UMkhukula Ongenakulibaleka
MALUNGA neminyaka engama-4 300 eyadlulayo, unogumbe otshabalalisayo wagubungela wonke umhlaba. Ngesikhukula nje esinye, watshayela phantse yonke into ephilayo. Wawumkhulu kangangokuba washiya umfanekiso ongacimekiyo ezingqondweni zoluntu, yaye sizukulwana ngasinye sabalisela esilandelayo ngawo.
Kwiminyaka enokuba ngama-850 emva koMkhukula, umbhali ongumHebhere uMoses wabhala phantsi ingxelo engoNogumbe womhlaba uphela. Le ngxelo iye yalondolozwa kwincwadi yeBhayibhile yeGenesis, apho sinokufunda khona iinkcukacha ezicacileyo kwisahluko sesithandathu ukusa kwesesibhozo.
Ingxelo YeBhayibhile NgoMkhukula
IGenesis inikela ezi nkcukacha, ngokucacileyo ezo zengqina lokuzibonela: “Ngomnyaka wamakhulu omathandathu wokudla ubomi kukaNowa, ngenyanga yesibini, ngosuku lweshumi elinesixhenxe enyangeni leyo, kanye ngayo loo mini, yagqabhuka yonke imithombo yamanzi enzonzobila enkulu, iingcango zezulu zavuleka. Yaba ngunogumbe imihla emashumi mane ehlabathini, enyuka amanzi, awufukula umkhombe, wafunquleka emhlabeni. Aba namandla amanzi kunene kakhulu ehlabathini, zagutyungelwa zonke iintaba eziphakamileyo kakhulu, eziphantsi kwamazulu onke.”—Genesis 7:11, 17, 19.
Ngokuphathelele umphumo woMkhukula kwizinto eziphilayo, iBhayibhile ithi: “Yaphuma umphefumlo yonke inyama enambuzelayo emhlabeni, kwiintaka, nakwizinto ezizitho zine, nakwizinto eziphilileyo, nakwinyakanyaka yonke enyakazelayo emhlabeni, nabantu bonke.” Noko ke, uNowa nabanye abantu abasixhenxe basinda, ndawonye nezimbalwa kuhlobo ngalunye lwawo onke amarhamncwa, izidalwa ezibhabhayo nezinto ezihambahamba phezu komhlaba. (Genesis 7:21, 23) Zonke zazikhuselwe kumkhombe omkhulu odadayo owawumalunga neemitha ezili-133 ubude, ezingama-22 ububanzi nezili-13 ukuphakama. Ekubeni umkhombe wawucetyelwe kuphela ukuba ungangenwa ngamanzi nokuba uhlale udada, umphantsi wawo wawungekho mgobongqo, umphambili ungetsolo, wawungenazinto zokuwenza uzihambele okanye isixhobo sokuwuqhuba. Umkhombe kaNowa wawuyinqanawa nje ebuxande nefana nebhokisi.
Kwiinyanga ezintlanu emva kokuba uNogumbe uqalile, umkhombe wathi zinzi phezu kweentaba zeArarati, namhlanje ezikwimpuma yeTurkey. UNowa nentsapho yakhe baphumela ngaphandle komkhombe kumhlaba owomileyo kwisithuba sonyaka emva kokuba uMkhukula uqalisile baza baqalisa ngokutsha indlela eqhelekileyo yobomi. (Genesis 8:14-19) Ekuhambeni kwexesha, uluntu lwaluphindaphindeke ngokwaneleyo kangangokuba lwakwazi ukuqalisa ukwakha isixeko saseBhabheli nenqaba yaso edume kakubi kufutshane noMlambo umEfrati. Besuka apho abantu baqalisa ukuchithachitheka kancinane besiya kuyo yonke imimandla yomhlaba xa uThixo wadubaduba intetho yoluntu. (Genesis 11:1-9) Kodwa kwenzeka ntoni kumkhombe?
Iphulo Lokufuna Umkhombe
Ukususela ngenkulungwane ye-19, abantu baye benza amalinge amaninzi befuna umkhombe kwiintaba zeArarati. Ezi ntaba zineencopho ezimbini eziphakamileyo, ukuphakama kwenye kuziimitha ezingama-5 165 enye ezingama-3 914. Eyona iphakamileyo kwezi zimbini isoloko igqunywe likhephu. Ngenxa yokuguquka kwemozulu ngemva koMkhukula, kusenokuba umkhombe wagqunywa ngokukhawuleza likhephu. Bambi abaphengululi bakholelwa ngokunzulu kwelokuba umkhombe uselapho, ungcwabeke nzulu emkhenkceni. Bathi kuye kwakho amathuba oye umkhenkce wanyibilika ngokwaneleyo ukuze uvumele ukuba inxalenye yomkhombe ivele okwethutyana.
Kwincwadi ethi In Search of Noah’s Ark kucatshulwa uGeorge Hagopian, waseArmenia, owathi wanyuka iNtaba yeArarati waza wawubona umkhombe ngowe-1902 nangowe-1904. Wathi, kutyelelo lwakhe lokuqala, wakhwela ngokoqobo phezu komkhombe. “Ndema nkqo ndaza ndakhangela kuyo yonke indawo phezu komkhombe. Wawumde. Ukuphakama kwawo kwakunokuba [ziimitha ezili-12].” Ngokuphathelele awakubonayo kutyelelo lwakhe olulandelayo, wathi: “Andizange ndibone naziphi na iindawo zokwenene ezingamagophe. Wawungafani nayo nayiphi na inqanawa endakha ndayibona. Wawufana kakhulu nephenyane elinesinqe esibanzi nelinomphantsi osicaba.”
Ukususela ngowe-1952 ukusa ngowe-1969, uFernand Navarra wazama izihlandlo ezine ukufumana ubungqina ngomkhombe. Kukhenketho lwakhe lwesithathu lokuya kwiNtaba yeArarati, wehla waya kufikelela ngaphantsi kwengxondorha esemkhenkceni, apho wafumana khona iceba lomthi omnyama elalitshone emkhenkceni. Wathi: “Limele ukuba lalilide kakhulu, yaye kusenokuba lalisaxokomezeleleke kwezinye iinxalenye zophahla lomkhombe. Ndandinokucanda kuphela emacaleni alo ndada ndakwazi ukucebula iceba elinokuba [yimitha enesiqingatha] ubude.”
UNjingalwazi uRichard Bliss, enye yeengcali eziliqela ezahlolisisa olo khuni, wathi: “Iplanga elafunyanwa nguNavarra lingumqadi wesakhiwo oqatywe wonke itela yebhitumene. Linemingxuma [mortise] namaphondlo [tenon] elidityaniswa ngawo namanye amaplanga. Yaye ngokuqinisekileyo lalixonxwe ngesandla zaza iimbobo zalo zenziwa izikweri.” Kuthelekelelwa ukuba lineminyaka enokuba ngamawaka amane okanye amahlanu ubudala.
Nangona kuye kwenziwa imizamo yokufumana umkhombe kwiNtaba yeArarati, ubungqina obuqinisekileyo bokuba wasetyenziselwa ukusinda kunogumbe owagubungela lonke ihlabathi bukho kwingxelo ebhaliweyo yeso siganeko kwincwadi yeBhayibhile yeGenesis. Ukuqinisekiswa kwaloo ngxelo kunokubonwa kumabali amaninzi angomkhukula phakathi kwezizwe ezisadla ngendeb’ endala kulo lonke ihlabathi. Qwalasela ubungqina abunikelayo kwinqaku elilandelayo.
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 4, 5]
U mkhombe wawunokuthwala umthwalo woololiwe abali-10 bokuthutha iinqwelo-mafutha zodidi lwaseMerika abathwala ezingama-25 emnye!