Izimali zasethempelini zazigcinwa eGcekeni Labesifazane. Incwadi ethi The Temple—Its Ministry and Services ithi: “Igceke lalizungezwe izinsika futhi maphakathi nazo kwakunamabhokisi angu-13 ayebekwa ngasodongeni, noma ‘amacilongo’ okwakufakwa kuwo iminikelo.”

Amabhokisi ayebizwa ngokuthi amacilongo ngoba ayemancane emlonyeni bese evuleka ezansi. Ibhokisi ngalinye lalinophawu olubonisa ukuthi kufakwa muphi umnikelo kulo futhi iminikelo eyayiqoqwa kuwo yayisetshenziselwa izinjongo ezithile. UJesu wayeseGcekeni Labesifazane lapho ebona abantu abaningi benikela—kuhlanganise nomfelokazi oswele.—Luka 21:1, 2.

Amabhokisi amabili okuqala ayesetshenziselwa ukuqoqa intela yasethempelini—eyangalowo nyaka neyangonyaka owawandulele. Kwelesithathu kuya kwelesikhombisa kwakufakwa le minikelo: eyamahobhe, eyamajuba, eyezinkuni, eyempepho neyezitsha zegolide. Uma umuntu owenza umnikelo ayebekele eceleni imali engaphezu kweyayidingeka, wayengafaka esele kwelinye lamabhokisi alandelayo. Kwelesi-8 kwakufakwa imali eyayisala lapho kwenziwa iminikelo yesono. Kwelesi-9 kuya kwele-12 kwakufakwa izimali ezazisale eminikelweni yecala, eminikelweni yezinyoni, eminikelweni yamaNaziri naseminikelweni yabanochoko. Ibhokisi le-13 kwakungeleminikelo yokuzithandela.

ULuka waloba iVangeli elibizwa ngegama lakhe nezEnzo Zabaphostoli. ULuka uthi ‘uye wazilandela ngokunembile zonke izinto kusukela ekuqaleni,’ kodwa ezinye izazi ziye zakungabaza ukulandisa kwakhe. (Luka 1:3) Wayenembe kangakanani uLuka?

ULuka ukhuluma ngamaqiniso omlando anobufakazi obuphathekayo. Ngokwesibonelo, ukhuluma ngeziqu eziningana ezingavamile zezikhulu zombuso wamaRoma, njengabakhuzi bamabutho noma izimantshi zomphakathi eFilipi; ababusi baseThesalonika; nezinduna noma ababusi bomuzi, e-Efesu. (IzEnzo 16:20, Kingdom Interlinear; 17:6; 19:31) Ubiza uHerode Antipase ngokuthi umbusi wesifunda, abize uSergiyu Pawulu ngokuthi umphathi-sifundazwe waseKhupro.—IzEnzo 13:1, 7.

Indlela efanele uLuka asebenzisa ngayo lezi ziqu iyaphawuleka ngenxa yokuthi iziqu zababusi zazishintsha lapho kuba nezinguquko embusweni waseRoma. Kodwa “ngaso sonke isikhathi lapho ikhuluma ngezinto ezifana nalezi, incwadi yezEnzo ihlale inembile ngokuphathelene nesikhathi nendawo okukhulunywa ngayo,” kusho isazi seBhayibheli uBruce Metzger. Isazi uWilliam Ramsay sibiza uLuka ngokuthi “isazi-mlando esiseqophelweni eliphezulu.”