IBhetelehem—Ngaba Ingumfuziselo Womanyano Nothando LwamaKristu?
“IBHETELEHEM . . . ibubungqina bothando olungasikelwe mda, inikela isifundo ngokuthobeka.”—NguMaria Teresa Petrozzi, umbhali wencwadi ethi Bethlehem.
Ngaba iBhetelehem inentsingiselo ebunjalo kuwe? Mhlawumbi kunjalo, ekubeni amakhulu ezigidi zabantu abanyanisekileyo nabathanda uxolo ehlabathini lonke beyijonga ngentlonelo iBhetelehem, ngokukodwa ebudeni bexesha leKrismesi. Bayazi ukuba esi sixekwana siseMbindi Mpuma siyindawo ekwazalelwa kuyo “uMthetheli Woxolo,” uYesu Kristu. Kangangeenkulungwane ezininzi abakhenkethi abangamakholwa baye bathontelana ukuza apha beze kutyelela enye yezona ndawo zingcwele zeNgqobhoko mhlawumbi nokubonisa intlonelo kuyo. Loo ndawo nguMqolomba Wozalo Olungcwele (Grotto of the Nativity), indawo ngokwembali yonqulo awazalelwa kuyo uYesu Kristu. Ikwisakhiwo esikhulu nesidumileyo esibizwa ngokuba yiCawa yoZalo Olungcwele.—Isaya 9:6; Mateyu 2:1.
Phofu ke, eneneni, ngaba ezi ndawo zingcwele ngokwembali yonqulo ziye zaba sisazulu somanyano lobuKristu, uthando nokuthobeka? Sisiphi isigqibo ofikelela kuso ngokwenkcazelo elandelayo?
Umbhali ongumKatolika uMaria Teresa Petrozzi egqabaza kwethi Bethlehem uthi: “Ukususela ngenkulungwane ye-16, [eBhetelehem] kwabakho ukruthakruthwano olukrakra nolophalazo-gazi phakathi [kwamaRoma Katolika athetha] isiLatini namaGrike [amakholwa obuOthodoki bamaGrike] kusiliwa ngamagunya angakumbi kwicawa yoZalo Olungcwele.” Ngokufuthi olu “kruthakruthwano lophalazo-gazi” luqhubekayo lokulwela amagunya lusekelwe kwinkwenkwezi yesilivere ekuMqolomba Wozalo Olungcwele, ongaphantsi komhlaba, ngaphantsi kweCawa Yozalo Olungcwele. Kuthiwa le nkwenkwezi iphawula eyona ndawo wazalelwa kuyo uKristu. UR. W. Hamilton enikela ingxelo kwincwadi yakhe ethi The Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem uthi: “Yaziwa nanguthathatha into yokuba ezinye zeembambano ezimbini zokungavisisani okwakuphakathi kweFransi neRashiya nokwakhokelela kwimfazwe eyaliwa kusinga-siqithi weCrimea zazibandakanya impikiswano yokugcina izitshixo zeminyango emikhulu yendlu yecawa nezegumbi elingcwele [uMqolomba Wozalo Olungcwele], nokubiwa okungaqondakaliyo ngobunye ubusuku bowe-1874 kwenkwenkwezi yesilivere enombhalo okroliweyo wesiLatini eyayincanyathiselwe kwilitye eligudilileyo elalingaphantsi kwesibingelelo esasisendaweni yoZalo Olungcwele.”
Ngenxa yolu ngquzulwano lungapheliyo noluphakathi kweemvaba ngeemvaba ukutyhubela iinkulungwane kusiliwa ngamalungelo ezi ndawo, “amalungelo emvaba nganye ngoku achazwe kakuhle. Ngokomzekelo, kwizibane zomqolomba ezingama-53, amaFranciscan asebenzisa ezili-19. ISibingelelo sendawo yoZalo Olungcwele sesamaGrike, ibe athetha isiLatini awavunyelwanga ukuqhuba iinkonzo zawo apho.”—IHistorical Sites in Israel.
Ebudeni bexesha leKrismesi, ukuba imekobume yezobupolitika iyakuvumela oko, nganye yeenkonzo zeNgqobhoko ezilapho ziqhuba owazo uMthendeleko weKrismesi zize zibe nomngcelele oba kulo lonke elaseBhetelehem. NgoDisemba 24 nowama-25, abo bathetha isiLatini baba nomngcelele kunye noMthendeleko ezinzulwini zobusuku kwiCawa yaseSaint Catherine, kufuphi neCawa yoZalo Olungcwele, ngoku esetyenziswa ziiCawa zobuOthodoki zamaGrike nezaseArmenia. NgoJanuwari 6, iicawa zobuOthodoki zaseGrisi, ezaseSiriya nezaseRashiya zibhiyozela iMithendeleko yazo yeKrismesi. NgoJanuwari 18, kubakho uMthendeleko weKrismesi wobuOthodoki baseArmenia, kuze kubekho umngcelele ngoJanuwari 19.
Ngaba ingxelo eyandulelayo ibonisa ukuba iindawo ekuthiwa zingcwele ngokwesithethe zaseBhetelehem ‘zibubungqina bothando olungasikelwe mda, zinikela isifundo ngokuthobeka’? Ukongezelela koku, ngaba zibonisa inyaniso engeemeko zokuzalwa kukaYesu? Ngokomzekelo, wazalwa nini? Ngaba ngenene wazalelwa koko namhlanje kunguMqolomba Wozalo Olungcwele? Yaye ngaba ufanele wena okanye nabani na ongomnye ayihlonele indawo awazalelwa kuyo?
[Inkcazelo Ngomfanekiso okwiphepha 3]
Pictorial Archive (Near Eastern History) Est.