IBhabhiloni Enkulu

Ingcaciso: Bubukhosi behlabathi bonqulo lobuxoki, obubandakanya zonke iinkonzo ezimfundiso noqheliselo lwazo zingavisisaniyo nonqulo lokwenyaniso lukaYehova, okuphela koThixo oyinyaniso. Emva koMkhukula womhla kaNowa, unqulo lobuxoki lwaqalisa eBhabheli (kamva eyaziwa njengeBhabhiloni). (Gen. 10:8-10; 11:4-9) Ekuhambeni kwexesha, iinkolelo noqheliselo lonqulo lwaseBhabhiloni zanwenwela emazweni amaninzi. Ke igama elithi iBhabhiloni Enkulu laba lelifanele unqulo lobuxoki luphela.

Bubuphi ubungqina obufanisa iBhabhiloni Enkulu, ekubhekiselwe kuyo kwiSityhilelo?

Ibingenakuba sisixeko sakudala saseBhabhiloni. ISityhilelo sabhalwa ekupheleni kwenkulungwane yokuqala C.E. yaye sichaza iziganeko ezaziya kufikelela kumhla wethu. IThe Encyclopedia Americana ithi: “Isixeko [saseBhabhiloni] sathatyathwa ngamaPersi phantsi kukaKoreshi Omkhulu ngowama-539 B.C. Kamva uAlesandire Omkhulu waceba ukwenza iBhabhiloni ikomkhulu lobukhosi bakhe basempuma, kodwa akuba efile yaya iphelelwa kukubaluleka.” (1956, Umqu. III, iphe. 7) Namhlanje esi sixeko singamabhodlo angenabemi.

Kumfuziselo weSityhilelo, iBhabhiloni Enkulu kubhekiselwa kuyo ‘njengomzi (isixeko, NW) omkhulu,’ “ubukumkani” obulawula abanye ookumkani. (ISityhi. 17:18) Njengesixeko, ibiya kuba neentlangano ezininzi phakathi kwayo; yaye njengobukumkani obuquka abanye ookumkani elulawulweni lwayo, ibiya kubandakanya izizwe ngezizwe. Ichazwa njengeneentlobano nabalawuli bobupolitika nefak’ isandla kunene kubutyebi babarhwebi, ngoxa iyinxalenye yesithathu ethe “yaba likhaya leedemon” nomtshutshisi ‘wabaprofeti nabangcwele.’—ISityhi. 18:2, 9-17, 24.

IBhabhiloni yakudala yayisaziwa ngokukodwa ngonqulo lwayo nokudela kwayo uYehova

Gen. 10:8-10: “UNimrodi . . . waba ligorha lezingela phambi koYehova; . . . Ukuqala kobukumkani bakhe kwaba yiBhabheli [kamva eyaziwa njengeBhabhiloni].”

Dan. 5:22, 23: “Wena ke, [Bheleshatsare kumkani waseBhabhiloni] . . . Uziphakamisile ngaphezu kweNkosi yamazulu, . . . Wancoma oothixo besilivere, nabegolide, nabobhedu, nabesinyithi, nabemithi, nabamatye, abangaboniyo, abangevayo, abangaziyo. Ke uThixo lowo, kusesandleni sakhe ukuphefumla kwakho, onazo zonke iindlela zakho, akumbekanga.”

Umbhalo wakudala wecuneiform ufundeka ngolu hlobo: “KwiBhabhiloni iyonke kukho ama-53 eetempile zoothixo abaziintloko, izindlu zokunqulela uMerodaki ezingama-55, ama-300 ezindlu zokunqulela oothixo bamhlamnene, ezingama-600 zoothixo basemazulwini, ii-180 lezibingelelo zikathixokazi uIshtare, i-180 lezoothixo uNegali noAdadi ne-12 lezinye izibingelelo zoothixo abahlukahlukeneyo.”—Ucatshulwe kwiThe Bible as History (New York, 1964), nguW. Keller, iphe. 301.

IEncyclopedia Americana ithi: “Impucuko yamaSumeri [eyayiyinxalenye yeBhabhiloni] yayonganyelwe ngababingeleli; intloko yombuso yayiyilugal (ngokoqobo ‘isikhulu’), ummeli woothixo.”—(1977), Umqu. 3, iphe. 9.

Ngoko ke, ngokusengqiqweni iBhabhiloni Enkulu ekubhekiselwe kuyo kwiSityhilelo ilunqulo. Ekubeni injengesixeko nobukhosi, ayipheleliselwanga kwiqela elinye lonqulo kodwa iquka zonke iinkonzo ezichasene noYehova, uThixo oyinyaniso.

Iingcamango noqheliselo lonqulo lwamaBhabhiloni akudala namhlanje zifumaneka ezinkonzweni zwenibanzi

“IYiputa, elamaPersi nelamaGrike ayiva impembelelo yonqulo lwaseBhabhiloni . . . Umxube onamandla weenkolelo zamaSemitiki kwiintsomi zantlandlolo zamaGrike nakunqulo lwamaGrike ngoku zivunywa ngokubanzi ngabaphengululi kangangokuba akuseyomfuneko ukuba kwalekwe umsundulo. Ezi nkolelo zamaSemitiki ngokungqalileyo zezeBhabhiloni ngomlinganiselo omkhulu.”—The Religion of Babylonia and Assyria (Boston, 1898), nguM. Jastrow, Omncinane, iphe. 699, 700.

Oothixo bawo: Kwakukho oothixo abangoobathathu emnye yaye phakathi koothixo bawo kwakukho abo bamela amandla awahlukahlukeneyo endalo nabo babe nempembelelo ekhethekileyo kwizinto ezithile zoluntu. (Babylonian and Assyrian Religion, Norman, Okla.; 1963, nguS. H. Hooke, iphe. 14-40) “Ubathathu emnye oyingcamango kaPlato, owayekukucwangciswa nje ngokutsha koobathathu emnye abadala abasusela kubantu bangaphambili, ubonakala engubathathu emnye oqondakalayo, wentanda-bulumko, ongokweempawu nowaba ngunobangela wobukho beziqu ezithathu ezinguthixo okanye wabantu abangoothixo ezifundiswa ziicawa zamaKristu. . . . Le ngcamango yesi sithandi-bulumko singumGrike [uPlato] kabathathu emnye onguthixo . . . inokufunyanwa kuzo zonke iinkonzo [zabahedeni] zamandulo.”—Nouveau Dictionnaire Universel (Paris, 1865–1870), ihlelwe nguM. Lachâtre, Umqu. 2, iphe. 1467.

Ukusetyenziswa kwemifanekiso eqingqiweyo: “[Kunqulo lwaseMesopotami] indima yomfanekiso oqingqiweyo yayisisiseko elunqulweni olunemigidi kwanakunqulo lwangasese, njengokuba ukusasazwa ngokubanzi kwemibhalo exabiso liphantsi yemifanekiso eqingqiweyo enjalo kubonisa. Ngokusisiseko, isithixo sasicingelwa sikho emfanekisweni waso ukuba sineempawu ezithile yaye sihonjisiwe ibe sinyanyekelwa ngendlela efanelekileyo.”—Ancient Mesopotamia—Portrait of a Dead Civilization (Chicago, 1964), nguA. L. Oppenheim, iphe. 184.

Inkolelo engokufa: “Abantu kwaneenkokeli zonqulo [eBhabhiloni] abazange bayamkele into yokuba ukubhujiswa ngokupheleleyo kwakunokwenzeka kwinto eyayikhe yakho. Ukufa kwakuyindlela egqithela kolunye uhlobo lobomi.”—The Religion of Babylonia and Assyria, iphe. 556.

Isigxina sababingeleli: “Umahluko ophakathi kombingeleli nomrhamente ufanisa olu nqulo [lwaseBhabhiloni].”—Encyclopædia Britannica (1948), Umqu. 2, iphe. 861.

Uqheliselo lokuvumisa ngeenkwenkwezi, lwabaneshologu, lomlingo nobugqwirha: Umbhali-mbali uA. H. Sayce ubhala oku: “Kunqulo lweBhabhiloni yakudala . . . yonke into namandla endalo yayicingelwa inozi okanye umoya wayo, onokulawulwa ngokuwugxotha ngomlingo kaShaman, okanye wegqwirha.” (The History of Nations, New York, 1928, Umqu. I, iphe. 96) “AmaKaledi [amaBhabhiloni] aba nenkqubela ebanzi kufundisiso lweenkwenkwezi ngomgudu wokwazi ikamva ezinkwenkwezini. Obu bugcisa sibubiza ngokuba ‘kukuvumisa ngeenkwenkwezi.’”—The Dawn of Civilization and Life in the Ancient East (Chicago, 1938), nguR. M. Engberg, iphe. 230.

IBhabhiloni Enkulu injengonongogo oziphethe kakubi, kubutofotofo obulihlazo

ISityhilelo 17:1-5 sithi: “Yiza apha, ndikubonise ukugwetywa kwalo ihenyukazi elikhulu, elihleli phezu kwawo amanzi [izizwe] amaninzi; abahenyuze nalo ookumkani [abalawuli bobupolitika] bomhlaba, abo bawumiyo umhlaba, banxiliswa yiwayini yobuhenyu balo. . . . Ebunzi kubhalwe igama elithi, IMFIHLELO, IBHABHELI ENKULU, UNINA WAMAHENYUKAZI NOWAMASIKIZI OMHLABA.” ISityhilelo 18:7 songezelela sisithi “ngangoko yazizukisayo, yaxhamla iziyolo [yahlala kubutofotofo obulihlazo, NW].”

Aliyonyaniso kusini na elokuba iintlangano ezongamileyo zonqulo zikwenze umkhwa ukunxulumana nabalawuli bobupolitika kwigunya nakwinzuzo yokuphathekayo, nangona oku kuphumele entlungwini kubantu ngokubanzi? Aliyonyaniso kusini na kwanelokuba abefundisi abakhulu baphila tofotofo, nakubeni uninzi lwabantu abafanele babalungiselele lungamahlwempu?

Kungani iinkonzo ezizibabaza zizezamaKristu zinokujongwa ngokufanelekileyo njengenxalenye yeBhabhiloni Enkulu, kwanezo zingazinto ngoThixo weBhayibhile?

Yak. 4:4: “Bakrexezikazindini, anazi na ukuba ubuhlobo balo ihlabathi bubutshaba kuye uThixo? Othe ngoko wanga angaba sisihlobo salo ihlabathi, uzenza utshaba lukaThixo.” (Ke, nangona bekwazi okuthethwa yiBhayibhile ngoThixo, bazenza iintshaba zakhe ukuba bakhetha ubuhlobo nehlabathi ngokuxelisa iindlela zalo.)

2 Kor. 4:4; 11:14, 15: “Athe uthixo weli phakade wazimfamekisa ngaphakathi kwabo iingqiqo zabangakholwayo, ukuze singabengezeli kubo isikhanyiso seendaba ezilungileyo zobuqaqawuli bukaKristu, ongumfanekiselo kaThixo.” “Ke akummangaliso oko, kuba noSathana ngokwakhe uzimilisa okwesithunywa sokukhanya. Akunto inkulu ke ngoko, ukuba abalungiseleli bakhe bazimilise okwabalungiseleli bobulungisa; abasiphelo siya kuba ngokwemisebenzi yabo.” (Ngaloo ndlela utshaba lukaYehova oluyintloko, uSathana uMtyholi, okunene luyazukiswa ngabo bonke abangamnquliyo uThixo oyinyaniso ngendlela Yena ayimiseleyo, nakubeni bezibanga bengamaKristu. Bona kwaneyoku-1 yabaseKorinte 10:20.)

Mat. 7:21-23: “Asingabo bonke abathi kum [Yesu Kristu], Nkosi, Nkosi, abaya kungena ebukumkanini bamazulu; ngokwenzayo ukuthanda kukaBawo osemazulwini. Baninzi abaya kuthi kum ngaloo mini, Nkosi, Nkosi, sasingathe na egameni lakho saprofeta, sathi egameni lakho sakhupha iidemon, sathi egameni lakho senza imisebenzi yamandla emininzi? Ndandule ndibaxelele, ndithi, Andizanga ndinazi; mkani kum, nina nenza okuchasene nomthetho.”

Kutheni kungxamisekile nje ukuphuma kwiBhabhiloni Enkulu ngaphandle kokulibazisa?

ISityhi. 18:4: “Phumani kuyo, bantu bam, ukuze ningadlelani nayo ngezono zayo, nokuze ningamkeliswa kwizibetho zayo.”

ISityhi. 18:21: “Isithunywa esithile esinamandla safunqula ilitye, langa lilitye lokusila, ukuba likhulu kwalo; saliphosa elwandle, sisithi: Iya kwenjiwa nje ke ukugadlelwa kwayo iBhabheli, umzi omkhulu, ingabi saba safunyanwa.”

Luka 21:36: “Phaphani ngoko, amaxesha onke nikhunga, ukuze kuthiwe nikufanele ukuzisaba zonke ezo zinto ziza kuhla, nokumiswa phambi koNyana woMntu.”

Kuya kwenzeka ntoni kubantu abebengayazi inyaniso yeBhayibhile kodwa ababephila kwixesha eladlulayo baza bafa beyinxalenye yeBhabhiloni Enkulu?

Ize. 17:30: “Loo maxesha ke ngoko okungazi, uThixo wawayeka ngabom; kungoku uyala abantu bonke ezindaweni zonke ukuba baguquke.”

Ize. 24:15: “Kuza kubakho uvuko lwabafileyo, lwamalungisa kwanolwabangemalungisa.” (Into yokuba ngabaphi “abangemalungisa” abaya kuvuswa, nguThixo oya kugqiba.)

Yobhi 34:12: “UThixo akenzi ngokungendawo, uSomandla akakugwenxi okusesikweni.”