4 yamaMaccabees yesi-
ISINGENISO Le ncwadi ifana nokuduma okwesabekayo okunanela ngenxa yokwesabeka okufiphele kobushiqela basendulo. Yisahluko esisekelwe ekushushisweni kuka-Antiochus, umashiqela waseSiriya, abanye abambiza ngokuthi uEpiphanes, uMhlanya. Umlando wamaRoma wekhulu lokuqala ubhala izishiqela ezimbili ezinjalo - omunye, uCaligula, uMhlanya Wesibili Ohlakaniphile. Indlela yalokhu kubhala yileyo yokukhuluma. Ngakho-ke ukukhuphuka nokuwa kwenkulumo kubekwe isikhathi ngokucophelela; zichitha kanjalo izimpikiswano zawo; ngakho-ke umqondo wayo awuntengi; ukujula okungaka; kupholile ukucabanga kwayo--kangangokuthi ithatha indawo yayo njengesampula yobugagu obumangalisayo. Into esemqoka - Isibindi. Umlobi uqala ngamazwi ashukumisayo eFilosofi Yesizathu Esiphefumulelwe. Sithanda ukucabanga ngaleNkulungwane Yamashumi amabili njengeNkathi Yokucabanga futhi siyiqhathanise neNkathi Yezinganekwane - nokho ukubhala okufana nalokhu kuyinselele kulowo mcabango. Sithola umlobi okungenzeka ukuthi wayengowekhulu lokuqala leminyaka ngaphambi kweNkathi YobuKristu echaza ifilosofi ecacile yeNqabayokulinda enamandla namuhla njengoba yayinjalo eminyakeni eyizinkulungwane ezimbili edlule. Ukuhlelwa kwezinto ezibhekwayo ezindlini zokuhlushwa akuguquki. Ezindlebeni zethu zesimanje ezihambisana nezinto ezithambile ishaya ngendlela eshaqisayo. Imininingwane yokuhlushwa okulandelanayo (okuphakamisa amathuluzi eNkantolo Yamacala Ezihlubuki yaseSpain emakhulwini eminyaka kamuva) ichazwe ngendlela eshaqisayo ekunambitheni kwethu. Ngisho nokuvela kwabalingisi abashubile bekhehla, iZinsizwa Eziyisikhombisa, noMama, akwenzi lutho ukudambisa ulaka lesi sishoshovu esihlanganisa isibindi. OFata basendulo beSonto LobuKristu bayilondoloza ngokucophelela lencwadi (sinayo enguqulweni yesiSyria) njengencwadi enenani eliphakeme lokuziphatha nokufundisa, futhi ngokungangabazeki yayijwayeleke kwabaningi babafel’ ukholo abangamaKristu okuqala, abavuselwa ekufeni ngokuyifunda. ISAHLUKO 1 Uhlaka lwefilosofi yasendulo mayelana nesizathu Esiphefumulelwe. Impucuko ayikaze izuze umcabango ophakeme. Ingxoxo "Yokucindezelwa." Ivesi 48 lifingqa yonke Ifilosofi yesintu. 1 Ifilosofi ngezinga eliphakeme kakhulu umbuzo engiphakamisa ukuxoxa ngawo, okungukuthi noma Isizathu Esiphefumulelwe singumbusi ophakeme phezu
kwezinkanuko; kanye nefilosofi yayo nginganxusa ngokungathí sina ukunaka kwenu okuqotho. 2 Ngoba kayisikho nje indaba edingekayo njengengxenye yolwazi, kodwa ihlanganisa ukudunyiswa kobuhle obukhulu kakhulu, lapho ngitsho ukuzithiba. 3 Okusho ukuthi, uma Ingqondo ifakazelwa ukuthi ilawula izinkanuko ezimelene nokuzithiba, ukuminza nenkanuko, iboniswa futhi ngokusobala ukuthi iyinkosi phezu kwezinkanuko, njengobubi, ngokumelene nobulungisa, naphezu kwalabo abamelene nokuziphatha kobudoda, okungukuthi ukufutheka nobuhlungu nokwesaba. 4 Kodwa, abanye bangase babuze, uma Isizathu singumnikazi wenkanuko, kungani singakulawuli ukukhohlwa nokungazi? into yabo kuwukuhlekisa. 5 Impendulo ithi ingqondo ayinamandla phezu kweziphambeko ezitholakala engqondweni ngokwayo, kodwa ingaphezu kwenkanuko noma ubuthakathaka bokuziphatha okuphambene nokulunga nobudoda nokuzithiba nokwahlulela; futhi isenzo salo kubo akukona ukuqeda izinkanuko, kodwa ukusenza sikwazi ukumelana nazo ngempumelelo. 6 Ngingaletha phambi kwenu izibonelo eziningi, ezithathwe emithonjeni ehlukahlukene, lapho Isizathu siye sazibonakalisa siyinkosi phezu kwezinkanuko, kodwa isibonelo esingcono kakhulu engingasinikeza siwukuziphatha okuhle kwalabo abafa ngenxa yobuhle, uEleyazare, nabazalwane abayisikhombisa noMama. 7 Ngokuba bonke laba ngokudelela kwabo izinhlungu, yebo, kuze kube sekufeni, bafakazela ukuthi ukucabanga kuphakeme kunezinkanuko. 8 Ngingahle ngandise lapha ekudumiseni izimfanelo zabo ezinhle, bona, amadoda kanye noMama, befa ngalolu suku esilugubhayo ngenxa yothando lobuhle bokuziphatha kanye nokulunga, kodwa kunalokho ngizobe ngibabungaza ngokuhlonishwa abakuzuzile. 9 Ngoba ukutuseka kwabo kwazwela ngenxa yesibindi sabo nokubekezela, hhayi kuphela ezweni lonke kodwa nangababulali babo kanye uqobo, kwabenza baba ababhali bokuwa kobudlova isizwe sakithi esasingaphansi kwabo, banqoba umashiqela ngokukhuthazela kwabo, kangangokuthi izwe labo lahlanzwa ngabo. 10 Kodwa manje ngizothatha ithuba lokuxoxa ngalokhu, emva kokuba sesiqale ngethiyori evamile, njengoba ngijwayele ukwenza, futhi ngizobe sengiqhubeka nendaba yabo, nginika inkazimulo kuNkulunkulu ohlakaniphe kakhulu. 11 Ngakho-ke, umbuzo wethu uwukuthi, Isizathu sibusa izinkanuko. 12 Kodwa kufanele sichaze ukuthi iyini Isizathu nokuthi iyini inkanuko, nokuthi zingaki izinhlobo zenkanuko, nokuthi Isizathu singaphezu kwazo zonke yini. 13 Isizathu engisithathayo sokuba ingqondo encamela ngokucabanga okucacile impilo yokuhlakanipha. 14 Ngithatha ukuhlakanipha ukwazi izinto, zaphezulu nezomuntu, nezizathu zazo. 15 Lokhu ngikuthatha njengesiko elizuzwe ngaphansi koMthetho, lapho sifunda khona ngokumesaba okufanele izinto zikaNkulunkulu futhi kube yinzuzo yethu yezwe izinto zabantu. 16 Manje ukuhlakanipha kubonakaliswa ngaphansi kwezinhlobo zokwahlulela nokulunga, kanye nesibindi, kanye nokuzithiba.