IAlexandrine Codex
IALEXANDRINE CODEX yayingowokuqala kwimibhalo-ngqangi ebalulekileyo yeBhayibhile ukwenziwa ifumaneke kubaphengululi. Ukufunyanwa kwayo kwakhokelela kuhlalutyo olwakhayo loko kufunjethwe yiBhayibhile yesiGrike ukuze kungenelwe bonke abo bathi ekugqibeleni baba ngabaguquleli beZibhalo Ezingcwele. Yaziswa njani ekukhanyeni yaye nini?
UKyrillos Loukaris, ubhishophu omkhulu waseAlexandria, eYiputa, wayengumqokeleli obalulekileyo weencwadi, yaye ngonyaka we-1621, xa wathi waba ngubhishophu omkhulu waseConstantinople, eTurkey, wahamba kunye neCodex Alexandrinus. Noko ke, ngenxa yesidubedube esasikuMbindi Mpuma, nangenxa yokoyikela ukutshatyalaliswa kombhalo-ngqangi nto leyo eyayinokwenzeka ukuba wawunokuwela kwizandla zamaMuslim, lo kaLoukaris wavakalelwa kukuba wawuya kukhuseleka ngakumbi eNgilani. Ngokuvisisana noko, ngowe-1624 wanikela ngawo kummeli waseBritani eTurkey njengesipho sokumkani wamaNgesi uJames I. Ukumkani wafa ngaphambi kokuba umbhalo-ngqangi unikezelwe kuye, ngoko endaweni yakhe wanikelwa kwilandela lakhe, uCharles I, kwiminyaka emithathu kamva.
Ngaba lo mbhalo-ngqangi wawuxabiseke ngendlela uKyrillos Loukaris awayevakalelwa ukuba uxabiseke ngayo? Ewe wawuxabisekile. Ususela emva kwinxalenye yokuqala yenkulungwane yesihlanu yeXesha Eliqhelekileyo. Kubonakala ukuba iqela lababhali laba nenxaxheba ekuwubhaleni, yaye lo mbhalo uye walungiswa ukususela ngoko. Ubhalwe kumaphepha enziwe ngesikhumba, imihlathi emibini kwiphepha ngalinye, ubhalwe ngoonobumba beuncial (oonobumba abakhulu) abangenazithuba phakathi kwamagama. Inkoliso yencwadi kaMateyu ayikho, njengokuba kunjalo ngamacandelo athile eGenesis, iiNdumiso, uYohane neyesi-2 yabaseKorinte. Ngoku ngokusemthethweni ibizwa ngokuba yiCodex A, inamaphepha angama-773 yaye isebubungqina bokuqala obubaluleke gqitha.
Imibhalo-ngqangi yeBhayibhile emininzi inokubekwa ngokwamaqela, okanye ngokweendidi, ngenxa yokufana okukhoyo phakathi kwayo. Oku kwenzeka xa bathi ababhali benza imibhalo yabo ngokusuka kumthombo omnye okanye ofana ngokusondeleyo. Noko ke, ngeAlexandrine Codex, ababhali babonakala bekuxhalabele ukuhlanganisela ndawonye imibhalo ngokusuka kwiindidi ezahlukahlukeneyo ukuze bavelise owona mbhalo usemgangathweni kangangoko kunokwenzeka. Enyanisweni, wangqineka ungowona mbhalo-ngqangi mdala nofanelekileyo kunayo nayiphi na imibhalo-ngqangi yesiGrike eyasetyenziswa njengesiseko seKing James Version yowe-1611.
Indlela efundeka ngayo eyoku-1 kuTimoti 3:16 kwiAlexandrine yaxhokonxa impikiswano enkulu xa yathi yapapashwa. Apha iKing James Version ifundeka ngolu hlobo xa ibhekisela kuKristu Yesu: “UThixo wabonakalaliswa esenyameni.” Kodwa kule codex yamandulo isifinyezi segama elithi “Thixo,” esibunjwe ngoonobumba ababini besiGrike abangaba “ΘC” kubonakala ukuba ekuqaleni sasifundeka ngolu hlobo “OC,” igama elimele elithi “lowo.” Ngokucacileyo, oku kwakuthetha ukuba uKristu Yesu wayengenguye “uThixo.”
Kwathabatha ngaphezu kweminyaka engama-200 ibe kwafuneka ukuba kufunyanwe imibhalo-ngqangi emidalana ukuze kuqinisekwe ukuba ukuguqulela ngokuthi “lowo” kuchanile. UBruce M. Metzger kwiTextual Commentary on the Greek New Testament yakhe uqukumbela ngokuthi: “Akusekho mbhalo weuncial (owawubhalwe ngokuthe ngqo) wangaphambilana kunenkulungwane yesibhozo okanye yesithoba . . . oxhasa uθεός [the·osʹ]; zonke iinguqulelo zamandulo zithandabuzela kuὅς okanye uὅ; yaye akukho mbhali wayengubhishophu omkhulu ngaphambi kwenxalenye yokugqibela yenkulungwane yesine onikela ubungqina ngokufundwa kwegama elithi θεός [the·osʹ].” Namhlanje, iingqulelo ezininzi ziye zavumelana ngokuyishiya nantoni na ephathelele ‘uThixo’ kwesi sibhalo.
Ngowe-1757 iRoyal Library kakumkani yaba yinxalenye yeThala Leencwadi laseBritani yaye ngoku le codex ifanelekileyo iboniswe ngokucacileyo kwigumbi lemibhalo-ngqangi leMuziyam yaseBritani. Ibubutyebi ekufanelekileyo ukububona.