Imbono YeBhayibhile
Ngaba Inzululwazi Iyenze IBhayibhile Yaba Yephelelwe Lixesha?
NGABA inzululwazi, ngolwazi lwayo oluhambele phambili ngendalo iphela, iye yaguqulela iBhayibhile ekubeni yingqokelela yeentsomi namabali? Abantu abaninzi namhlanje bacinga njalo. Ngaba nawe ucinga ngolo hlobo?
Kusenokwenzeka ukuba, njengabaninzi, wafundiswa ukucinga ngaloo ndlela ukususela ebutsheni ukusa phambili kodwa okunene akuzange uyihlolisise le mbono. Ngoku siyakumema ukuba uyihlolisise. Qwalasela umzekelo nje omnye, inkcazelo eyenziwa yiBhayibhile ngommandla wendalo iphela. Le nkcazelo ayizange ichase ngokupheleleyo nje kuphela oko iingcali zaloo mihla zazikuthetha kodwa yachasa noko izazinzulu zazisakuthetha kwiminyaka engamawaka kamva.
Umbandela Womxhuzulane Womhlaba
Uphezu kwantoni umhlaba? Ibambelele entwenini inyanga, ilanga neenkwenkwezi? Le mibuzo iye yabadida abantu kangangeminyaka engamawaka. Ngokuphathelele umhlaba, iBhayibhile inempendulo elula. KuYobhi 26:7 ithi uThixo ‘ulixhome ihlabathi phezu kokungeni.’ KwisiHebhere santlandlolo, igama elithi “kokungeni” (beli-mahʹ) elisetyenziswe apha ngokoqobo lithetha “okungento,” yaye lifumaneka apha kuphela eBhayibhileni. Umfanekiso eliwunikelayo ngomhlaba ongqongwe sisithuba esingenanto uqondwa ngabafundi beBhayibhile ‘njengombono ophawulekayo,’ ngokukodwa ngexesha lalo.a
Le asiyiyo konke konke indlela inkoliso yabantu eyayicinga ngayo ngenkqubo yokulungelelana kwendalo iphela ngaloo mihla. Enye ingcamango yamandulo yayikukuba umhlaba wawuxhaswe ziindlovu ezimbini ezimi phezu komqolo wofudo olukhulu gqitha.
UAristotle, umthandi wobulumko nesazinzulu esaziwayo esingumGrike senkulungwane yesine Ngaphambi Kwexesha Eliqhelekileyo, wafundisa ukuba umhlaba wawungenakuze uxhonywe esithubeni. Kunoko, wafundisa ukuba iziqu ezisesibhakabhakeni ngasi-nye sazo sasithe zinzi phezu kweengqukuva eziqinileyo nezikhanyayo. Ingqukuva iziqhusheka kwenye ingqukuva. Umhlaba wawuyeyona ngqukuva iphakathi kanye; ingqukuva eyiyeyona ingaphandle yayineenkwenkwezi. Njengoko ezi ngqukuva zazijikeleza enye ikwenye, izi-nto ezazikuzo—ilanga, inya-nga nezijikelezi-langa—zazinqumla isibhakabhaka.
Inkcazelo yeBhayibhile yokuba umhlaba ngokwenyaniso ‘uxhomeke phezu kokungeni’ yayikho ngaphambi kuka-Aristotle kangangeminyaka engaphezu kweli-1 100. Ukanti, uAristotle wayegqalwa njengomntu wokuqala ocingayo ngomhla wakhe. Iimbono zakhe zazisafundiswa njengeziyinyaniso phantse iminyaka engama-2 000 emva kokufa kwakhe! Njengokuba iThe New Encyclopœdia Britannica isitsho, ngenkulungwane ye-16 neye-17 C.E., iimfundiso zika-Aristotle “zanyukela kumgangatho wokuba zibe ziimfundiso zonqulo” kubantu becawa.
Umthandi wobulumko wenkulungwane yeshumi elinesithandathu uGiordano Bruno wayicel’ umngeni imbono yokuba iinkwenkwezi “ngokungathi kunjalo zizinziswe kuphahla olungqukuva oluzidibanisayo.” Wabhala ukuba ‘kwakuyimbono yobudenge eyayisenokucingwa ngabantwana, ukuthelekelela ukuba mhlawumbi ukuba [iinkwenkwezi] zazingancanyathiselwanga kumphezulu wesibhakabhaka ngesinamathelisi, okanye zazibethelelwe ngezona zikhonkwane zomeleleyo, zaziya kuwela phezu kwethu njengesichotho.’ Kodwa ukungavumelani noAristostle kwakuyingozi ngaloo mihla—icawa yabangela ukuba uBruno atshiswe ehleli ngenxa yokusasaza iimbono zakhe ezingezizo ezesithethe ngendalo iphela.
Kwisupu Yendalo Yonke
Ngokuyilwa kwesibona-kude, izazi ngeenkwenkwezi ezazisanda ngamanani zaqalisa ukumthandabuza uAristotle. Ukuba ilanga, inyanga neenkwenkwezi zazingananyathiselwanga kwingqukuva ejikeleza umhlaba, ngoko yintoni eyayinokuzibamba ize izibangele zijikeleze? Ingcali yemathematika yenkulungwane yeshumi elinesixhenxe uRené Descartes wacinga ukuba wayenempendulo. Wavumelana noAristotle ekubeni isithuba esiphakathi kwethu nezinye izinto eziphezulu sasingenakuba sesingenanto. Ngoko wayithabatha njengeyinyaniso into yokuba indalo iphela yayizaliswe lulwelo olungabonakaliyo—uhlobo lwesuphu yendalo yonke.
Le mfundiso yabonakala icombulula iingxaki ezimbini. Okokuqala, yavelisa into ethile ‘yokubamba’ iziqu ezisesibhakabhakeni; zonke zazidibene kule supu! Okwesibini yanceda ekucaciseni iintshukumo zezijikelezi-langa. OkaDescartes wabambelela kwinto yokuba ezi zijikelezi-langa zazibanjwe ngamandla abizelayo, okanye umjikelo kolu lwelo, nto leyo eyayizenza zijikeleze imijikelo yazo emajukujukwini. Le “Mfundiso Yezizungulezo,” njengoko yayibizwa njalo, inokusothusa njengento engeyonyaniso namhlanje. Kodwa yayiyimfundiso eyayinamandla kuhlolisiso lwendalo iphela olwathabatha ithuba elingaphezu kwenkulungwane kwamanye amazwe.
Izazinzulu ezininzi zayigatya zakhetha into entsha: umthetho womxhuzulane womhlaba uphela owavela noIsaac Newton, owapapashwa ngowe-1687. UNewton wathi kwakungafuneki zinto zisebenza ngokufana nomatshini nezinokuphathwa ukuba izijikelezi-langa ziziphakamisele phezulu. Yayingamandla omxhuzulane womhlaba awayelawula iintshukumo nawayezibamba ukuba zinamathele kwimimandla ezijikeleza kuwo. Ngokungathi kunjalo, zazixhomeke esithubeni phezu kokungeni. Abaninzi kubantu ababesebenza noNewton bayigxeka imbono yakhe yomxhuzulane womhlaba. Kwaye nokaNewton wafumanisa kunzima ukukholelwa ukuba isibhakabhaka sasiyindawo enkulu engenanto.
Sekunjalo, iimbono zokaNewton ekugqibeleni zaphumelela. Namhlanje, kulula gqitha ngathi ukulibala ukuba le ngxaki yoko kubambe izijikelezi-langa yaphakamisa ingxoxo eshushu kwizazinzulu ezifundileyo nezikrelekrele kwiinkulungwane ezimalunga nama-32 emva kokuba iBhayibhile ichaze ngendlela efanelekileyo nelula ukuba umhlaba ‘uxhonywe phezu kokungeni.’ Unokuba uYobhi wakwazi njani ukuzichaza kanye ngaloo ndlela izinto? Kwakutheni ukuze athi umhlaba kwakungekho nto iwuxhasileyo, ngoxa “iingcali” oku kwazithabatha iminyaka engaphezu kwama-3 000 ukufikelela kwisigqibo esifana nesakhe?
Kutheni Le Nto IBhayibhile Izixela Izinto Kusengaphambili?
IBhayibhile inikela impendulo enengqiqo. Kweyesi-2 kuTimoti 3:16 sifunda oku: “Sonke isibhalo siphefumlelwe nguThixo.” Ngaloo ndlela iBhayibhile asiyiyo imveliso yobulumko bomntu kodwa, kunoko, isisigidimi esichanileyo sokudlulisela iingcinga zoMdali kuthi.
Kubaluleke gqitha ukuba uzifumanele ngokwakho enoba oko kuthethwa yiBhayibhile kuyinyaniso kusini na. (1 Tesalonika 2:13) Ngaloo ndlela unokufumana amandla okusebenzisa iingcinga zoMntu owasenzayo nowasidalayo. Nguwuphi umthombo olunge ngakumbi obunokubakho wokusixelela oko sikufunjathelwe likamva nendlela ekhokelela kubomi obonwabisayo nobunempumelelo ngakumbi kweli hlabathi lineenkathazo?
[Umbhalo osemazantsi]
a IThe Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament ithi: “UYobhi 26:7 ngokuphawulekayo ubonisa ihlabathi elalisaziwa ngoko njengelixhonywe esithubeni, ngako oko echaza kwangaphambili oko kwakuza kufunyaniswa zizazinzulu.”
[Inkcazelo Ngomfanekiso okwiphepha 16]
By permission of the British Library