Inyaniso Ngesihogo

NGOKUCACILEYO, imfundiso esisiseko ebangela ukukholelwa ekohlwayweni emva kokufa yinkolelo yokuba umntu wokoqobo eneneni akafi xa umzimba wokwenyama usifa kodwa okuthile—ngokuqhelekileyo okubizwa ngokuba ngumphefumlo—kuyasinda ekufeni komzimba. Le nkolelo, njengokuba siyibonile kwinqaku elandulela eli, isusela emva kumaSumeri namaBhabhiloni amandulo eMesopotami. Kamva, yamkelwa ngamaGrike, ezathi izithandi zobulumko zawo, ezinjengoPlato, zayiphucula. Inkolelo yazo eyayiphuculiwe neyayineengcamango ezimbini ‘yomzimba nomphefumlo’ yaba yinxalenye yenkolelo yamaYuda angabawexuki.

Abo bazibiza ngokuba ngamaKristu bayamkela nini le nkolelo yobomi basemva kokufa? Ngokuqinisekileyo akukho ebudeni bexesha likaYesu nabapostile bakhe. IEncyclopœdia Universalis yolwimi lwaseFransi ithi: “I-Apocalypse of Peter [umbhalo ongekho kudidi lweZibhalo Ezingcwele] (yenkulungwane yesibini kwiXesha Eliqhelekileyo) yayiyincwadi yokuqala yamaKristu ukuchaza ngesohlwayo nokuthuthunjiswa kwaboni esihogweni.”

Enyanisweni, kubonakala ukuba phakathi kwabaseki becawa bamandulo, kwakukho ukungavumelani okukhulu ngesihogo. UJustin Martyr, uClement wakwa-Alesandire, uTertullian noCyprian babevumelana ngengcamango yesihogo somlilo. UOrigen wazama ukuthetha okwahlukileyo nokuhle ngesihogo, esithi aboni abasesihogweni ekugqibeleni babeya kusindiswa. Ubukhulu becala okanye ubuncinane walandelwa nguGregory waseNazianzus noGregory waseNyssa. Kodwa uAugustine waziphelisa ezo mbono zinjalo zingagabadelanga ngesihogo. Kwincwadi yakhe ethi Early Christian Doctrines, unjingalwazi waseOxford uJ. N. D. Kelly ubhala oku: “Ngenkulungwane yesihlanu imfundiso engqongqo yokuba aboni abasayi kufumana ithuba lesibini emva kobu bomi neyokuba umlilo abaya kudliwa nguwo awusokuze ucinywe yayibalasele kuzo zonke iindawo.”

Mayela nendawo yentlambululo-miphefumlo, incwadi ethi Orpheus—A General History of Religions ithi: “Ingcwele uAugustine yema ngelithi kukho ithuba lokulingwa eliphakathi kolonwabo olukhulu oluzayo nokugwetywa, elo lokuhlanjululwa kwemiphefumlo ngomlilo. Le yimfundiso yamaGrike namaRoma angabahedeni engendawo yentlambululo-miphefumlo: akuthethwa nento le ngayo kwiincwadi zeVangeli. . . . Imfundiso engendawo yentlambululo-miphefumlo . . . yasekwa ngenkulungwane yesithandathu, yaze yavakaliswa njengemfundiso yeCawa liBhunga laseFlorence (1439).” INew Catholic Encyclopedia yavuma isithi: “Imfundiso yamaKatolika engendawo yentlambululo-miphefumlo isekelwe kwisithethe, kungekhona kwiZibhalo Ezingcwele.” Mayela neNdawo Yokugcina Imiphefumlo Yabantwana. uKhadinali Ratzinger waseRome uyavuma ukuba “oku kuphela nje kuyimfundiso yonqulo ekungaqinisekwanga ngayo.”

Akukho Sohlwayo Emva Kokufa

Noko ke, kuthekani ngeBhayibhile? Ngaba ithi umphefumlo uyasinda emva kokufa komzimba yaye ngenxa yoko unokohlwaywa kwisihogo somlilo okanye kwindawo yentlambululo-miphefumlo? INew Catholic Encyclopedia ithi: “Ingcamango yokusinda komphefumlo emva kokufa ayikho eBhayibhileni. . . . KwiTestamente Endala umphefumlo awuthethi inxalenye yomntu, kodwa uthetha umntu ephela—umntu njengomphefumlo ophilayo. Ngokukwanjalo, kwiTestamente Entsha ufanekisela ubomi bomntu: ubomi bomntu ngamnye.”

Ngoko ingxoxo esisiseko yokohlwaywa emva kokufa ayinangqiqo konke konke. IBhayibhile ithi: “Umphefumlo owonayo uya kufa.” (Hezekile 18:4, Revised Standard Version, Uhlelo lwamaKatolika) Ikwathi: “Umvuzo wesono kukufa.” (Roma 6:23, RSV) Ngoko ke, xa iBhayibhile isithi abantu abangendawo abangaguqukiyo baya kuphelela ‘kumgwebo wesihogo [“eGehena,” NW],’ “emlilweni ongunaphakade,” okanye “edikeni lomlilo,” isebenzisa nje kuphela intetho engokomfuziselo ethetha ukufa kwabo ngokusisigxina, “ukufa kwesibini.”—Mateyu 23:33; 25:41, 46; ISityhilelo 20:14; 21:8;a thelekisa eyesi-2 yabaseTesalonika 1:7-9.

Isihogo Sipheliswa Luvuko

Ngoko, ngaba isihogo siyatshisa? Akunjalo ngokutsho kweBhayibhile. Eneneni, amagama esiHebhere nawesiGrike aguqulelwe ngokuthi “isihogo” kwiiBhayibhile ezithile kuphela nje athetha ingcwaba eliqhelekileyo labantu abafileyo. Asiyondawo itshisayo yentuthumbo. Kunoko, yindawo yokuphumla, apho abantu abafileyo baya kuvuswa khona. (INtshumayeli 9:10; IZenzo 24:15) UOscar Cullmann ongunjingalwazi kwiSebe Lezifundo Zakwalizwi kwiYunivesithi yaseBasel, eSwitzerland, nakweyaseSorbonne, eParis, uthetha ‘ngomahluko omkhulu phakathi kolindelo lwamaKristu lovuko lwabafileyo nenkolelo yamaGrike yokungafi komphefumlo.’ Uthi “isibakala sokuba ubuKristu bamva buye bazinxibelelanisa ezi nkolelo zimbini . . . eneneni asikokuzinxibelelanisa ngokupheleleyo kodwa kukulahlwa kwenye [imfundiso yeBhayibhile yovuko] kusamkelwa enye [inkolelo yobuhedeni yokungafi komphefumlo womntu].”—Akekeliswe sithi.

AmaNgqina kaYehova awalukhanyelanga ukholo lwawo olungovuko esamkela ingcamango yokungafi komphefumlo. Aya kukuvuyela ukwabelana nawe ngethemba lawo elonwabisayo aze akuqinisekise ngokusuka eBhayibhileni ukuba, ngokwenyaniso, isihogo asitshisi.

[Umbhalo osemazantsi]