UmNqamlezo

Ingcaciso: Into uYesu Kristu awabulawelwa kuyo kubhekiselwa kuyo luninzi lwamaGqobhoka ngokuthi ngumnqamlezo (cross). Eli gama livela kwelesiLatini elithi crux.

Kutheni iimpapasho zeWatch Tower zimbonisa uYesu exhonywe emthini izandla zingasentla kwentloko yakhe kunakumnqamlezo osisithethe?

Igama lesiGrike eliguqulelwe ngokuthi “umnqamlezo” kwiinguqulelo ezininzi zezi mini zeBhayibhile (“ngumthi wentuthumbo” kwiNW) lelithi stau·rosʹ. KwisiGrike samandulo, eli gama lalithetha nje umthi othe nkqo, okanye isibonda. Kamva kwakhona lathi lasetyenziswa njengomthi wokubulala onezibonda ezinqanyulezisiweyo. IThe Imperial Bible-Dictionary iyakuvuma oku, isithi: “Igama lesiGrike elithetha umnqamlezo, [stau·rosʹ], ngokufanelekileyo lithetha umthi, isibonda esithe nkqo, okanye uluthi, ekunokuxhonywa nantoni na kulo, okanye ebelungasetyenziswa ekubiyeleni umhlaba othile. . . . KwanakumaRoma icrux (ekuvela kuyo igama lesiNgesi elithi cross) ibonakala ukuba ntlandlolo yayisisibonda esithe nkqo.”—Ihlelwe nguP. Fairbairn (London, 1874), Umqu. I, iphe. 376.

Ngaba kwakunjalo nasekubulaweni koNyana kaThixo? Kuphawuleka ukuba iBhayibhile ikwasebenzisa igama elithi xyʹlon ukuchaza into eyasetyenziswayo. IA Greek-English Lexicon, nguLiddell noScott, icacisa oku njengokuthetha: “Umthi ogawulweyo nolungele ukusetyenziswa, iinkuni, amaplanga, njl. . . . isiqobo somthi, isigodo, umqadi, isibonda . . . intonga, igqudu . . . umthi ekwakuxhonywa kuwo izaphuli-mthetho . . . iplanga eliphilileyo, umthi.” Ikwathi “kwiNT, yomnqamlezo,” yaye icaphula IZenzo 5:30 nese-10:39 njengemizekelo. (Oxford, 1968, iphe. 1191, 1192) Noko ke, kwezo ndinyana iKJ, RS, JB, neDy ziguqulela igama elithi xyʹlon ngokuthi “umthi.” (Thelekisa le nguqulelo namaGalati 3:13; Duteronomi 21:22, 23.)

Incwadi ethi The Non-Christian Cross, nguJ. D. Parsons (London, 1896), ithi: “Asikho nokuba sibe sinye isivakalisi kuwo nawuphi na wemibhalo eliqela eyila iTestamente Entsha, esithi kwisiGrike santlandlolo, sinikele kwanokungangqalanga ubungqina kwisibakala sokuba istauros esasetyenziswayo kuYesu sasingesiso eso stauros siqhelekileyo; singasathethi ke ngesibakala sokuba sasiyilwe, kungekhona ngeplanga elinye, kodwa ngamabini abethelelweyo ahlanganiswa ekuyileni umnqamlezo. . . . Kukulahlekisa okugqithiseleyo kwabefundisi bethu ukuguqulela igama elithi stauros ngokuthi ‘umnqamlezo’ xa beguqulela imibhalo yesiGrike yeCawa kulwimi lwethu lomthonyama, baze basixhase eso senzo ngokubhala ‘umnqamlezo’ kwisichazi-mazwi sethu njengentsingiselo kastauros ngaphandle kokucacisa ngenyameko ukuba leyo yayingeyiyo nakancinane intsingiselo yokuqala yeli gama emihleni yabaPostile, ingazanga ibe yintsingiselo yokuqala yalo eyintloko kwada kwalithuba elide emva koko, ize ibe yileyo ngoko, ukuba kunjalo, kungenxa nje yokuba, phezu kwako nje ukungabikho kobungqina obuqinisekisayo, kuthe ngasizathu sithile kwathelekelelwa ukuba istau- ros esithile uYesu awabethelelwa kuso sasimile ngolo hlobo.”—Iphe. 23, 24; bona kwaneThe Companion Bible (London, 1885), Isihlomelo 162.

Ngaloo ndlela ubungqina obubambekayo bubonisa ukuba uYesu wafela emthini othe nkqo yaye kungekhona kumnqamlezo osisithethe.

Yayiyintoni imvelaphi engokwembali yomnqamlezo weNgqobhoko?

“Ukususela kumathuba akudala kakhulu ngaphambi kwexesha lamaKristu, kuye kwafumaneka izinto ezahlukahlukeneyo ziphawulwe ngeminqamlezo eziintlobo ezahlukeneyo, phantse kuzo zonke iindawo zehlabathi langoko. I-India, iSiriya, iPersi neYiputa zonke zivelise imizekelo engenakubalwa . . . Ukusetyenziswa komnqamlezo njengomfuziselo wonqulo kumaxesha angaphambi kwelamaKristu naphakathi kwabantu abangemaKristu kusenokwenzeka ukuba kwakuqwalaselwa njengokugubungele umhlaba, yaye kwiimeko ezininzi gqitha kwakunxibelelene nohlobo oluthile lokunqulwa kwesidalwa.”—Encyclopædia Britannica (1946), Umqu. 6, iphe. 753.

“Ukumila [komnqamlezo onezibonda ezibini] kwaba nesiqalo sako kwiKaledi yakudala, yaye kwakusetyenziswa njengomfuziselo kathixo uTamuz (omile ngokukaTau oyimfihlelo, unobumba wegama lakhe) kwelo lizwe nakumazwe ayingqongileyo, aquka iYiputa. Malunga nombindi wenkulungwane yesi-3 A.D. iicawa zashenxa, okanye zagqwetha, ezinye iimfundiso zokholo lwamaKristu. Ukwenzela ukwandisa iwonga lenkqubo yabefundisi abawexukileyo abahedeni bamkelelwa ngaphakathi ezicaweni ngaphandle kokuzalwa ngokutsha ngokholo, baza bavunyelwa ngokubanzi ukuba bazigcine iimpawu nemifuziselo yabo yobuhedeni. Ngenxa yoko uTau okanye uT, ekwimo yakhe eyiyeyona iqhelekileyo, onesishunqwana esinqamlezileyo esehlisiweyo, wamkelwa ukumela umnqamlezo kaKristu.”—An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words (London, 1962), W. E. Vine, iphe. 256.

“Kuyamangalisa, ibe kusisibakala esingathandatyuzwayo, ukuba kudaladala ngaphambi kokuzalwa kukaKristu, yaye ukususela ngoko emazweni angekachukunyiswa yimfundiso yeCawa, umNqamlezo ubusetyenziswa njengomfuziselo ongcwele. . . . UBacchus wamaGrike, uTamuz waseTire, uBhele wamaKaledi, noNorse Odin, bonke babefanekiselwa kubanquli babo ngento ebumnqamlezo.”—The Cross in Ritual, Architecture, and Art (London, 1900), G. S. Tyack, iphe. 1.

“Umnqamlezo omile okwe-‘Crux Ansata’ . . . wawuphathwa ngababingeleli bamaYiputa nangookumkani abangooBhishophu  njengomfuziselo wegunya labo njengababingeleli bakathixo oliLanga yaye wawubizwa ngokuba ‘nguMqondiso Wobomi.’”—The Worship of the Dead (London, 1904), Colonel J. Garnier, iphe. 226.

“Iintlobo ngeentlobo zeminqamlezo zifumaneka kuyo yonke imimandla kumatye ezikhumbuzo nakumangcwaba aseYiputa, yaye amagosa amaninzi aziqonda njengomfuziselo welungu lesini lendoda okanye ukumanyaniswa kwalo nelebhinqa. . . . Emangcwabeni amaYiputa icrux ansata [umnqamlezo onesazinge okanye isiphatho ngasentla] ifunyanwa ikunye nomfuziselo welungu lesini lendoda.”—A Short History of Sex-Worship (London, 1940), H. Cutner, iphe. 16, 17; bona kwaneThe Non-Christian Cross, iphe. 183.

“Le minqamlezo yayisetyenziswa njengemifuziselo yothixo olilanga waseBhabhiloni, + , yaye yaqala ukubonwa kwingqekembe kaJulius Cæsar, ngowe-100-44 B.C., yandula ke yabonwa kwingqekembe eyenziwa yindlalifa kaCæsar (uAugustus), ngowama-20 B.C. Kwiingqekembe zikaConstantine umfuziselo osetyenziswe futhi-futhi ngulo +; kodwa kwalo mfuziselo uyasetyenziswa ungenaso isazinge esiwujikelezileyo, yaye uneengalo ezine ezilinganayo ukwehlisa nokunqamlezisa; yaye ngulo mfuziselo owawuhlonelwa ngokukodwa njenge-‘Sangqa Esililanga.’ Mayingafihlwa into yokuba uConstantine wayengumnquli wothixo olilanga, yaye engazanga wazimanya ‘neCawa’ kwada kwaba malunga nekota yenkulungwane ngemva kwebali lokubona kwakhe umnqamlezo onjalo emazulwini.”—The Companion Bible, Isihlomelo 162; bona kwaneThe Non-Christian Cross, iphe. 133-141.

Ngaba ukuhlonelwa komnqamlezo kuluqheliselo olungokweZibhalo?

1 Kor. 10:14: “Zintanda zam, kubalekeni ukubusa izithixo.” (Isithixo ngumfanekiso oqingqiweyo okanye ngumfuziselo omela nantoni na ekhonzwa, ehlonelwa okanye enqulwa ngokunzulu.)

Eks. 20:4, 5: “Uze ungazenzeli umfanekiso oqingqiweyo, nokuba ngowayiphi na into emilise esezulwini phezulu, nesemhlabeni phantsi, nesemanzini aphantsi komhlaba. Uze ungaqubudi kwezo nto, ungazikhonzi.” (Phawula ukuba uThixo wayalela abantu bakhe bangawenzi kwaukuwenza umfanekiso oqingqiweyo ababenokuqubuda kuwo.)

La magqabaza akwiNew Catholic Encyclopedia abangela umdla xa esithi: “Umzobo wokufa kukaKristu okulidini eGologota awufumaneki kwimizobo efuziselayo kwiinkulungwane zokuqala zamaKristu. AmaKristu okuqala, ephenjelelwa sisalelo seTestamente Endala semifanekiso eqingqiweyo, ayethingaza kwanokuzoba umfanekiso weNkosi ngethuba isiva Iintlungu.”—(1967), Umqu. IV, iphe. 486.

Ngokuphathelele amaKristu enkulungwane yokuqala, iHistory of the Christian Church ithi: “Kwakungekho mzobo ubonisa uYesu esemnqamlezweni yaye kungekho nakufuziselwa kubonakalayo komnqamlezo.”—(New York, 1897), J. F. Hurst, Umqu. I, iphe. 366.

Ngaba kwenza nawuphi na umahluko ukuba umntu ayawuthanda umnqamlezo, lo gama nje engawunquli?

Ubuya kuvakalelwa njani ukuba omnye wezihlobo zakho ezisenyongweni uxhonyiwe ngezimangalo ezibubuxoki? Ngaba ubuya kwenza umfanekiso wesixhobo axhonywe kuso? Ngaba ubuya kusithanda, okanye kunoko ubuya kusigatya?

KuSirayeli wakudala, amaYuda angathembekanga enza isijwili ngokufa kothixo wobuxoki uTamuz. UYehova wathetha ngaloo nto ayeyenza ngokuthi ‘ingamasikizi.’ (Hez. 8:13, 14) Ngokwembali, uTamuz yayinguthixo wamaBhabhiloni, yaye umnqamlezo wawusetyenziswa njengophawu lwakhe. Ukususela ekuqaleni kwayo ngemihla kaNimrodi, iBhabhiloni yayimchasile uYehova yaye ilutshaba lonqulo oluyinyaniso. (Gen. 10:8-10; Yer. 50:29) Ngoko ngokuxabisa umnqamlezo, umntu uhlonela uphawu lonqulo oluchasene noThixo wokwenyaniso.

Njengokuba kuchaziwe kuHezekile 8:17, amaYuda angabawexuki ‘ayesisa isebe lomdiliya emathatheni kaYehova.’ Wakujonga oku ‘njengamasikizi’ nento ‘emqumbisayo.’ Kwakutheni? Abanye abagqabazi bacacisa ngelithi eli “sebe” lalimela ilungu lesini lendoda, elalisetyenziswa kunqulo lwelungu lesini lendoda. Ngoko, uYehova umele akujonge njani ukusetyenziswa komnqamlezo, njengoko sesibonile, owawusetyenziswa kudala njengomfuziselo wonqulo lwelungu lesini lendoda?