SIOLOTO atu ko ha Kalisitiane koe naʻe moʻui ʻi he ʻuluaki senitulí. Ko hoʻo fakatahaʻangá naʻa nau toki maʻu ha tohi mei he ʻapositolo ko Paulá. ʻI hoʻo fanongo ki hono laú, ʻokú ke fakatokangaʻi naʻe toutou leaʻaki ʻe Paula ʻa e kupuʻi lea mei he “ngaahi potutohi māʻoniʻoní,” ʻa ia ko e toʻo mei he ngaahi konga Tohi Tapu faka-Hepeluú. (2 Tīmote 3:15) Te u pehē loto ‘ʻoku ou saiʻia ke ʻilo pē ko ʻene toʻo lea mei fē.’ ʻOku ʻikai faingofua eni. Ko e hā hono ʻuhingá?

Fakakaukau atu ki he ngaahi maniusikilipi ʻo e “ngaahi potutohi māʻoniʻoní,” naʻe ala maʻu ʻi he ʻaho ʻo Paulá. Ko e taha eni—​ko e konga ʻo e tohi ʻa ʻAiseá mei he Ngaahi Takainga Tohi Tahi Maté. Ko e hā ʻokú ke sio ki aí? Fuʻu pupunga lea! Hala ha fakaʻilonga lea. ʻIkai fakafikefika ʻa e ngaahi vahé mo e vēsí hangē ko ia ʻoku tau ngāueʻaki ʻi he ʻaho ní.

Ko e kau hiki-tohi ʻo e Tohi Tapú naʻe ʻikai ke nau vahevahe ʻenau pōpoakí ki ha ngaahi vahe pe veesi. Naʻa nau hiki kakato ʻa e pōpoaki naʻe ʻoange kiate kinautolu ʻe he ʻOtuá koeʻuhi ke maʻu ʻe he kau lautohí ʻa e kotoa ʻo e pōpoakí kae ʻikai ʻi ha fanga kiʻi konga iiki. ʻIkai ko e meʻa ia ʻokú ke loto ki aí ʻi hoʻo maʻu ha tohi mahuʻinga mei ha taha ʻokú ke ʻofa ai? ʻOkú ke lau kotoa ʻa e tohí, kae ʻikai ko ha konga pē.

Kae kehe, ko e ʻikai ha ngaahi vahe pe vēsí, naʻe tupu ai ha palopalema. Naʻe lava ʻa Paula ʻo fakapapauʻi ʻene ngaahi toʻo leá ʻi heʻene ngāueʻaki e lea hangē ko e “hangē tofu pē ko ia kuo tohí” pe “hangē tofu pē ko ia naʻe tomuʻa tala ʻe ʻAiseá.” (Loma 3:10; 9:29) Pea ʻe hā ngali faingataʻa ke maʻu e ngaahi lea ko ení kapau ʻoku ʻikai ke ke maheni mo e kotoa ʻo e “ngaahi potutohi māʻoniʻoní.”

ʻIkai ko ia pē, ko e “ngaahi potutohi māʻoniʻoní,” ʻoku ʻikai ko ha foʻi pōpoaki pē ʻe taha mei he ʻOtuá. ʻI he ngataʻanga ʻo e ʻuluaki senituli T.S., naʻe fakatahatahaʻi ia ʻo feʻunga mo e—tohi kehekehe ʻe 66! Ko e ʻuhinga ia ʻoku fiefia ai ʻa e kau lau Tohi Tapu he ʻaho ní ʻi hono fakafika ʻa e ngaahi vahé mo e vēsí ʻoku tokoniʻi kinautolu ke maʻu ngofua ʻa e fakamatalá, hangē ko e ngaahi toʻo lea mei he ngaahi tohi ʻa Paulá.

‘Ko ia,’ te ke ʻeke nai, ‘ko hai naʻá ne fakahū ʻa e ngaahi vahé mo fakafikefika ʻa e vēsí ki he Tohi Tapú?’

Ko ha faifekau ʻIngilani ko Stephen Langton, naʻá ne hoko ki mui ko ha Pīsope-Pule ʻo Canterbury, naʻe fakalāngilangiʻi ia ʻi hono vahevahe ʻa e ngaahi vahé ki he Tohi Tapú. Naʻá ne fai eni ʻi he kamataʻanga ʻo e senituli hono 13 T.S., ʻi heʻene faiako ʻi he ʻUnivēsiti ʻo Pālesi ʻi Falaniseé.

Ki muʻa ʻi he ngaahi ʻaho ʻo Langton, naʻe ʻahiʻahiʻi ʻe he kau mataotaó ʻa e founga kehekehe hono vahevahe ʻo e Tohi Tapú ki ha konga iiki pe ngaahi vahe, ko e taumuʻa ki ha maʻuʻanga fakamatala. ʻE lava ke ke sioloto atu ki he faingofua ʻe malava ke nau maʻu ʻi heʻenau kumi ʻi ha vahe pē ʻe taha ʻo ʻikai ko e fuʻu tohí kakato, hangē ko e tohi ʻa ʻAiseá ʻoku vahevahe ki he vahe ʻe 66.

Kae kehe, ʻi he kotoa ʻo e ngaahi meʻá ni naʻe hoko ai ha palopalema. Ko e kau mataotaó naʻa nau faʻu ha founga kehekehe mo ʻikai fehoanakimālie. Ko e taha ʻo kinautolu, ko e Kōsipeli ʻa Maʻaké naʻe vahevahe ai ki he vahe ʻe 50 nai, kae ʻikai ko e vahe ʻe 16 ʻoku tau maʻu he ʻaho ní. ʻI Pālesi ʻi he ngaahi ʻaho ʻo Langton, ko ha fānau ako mei ha fonua kehekehe, naʻa nau omi mo e ngaahi Tohi Tapu ʻoku ʻi heʻenau lea tuʻu fonuá. Kae kehe ko e kau faiakó mo e fānau akó naʻe ʻikai lava ke nau vahevahe ʻa e ngaahi maʻuʻanga fakamatalá. Ko e hā e ʻuhingá? Koeʻuhi naʻe kehekehe hono vahevahe e ngaahi vahé ʻi heʻenau maniusikilipí.

Ko ia naʻe faʻu foʻou ʻe Langton ʻa e vahevahe ʻo e ngaahi vahé. Ko e founga ko ení naʻe “saiʻia ai ʻa e kau  lautohí mo e kau sikalaipé,” ko e lau ia ʻa e The Book—A History of the Bible, pea naʻe “vave ʻene mafola ʻi ʻIulopé.” Naʻá ne ʻomai ai kiate kitautolu ʻa e vahe kuo fakafikefika ʻoku tau maʻu ʻi he Tohi Tapu lahi he ʻahó ni.

Hili e taʻu ʻe 300 nai, ʻi he konga loto ʻo e senituli 16, ko e mīsini faipulusi ʻa e mataotao Falanisē ko Robert Estienne naʻá ne ʻai ʻa e ngaahi meʻá ke faingofua ange. Ko ʻene taumuʻá ke fakamānako hono ako e Tohi Tapú. Naʻá ne ʻiloʻi ʻa e mahuʻinga hono maʻu ha founga pē taha hono fakafika ʻo e ngaahi vahé mo e ngaahi vēsí.

Naʻe ʻikai ha fakakaukau ʻa Estienne ke vahevahe e ngaahi fakamatala ʻi he Tohi Tapú ki ha ngaahi veesi. Kuo ʻosi fai eni ʻe he niʻihi. ʻI he ngaahi senituli ki muʻá, ko e fakatātaá, ko e kau hiki-tohi Siú naʻa nau vahevahe ʻa e Tohi Tapu faka-Hepeluú, pe ko e konga ʻi he Tohi Tapú naʻe anga-maheni hono ui ko e Fuakava Motuʻá ki ha ngaahi veesi kae ʻikai ko ha ngaahi vahe. Ko e toe meʻa tatau, ʻa e ʻikai ke ʻi ai ha founga pē taha ki hono vahevahe ʻo e ngaahi vahé.

Naʻe vahevahe ʻe Estienne ʻa e Ngaahi Konga Tohi Tapu Faka-Kalisi Kalisitiané pe ko ia naʻe ui ko e Fuakava Foʻoú, ki ha ngaahi veesi kuo fakafikefika foʻou pea fakatahaʻi ia mo e Tohi Tapu faka-Hepeluú. ʻI he 1553, naʻá ne pulusi ai ʻa e fuofua Tohi Tapu kakato (ko ha tatau ʻi he lea faka-Falanisē) ʻo tatau tofu pē mo e ngaahi vahe mo e veesi ʻi he Tohi Tapu ʻoku lahi taha hono ngāueʻaki he ʻaho ní. Naʻe fakaangaʻi ʻe ha niʻihi pea nau pehē ko e ngaahi veesi ko iá naʻe fakamoveteveteʻi ai ʻa e ngaahi konga ʻo e Tohi Tapú ʻo hā ngali ko e ngaahi kongokonga kehekehe ʻo ha fakamatala tātānaki. Ka ko ʻene foungá naʻe vave hono ohi ʻe he kau faipulusi Tohi Tapu kehé.

ʻOku hā ngali ko ha fakakaukau faingofua eni​—ʻo ha ngaahi vahe pe veesi kuo fakafika. ʻOku ʻoatu ai ki he veesi taki taha ʻi he Tohi Tapú ʻa e “tuʻasila” pau—hangē hano fakaʻilongaʻi ha feituʻu pau. Ko e moʻoni, ko hono vahevahe ʻo e ngaahi vahé mo e vēsí naʻe ʻikai fakamānavaʻi ʻe he ʻOtuá, pea ʻi he taimi ʻe niʻihi naʻa nau veteki ai ʻa e fakamatala ʻi he Tohi Tapú ke maʻu ʻi ha ngaahi feituʻu kehe. Ka ʻoku faingofua eni kiate kitautolu ke maʻu mo fakaʻilongaʻi ʻa e ngaahi toʻo-leá pe vahevahe ʻa e ngaahi veesi ʻoku ʻi ai ʻene ʻuhinga makehe kia kitautolu—ʻo hangē pē ko ʻetau fakaʻilongaʻi ʻa e ngaahi fakamatala pe kupuʻi lea ʻoku tau loto ke manatuʻi ʻi ha fakamatala pe tohi.

Neongo ʻoku feʻungamālie hono vahevahe ʻa e Tohi Tapú ki ha ngaahi vahe mo ha veesi, manatuʻi maʻu pē taumuʻa tefitó—ko hono mahinoʻi ʻa e pōpoaki kakato ʻoku ʻomai ʻe he ʻOtuá. Fakatupulekina e tōʻonga ko hono lau ʻa e potutohí kae ʻikai ko ha ngaahi foʻi veesi pē. ʻI hono fai ení ʻe tokoniʻi ai koe ke toe maheni ange mo e kotoa ʻo e “ngaahi potutohi māʻoniʻoní, ʻa ia ʻoku malava ke ne ʻai koe ke ke poto ke maʻu ai ʻa e fakamoʻui.”—2 Tīmote 3:15.