KO E akau fakalava kua tokiofa mo e fakalilifu he tau miliona tagata. Ne ui he The Encyclopædia Britannica e akau fakalava ko e “fakamailoga ne mua he lotu Kerisiano.” Pete ia, ne nakai fakaaoga he tau Kerisiano mooli e akau fakalava he tapuakiaga. Ko e ha?

Ko e kakano aoga kua nakai mate a Iesu Keriso i luga he akau fakalava. Ko e kupu Heleni ‘akau fakalava’ ne fa fakaliliu ai ko e stau·rosʹ. Kua kakano ai “ko e akau po ke pou.” Ne talahau  he The Companion Bible: “Kua nakai kakano e [stau·rosʹ] ke ua e patu akau ne fakalava taha i luga he taha . . . Kua nakai fai fakamauaga i loto he vagahau Heleni he [Maveheaga Foou] ne fakakite hagaao ke he ua e patu akau.”

He tau kupu tohi kehekehe, ne fakaaoga he tau tagata tohia Tohi Tapu e kupu kehe ma e puhala ne mate ai a Iesu. Ko e kupu Heleni xyʹlon. (Gahua 5:30; 10:39; 13:29; Kalatia 3:13; 1 Peteru 2:24) Ko e kupu nei kua kakano “patu akau” po ke “akau.”

He fakamaama e kakano ne fa fakaaoga ai e akau ma e tamateaga, ne talahau he tohi Das Kreuz und die Kreuzigung (The Cross and the Crucifixion), ha Hermann Fulda: “Kua nakai loga e akau he tau matakavi ne fifili ke tamate ai e tau tagata. Ti hoka hifo e patu akau noa ke he kelekele. Ke he mena nei ne tautau hake e tau lima he tau tagata holifono pihia foki mo e tau hui ha lautolu ti pipi po ke pao fao ai.”

Ka e, ko e fakamooliaga lahi kua mai he Kupu he Atua. Ne talahau he aposetolo ko Paulo: “Ne fakafua mai ai he Keriso a tautolu he kaialu he fakatufono, ne ulaafia a ia ma tautolu, ha kua tohi mai, Kua ulaafia a lautolu oti kua fakatautau ke he akau.” (Kalatia 3:13) Ne fatiaki mai e Paulo ia Teutaronome 21:22, 23, ne hagaao fakamahino ke he akau, nakai ko e akau fakalava. Ha kua taute he tamateaga pihia e tagata ke “ulaafia,” kua nakai lata e tau Kerisiano ke fakamanaia e tau kaina ha lautolu aki e tau fakatino ke he Keriso he akau fakalava.

Nakai fai fakamooliaga he tau tau 300 fakamua he mole e mate he Keriso, ti ko lautolu ne talahau ko e tau Kerisiano kua fakaaoga e akau fakalava he tapuakiaga. Ka e, he senetenari ke fāaki ne liliuina e pule atu motu pouliuli ko Constantine ke eke mo Kerisiano ne tiaki taofiaga ti fakatolomaki e akau fakalava mo fakamailoga faka-Kerisiano. Ko e ha manako ni ha Constantine, kua nakai fai matutakiaga e akau fakalava ki a Iesu Keriso. Ko e akau fakalava, kua ha ha i ai e tupumaiaga pouliuli. Ne talahau fakamooli he New Catholic Encyclopedia: “Kua moua mai e akau fakalava he tau aga fakamotu he vahā fakamua to Kerisiano mo e he tau tagata ne nakai Kerisiano.” Kua fakamatutaki foki he falu tohi kehekehe e akau fakalava ke he tapuakiaga he tufugatia mo e aga pouliuli he mahani fakataane mo e fifine.

 Ko e ha mogoia, ne fakatolomaki e fakamailoga pouliuli nei? Mahino ai, ke mukamuka he tau tagata pouliuli ke talia e “faka-Kerisiano.” Pete ia, ko e fakamooli ke he ha fakamailoga pouliuli kua vihiatia mooli he Tohi Tapu. (2 Korinito 6:14-18) Kua fakatapu foki he tau Tohiaga Tapu e tau vahega oti he tapuaki tupua. (Esoto 20:4, 5; 1 Korinito 10:14) Ti, ko e tau kakano mitaki oti, mogoia, ne nakai fakaaoga he tau Kerisiano mooli e akau fakalava he tapuakiaga. *