudziwa?

Pamene Aisiraeli anali m’chipululu, n’chifukwa chiyani Mulungu anasankha kuwapatsa zinziri?

▪ Pa nthawi imene Aisiraeli anali pa ulendo wawo wochokera ku Iguputo, Mulungu anawapatsa nyama yambiri kawiri konse ndipo nyama yake inali zinziri.​—Ekisodo 16:13; Numeri 11:31.

Zinziri ndi mbalame zing’onozing’ono zotalika pafupifupi masentimita 18 kuchoka kumutu kufika kumchira ndipo zimalemera pafupifupi magalamu 100. Zinziri zimapezeka m’madera ambiri akumadzulo kwa Asia ndi Ulaya makamaka ikakhala nyengo imene zimaswana. Zinziri zili m’gulu la mbalame zimene zimakonda kusamukasamuka, ndipo nyengo yozizira, mbalamezi zimasamukira kumpoto kwa Africa ndi Arabia. Zikamasamuka, zimakhala chigulu ndipo zimauluka kudutsa chakum’mawa m’mbali mwa nyanja ya Mediterranean ndipo zimadutsanso m’dera la Sinai.

Malinga ndi zimene buku lina limanena, zinziri “zimauluka bwino komanso mwamsanga ndipo mphepo ikakhala kuti ikuyenda bwino, zimauluka mosavuta. Koma mphepo ikayamba kulowera mbali ina, kapena zinzirizi zikatopa ndi kuuluka, zonse zimatera pansi ndipo zimangokhala osayenda.” (The New Westminster Dictionary of the Bible) Zikatere, ulendo wawo umaima chifukwa zimafunika kupuma kwa tsiku lonse kapena masiku awiri. Pa nthawi imeneyi anthu angathe kuzigwira mosavuta. M’zaka zoyambirira za m’ma 1900, chaka chilichonse dziko la Egypt linkagulitsa ku mayiko ena zinziri zokwana 3 miliyoni zoti anthu akadye.

Maulendo onse awiri amene Aisiraeli anadya zinziri, inali nyengo yachisanu itangotha kumene. Ngakhale kuti nthawi zambiri nthawi imeneyi ndi imene zinziri zinkapezeka m’dera la Sinai, Yehova ndi amene “anautsa mphepo yamkokomo” imene inachititsa kuti zinziri ziulukire kumsasa wa Aisiraeli.​—Numeri 11:31.

Kodi “chikondwerero cha kupereka kachisi kwa Mulungu” chimene chimatchulidwa pa Yohane 10:22 chinali chiyani?

▪ Zikondwerero zitatu zimene Mulungu analamula Ayuda kuti azichita zinali, Chikondwerero cha Mikate Yopanda Chofufumitsa chimene chinkachitika nyengo yachisanu itangotha kumene, Chikondwerero cha Pentekosite chimene chinkachitika kumayambiriro kwa nyengo yachilimwe komanso Chikondwerero cha Zokolola chimene chinkachitika nyengo yachisanu itatsala pang’ono kuyamba. Koma chikondwerero chimene chatchulidwa pa Yohane 10:22 chinkachitika mu “nyengo ya chisanu” ndipo ankakumbukira kuperekedwanso kwa kachisi wa Yehova kumene kunachitika mu 165 B.C.E. Chikondwererochi chinkachitika kwa masiku 8 kuyambira pa tsiku la 25 la mwezi wa Kisilevi, m’nyengo yachisanu. Kodi n’chifukwa chiyani anakhazikitsa chikondwerero chimenechi?

Antiyokasi Wachinayi (kapena kuti Epifanasi), yemwe anali mfumu ya ku Siriya yachiselukasi, ankafuna kuthetseratu kulambira kwa Ayuda ndiponso miyambo yawo. Mu 168 B.C.E., anaika guwa lachikunja pamwamba pa guwa lomwe linali m’kachisi wa Yehova ku Yerusalemu. Ndiyeno paguwapo ankaperekapo nsembe kwa mulungu wachigiriki wotchedwa Zeu.

Zimenezi zinachititsa kuti Amakabeo agalukire ufumu wa Antiyokasi Wachinayi. Mtsogoleri wa Ayuda dzina lake Judas Maccabaeus analanda Yerusalemu kwa Aselukasi ndipo anagwetsa guwa lomwe linaipitsidwa lija n’kumanga lina. Patatha zaka zitatu kuchokera pamene guwa la m’kachisi wa Yehova linaipitsidwa, Judas anachita mwambo woperekanso kachisi kwa Yehova. Kuyambira nthawi imeneyo, Ayuda akhala akuchita “chikondwerero cha kupereka kachisi kwa Mulungu” chimenechi (m’Chiheberi chanuk·kahʹ) mu December chaka chilichonse. Masiku ano chikondwerero chimenechi chimadziwika kuti Hanuka.

[Chithunzi patsamba 14]

Chithunzi cha Judas Maccabaeus cha ku Lyon cha M’chaka cha 1553

[Mawu a Chithunzi patsamba 14]

From the book Scripture Natural History. Illustrated. 1876