Story
E hia o tātou ka tū ake, ka kōrero ki ētahi atu i ō tātou whakapono mō Ihu Karaiti? E hia o tātou e tino whakapono ana kua tino noho tō tātou whakapono hei wāhanga o tō tātou tuakiri, e tika ana kia kauwhautia mā te koa ki te hunga katoa e pātai mai ana ki a tātou? Ko te noho hei ākonga nā Ihu ehara i te mea māmā, nā te mea i mea mai a Ihu i tētahi wā: "Kia tūpato ki ngā tāngata, ka tukua hoki koutou e rātou ki ngā rūnanga... Ka kawea koutou ki te aroaro o ngā kāwana me ngā kīngi mōku, hei whakaatu ki a rātou me ngā tauiwi... Kaua e māharahara ki te āhua, ki te kupu rānei e kōrero ai koutou...
E hoatu hoki ki a koutou i taua haora... Ka kinongia hoki koutou e te katoa mō tōku ingoa. Ko te tangata ia e manawanui ana tae noa ki te mutunga, ka ora ia." (Matiu 10:16 me ngā kupu e whai ake nei (Matthew 10:16)) I te mutunga o te toru rau tau, i noho tētahi tāngata Karaitiana ko Mareko (Marcos) tōna ingoa. Ko ia te kaiwhakahaere o ngā takiwā o Borolos me Zahfaran i Ihipa. Kotahi anake te tamāhine a Mareko, ko Temiana (Demiana) tōna ingoa. He rongonui tōna ātaahua me tōna pai. I tino aroha tōna pāpā ki a ia, ā, i whakapau kaha ia ki te whakatipu i a ia i runga i te tikanga Karaitiana pono.
He pai ki a Temiana te īnoi me te pānui i ngā pukapuka tapu i te tūmataiti o tōna rūma. He maha ngā wā i tangi ai ia, i a ia e īnoi ana, i te mea i rongo ia i te aroha o tōna Kaiwhakaora a te Karaiti e whakakī ana i tōna ngākau iti. I te tau ōrite a Temiana, i hiahia tōna pāpā kia mārena ia ki tētahi o ōna hoa rangatira, engari i whakakāhore a Temiana. I mea ia kua tukua e ia a ia anō hei wahine mārena hou ki te Karaiti, ā, i whakaaro ia ki te noho kore mārena i ōna rā katoa, kia āhei ai ia ki te mahi ki te Ariki a Ihu Karaiti.
I tono anō a Temiana ki tōna pāpā kia hangaia he whare māna ki ngā taha o waho o te pā, kia āhei ai ia ki te noho ki reira, me ōna hoa, hei nēni i tawhiti atu i te ao me ōna whakawaitanga. I tōna mōhio ki tōna hiahia hōhonu ki te oranga tika, i whakaae heoi te ngākau koretake tōna pāpā kia whiwhi a Temiana i tāna i hiahia ai, ā, i hangaia e ia he whare rangatira nui māna. I hurihia e Temiana te whare rangatira hei whare nēni, ā, i noho ia ki reira me ngā wahine e whā tekau o ōna hoa. He kōtiro kore mārena katoa rātou, ā, i a rātou te ringa o te Ariki, i hoatu ki a rātou te kaha me te whakamārietanga.
I taua wā ka tīmata a Dakiritiana (Diocletian), te Emepara, ki te whakamamae me te kōhuru i ngā Karaitiana e whakakāhore ana ki te karakia ki ōna whakapakoko (Apollo me Artemis). I te wā i pōhiritia ai a Mareko kia tūturi ki te aroaro o ngā whakapakoko me te tuku whakakakara, i whakakāhore ia. Engari i whakaae a Mareko nā te whakapono a Dakiritiana ki te oati ki te hoatu ki a ia he tūranga teitei ake i te Emepaea o Roma. I te wā i rongo ai a Temiana kua tūturi tōna pāpā ki ngā whakapakoko, ka wehe atu ia i te whare rangatira ka haere tika atu ki a ia.
I mea ia, "Me pēhea koe e āhei ai ki te whakakāhore i tō Kaiwhakaora i whakahekehia ōna toto ki te whakaora i a koe, me te tūturi ki ngā whakapakoko kōhatu e nōhia ana e te rēwera. Ko tāu i mahi ai, e tōku pāpā, he mahi mātao, he mahi whakamā." I te wā i rongo ai a Mareko i ngā kupu a tāna tamāhine, ka hoki tōna whakaaro tika. I mea ia, "Aue, te mate moku, me pēhea ahau i taka ai ki te rore a te Rēwera, ā, i karakia ai ki aua whakapakoko koretake." Kātahi ka whakatika tonu ia, ka haere ki a Dakiritiana.
I rīpekatia e ia a ia anō i runga i te ingoa o te Matua, te Tama, me te Wairua Tapu i te aroaro o te katoa, ā, ka karanga me te reo nui, "Kia mōhio te tangata katoa e karakia ana ahau ki te Atua o te rangi me te whenua, tōku Atua kotahi me tōku Ariki a Ihu te Karaiti." I raruraru a Dakiritiana, ā, i whakapau kaha ia ki te huri i te whakaaro o Mareko, engari i tēnei wā kua whakakīia tōna ngākau e te Wairua Tapu, ā, ka whakaatu ia me te māia kua pai ia ki te mate, kaua ki te whakakāhore i tōna Kaiwhakaora. I tino riri a Dakiritiana, ā, ka whakahau ia i ngā hōia kia kōhurutia ia.
I te wā i mōhio ai te Emepara ko Temiana te tamāhine a Mareko nāna i huri te whakaaro o tōna pāpā, ka whakahau ia i tētahi o ōna rangatira hōia kia mau i te kotahi rau hōia, kia whakaeke i te whare rangatira. "Tuatahi, me whakamātau ki te whakaae i a ia ki te karakia ki ō tātou whakapakoko," te kupu a Dakiritiana. "Engari, ki te whakakāhore ia, whakawehia ia, whakamamaea ia, ā, kōhurutia rānei kia waiho ia hei tauira mō ētahi atu Karaitiana." I te wā i kite ai a Temiana i ngā hōia e whakatata ana ki te whare rangatira, ka īnoi ia ki te Atua kia whakapakari i tō rātou whakapono tae noa ki te mate.
Kātahi ka mea ia ki ōna hoa, "Ki te pai koutou ki te mate mō Ihu, e āhei ana koutou ki te noho, engari ki te kore koutou e taea te whakaririka a ngā hōia, he pai ake kia tere koutou ki te oma ināianei tonu." Ka whakahoki ngā wāhine e whā tekau kāhore rātou e ngaro i te ora mutungakore mō te ngahau noa mō ētahi wāhanga poto i tēnei ao kino. I te wā i kawea ai e te rangatira hōia te karere a Dakiritiana ki a Temiana, ka whakahoki ia, "Me pēhea ahau e wehe ai i tōku Ariki me tōku Atua a Ihu Karaiti, ka piko ki te aroaro o ngā whakapakoko matapō, wahangū, me te turi!
Me whakamā koe me tō Emepara mō ā kōrua mahi whakamā, ā, e kī ana ahau ki a koe ahakoa kōhurutia ahau e koe, e kore tōku whakapono e oioi." I tino whakamā te rangatira hōia, ā, ka whakahau ia i ngā hōia kia whakamamaetia a Temiana ki ngā tini huarahi nanakia.
I a ia e rongo ana i te mamae nui puta noa i tōna tinana, ka hāpai ia i tōna kanohi ki te rangi, ka īnoi, "E tōku Ariki, e Ihu, te Tama a te Runga Rawa i rīpekatia kia whakaora i a au, hōmai ki a au te kaha kia taea te mamae." E whā tekau ngā wāhine puhi i te mātakitaki me te tangi, engari i mea a Temiana ki a rātou, "Kaua e tangi, e ōku tuāhine, i whakamamaetia, i kōhurutia tō tātou Ariki a Ihu Karaiti i te mea i aroha ia ki a tātou, ahakoa kāhore ia i hara kotahi.
Tērā noa atu te tikanga kia pōwhiritia e au te mate i runga i tōna ingoa, inarā mēnā e mōhio pono ana ahau ki te korōria o te rangi e tatari mai ana ki a au!" I muri i te ngenge o ngā hōia ki te whakamamae i a Temiana, ka maka e rātou tōna tinana āhua mate ki te whare herehere. Engari ka puta mai ki a ia te Arikiānahera a Mikaera, ka pā ia ki a ia ki ōna parirau o te rangi, ā, ka whakaora i ōna tūnga. I te rā i muri mai, i whakaaro te rangatira hōia kua mate ia, engari i te wā i tū ia ki tōna aroaro me te tino hauora, i tino pōrearea ia.
I te wā i kite ai ētahi tāngata i te mea i puta, ka karanga rātou, "He Karaitiana mātou. E whakapono ana mātou ki te Atua o Temiana. Kāhore ō mātou atu Atua atu i a Ihu Karaiti." I tino raruraru ake te rangatira hōia, ā, ka kōhurutia rātou katoa. I haere tonu te whakamamae a Temiana i runga i te huarahi nanakia ake mō ngā rā maha, engari anō, anō ka puta te Arikiānahera a Mikaera, ka whakaora i a ia. I te rā whakamutunga i mua i tōna matenga-whakamate, ka haere mai a tō tātou Ariki a Ihu anō ki a ia, ka mea ki a ia, "Kia māia, e taku mea whiriwhiria. Kua whakaritea e au māu te karauna o tō mārena i te rangi.
Ka maumaharatia tōu ingoa mō ake tonu atu, nā te mea ka noho ia hei take mō ngā merekara maha, ā, ki tēnei wāhi ka hangaia he whare karakia nui hei whakahōnore i tōu ingoa manaakitia." I te mutunga ka whakahau te rangatira hōia i ngā hōia kia poutoa te māhunga o Temiana ki te hoari, me ngā wāhine puhi e whā tekau. Ko te tapeke o te hunga i mate-whakamate me Temiana ko te whā rau pea. I ētahi tau i muri mai, i te wā i tae ai te Kīngi a Constantine (te kīngi Karaitiana tuatahi) ki te mana, i tukua e ia tōna whaea a Kuīni Helena ki te whare rangatira o Temiana.
I tanumia e Helena ngā tinana katoa i kitea e ia me te tino hōnore. I whakatakotoria e ia te tinana o Temiana ki runga i tētahi moenga rēhia hira (ivory) me te whakapaipai ki te kākahu hīraka, ā, ki taua wāhi anō ka hangaia e ia he whare karakia. He whare nēni nui anō tā Te Tapu Temiana ki Belkas, ā, he maha ngā whare karakia i Ihipa e mau ana i tōna ingoa. Mā ngā īnoi me ngā manaakitanga o tēnei whakamate-a-whakapono nui, a Te Tapu Temiana, tātou katoa e noho. Āmine