UWilliam Whiston—Ngaba Wayengumqhekeki Okanye Wayengumphengululi Onyanisekileyo?

NGABA ubuya kuwuncama umsebenzi wakho ngenxa yeenkolelo zakho? UWilliam Whiston wawuncama owakhe.

Ngenkulungwane ye-18 wabangela imbambano kwezonqulo, xa engazange avumelane neCawa yaseTshetshi ngeemfundiso zeBhayibhile. Ngokomphumo, ekugqibeleni wabekw’ ibala lokuba ngumqhekeki. Ngaloo ndlela ikhondo lakhe labangela ukuba agculelwe kodwa kwakhona lamzisela intlonelo.

Wayengubani lo William Whiston? Yaye wafeza ntoni?

Umphengululi WeBhayibhile

UWilliam Whiston wayesisinxulumani esikrelekrele sikaMhlekazi Isaac Newton kwiYunivesithi yaseCambridge. Ukuba ufunda uhlelo lwesiNgesi lwemibhalo yombhali-mbali wenkulungwane yokuqala ongumYuda uFlavius Josephus, kusenokwenzeka ukuba ufunda inguqulelo kaWhiston yowe-1736. Nangona zikho ezinye iinguqulelo, ayikabikho eyidlulayo inguqulelo yakhe ebonisa inkcubeko, kunye namanqaku nezincoko zakhe, yaye zisashicilelwa unanamhla. Abaninzi bawugqala lo msebenzi njengeyona nto ibalaseleyo kwizinto awazifezayo lo kaWhiston.

Noko ke, asinakuyijongela phantsi nenguqulelo kaWhiston yeZibhalo zamaKristu zesiGrike ethi Primitive New Testament. Yapapashwa ngowe-1745, xa wayephethe iminyaka engama-78. UWhiston waguqulela iincwadi ezine zeVangeli neZenzo zabaPostile ngokusuka kwiCodex Bezae, iincwadi zikaPawulos ngokusuka kwiClermont Codex, nenxalenye eseleyo, kuquka iSityhilelo, ngokusuka kuMbhalo-ngqangi iAlexandrine. Ngenyameko akazange ayiquke inxalenye engachananga ekweyoku-1 kaYohane 5:7. UWhiston wakhetha le mithombo mithathu yamandulo yesiGrike njengoko yayiyeyona ilungileyo eyayikho ngelo xesha.

Ngokucacileyo lo kaWhiston wayeshukunyiswa kukuthanda iBhayibhile koko wayekwenza. Ngomhla wakhe kwakuxhaphake ideism, imfundiso yokuba ukuqiqa sisiseko esaneleyo sokukholelwa kuThixo. Ngokutsho kwencwadi ethi William Whiston—Honest Newtonian, wayixhasa ngamandla “imbono eqhelekileyo yokuba iBhayibhile kuphela komthombo ongenakuxoka wembali yamandulo.” Apha ibinzana elithi “Newtonian” libhekiswa kuIsaac Newton, owaziwa kakhulu ngencwadi yakhe ethi Principia, awathi kuyo wacacisa umthetho ongomxhuzulane wendalo. Indlela awayecinga ngayo lo kaNewton yaba nempembelelo enzulu kuWilliam Whiston. Njani?

Iimpawu Zobuntu Ezingafaniyo

UWilliam Whiston wazalwa ngowe-1667, engunyana womfundisi weCawa yaseTshetshi. Emva kokuba ebekwe izandla ngowe-1693, wabuyela kwiYunivesithi yaseCambridge esiya kufunda imathematika waza wancedisa uNewton. Baba ngumtya nethunga. Xa uNewton warhoxayo kwisikhundla sakhe sokuba yiNjingalwazi yomLucasian yeMathematika malunga neminyaka emithathu kamva, waqinisekisa ukuba kunyulwa uWhiston esikhundleni sakhe. Ezinikele emsebenzini wakhe, uWhiston wayehlohla kwizifundo ngeenkwenkwezi nemathematika, kodwa kwakhona impembelelo kaNewton yamshukumisela ekubeni abe nomdla omkhulu kubalo-maxesha nakwimfundiso yeBhayibhile.

UNewton wayengumntu wonqulo. Njengomntu owayekholelwa ngokwenene kwiWaka Leminyaka elichazwe eBhayibhileni, wabhala kakhulu ngesiprofeto sikaDaniyeli neseSityhilelo. Noko ke, akukho namnye kule mibhalo owapapashwayo ebudeni bokudla kwakhe ubomi. Akazange ayamkele imfundiso kaBathathu Emnye. Kodwa xa kwakufuneka apapashe ezakhe izibakala ngoBathathu Emnye, iThe New Encyclopædia Britannica ithi, “UNewton warhoxa esoyika ukuba iimbono zakhe ezichasa uBathathu Emnye zaziya kwaziwa.” Kwincwadi ethi Isaac Newton, Historian uF. E. Manuel ukuchaza ngoluhlobo oku: “Iqela likaNewton lazigcina ziyindab’ akwamkhozi iingcamango zalo okanye lalifihla ihlombe elalinalo. . . . Ngoxa uNewton wayengumntu ofihlayo uWhiston wayethetha ngokuphandle.” Ngaloo ndlela la madoda mabini ayeneempawu zobuntu ezingafaniyo.

Ukusikwa ECaweni

NgoJulayi 1708, uWhiston wabhalela ubishophu omkhulu waseCanterbury nowaseYork, ecela ukuba iCawa yaseTshetshi iguqule imfundiso yayo ngenxa yemfundiso yobuxoki kaBathathu Emnye njengoko iboniswe kwiSivumo Sokholo sika-Athanasius. Kuyabonakala ukuba walulekwa ukuba alumke. Sekunjalo uWhiston waqhubeka. Wathi: “Ezi ngongoma ndizifundisisile, yaye ndeyiseke ngokwenene kukuba icawa yamakristu iye yakhohliswa ngokupheleleyo ithuba elide ngazo; yaye, ngentsikelelo kaThixo, ukuba kusemandleni am, le nkohliso iza kuphela.”

UNewton wayesoyikela isikhundla sakhe entlalweni nakwezemfundo. Kwelinye icala, uWhiston kwakungekho nto ayoyikayo. Ezichaze ngokucacileyo iinkolelo zakhe ezichasene noBathathu Emnye, wabhala iphecana elichaza iingcamango zakhe. Kodwa ngoAgasti 1708, iYunivesithi yaseCambridge yala ukunika uWhiston isiqinisekiso sokuwushicilela lo mbandela, njengoko wawugqalwa njengongaqhelekanga.

Ngowe-1710, uWhiston wabekwa ityala lokufundisa imfundiso engqubanayo nenkolelo yeCawa yaseTshetshi. Wafunyaniswa enetyala, wahluthwa ilungelo lokuba ngunjingalwazi, waza wanikwa uphum’ aphele eCambridge. Noko ke, phezu kwawo nje amatyala angokomthetho awayebekwa wona, awaqhubeka phantse kangangeminye iminyaka emihlanu, uWhiston akazange abekw’ ityala loqhekeko.

Nangona iimbono zakhe zokuchasa uBathathu Emnye zazifana nezikaWhiston, uNewton akazange amthethelele umhlobo wakhe yaye ekugqibeleni wasikwa ecaweni. Ngowe-1754, uphengululo lweBhayibhileni lukaNewton olubhenca uBathathu Emnye lwapapashwa ngokupheleleyo—kwiminyaka engama-27 efile. Kodwa oko kwakungasenakuba luncedo kuWhiston, owayefe kwiminyaka emibini ngaphambili.

Kwakhona uNewton ugqalwa njengalowo ungazange amamkele uWhiston kwiRoyal Society edumileyo. Kodwa uWhiston akazange atyhafe. Yena nentsapho yakhe bafudukela eLondon, apho waseka uMbutho Wokukhuthaza ubuKristu Bokuqala. Wazibhokoxa ekubhaleni, owona msebenzi wakhe wawubalulekile ngelo xesha yayiyimiqulu emine yencwadi ethi Primitive Christianity Revived.

Ukuphikiswa Kude Kube Sekupheleni

Njengesazi-nzulu, uWhiston wayephanda ngeendlela ezahlukahlukeneyo oomatiloshe ababenokubufumanisa ngazo ubude bolwandle. Nangona iingcamango zakhe zingazange zamkelwe, ekugqibeleni ukuzingisa kwakhe kwakhokelela ekubeni kuveliswe isixhobo sokujonga ixesha elwandle. Nangona iimbono ezininzi zikaWhiston ngesiprofeto seBhayibhile, njengezo zoogxa bakhe, zangqineka zingachananga, wenza ngako konke anako kwiphulo lakhe lokufuna inyaniso. Amaphecana akhe athetha ngokujikeleza kweenkwenkwezi ekuthiwa ngoozatshoba namabango akhe ngemiphumo kaNogumbe womhla kaNowa aphakathi kwezinto ezininzi awazibhalela ukukhusela inyaniso yenzululwazi neyeBhayibhile. Noko ke, eziphuma phambili kuzo zonke izinto awazibhalayo zezo zibhenca imfundiso kaBathathu Emnye njengengekhoyo ezibhalweni.

Njengoko kwakulindelekile, ngowe-1747 uWhiston wayishiya iCawa yaseTshetshi. Wayishiya, ngokoqobo nangokomfuziselo, xa waphuma ngaphandle kwecawa kanye xa umfundisi wayeqalisa ukufunda iSivumo Sokholo sika-Athanasius. IA Religious Encyclopædia ithi ngoWhiston: “Simele siyixabise indlela le ndoda eyayithetha ngokuphandle neyayinyaniseke ngayo, ukungaguquki kwindlela eyayiphila ngayo, nesimo sayo esingqalileyo.”

KuWilliam Whiston, kwakungamele kulalaniswe ngenyaniso, yaye oko wayekukholelwa kwakuxabiseke ngaphezu kokuzukiswa ngabantu. Nangona wayephikiswa, uWhiston wayengumphengululi onyanisekileyo owakhusela iBhayibhile njengeLizwi likaThixo.—2 Timoti 3:16, 17.

[Inkcazelo Ngomfanekiso okwiphepha 26]

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