UJohn Foxe Nezidubedube Zexesha Lakhe

NGABA abantu bayafunda kwiimpazamo abaye bazenza kwixesha elidluleyo? Cinga ngalo mbuzo njengoko ufunda ngobomi bukaJohn Foxe, indoda yeNgesi eyabhala incwadi inethemba lokuba abafundi bayo baza kwahlukana nezenzo zenkohlakalo ezazithath’ unyawo ngexesha layo.

Iincwadi zikaJohn Foxe ezabhalwa ngexesha loHlaziyo ziye zaba nefuthe kubomi babantu baseNgilani kangangeenkulungwane. Kwathatha iminyaka engaphezu kwama-25 ngaphambi kokuba agqibe ukubhala incwadi yakhe ethi Acts and Monuments of the Church. Abanye bathi yiBhayibhile yesiNgesi kuphela echaza ulwimi nenkcubeko yamaNgesi ngaphezu kwale ncwadi.

Amaxesha Ezidubedube

UJohn Foxe wazalelwa eBoston eNgilani ngowe-1516 okanye ngowe-1517, malunga nexesha elinye nelo uMartin Luther awaxhoma ngalo izikhalazo zakhe ezingama-95 kumnyango wecawa yaseWittenberg eJamani. Ngaloo ndlela, uFoxe owayezalwa ngamaRoma Katolika wazalwa xa abaHlaziyi babeqhankqalazela igunya neemfundiso zeCawa yamaKatolika.

UFoxe wafunda kwiYunivesithi yaseOxford yaye izifundo zakhe zaziquka isiGrike nesiHebhere, nto leyo eyamnceda wakwazi ukufunda iBhayibhile ngeelwimi eyayibhalwe ngazo ekuqaleni. Kuyacaca ukuba ukufunda kwakhe iBhayibhile kwamenza akazithanda ezinye iimfundiso zamaKatolika. Abanye abafundi bada bacinga ukuba wayeqalisa ukuba ngumProtestanti—baza baxelela abasemagunyeni. Emva koko, abasemagunyeni baqalisa ukumjonga ngeliso lokhozi lo kaFoxe.

Emva kokufumana isidanga esiphezulu ngowe-1543, uFoxe wayenokuba ngumfundisi. Kodwa wala kuba engafuni ukunyanzelwa ukuba angatshati. Kwathi kusakuba njalo, yaqhawuk’ imbeleko. Ekubeni wayetyholwa ngokuwexuka—okwakuhamba nesigwebo sokufa—wayishiya loo yunivesithi ngowe-1545. UFoxe washiya loo madlelo aluhlaza waza wasebenzela intsapho ethile eyayihlala ngaseStratford-upon-Avon eWarwickshire, apho wafika watshata noAgnes Randall.

UAgnes owayengummi waseCoventry wabalisela uFoxe ngomhlolokazi ekuthiwa nguSmith, owayefundise abantwana bakhe iMithetho Elishumi nomthandazo weNkosi. Kodwa kunokuba abafundise ngesiLatini, wabafundisa ngesiNgesi. Elo yayilityala ngelo xesha yaye watshiselwa esibondeni kunye namanye amadoda amathandathu awayetyholwa ngento efanayo. Ekubeni le nkohlakalo yayibacaphukisile abantu, ubhishophu wasekuhlaleni wasasaza ubuxoki bokuba aba bantu babetshiswe ngenxa “yelona tyala likhulu” lokutya inyama ngoLwesihlanu nangezinye iintsuku zokuzila ukutya.

Babeyifumene njani aba bafeli-nkolo inxalenye yeBhayibhile ebhalwe ngesiNgesi? Kwiminyaka emalunga neli-150 ngaphambilana, nangona icawa yayingafuni, iBhayibhile yaguqulelwa isuka kwisiLatini isiya kwisiNgesi nguJohn Wycliffe waza waqeqesha nabashumayeli ababebizwa ngokuba ngamaLollards.a Aba bashumayeli babephatha iinxalenye zeZibhalo ezazikhutshelwe ngesandla baze bazifundele abantu. Ngenxa yoko, iPalamente yazama ukubathintela. Ngowe-1401, yapasisa umthetho owawunika oobhishophu igunya lokubaphosa ngaphaya kwezitshixo, babathuthumbise baze babatshisele esibondeni abawexuki.

Esoyika ukubanjwa, uFoxe nentsapho yakhe bafudukela eLondon apho wafika waxhasa amaProtestanti. Waguqulela amaphepha abaHlaziyi baseJamani ewasa kwisiNgesi waguqulela namanye awayebhalwe ngesiLatini. Naye wabhala awakhe amaphepha.

Kwakhona, uFoxe waqalisa ukubhala imbali yamaLollards aseNgilani yaye wayigqiba ngowe-1554. Incwadi yakhe yapapashwa eStrasbourg, namhlanje esisixeko saseFransi yaye yayingumqulu omncinane wesiLatini owawunamaphepha angama-212. Le yayiyeyokuqala kwiincwadi zakhe ezithi Acts and Monuments of the Church. Kwiminyaka emihlanu kamva, wayongeza le ncwadi ukuze ibe namaphepha angama-750.

Ukubulawa YiCawa

UHlaziyo lwaseYurophu lwakhokelela ekubulaweni kwamawaka amadoda, abafazi nabantwana. Ngowe-1553, ibhinqa laseNgilani kamva elabizwa ngokuba nguBloody Mary labekwa ukuba libe ngukumkanikazi. Ekubeni iPalamente yamaNgesi yayiphelise kwanto iyidibanisa neRoma ngowe-1534, wayezimisele ukubuyisela iNgilani kulawulo loopopu. Phantsi kolawulo lukaMary lweminyaka emihlanu, amadoda nabafazi abangama-300 kuquka iinkokeli zecawa yamaProtestanti batshiswa betyholwa ngokuwexuka. Abantu abaninzi bafela entolongweni.

UFoxe wasinda ngeloo xesha kuba wafudusela usapho lwakhe eBasel, eSwitzerland emva nje kokubekwa kukaMary. Ngowe-1559, kunyaka nje omnye emva kokuba udadeboMary, uElizabeth owayengumProtestanti ebekwe njengokumkanikazi, uFoxe wabuyela eNgilani nezinye iimbacu. Kwangalo nyaka mnye, uElizabeth wabuyisela uMthetho Owongamileyob owawumenza abe nguMlawuli Oyintloko WeCawa. UPope Pius V waziphindezela ngokumsika ecaweni uElizabeth ngowe-1570. Kungekudala kwafunyaniswa ukuba amazwe omhlaba ayequlunqa amayelenqe nxamnye neNgilani kuquka ukubulala lo kumkanikazi ongumProtestanti. Ngenxa yoko, uElizabeth wayalela ukuba amakhulukhulu amaKatolika abanjwe, abekwe ityala lokungcatsha urhulumente aze abulawe.

Iicawa zeNgqobhoko—amaKatolika namaProtestanti—zaziphambuke ngokwenene kwiimfundiso zikaYesu Kristu! UYesu wayethe: “Qhubekani nizithanda iintshaba zenu, nibathandazele abo banitshutshisayo.” (Mateyu 5:44) AmaKatolika namaProtestanti abangela ukuba ubuKristu bugculelwe ngokungawuthobeli kwawo lo myalelo ucacileyo—nto leyo ekwakuprofetiwe ngayo eBhayibhileni. Umpostile uPetros wayethe ‘indlela yenyaniso yayiza kutshabhiswa’ ngenxa yamaKristu obuxoki.—2 Petros 2:1, 2.

UFoxe Ugqibezela Incwadi Yakhe

Ukubuyela kwakhe eNgilani, uFoxe waqalisa ukongeza iinkcukacha ezingakumbi kwincwadi yakhe ekusenokwenzeka ukuba yayizizinto ababezibone ngawabo amehlo abafundi bakhe. Umqulu wakhe wokuqala wesiNgesi—onamaphepha ali-1 800 nemifanekiso eliqela—wapapashwa ngowe-1563 yaye yayiyeyona ncwadi yathengwa kakhulu.

Walandelisa ngohlelo lwesibini kwiminyaka esixhenxe kamva. Imiqulu yayo emibini inamaphepha angaphezu kwama-2 300 nemifanekiso eli-153. Kunyaka olandelayo, iCawa yaseNgilani yayalela ukuba incwadi kaFoxe ibekwe kunye neBhayibhile kuzo zonke icawa nakumakhaya ezidwangube zecawa, ukuze ifundwe zizicaka neendwendwe. Neecawa zamanye amaphondo zazeka mzekweni. Nabantu abangafundanga babenokuzuza ngokubuka imifanekiso yayo.

Ngelo xesha, uFoxe wayesele ezimanye namaPuritani, iqela lamaProtestanti elalisithi ukushiya nje icawa yamaRoma akwanelanga. Ayefundisa ukuba yonk’ into enento yokwenza nobuKatolika imele isitshulwe neengcambu—yaye okuhlekisayo kukuba loo nto yawaxabanisa neCawa yamaProtestanti aseNgilani, eyayisabambelele kwizithethe neemfundiso ezininzi zamaKatolika.

Ngenxa yokuba iincwadi zakhe zayibhenca inkohlakalo yecawa eyayiqhubeka kwiminyaka yezidubedube yexesha lakhe, uJohn Foxe waba nefuthe kwindlela abantu abalujonga ngayo unqulo nezopolitiko kangangeenkulungwane kamva eNgilani.

[Imibhalo esemazantsi]

[Ibhokisi/Umfanekiso okwiphepha 28]

INCWADI KAFOXE YABAFELI-NKOLO

Njengoko iCawa yamaKatolika yayiqhubeka isilwa nxamnye noHlaziyo, ababhali baseYurophu abafana noJean Crespin babhala iinkcukacha zokutshutshiswa kwabantu nezabafeli-nkolo bamazwe abo.c Ngenxa yoko, incwadi kaFoxe ethi Acts and Monuments of the Church yabizwa ngokuba yiNcwadi KaFoxe Yabafeli-nkolo. Kamva, njengokuba le ncwadi yayihlaziywa yaye incitshiswa, yaziwa ngeli gama layo litsha kuneliya wayeyibize ngalo uFoxe.

[Umbhalo osemazantsi]

[Inkcazelo]

© Classic Vision/age fotostock

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 27]

UJohn Wycliffe wathuma abashumayeli ababebizwa ngokuba ngamaLollards

[Inkcazelo]

From the book The Church of England: A History for the People, 1905, Vol. II

[Inkcazelo Ngomfanekiso okwiphepha 26]

From Foxe’s Book of Martyrs