Imbono YeBhayibhile

Oko Ufanele Ukwazi Ngokuphathelele iKrismesi

EHLABATHINI lonke izigidi zabantu zilungiselela ukubhiyozela iKrismesi yowama-2002. Mhlawumbi nawe uphakathi kwabo bantu. Kwelinye icala, kusenokwenzeka ukuba akubi nanxaxheba kulo mbhiyozo wonqulo uthandwayo. Enoba kuyintoni na, mhlawumbi akunakuwuphepha umoya weKrismesi. Ubonakala kwezorhwebo nakwezolonwabo kwanakumazwe angengowamaKristu.

Yintoni oyaziyo ngeKrismesi? Ngaba iBhayibhile iyakuxhasa ukubhiyozelwa kosuku lokuzalwa kukaKristu? Waqala njani lo mbhiyozo uthandwayo nowenziwa rhoqo ngoDisemba 25?

Ukupheliswa KweKrismesi

Xa uphanda ngalo mbandela, uya kufumanisa ukuba amaKristu okwenyaniso ayengayibhiyozeli iKrismesi. Abaphengululi beBhayibhile abaninzi beemvaba ngeemvaba bayakuqonda oko. Ngenxa yoko, unokusiqonda isizathu sokuba, ngowe-1647 iCromwell’s Parliament eNgilani yawisa umthetho wokuba usuku lweKrismesi lugqalwe njengosuku lokuzilela izono yaye ngowe-1652 yakuphelisa ukubhiyozelwa kweKrismesi. Ukususela ngowe-1644 ukusa kowe-1656, amalungu ale Palamente ayesiba nentlanganiso minyaka le ngoDisemba 25. Ngokutsho kombhali-mbali uPenne L. Restad “abefundisi abashumayela ngokuzalwa kukaKristu babezibeka esichengeni sokubanjwa. Amagosa ecawa ayehlawuliswa xa kufunyenwe imihombiso yalo mbhiyozo kwiicawa zawo. Yayingumthetho ukuba iivenkile zivulwe ngeKrismesi njengazo zonke iintsuku zempangelo.” Yintoni eyayibangela ukuba kude kuthatyathwe amanyathelo aqatha ngolu hlobo? AmaPuritan ayekholelwa kwelokuba icawa ayifanele iqhelisele izinto ezingekhoyo eZibhalweni. Ayeshumayela ngenkuthalo, esasaza noncwadi olugxeka ukubhiyozelwa kweKrismesi.

Babekho nakuMntla Merika abantu ababenaloo mbono. Phakathi kowe-1659 nowe-1681, kwapheliswa ukubhiyozelwa kweKrismesi eMassachusetts Bay Colony.a Ngokomthetho welo xesha, iKrismesi yayingafanele ibhiyozelwe nangayiphi na indlela. Abantu ababewaphula loo mthetho babehlawuliswa. YayingengomaPuritan aseNew England kuphela awayengakuthandi ukubhiyozelwa kweKrismesi, kodwa namanye amaqela awayekumathanga asembindini ayengawufuni lo mbhiyozo. NjengamaPuritan, amaQuaker asePennsylvania ayeyithiy’ egazini le mibhiyozo. Enye incwadi ithi “kungekudala emva kokuba amaMerika eyifumene inkululeko yawo, uElizabeth Drinker, owayengumQuaker wahlula abantu basePhiladelphia bangamaqela amathathu. Kwakukho amaQuaker ‘angayibhiyozeliyo [iKrismesi],’ kukho abo babeyibhiyozela ngenxa yonqulo, kukho nabo ‘babezonwabisa ngolo suku besenza yonke into abayithandayo ngemali yabo.’”

UHenry Ward Beecher, umshumayeli waseMerika owayedumile nowakhulela kwikhaya elalikhonza kwicawa kaCalvin wayengazi nto ngeKrismesi de waba neminyaka engama-30 ubudala. Ngowe-1874, lo kaBeecher wabhala wenjenje: “Ndandingazi nto ngeKrismesi.”

AmaBhaptizi namaCongregational afumanisa ukuba akukho sizathu sisekelwe eZibhalweni sokubhiyozela ukuzalwa kukaKristu. Enye incwadi yathi amaBhaptizi aseNewport [eRhode Island] aqala ukubhiyozela iKrismesi ngoDisemba 25, 1772. Kwakusele kuphele iminyaka emalunga ne-130 isekiwe icawa yamaBhaptizi eNew England.

Imvelaphi YeKrismesi

INew Catholic Encyclopedia ithi: “Umhla wokuzalwa kukaKristu awaziwa. Iincwadi zevangeli aziwuchazi umhla nenyanga yokuzalwa kwakhe . . . Ngokuvisisana nengcamango kaH. Usener . . . eyamkelekileyo kubaphengululi abaninzi namhlanje, kuthiwa uKristu wazalwa ngeyona mini imfutshane ebusika (ngoDisemba 25 ngokweKhalenda kaJulian, ngoJanuwari 6 ngokweyamaYiputa), ngenxa yokuba ngolu suku, njengoko ilanga laliqalisa ukubuyela kwisibhakabhaka sasentla, abahedeni abazinikeleyo bakaMithra babebhiyozela idies natalis Solis Invicti (umhla wokuzalwa kwelanga elingenakoyiswa). NgoDisemba 25, 274, uAurelian wavakalisa uthixo welanga njengomxhasi ophambili wobukhosi waza wanikela itempile kuye eCampus Martius. IKrismesi yaqalisa xa isithethe sokunqulwa kwelanga sasixatyiswe gqitha eRoma.”

ICyclopœdia kaM’Clintock noStrong ithi: “Ukubhiyozelwa kweKrismesi akuzange kusungulwe nguThixo, yaye akuveli kwiTestamente Entsha. Umhla wokuzalwa kukaKristu awukho kwiTestamente Entsha, okanye awukho nakweyiphi na enye incwadi.”

‘Inkohliso elambathayo’

Ngenxa yezi zibakala, ngaba amaKristu enyaniso afanele abandakanyeke kwimibhiyozo yeKrismesi? Ngaba uThixo uyakholiswa kukuba abanquli bakhe babandakanyeke kwimibhiyozo nezithethe ezenziwa ngabantu abangamnquliyo? KweyabaseKolose 2:8 umpostile uPawulos walumkisa ngelithi: “Lumkani, ningathabatheki ziintanda-bulumko nayinkohliso elambathayo esekelwe kwizithethe zabantu, nakwizinto eziziziqalelo zehlabathi, kungekhona kuKristu.”

Kwakhona lo mpostile wabhala: “Musani ukubotshwa edyokhweni kunye nabangakholwayo. Kuba bunabudlelane buni na ubulungisa nokuchas’ umthetho? Okanye kunakwabelana kuni na ukukhanya nobumnyama? Ngokubhekele phaya, unakuvumelana kuni na uKristu noBheliyali [uSathana]? Okanye unakwahlulelana kuni na umntu okholwayo nongakholwayo?”—2 Korinte 6:14, 15 umbhalo osemazantsi weNW eneembekiselo.

Ngenxa yobu bungqina bucacileyo, amaNgqina kaYehova akayibhiyozeli iKrismesi. Ngokuvisisana neZibhalo, azabalazela ukuqhelisela “unqulo oluhlambulukileyo nolungadyobhekanga ngokwembono kaThixo” yaye akwenza oko ‘ngokuzigcina engenabala kulo ihlabathi.’—Yakobi 1:27.

[Umbhalo osemazantsi]

[Amagama acatshulweyo akwiphepha 24]

IPalamente yaseNgilani yakuphelisa ukubhiyozelwa kweKrismesi ngowe-1652

[Amagama acatshulweyo akwiphepha 25]

“Ndandingazi nto ngeKrismesi”—UHENRY WARD BEECHER, OWAYENGUMFUNDISI WASEMERIKA

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 25]

Abahedeni (abakulo mfanekiso) ababezinikele kuMithras nakuthixo welanga babebhiyozela uDisemba 25

[Inkcazelo]

Musée du Louvre, Paris