So Ɔbonsam Wɔ Hɔ?

“Kristofo Asɔre no abakɔsɛm mu bere bi wɔ hɔ a na wogye di paa sɛ ɔbonsam, Beelsebub, anaa Satan, bɔne nyinaa wura no wɔ hɔ sɛnea ɛnnɛ nnipa kakra bi gye di sɛ ‘Onyankopɔn’ wɔ hɔ no; ɛyɛ ade a Yudafo ne tete Kristofo no bɔɔ wɔn tirim yɛe na ama wɔde afoa adwene a na wokura sɛ bɔne a na ɛrekɔ so wɔ wɔn bere so no fi abɔde a ne fã yɛ aboa na ne fã yɛ nipa yi. Nanso akyiri yi Kristofo behui sɛ eyi yɛ anansesɛm mu abɔde bi a enni nnyinaso titiriw biara sɛ ɔwɔ hɔ ma enti wɔbɔ gui sɛ ɔbonsam nni hɔ.”—“All in the Mind—A Farewell to God,” a Ludovic Kennedy kyerɛwee.

SƐNEA nsɛnkyerɛwfo Ludovic Kennedy kyerɛ no, wɔ mfehaha pii mu no, na Kristoman muni biara nnye wɔ a Ɔbonsam wɔ hɔ no ho kyim. Mmom no, sɛnea Ɔbenfo Norman Cohn ka no no, ɛtɔ mmere bi a, tumi a ‘Satan ne n’adaemone no wɔ no hyɛ Kristofo adwene so.’ (Europe’s Inner Demons) Na ɛnyɛ mpapahwekwa nko na eyi hyɛ wɔn adwene so. Sɛ nhwɛso no, Ɔbenfo Cohn ka sɛ, gyidi a ɛne sɛ Ɔbonsam dan ne ho te sɛ aboa na odi bɔne ne amanne ahorow a wɔyɛ adapaade wom anim no “mfi nnipa dodow a wonnim nhoma no anansesɛm mu, na mmom nkurɔfo a wiase bu wɔn sɛ abirɛmpɔn a wonim nhoma.” Na nkurɔfo ho mfomso a wɔhwehwɛ ho asodi no da saa “abirɛmpɔn”—a na asɔfo a wonim nhoma ka ho-wɔ Europa fi afeha 15 kosi 17 mu bere a wɔka sɛ asɔre no ne aban atumfoɔ yɛɛ nnipa bɛyɛ 50,000 a wɔkyerɛ sɛ wɔyɛ abayifo aninnyane kunkum wɔn no so.

Ɛnyɛ nwonwa sɛ pii apo Ɔbonsam ho nsɛm a egyina gyidihunu so no. Wɔ 1726 mu tɔnn na Daniel Defoe dii nkurɔfo gyidi a ɛne sɛ Ɔbonsam yɛ aboa bi a ne ho yɛ hu a “ɔwɔ ampan ntaban, mmɛn, nan a emu apae abien, tɛkrɛma a ɛte sɛ adinam ne nea ɛkeka ho” ho fɛw. Ɔkae sɛ: Nsusuwii a ɛte saa “nni mũ” na efi “wɔn a wosusuw sɛ ɔbonsam wɔ hɔ ne wɔn a wɔyɛ ne nsɛso” na “wɔde ɔbonsam a wɔn ankasa ayɛ daadaa nnipa a na wonnim hwee no.”

So saa na wususuw? So wo nso wugye di sɛ “ɔbonsam yɛ biribi a nnipa ayɛ a wɔde yi wɔn bɔne ho ano”? Saa asɛm no pue wɔ The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible mu, na nnipa pii a wɔkyerɛ sɛ wɔyɛ Kristofo no susuw saa. Jeffrey Burton Russell ka sɛ ne nyinaa mu no, Kristoman mu nyamekyerɛfo “bɔ Ɔbonsam ne adaemone no ho adwene gu sɛ ɛyɛ gyidihunu a ɛwɔ hɔ fi tete.”

 Nanso, wɔ ebinom fam no, Ɔbonsam wɔ hɔ ankasa. Wosusuw sɛ, ɛbɛyɛ sɛ tumi bi a ɛboro nnipa de so hyɛ nneɛma bɔne a esisi wɔ adesamma abakɔsɛm mu no akyi. Russell ka sɛ: “Ahude akɛse a asisi wɔ afeha a ɛto so aduonu no mu” no yɛ ade biako a “enti Ɔbonsam ho gyidi a wogyaee mu mfe pii no asan asɔre bio.” Sɛnea nhoma kyerɛwfo Don Lewis kyerɛ no, nnɛyi nhomanimfo a “wodi wɔn nananom a wonnim nhoma no gyidihunu ne nneɛma a na ɛhaw wɔn ho fɛw” no “asan rekyerɛ nneɛma a ɛrekɔ so wɔ ahonhom atrae no ho anigye”—Religious Superstition Through the Ages.

Ɛnde, dɛn ankasa ne asɛm no mu nokwasɛm? So Ɔbonsam yɛ gyidihunu a ntease nnim ara kwa? Anaasɛ ɔyɛ obi a ɛsɛ sɛ yesusuw ne ho anibere so wɔ afeha 21 yi mu mpo?

[Mfonini wɔ kratafa 4]

Tete gyidihunu ahorow kaa Ɔbonsam ho asɛm sɛ aboa fã ne nipa fã sɛnea wɔada no adi wɔ mfonini a Gustave Doré, yɛe yi mu no

[Asɛm Fibea]

The Judecca—Lucifer/The Doré Illustrations For Dante’s Divine Comedy/Dover Publications Inc.