Ufumu Wotayika Umene Unachititsa Manyazi Osuliza Baibulo
“Kalelo mbiri ya ufumu wa Asuri inali nkhani yosadziŵika kwambiri m’zolembedwa za mbiri yadziko.” “Zonse zomwe zinadziŵika za mzinda wamakedzana wa Nineve zinali zilozero za apa ndi apo ndi maulosi onena za uwo m’Baibulo, ndi zolembedwa wamba ndi zosakwanira za mbiri ya Asuri m’buku la Diodorus Siculus . . . ndi ena.”—Cyclopædia of Biblical Literature, Mavolyumu 1 ndi 3, 1862.
WOLEMBA mbiri Wachigiriki Diodorus Siculus anakhalako zaka 2,000 zapitazo. Iye ananena kuti Nineve anali mzinda wambali zinayi; mbali zinayizo zinakwanira mastadiya 480 muutali wake. Zimenezo zikutanthauza ukulu wokwanira makilomita 96! Baibulo limapereka chithunzi chofananacho, likumalongosola Nineve kukhala mzinda waukulu “wa ulendo wa masiku atatu.”—Yona 3:3.
Osuliza Baibulo a m’zaka za zana la 19 anakana kukhulupirira kuti mzinda wosadziŵika wa dziko lamakedzana ukanakhala waukulu motero. Iwo ananenanso kuti ngati Nineve anakhalakodi, ayenera kukhala anali mbali ya chitaganya chamakedzana chomwe chinakhalako Babulo asanakhale.
Lingaliro limeneli nlosemphana ndi Genesis chaputala 10, chimene chimanena kuti mdzukulutuvi wa Nowa, Nimrode, anakhazikitsa boma landale zadziko loyamba m’chigawo cha Babele, kapena Babulo. “M’dziko momwemo,” Baibulo likupitiriza kuti “iye anatuluka kumka ku [Asuri], namanga Nineve, ndi mudzi wa Rehoboti, ndi Kala, ndi Resene pakati pa Nineve ndi Kala, umenewo ndi mudzi waukulu.” (Genesis 10:8-12) Tawonani, lembalo likufotokoza mizinda inayi yatsopano ya Asuri kukhala “mudzi waukulu” umodzi.
Mu 1843 wofukula za m’mabwinja Wachifalansa, Paul-Émile Botta, anatulukira mabwinja a nyumba yachifumu imene inatsimikizira kukhala mbali ya mzinda wa Asuri. Pamene nkhani yonena za kutulukira kumeneku inafikira anthu ambiri, inachititsa chisangalalo chachikulu. “Anthu anakondwera kwambiri,” akufotokoza motero Alan Millard m’buku lake lakuti Treasures From Bible Times, “pamene kunatsimikiziridwa kuti nyumba yachifumuyo inali ya Sarigoni, mfumu ya Asuri yotchulidwa mu Yesaya 20:1, amene kukhalapo kwake kunakaikiridwa chifukwa chakuti anali wosadziŵika.”
Panthaŵiyo, wofukula za m’mabwinja wina, Austen Henry Layard, anayamba kukumba mabwinja pamalo otchedwa Nimrud pafupifupi makilomita 42 kum’mwera koma chakumadzulo kwa Khorsabad. Mabwinjawo anatsimikizira kukhala a Kala—umodzi wa mizinda inayi ya Asuri yotchulidwa pa Genesis 10:11. Ndiyeno, mu 1849, Layard anafukula mabwinja a nyumba yachifumu yaikulu pamalo otchedwa Kuyunjik, pakati pa Kala ndi Khorsabad. Nyumba yachifumuyo inatsimikizira kukhala mbali ya Nineve. Pakati pa Khorsabad ndi Kala pali mabwinja a midzi ina, kuphatikizapo chiunda chotchedwa Karamles. “Ngati titenga ziunda zinayi zazikulu za Nimrúd [Kala], Koyunjik [Nineve], Khorsabad, ndi Karamles, monga ngondya za chinthu cha mbali zinayi zolingana,” anatero Layard, “tidzapeza kuti mbali zinayizo zimalingana bwino kwambiri ndi mastadiya 480 kapena mamailo 60 [makilomita 96] a katswiri wa geography, amene amapanga ulendo wa masiku atatu wa mneneri [Yona].”
Pamenepo, mwachiwonekere, Yona anaphatikiza pamodzi midzi yonseyi monga “mzinda waukulu” umodzi, akumaitcha ndi dzina la mzinda woyamba pandandanda ya pa Genesis 10:11, wotchedwa, Nineve. Zofananazo zimachitidwa lerolino. Mwachitsanzo, pali kusiyana pakati pa mzinda woyambirira wa London ndi milaga yake, imene imapanga mzinda umene nthaŵi zina umatchedwa “London Wokulirapo.”
Mfumu Yodzikweza ya Asuri
Nyumba yachifumu ya ku Nineve inali ndi zipinda zoposa 70, ndipo inali ndi zipupa zokwanira pafupifupi makilomita atatu zitalumikizidwa pamodzi. Kuzipupa zimenezi kunali zotsalira zotenthedwa za zosemasema zokumbukira zilakiko zankhondo ndi zipambano zina. Zambiri zinali zowonongeka kwambiri. Komabe, chakumapeto kwa ulendo wake, Layard anatulukira chipinda china chomwe chinali chosungika modabwitsa. Kuzipupa kunali chisonyezero cha kulanda mzinda wotchinjirizidwa bwino, ndi akapolo akumaguba pamaso pa mfumu youkirayo, imene inakhala pampando wachifumu kunja kwa mzindawo. Pamwamba pa mfumuyo pali zilembo zimene akatswiri a kalembedwe ka Asuri amasulira motere: “Sanakeribu, mfumu ya dziko, mfumu ya Asuri, anakhala pampando wachifumu wa nimedu ndipo anayendera zofunkha (zotengedwa) ku Lakisi (La-ki-su).”
Lerolino chisonyezero ndi cholembedwa chimenechi chingawonedwe ku British Museum. Chimagwirizana ndi chochitika cha m’mbiri cholembedwa m’Baibulo pa 2 Mafumu 18:13, 14: “Chaka chakhumi ndi zinayi cha Hezekiya Sanakeribu mfumu ya Asuri anakwerera midzi yonse ya malinga ya Yuda, nailanda. Natumiza Hezekiya mfumu ya Yuda kwa mfumu ya Asuri ku Lakisi, ndi kuti, Ndalakwa; mundichokere; chimene mundisenzetse ndisenza. Pamenepo mfumu ya Asuri anaikira Hezekiya mfumu ya Yuda matalente mazana atatu a siliva ndi matalente makumi atatu a golidi.”
Zolembedwa zina zopezeka pamabwinja a Nineve zimapereka tsatanetsatane wowonjezereka wa kuukira Yuda kwa Sanakeribu ndi msonkho woperekedwa ndi Hezekiya. “Kuyenera kukhala kugwirizana kodabwitsa kwambiri kwa umboni wa mbiri yolembedwa, kuti unyinji wa chuma chagolidi chotengedwa kwa Hezekiya, matalente makumi atatu, umagwirizana ndendende m’zolembedwa ziŵiri zosiyanazo,” analemba motero Layard. Bwana Henry Rawlinson, amene anathandiza kumasulira kalembedwe ka Asuri, analengeza kuti zolembedwa zimenezi “zinatsimikizira mosatsutsika kukhalapo kwa [Sanakeribu] kochilikizidwa ndi mbiri yakale.” Ndiponso, Layard akufunsa m’buku lake la Nineveh and Babylon kuti: “Kodi ndani akanakhulupirira kuti zikanachitika kapena kuti zikanatheka, kutulukira kumeneku kusanapangidwe, kuti pansi pa mulu wa dothi ndi zinyalala zimene zinazindikiritsa malo a Nineve, pakanapezeka mbiri ya nkhondo za pakati pa Hezekiya ndi Sanakeribu, yolembedwa panthaŵi yeniyeniyo imene zinamenyedwa ndi Sanakeribu mwiniyo, ndipo ngakhale kutsimikizira mwatsatanetsatane cholembedwa cha Baibulo?”
Ndithudi, tsatanetsatane wina wa cholembedwa cha Sanakeribu samagwirizana ndi Baibulo. Mwachitsanzo, wofukula za m’mabwinja Alan Millard akuti: “Mfundo yachilendo kwambiri imawonekera kumapeto [kwa cholembedwa cha Sanakeribu]. Hezekiya anatumiza mthenga wake, ndi msonkho wonse, kwa Sanakeribu ‘pambuyo pake, ku Nineve’. Gulu lankhondo la Asuri silinanyamule zinthuzo kumka nazo kumudzi mwachilakiko monga mwa nthaŵi zonse.” Baibulo limanena kuti msonkhowo unaperekedwa mfumu ya Asuri isanabwerere ku Nineve. (2 Mafumu 18:15-17) Kodi nchifukwa ninji pali kusiyanaku? Ndipo nchifukwa ninji Sanakeribu sanakhoze kudzitamandira ponena zakugonjetsa likulu la Yuda, Yerusalemu, monga momwe anadzitamandira pa kugonjetsa kwake mzinda walinga wa m’dera la Yuda, Lakisi? Olemba Baibulo atatu akupereka yankho. Mmodzi wa iwo, mboni yowona ndi maso, analemba kuti: “Ndipo mthenga wa Yehova anatuluka, naphaipha m’zithando za Asuri, zikwi zana ndi makumi asanu ndi atatu ndi zisanu, ndipo pamene anthu anauka mamaŵa, tawonani, onse ndiwo mitembo. Ndipo Sanakeribu, mfumu ya Asuri, anachoka, namuka, nabwerera, nakhala pa Nineve.”—Yesaya 37:36, 37; 2 Mafumu 19:35; 2 Mbiri 32:21.
M’buku lake la Treasures From Bible Times, Millard akugomeka kuti: “Palibe chifukwa chabwino chokaikira nkhani imeneyi . . . Momvekera bwino, Sanakeribu sakadalemba tsoka loterolo kuti womuloŵa m’malo akaŵerenge, popeza kuti zimenezi zikanamnyozetsa.” M’malomwake, Sanakeribu anayesa kupereka chithunzi chakuti kuukira kwake Yuda kunali kwachipambano ndi kuti Hezekiya anapitiriza kumgonjera, akumatumiza msonkho ku Nineve.
Magwero a Asuri Atsimikiziridwa
Malaibulale okhala ndi magome amapale zikwi makumi ochuluka anatulukiridwanso ku Nineve. Zolembedwa zimenezi zimatsimikizira kuti ufumu wa Asuri unayambira kum’mwera ku Babulo, monga momwe Genesis 10:11 amasonyezera. Mwakugwiritsira ntchito chidziŵitso chimenechi, ofukula za m’mabwinja anayamba kusumika zoyesayesa zawo chakum’mwera. Encyclopædia Biblica ikufotokoza kuti: “Zonse zimene Asuri anasiya m’mbuyo zimasonyeza kuti anachokera ku Babulo. Chinenero chawo ndi kalembedwe kawo, mabuku awo, chipembedzo chawo, ndi sayansi yawo zinatengedwa kwa anansi awo a kum’mwera koma anangozisintha pang’ono.”
Zotulukiridwa zonga zapamwambazi zakakamiza osuliza Baibulo kusintha malingaliro awo. Ndithudi, kufufuza Baibulo mowona mtima kumasonyeza kuti linalembedwa ndi olemba osamalitsa, owona mtima. Yemwe kale anali woweruza wamkulu wa Supreme Court ya ku United States, Salmon P. Chase, ananena izi pambuyo pofufuza Baibulo: “Linali phunziro lalitali, losamalitsa, ndi lakuya: ndipo mwakugwiritsira ntchito miyezo ya umboni wofananawo pankhani yachipembedzoyi monga momwe ndimachitira nthaŵi zonse ndi zinthu zakudziko, ndafika pachigamulo chakuti Baibulo sibuku la munthu, koma kuti linachokera kwa Mulungu.”—The Book of Books: An Introduction.
Ndithudi, Baibulo siliri chabe mbiri yolongosoka. Lilinso Mawu ouziridwa a Mulungu, mphatso yopindulitsa anthu. (2 Timoteo 3:16) Umboni wa zimenezi ungawonedwe mwakupenda malo otchulidwa m’Baibulo. Zimenezi zidzafotokozedwa m’kope lotsatira.
[Zithunzi pamasamba 6, 7]
Pamwamba: Malongosoledwe atsatanetsatane atatu otengedwa pa chikumbutso cha pachipupa
Pansi: Chithunzithunzi cha chikumbutso cha pachipupa cha Asuri chosonyeza kulandidwa kwa Lakisi
[Mawu a Chithunzi]
(Mwachilolezo cha The British Museum)
(Chotengedwa m’buku lakuti The Bible in the British Museum, lofalitsidwa ndi British Museum Press)
[Mawu a Chithunzi patsamba 4]
Mwachilolezo cha Trustees of The British Museum