Ilitye LakwaMowabhi—Latshatyalaliswa Kodwa Alizange Lilahleke
ILITYE lakwaMowabhi, okanye likaMesha, laqhekezwa ngabom kungaphelanga nonyaka lifunyenwe ngowe-1868. Lalineminyaka ephantse ibe ngama-3 000 likho. Iqhekeza lelitye elilukhuni elimnyama elibengezelayo elinomphezulu ongqukuva kuhle, laliziisentimitha ezili-112 ukuphakama liziisentimitha ezingama-71 ububanzi, ibe liziisentimitha ezingama-36 ubukhulu. Ngaxa lithile emva kokuba liqhekeziwe, amaqhekeza amabini amakhulu namancinane ali-18 afunyanwa, kodwa isinye kwisithathu selo litye sasilahlekile singenakufumaneka kwakhona.
Kwenzeka njani ukuba into eyayingumsebenzi wezandla zabantu neyayingaqhelekanga ngolo hlobo iphantse ilahleke kuphele? Ibe ixabiseke kangakanani kubafundi beBhayibhile?
Ubuqhophololo Nokungathembeki
UF. A. Klein wayengumntu wokuqala nowokugqibela oliNgesi owabona eli litye lingaqhekekanga. Lalikumabhodlo aseDibon ngakumntla-mpuma woLwandle Olufileyo. Wabhala iingongoma ezimbalwa ngamacandelo alo mbhalo owawunemiqolo engama-34 owawukungqameko olunyukileyo ibe, ekubuyeleni kwakhe eYerusalem, wanikela ingxelo ngoko wayekufumene kumphathi wakhe wasePrussia. Lo mbhalo wafaniswa ngokukhawuleza njengowaseFenike ibe ukubaluleka kwawo kwaqondwa. IMyuziyam iRoyal yaseBerlin yabeka imali ukuze ithenge elo litye, kodwa kungekudala abanye ababenomdla kulo babesukuzana ngalo. Zenziwe zakuqonda ukuxabiseka koko zazikufumene, iinkosi zasekuhlaleni zama-Arabhu zalifihla zaza zaliphakamisa ngokugqithiseleyo ixabiso lalo.
Umembi wezinto zakudala ongumFrentshi wakwazi ukuncamathelisa iphepha ukuze lishicilele oku kwakubhalwe kweli litye, kodwa ngenxa yokuba kwakufuneka lisuswe ngaphambi kokuba lomele elityeni, olu shicilelo lwalufundeka nzima. Ngelo thuba, kwafika imiyalelo evela eDamasko isiya kuloo ma-Arabhu yokuba anikezele ngelitye lawo kumagosa karhulumente. Kunokuthobela lo myalelo, loo ma-Arabhu azimisela ukulitshabalalisa. Ngoko alumeka umlilo kwindawo engqonge eli litye baza ngokuphindaphindiweyo baligalela amanzi. Xa eli litye lathi laqhekeka, ngokukhawuleza amaqhekeza alo asasazwa kwiintsapho zasekuhlaleni ukuze ziwabeke koovimba bazo, ngelikhohlisayo ukuze ziqinisekise intsikelelo kwizivuno zazo. Kwakhona oku kwavelisa elona thuba lihle lokuba abantu ngabanye bathethathethane ngokobuqu ngokuthengiswa kwala maqhekeza asasaziweyo.
Imbali YeBhayibhile Iba Yeyokwenene
Ngoncedo lwesamente namaphepha okushicilela ekwakushicilelwe kuwo okwakukwelo litye ukuze kuhlanganiswe amaqhekeza awayethengisiwe, loo mbhalo ukwelo litye wafunyanwa ekugqibeleni. Xa umbhalo opheleleyo watyhilwayo, abaphengululi babamba ongezantsi. Ngelo xesha eli litye lamandulo lalichazwa ‘njengelona litye libalaseleyo elakha lafunyanwa.’
UKumkani uMesha wakwaMowabhi wakhela uthixo wakhe uKemoshe eli Litye lakwaMowabhi esenza isikhumbuzo sokuphelisa kukaMesha ulawulo lwakwaSirayeli, athi ngalo, lwahlala iminyaka engama-40 ibe lwaluvunyelwe nguKemoshe ngenxa yokuba ‘wayeliqumbele ilizwe lakhe.’ Le mvukelo yakwaMowabhi ngokuqhelekileyo igqalwa njengenxulumene neziganeko ezibhalwe kwisahluko sesithathu seyesi-2 yooKumkani. Kwingxelo eyayibhaliwe, uMesha uqhayisa ngokuluthanda kwakhe unqulo, ngokwakha kwakhe izixeko nendlela enguhola, nangokoyisa kwakhe uSirayeli. Ngenxa yoku, unikela imbeko kuthixo wakhe uKemoshe. Ukoyisa kukaMesha nokwenza kwakhe idini ngonyana wakhe—okubhalwe eBhayibhileni—njengoko ubani ebeya kulindela, akuzange kuqukwe kulo mbhalo wokuzizukisa.
Iindawo ezininzi ezidweliswe nguMesha njengezo wazihlaselayo zikhankanyiwe eBhayibhileni, phakathi kwazo kukho iMedebha, iAtaroti, iNebho neYatsa. Ngaloo ndlela, eli litye lixhasa ukuchana kweengxelo zeBhayibhile. Noko ke, okubalaseleyo, kukusebenzisa kukaMesha iTetragrammaton, uYHWH, igama loThixo wakwaSirayeli, kumqolo we-18 kule ngxelo. Apho uMesha uyaqhayisa: “Ndathabatha apho [eNebho] [izitya] zikaYahweh, ndazithabatha ndazibeka phambi kukaKemoshe.” Ngaphandle kwaseBhayibhileni, kunokwenzeka ukuba le yeyona ngxelo yokuqala yokusetyenziswa kwegama likaThixo.
Ngowe-1873 iLitye lakwaMowabhi labuyiselwa, nesamente enemibhalo eyayilahlekile yongezelelwa, laza labekwa kwindawo yokubonisa kwimyuziyam iLouvre, eseParis, apho lisahleli khona. Into efana nalo inokubonwa kwiMyuziyam yaseBritani, eLondon.
[Imifanekiso ekwiphepha 31]
(Ngasentla) Ilizwe lakwaMowabhi
[Inkcazelo]
Pictorial Archive (Near Eastern History) Est.
(Ngasekhohlo) Lilitye lakwaMowabhi elaphinda lakhiwa
[Inkcazelo]
Musée du Louvre, Paris
(Ngasekunene) ITetragrammaton njengoko ibonakala kumsebenzi wezandla zabantu
[Inkcazelo]
The Bible in the British Museum