Ukusuka Kumama Wasemhlabeni Ukusa Kuthixokazi Wenzala

NGABA uyamqonda uthixokazi okumfanekiso ongaphandle kweli phephancwadi? NguIsis, uthixokazi ongumama wamandulo waseYiputa. Ukuba ukhe watyelela imyuziyam okanye waphosa iliso kumaphepha encwadi yembali yamandulo, kungenzeka ukuba sele ukhe wazibona izithixo ezifana nalo thixokazi. Noko ke khawucinge ngoku: Ngaba ubungaqubuda uze unqule uthixokazi uIsis?

Ukuba ulilungu lenye yeecawa zeNgqobhoko, lo mbuzo usenokuvakala ungaqhelekanga. Ngokunokwenzeka uya kuma ngelokuba unqula uMdali, lowo ubizwa ngokuthi, “Bawo wethu osemazulwini.” (Mateyu 6:9) Ingcamango yokuqubuda kuthixokazi ongumama isenokubonakala ingaqhelekanga, kwaye inezothe. Sekunjalo, unqulo olunjalo belusasazekile ukutyhubela imbali, yaye usenokothuka kukwazi ukuba ngoobani ngokwenene abanqula uthixokazi ongumama omkhulu namhlanje.

Noko ke, ngaphambi kokuba sikuxubushe oko, makhe sikulande ezantsi oku ngokuqwalasela ukuba wayenqulwa kangakanani uthixokazi ongumama kumaxesha amandulo. Olu hlobo lonqulo kubonakala ukuba luhlobo lonqulo lobuxoki olwalukho kwasekuqaleni. Abembi bezinto zakudala baye bavumbulula imifanekiso eqingqiweyo nemifanekiso yoothixokazi abangoomama abahamba ze kwiziza zamandulo kulo lonke elaseYurophu nokususela kumazwe akwiMeditera ukusa eIndiya.

UMama Wasemhlabeni wayegqalwa njengomthombo wabo bonke ubomi, onikela ubomi aze abuthabathele kuye kwakhona ekufeni. Njengonjalo, wayenqulwa kodwa esoyikwa nokoyikwa. Okokuqala, abantu babekholelwa ukuba amandla akhe enzala ayengenanto yakwenza nesini. Ngoko, izifundo ngeentsomi zithi, wazala uBawo Wesibhakabhaka owakhekileyo waza waba ngumfazi wakhe. Esi sibini sazala intlaninge yabanye oothixo noothixokazi.

Okufanayo KwaseBhabhiloni

Koothixokazi abavunywe ngokusemthethweni baseBhabhiloni, uIshtar wayenguthixokazi ophambili, efana nothixokazi wenzala wamaSumeri uInnanna. Okukhwankqisayo kukuba, wayenguthixokazi wemfazwe nothixokazi wothando kwanothanda iziyolo. Kwincwadi yakhe ethi Les Religions de Babylonie et d’Assyrie (Iinkonzo ZaseBhabhiloni NezaseAsiriya), umphengululi ongumFrentshi uÉdouard Dhorme wathi ngoIshtar: “Wayenguthixokazi, inenekazi, umama onenceba ophulaphula imithandazo aze enze uxolelaniso noothixo abanomsindo aze abathomalalise. . . . Wayephakanyiswe ngaphezu kwabo bonke, waba nguthixokazi woothixokazi, ukumkanikazi wabo bonke oothixo, owongamileyo koothixo bamazulu nomhlaba.”

Abanquli bakaIshtar babembiza ngokuthi “iNtombi Enyulu,” “Ntombi Enyulu Engcwele,” nokuthi “Mama OyiNtombi Enyulu.” “Umthandazo Wokulila KuIshtar” wamaSumeri nama-Akkad amandulo uthi: “Ndiyakuthandaza, Nenekazi lamanenekazi, thixokazi woothixokazi. Ishtar, kumkanikazi wabo bonke abantu. . . . Mnini-mandla kathixo onke, onxibe isithsaba solawulo. . . . Ziyakuthobela izindlu zeenkonzo, iindawo neziza ezingcwele neetempile. . . . Azilinganiswa phi na iimpawu zakho? . . . Ndijonge Nenekazi elibekekileyo; yamkela imithandazo yam.”a

Ukusasazeka Konqulo Lukathixokazi Ongumama

Umfundi ngezinto zaseMpuma uÉdouard Dhorme uthetha “ngokwanda konqulo lukaIshtar.” Lwasasazeka kulo lonke elaseMesopotami, kwaye uIshtar okanye oothixokazi abanamagama awahlukahlukeneyo kodwa abaneempawu ezifanayo babenqulwa eYiputa, kwelaseFenike nakwelakwaKanan naseAsiya Mayina, eGrisi naseItali.

Uthixokazi ophambili nokwangumama owayenqulwa eYiputa yayinguIsis. Umbhali-mbali uH. G. Wells wabhala: “uIsis wayenabalandeli abaninzi, ababahlulele ubomi babo kuye. Imifanekiso yakhe yayimi etempileni, ithweswe izithsaba njengoKumkanikazi Wezulu yaye ifunqule imveku uHorus. Amakhandlela ayeloziza ngaphambi kwakhe, yaye izibhambathiso zeminikelo eyenziwe ngamafutha zazijinga kuyo yonke le tempile.” (The Outline of History) Unqulo lukaIsis lwaluthandwa ngokukodwa eYiputa. Lwanabela nakuwo wonke ummandla weMeditera, ingakumbi eGrisi naseRoma lwada lwafikelela nakwintshona nomntla Yuropu.

KwelaseFenike nakwaKanan, kwakunqulwa uthixokazi ongumama ogama linguAshtoreti, okanye uAstarte, ekwakusithiwa ngumfazi kaBhahali. NjengoIshtar waseBhabhiloni, nalo wayenguthixokazi wenzala nemfazwe. EYiputa kuye kwafunyanwa imibhalo yamandulo uAstarte kuyo abizwa ngokuba linenekazi lamazulu nokuthi ngukumkanikazi wamazulu. AmaSirayeli kwafuneka alwe umlo oqhubekayo nxamnye neempembelelo ezonakalisayo zonqulo lwalo thixokazi wenzala.

Kumntla-ntshona weAnatolia, endaweni kaIshtar kwakukho uCybele, owaziwa ngokuba nguMama Omkhulu woothixo. Wayekwabizwa ngokuba nguMzali Wabantu Bonke, uMondli Wabantu Bonke, uMama Wabo Bonke Abangcwele. Ukusuka eAnatolia unqulo lukaCybele lwanwenwela okokuqala eGrisi lwaza ke lwadlulela eRome, apho lwahlala luhleli lwada lwangena nakwiXesha Eliqhelekileyo. Ukunqulwa kwalo thixokazi wenzala kwakuquka umngqungqo wempambano, ukuzisika kwabefundisi, ukuzithena kwabo babeza kuba ngabefundisi nemingcelele ekwakusithi kuyo umfanekiso oqingqiweyo walo thixokazi uthwalwe ngobungangamsha obukhulu.b

AmaGrike amandulo ayenqula uthixokazi onguMama Wasemhlabeni owayebizwa ngokuba nguGaea. Kodwa izithixo zabo zaziquka oothixokazi bohlobo lukaIshtar, abanjengoAphrodite, uthixokazi wenzala nothando; uAthena, uthixokazi wemfazwe; uDemeter, uthixokazi wezolimo.

ERome, uVenus wayenguthixokazi wothando yaye, ngenxa yoko, efana nothixokazi wamaGrike uAphrodite nowaseBhabhiloni uIshtar. Phofu ke, namaRoma ayenqula uthixokazi uIsis, uCybele noMinerva (ofana noAthena wamaGrike), bonke ababefana ngandlel’ ithile nowaseBhabhiloni uIshtar.

Ngokucacileyo, kangangamawaka eminyaka, unqulo lothixokazi ongumama lwaluchasene ngamandla nonqulo olunyulu loMdali omkhulu, uYehova. Ngaba lwatshitsha unqulo lukathixokazi omkhulu ongumama? Okanye ngaba luye lwahlala lukho ukuza kuthi ga kulo mhla? Nceda uhlabele mgama ufunde.

[Imibhalo esemazantsi]

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 3]

UISHTAR waseBhabhiloni emntwisiwe njengenkwenkwezi

[Inkcazelo]

Courtesy of The British Museum

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 4]

UISIS waseYiputa ephethe uthixo oyimveku uHorus

[Inkcazelo]

Musée du Louvre, Paris