ILizwi LikaThixo—Ubungqina Bokuba Liyinyaniso
Ngaba yinyaniso okanye bubuxoki?—IBhayibhile idluliselwe kwizizukulwana ingakhange iguqulwe.
Ngaba yinyaniso okanye bubuxoki?—Amawaka ezinto ehlukene ngazo imibhalo-ngqangi yeBhayibhile alenza buthathaka ibango layo lokuba iliLizwi likaThixo.
NGAPHAMBI kokuba uphendule loo mibuzo, qwalasela inkcazelo ethile enikelwe kutshanje xa bekukho uMboniso othi “ILizwi likaThixo” obuqhutyelwe kwiChester Beatty Library eDublin, eIreland.
Amaphepha enziwe ngemizi angamadlakadlaka naziziqwenga aya esonakala njengoko ixesha lihamba. Kanti, imibhalo-ngqangi iChester Beatty yeyona mibhalo-ngqangi ixabisekileyo kweli thala leencwadi. Yavunjululwa kumangcwaba aseYiputa malunga nowe-1930. UMhlekazi uFrederic Kenyon wathi, “[Yayikuphela] kwento eyakhe yafunyanwa enokuthelekiswa nokufunyanwa kweCodex Sinaiticus.”
La maphepha enziwe ngemizi abhalwe ngesandla, ekwimo yecodex, akhutshelwa ngenkulungwane yesibini, yesithathu neyesine yeXesha lethu Eliqhelekileyo. UWilfrid Lockwood, umnyamekeli wethala leencwadi, wathi “Eminye, kusenokwenzeka ukuba yakhutshelwa ebudeni beminyaka elikhulu yokubhalwa kwayo kokuqala.” (Akekeliswe sithi.) Enye icodex ineengxelo ezine zeVangeli nencwadi yeZenzo. Enye inezona ncwadi zininzi zompostile uPawulos, kuquka nencwadi yakhe eyayisiya kumaHebhere.
Ukukhuphela imibhalo-ngqangi elolu hlobo kwakukruqula yaye kudinisa, yaye kwakunokuba neempazamo ezininzi. Enoba umkhupheli wayenokuba ngonenyameko kangakanani na, kwakulula ukuba afunde kakubi igama okanye ashiye isivakalisi. Maxa wambi umkhupheli wayenomdla ngakumbi ekuqondeni umbandela nentsingiselo yombhalo-ngqangi wamandulo kunokuba afumane amagama ngokuthe ngqo. Njengokuba imibhalo yaphinda yakhutshelwa, zazingapheli iimpazamo. Abaphengululi bezibhalo bayahlulahlula imibhalo-ngqangi ngokweendidi ezahlukeneyo. Le mibhalo-ngqangi iChester Beatty, eyona mibhalo-ngqangi mininzi midala yeBhayibhile yesiGrike ekhoyo, yanika abaphengululi imbono engalindelekanga entsha ngezinto, ekubeni yayingangeni nakoluphi na udidi olwalukho.
Ngaphambi kwexesha likaYesu, yaye ngokungakumbi emva kokutshatyalaliswa kweYerusalem (607 B.C.E.) nokusasazeka kokugqibela kwamaYuda, kwenziwa imibhalo emininzi eyayibhalwe ngesandla yeZibhalo ezingcwele zesiHebhere. Malunga nowe-100 C.E., ababesemagunyeni kwelakwaYuda basebenzisa imibhalo enjalo ukuseka ingxelo yesiHebhere eyathi yamkelwa ngamaYuda agcine isithethe.
Kwakhona baseka imithetho engqalileyo ukuze baqinisekise ukukhutshelwa okuchanileyo kwaloo ngxelo. Bazichaza ngokungqalileyo izinto ezazinokubhalwa kwanobukhulu nezithuba eziphakathi koonobumba, amagama, imigca nemihlathi. Bathi, “Akukho gama okanye unobumba, ingenguye noyod [oyena nobumba mncinane koonobumba besiHebhere], omele abhalwe ngokusuka kwinkumbulo.” Ngaloo ndlela abakhupheli bavelisa imisongo efana neTorah (imfundiso), eyayibumba iincwadi ezintlanu zokuqala zeBhayibhile, nencwadi kaEstere. Ingxelo yomboniso yathi ngemibhalo-ngqangi enjalo yesibhalo sesiHebhere, “ibonisa owona mlinganiselo usemagqabini wokuvumelana.”
Ngaba zazinzulu kangakanani iimpazamo ezanyebelezela kwimibhalo-ngqangi yesiHebhere neyezibhalo zamaKristu zesiGrike? UMnu. Lockwood wathi, “Ifanele igxininiswe into yokuba, umahluko okhoyo phakathi kwemibhalo-ngqangi yeBhayibhile awunabunzulu konke konke xa uthelekiswa nalowo ufumaneka kwimibhalo-ngqangi yoncwadi lwabahedeni. . . . Imfundiso yamaKristu ayichatshazelwa nangayiphi na indlela ziimpazamo zababhali—Akekeliswe sithi.
Ukususela ngaphambi nangasemva kwexesha likaYesu iincwadi zeBhayibhile zaguqulelwa kwezinye iilwimi. Enye yezona nguqulelo zindala yiSamaritan Pentateuch. AmaSamariya yayingabantu ababemi kumhlaba wezizwe ezilishumi zobukumkani bakwaSirayeli emva kokuba ukumkani waseAsiriya ethimbe amaSirayeli (740 B.C.E.). Athabathela kuwo iindlela ezithile zonqulo lobuYuda aza amkela iincwadi ezintlanu zokuqala zeBhayibhile, ezibizwa ngokuba yiPentateuch. Okwakuqulethwe zezi ncwadi zamaSamariya nokwakubhalwe ngohlobo lokubhala lwamandulo lwesiHebhere, kunezinto ezingama-6 000 ezingumahluko kumbhalo wesiHebhere. Ingxelo yomboniso yathi, “Inkoliso yazo azibalulekanga kangako esibhalweni nangona ngokunokwenzeka zibangele umdla njengoko ziqulethe izinto eziyimbalasane ngendlela yamandulo yokubizwa kwamagama nomgaqo-ntetho.”
Kwinkulungwane yesithathu Ngaphambi kweXesha Eliqhelekileyo, abaphengululi bamaYuda eAlexandria, eYiputa, bavelisa inguqulelo yesiGrike yeSeptuagint yeZibhalo zesiHebhere, eyasetyenziswa ngamaYuda athetha isiGrike ehlabathini lonke. Ekuhambeni kwexesha amaYuda ayeka ukuyisebenzisa, kodwa yaba yiBhayibhile yebandla lamaKristu okuqala. Xa ababhali beBhayibhile abangamaKristu babecaphula kwiZibhalo ezingcwele zesiHebhere, babesebenzisa iSeptuagint. Imibhalo-ngqangi iChester Beatty yeZibhalo zesiHebhere iquka amaphepha ali-13 encwadi kaDaniyeli akwiSeptuagint.
Iinguqulelo zamva zeBhayibhile zaveliswa ngeelwimi ezinjengesiLatin, isiYiputa, isiAram nesiArmeniya. Omnye umzekelo owaboniswayo ngesihlandlo somboniso yayiyicodex yezintsu yenguqulelo yesiYiputa yecandelo elithile leBhayibhile ukususela kwinkulungwane yesithandathu okanye yesixhenxe yeXesha Eliqhelekileyo. Iinguqulelo ezinjengezi zibanceda njani abaphengululi beBhayibhile nabahlalutyi bemibhalo? Iinguqulelo ezinjalo zidla ngokuba yinguqulelo engqalileyo yemibhalo-ngqangi yesiGrike eyasetyenziswa ngabaguquleli. UMnu. Lockwood wacacisa esithi, “Ukuba umbhalo wesiGrike awathi umguquleli wawusebenzisa wawungochanileyo, kucacile ukuba inguqulelo leyo ibiya kuba luncedo olukhulu kumsebenzi wokufumana amagama antlandlolo esiGrike.”
Okuxabiseke gqitha nokukhethekileyo okuboniswe kwithala leencwadi ngamagqabaza ombhali ongumAram owayephila ngenkulungwane yesine uEphraem, kaTatian akwiDiatessaron. Malunga nowe-170 C.E., uTatian wahlanganisa ingxelo engqinelanayo yobomi nobulungiseleli bukaYesu, esebenzisa ingcaphulo yeeVangeli ezine (igama uDiatessaron lithetha “ukuya kutsho kwezine”). Ngenxa yokuba kungekho mibhalo yasindayo, bambi abahlalutyi kwinkulungwane edluleyo baye baphika ukuba kwakhe kwakho iiVangeli ezivumelana ngolu hlobo. Aba bahlalutyi bema ngelokuba iiVangeli ezine azizange zibhalwe de kwasisiqingatha senkulungwane yesibini.
Noko ke, kwiminyaka elikhulu edluleyo, ukufunyanwa kweenguqulelo zeDiatessaron ngesiArmeniya nesiArabhu kwanyanzelela ukuba aba bagxeki baqatha barhoxe kule mbambano. Kwandula ke, ngowe-1956, uMhlekazi uChester Beatty wafumana le ngxelo isemagqabini yenkulungwane yesihlanu okanye yesithandathu equlethe izicatshulwa ezide zemibhalo kaTatian. UMnu. Lockwood, wathi “Ngokuqinisekileyo kwayiphelisa ingcinga yokuba iiVangeli ezine zazingafumaneki ngelo xesha lembali.”
Loo Mboniso ‘weLizwi likaThixo’ wawusisikhumbuzo sobuninzi boko kunokufunyanwa ngabaphengululi beBhayibhile nabahlalutyi bayo. Makhe siyekele komnye waba baphengululi, uMhlekazi uFrederic Kenyon, acacise ngokubaluleka kwayo yonke le mibhalo-ngqangi yeBhayibhile eye yafunyanwa yaze kwangaxeshanye yaphendula imibuzo ephakanyiswe ekuqaleni:
“Kusenokuphazamisa kwabanye ukwahlukana nengcamango yokuba iBhayibhile iye yafikelela kuthi ingakhange iguqulwe . . . Kubangela intembelo ekugqibeleni ukufumanisa ukuba ngokubanzi umphumo wezi zinto zifunyenweyo nalo lonke uphengululo olwenziweyo lomeleza ubungqina bokunyanisa kweZibhalo, nesiqinisekiso esinaso sokuba sinentembelo eyomeleleyo yokuba, ezandleni zethu sineLizwi likaThixo eliyinene.” (The Story of the Bible, iphepha 113)—INdumiso 119:105; 1 Petros 1:25.
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 27]
Imibhalo-ngqangi yephepha lemizi yenkulungwane yesithathu—2 Korinte 4:13–5:4
[Inkcazelo]
Reproduced by permission of the Chester Beatty Library
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 28]
Imisongo yencwadi kaEstere yenkulungwane ye-18 eyayenziwe ngofele nangezintsu
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Reproduced by permission of the Chester Beatty Library
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 29]
Icodex yezintsu yenkulungwane yesithandathu okanye yesixhenxe—Yohane 1:1-9, inguqulelo yaseYiputa
[Inkcazelo]
Reproduced by permission of the Chester Beatty Library
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 30]
Icodex yezintsu yenkulungwane yesihlanu okanye yesithandathu—Inkcazelo kaEphraem equka izicatshulwa zeDiatessaron kaTatian, ngesiAram
[Inkcazelo]
Reproduced by permission of the Chester Beatty Library