Ukungafi Komphefumlo—Imvelaphi Yale Mfundiso
“Akukho nto ephathelele ubomi belemimoya ikhe yathi swii iingqondo zabantu njengemeko yabo yasemva kokufa.”—“ENCYCLOPÆDIA OF RELIGION AND ETHICS.”
UMPHENGULULI othile nokwangumfundisi-ntsapho oneminyaka engama-70 ubudala watyatyekwa ngesityholo sokuba ngumhedeni nokutyhefa iingqondo zeentsizana zabantwana ngeemfundiso zakhe. Nangona watsho akwamila ngca ezithethelela kwelo tyala wayebekwa lona, abachopheli betyala ababenomoya wezikhova bamfumanisa enetyala baza bamgwebela intambo. Kwiiyure nje ezingaphambi kokufa kwayo, le nkonde yomfundisi-ntsapho yachazela abafundi ababengungelene apho izinto ezininzi ibaqinisekisa ukuba umphefumlo awufi yaye ukufa akumele koyikwe.
2 Le ndoda igwetyiweyo nguSocrates ngokwakhe, uphopho wesithandi sobulumko samaGrike senkulungwane yesihlanu ngaPhambi kweXesha Eliqhelekileyo.a Indedeba awayeyifundisa uPlato yazibhala ezo ziganeko kwisincoko esithi Apology nesithi Phaedo. USocrates noPlato bavunyiwe njengabokuqala ukubhedesha le mfundiso yokuba umphefumlo awufi. Kodwa imfundiso le ayizange ize nabo.
3 Njengoko siza kubona, le mbono yokungafi komphefumlo ilandwa mfamlibe phayaa. Noko ke, uSocrates noPlato bayihombisa le ngcamango baza bayiguqula yaba yintanda-bulumko, yaza ke yathandwa gqitha zizifundiswa zaloo mihla nezalandelayo.
Yasuka KuPythagoras Yaya Kuthi Ngcu Kumangcwaba OoFaro
4 AmaGrike awayephila ngaphambi kukaSocrates noPlato nawo ayekholelwa ukuba umphefumlo uqhubeka uphila emva kokufa. UPythagoras, umGrike oyindumasi kwezezibalo wenkulungwane yesithandathu ngaPhambi kweXesha Eliqhelekileyo, wayemi ngelokuba umphefumlo awufi yaye wawufudukela kwenye indawo. Ngaphambi kwakhe, uThales waseMileto, ekucingelwa ukuba wayeyeyona ngqangangqanga yesithandi-bulumko sokuqala somGrike, wayevakalelwa kukuba asingobantu, izilwanyana nezityalo kuphela ezinomphefumlo ongafiyo kodwa nezinto ezinjengeemagnet, ekubeni zikwazi ukutsala intsimbi. AmaGrike amandulo ayesithi imiphefumlo yabafi yayinqumla uMlambo iStyx iye kuthi tshitshilili kwilizwe elingaphantsi komhlaba ekuthiwa lilizwe lemimoya. Apho, iijaji zazigweba loo miphefumlo iye kuthothoza entolongweni enoorhec’ izulu beendonga okanye iye kuthi gcobho e-Elysium.
5 EIran, okanye ePersi, esempuma, kwakukho umprofeti ogama linguZoroaster owayephila kwinkulungwane yesixhenxe ngaPhambi kweXesha Eliqhelekileyo. Weza nonqulo olubizwa ngokuba lolwamaZoroaster. Olu yayilunqulo lobuKhosi basePersi, olwaluligqibe lonke ihlabathi ngaphambi kokuba kukhonye iGrisi ehlabathini. Izibhalo zamaZoroaster zithi: “Umphefumlo weLungisa uya kuVuya ngonaphakade uNgafi, kodwa oweXoki uya kuthuthumba. Yaye le miThetho yabekwa nguAhura Mazda [oko kukuthi, “uthixo wobulumko”] ngegunya Lakhe.”
6 Le mfundiso yokungafi komphefumlo yayikho kwinkonzo yaseIran engekabikho amaZoroaster. Ngokomzekelo izizwe zaseIran zamandulo zaziyibonelela imiphefumlo yabafi ngokuyinika ukudla nokuyinxibisa ukuze ingagodoli kwilizwe lemimoya.
7 Inkolelo yokungafi komphefumlo yayingene yazinza kunqulo lwaseYiputa. AmaYiputa ayekholelwa kwelokuba umphefumlo womntu ofileyo ugwetywa nguOsiris, uthix’ omkhulu welemimoya. Ngokomzekelo, uxwebhu lomzi ekuthiwa lwalukho kwangenkulungwane ye-14 B.C.E. lunomfanekiso ka-Anubis, uthixo wabafi, eqweqwedisa umphefumlo wombhali uHunefer ewusa phambi kukaOsiris. Intliziyo yalo mbhali, emela isazela sakhe, ibekwa esikalini kuze kwelinye icala kubekwe usiba olufakwa nguthixokazi wenyaniso nokusesikweni entloko. UThoth, omnye uthixo, ubhala iziphumo zoku. Ekubeni intliziyo kaHunefer ingasindwa bububi, iba khaphukhaphu kunolu siba, yaye uHunefer uyavunyelwa angene kwindawo akuyo uOsiris aze anikwe ukungafi. Olu xwebhu lukwabonisa nesigebengakazi esimi ecaleni kwesi sikali, singxangele ukubimbiliza umfi lowo ukuba intliziyo yakhe iye yasisinda isikali. AmaYiputa ayebaqhola abafi aze ayiqwayite imizimba yoofaro kumangcwaba amahle ookumkani balapho, ekubeni ayecinga ukuba ukuze umphefumlo usinde kufuneka umzimba ugcinwe kakuhle.
8 Ngoko, izithethe zempucuko zamandulo, zazifana ngentw’ enye—ukungafi komphefumlo. Ngaba zaziyincance beleni linye le mfundiso?
Umnombo Wayo
9 Incwadi ethi The Religion of Babylonia and Assyria ithi: “Mandulo phayaa, iYiputa, iPersi neGrisi zazithiwe nqo ngempumlo lunqulo lwaseBhabhiloni.” Le ncwadi ihlabela mgama isithi: “Ngenxa yokuqhogana kwabantu baseYiputa nabaseBhabhiloni, njengokuba esitsho amacwecwe e-El-Amarna, ayemaninzi amakroba ezinokungena ngawo izithethe neemfundiso zaseBhabhiloni kunqulo lwaseYiputa. EPersi, ihlelo lamaMithra lizibhenca elubala ukuba lineempembelelo zaseBhabhiloni . . . Into yokuba iintsomi zamandulo zamaGrike nezithethe zaseGrisi zazixutywe nobuYuda ayisakhanyelwa nangabaphengululi. Ezi mfundiso zamaYuda ubukhulu becala zivela eBhabhiloni.”b
10 Kodwa ngaba imbono yaseBhabhiloni yoko kwenzekayo emva kokufa ayahlukanga kakhulu kweyamaYiputa, eyamaPersi namaGrike? Ngokomzekelo, cinga nge-Epic of Gilgamesh yaseBhabhiloni. Igorha lalapho elalisele libhonga lilele, uGilgamesh, elalingcuchalaziswa kukoyika ukufa, laphum’ iphulo lifuna into eza kulenza lingafi kodwa labuya nemband’ esikhova. Ladibana nentwazana eyayingumngcamli likuhambo lwalo yaza yalikhuthaza ukuba libuxhamle lanele obu bomi, kuba alisokuze libufumane obu bomi bungapheliyo libufunayo. Ingongoma yeli bali yeyokuba akunakuze ulibaleke ingcwaba yaye into yokuba umphefumlo awufi nguNongqawuse lowo. Ngaba oku kwakubonisa ukuba amaBhabhiloni ayengakholelwa kuBomi Basemva Kokufa?
11 UNjingalwazi Morris Jastrow, Omnci., weUniversity of Pennsylvania, eUnited States, wabhala: “Abantu neenkokeli zonqulo azizange ziyicinge into yokuba [eBhabhiloni] yayisaziwa into yokuba into ekhe yaphila ingatshabalala kuphele. Ukufa [ngokokubona kwabo] yayikukudlulela nje kobunye ubomi, yaye nale yokuba babekhanyela ukungafi komphefumlo yayiqinisekisa ukuba akunakuyiphepha into yokutshintshela kobunye ubomi nto leyo eyenzeka xa ufile.” Ewe, amaBhabhiloni ayekwakholelwa kwelokuba kukho uhlobo oluthile lobomi oqhubeka ubuphila emva kokufa. Azintama koku ngokungcwaba abantu nezinto ezithile abaza kuzisebenzisa kuBomi Basemva Kokufa.
12 Lizicacele elokuba, le mfundiso yokungafi komphefumlo ihamba iye kuthi xhaxhe ngeBhabhiloni yamandulo. Ngokutsho kweBhayibhile, incwadi ezibalule ngembali yayo echanileyo, isixeko saseBhabheli, okanye iBhabhiloni, samiswa nguNimrodi, umzukulwana kaNowa.c Emva koMkhukula wehlabathi lonke ngomhla kaNowa, kwakukho intetho nonqulo olunye kuphela. Ngokuseka eso sixeko, nokwakha inqaba apho, uNimrodi waqalisa olunye unqulo. Ingxelo yeBhayibhile ibonisa ukuba emva kokudutyadutywa kolwimi lwaseBhabheli, abakhi baloo nqaba aboyisakeleyo bachithakala baza baxoza mphini wumbi, besafumbethe unqulo lwabo. (Genesis 10:6-10; 11:4-9) Iimfundiso zonqulo lwaseBhabhiloni zasasazeka ngolo hlobo emhlabeni wonke.
13 Kukho ingcamango yokuba uNimrodi wafa kabuhlungu. Lizicacele elokuba njengomseki, umakhi nokumkani wokuqala wesixeko sabo saseBhabhiloni, abantu bamele ukuba babemothulel’ umnqwazi. Ekubeni uthixo uMarduk (uMerodaki) wayejongwa njengomseki weBhabhiloni, bambi abaphengeluli baye balithi thupha elokuba uMarduk umele ukuba wayenguNimrodi owenziwe isithixo. Ukuba oko kunjalo, makube ke le mfundiso yokuba umphefumlo awufi ekufeni komntu yaqalisa ngexesha lokufa kukaNimrodi. Enoba imeko yayinjani na, imbali idiza elokuba emva koNogumbe, imfundiso yokungafi komphefumlo yaqanduselwa eBhabheli, okanye eBhabhiloni.
14 Noko ke, le mfundiso yokungafi komphefumlo yangena njani kwiinkonzo zale mihla? Icandelo elilandelayo liza kuxubusha indlela eyangena ngayo kwiinkonzo zaseMpuma.
[Imibhalo esemazantsi]
a Isishunqulelo esithi B.C.E. sithetha ukuthi “ngaPhambi kweXesha Eliqhelekileyo.” Esithi C.E. sithetha ukuthi “kwiXesha Eliqhelekileyo,” gama elo elidla ngokubizwa ngokuthi A.D., omela Anno Domini, othetha ukuthi “kunyaka weNkosi.”
b IEl-Amarna yindawo akuyo amabhodlo esixeko saseYiputa iAkhetaton, ekuthiwa yakhiwa ngenkulungwane ye-14 B.C.E.
c Bona incwadi ethi IBhayibhile—Ngaba Ililizwi LikaThixo Okanye Lomntu?, iphepha 37-54, epapashwe yiWatchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc.
[Imibuzo YeSifundo]
1-3. USocrates noPlato bayihambisela phambili njani imfundiso yokungafi komphefumlo?
4. Ngaphambi kukaSocrates, amaGrike ayenayiphi imbono ngoBomi Basemva Kokufa?
5, 6. AmaPersi ayewujonga njani umphefumlo?
7, 8. AmaYiputa amandulo ayenayiphi inkolelo ngokungafi komphefumlo xa umzimba usifa?
9. Luluphi unqulo olwaphembelela iYiputa, iPersi neGrisi yamandulo?
10, 11. IBhabhiloni yayinayiphi imbono ngobomi emva kokufa?
12-14. (a) Emva koNogumbe, yavela phi imfundiso yokungafi komphefumlo? (b) Le mfundiso yasasazeka njani emhlabeni wonke?
[Imifanekiso ekwiphepha 6]
Imbono yamaYiputa ngemiphefumlo ekwelemimoya
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 7]
USocrates wayemi ngelokuba umphefumlo awufi