Uyintoni Umbhalo WeMasora?

NOKUBA uyifunda ngaluphi na ulwimi iBhayibhile, inxalenye yale ncwadi kusenokwenzeka ukuba yaguqulelwa ngokuthe ngqo okanye ngenye indlela ngokusuka kumbhalo weMasora, oquka iZibhalo zesiHebhere, okanye “ITestamente Endala.” Kambe ke, kwakukho imibhalo eliqela yeMasora. Ngoko nguwuphi owakhethwayo, yaye ngoba? Eneneni, uyintoni umbhalo weMasora, yaye sazi njani ukuba unokuthenjwa?

ILizwi LikaYehova

Ukubhalwa kweBhayibhile kwaqala kwiNtaba yeSinayi ngowe-1513 B.C.E. IEksodus 24:3, 4 isixelela oku: “Waya uMoses, wabaxelela abantu onke amazwi kaYehova, namasiko onke. Baphendula bonke abantu ngazwi-nye, bathi, Onke amazwi awathethileyo uYehova sowenza. Wawabhala uMoses onke amazwi kaYehova.”

IZibhalo zesiHebhere zathabatha ixesha elingaphezu kwewaka leminyaka zibhalwa, ukususela ngowe-1513 B.C.E. ukuza kuthi ga ngowama-443 B.C.E. Ekubeni ababhali bayo babephefumlelwe nguThixo, lisengqiqweni elokuba wayeya kungenelela ukuze isigidimi sakhe silondolozwe ngokuthembeka. (2 Samuweli 23:2; Isaya 40:8) Noko ke, ngaba oku kuthetha ukuthi uYehova wayeya kuthintela zonke iimpazamo zabantu ukuze kungabikho namnye unobumba owayeya kutshintshwa njengokuba yayikhutshelwa?

Ikroba Elavulekayo Ukuze Kungene Izinto Ezingachananga

Nangona amadoda awayelihlonela ngokunzulu iLizwi likaThixo alikhuphela kangangezizukulwana ngezizukulwana, umlinganiselo othile weempazamo zabantu zanyebelezela zangena kwimibhalo-ngqangi. Ababhali beBhayibhile babephefumlelwe, kodwa bona abakhupheli babewenza lo msebenzi wabo bengaphefumlelwanga nguThixo.

Emva kokubuya ekuthinjweni eBhabhiloni ngowama-537 B.C.E., amaYuda amkela indlela entsha yokubhala eyayisebenzisa oonobumba abalinganayo awabafunda eBhabhiloni. Le nguqulelo inkulu yeza nengxaki yayo yokuba oonobumba abathile abafanayo babesenokubhidaniswa. Ekubeni isiHebhere silulwimi olubhalwa ngamaqabane angenazikhamiso, nezandi zezikhamiso ezongezelelwa ngumfundi ngokwendlela awuqonda ngayo umongo, ukuguqulwa kweqabane elinye kusenokuyitshintsha ngokulula intsingiselo yegama. Noko ke, kwiimeko ezininzi, iimpazamo ezinjalo zazisenokubonwa zize zilungiswe.

Inyambalala yamaYuda ayizange ibuyele kwaSirayeli emva kokuwa kweBhabhiloni. Ngaloo ndlela, izindlu zesikhungu zaba zizazulu zokomoya zabantu abangamaYuda kuwo wonke uMbindi Mpuma nelaseYurophu.a Kwindlu yesikhungu nganye kwakufuneka kubekho imibhalo yemisongo yeZibhalo. Njengoko le mibhalo yayisanda, neempazamo zabakhupheli zazisanda.

Amalinge Okuvala Eli Kroba

Ukususela kwinkulungwane yokuqala yeXesha Lethu Eliqhelekileyo, ababhali baseYerusalem bazama ukumisela umbhalo oyintloko eyayiya kulungiswa ngawo yonke imisongo yeZibhalo zesiHebhere. Ukanti, kwakungekho nkqubo iqinisekileyo yokwahlula phakathi kombhalo wokuqala nemibhalo-ngqangi eyayineempazamo zabakhupheli. Ukususela kwinkulungwane yesibini yeXesha Lethu Eliqhelekileyo ukusa phambili, umbhalo wamaqabane weZibhalo zesiHebhere ubonakala ukuba wenziwa wasemgangathweni kakuhle, nangona wawungekalungiswa ngendlela enokuthenjwa. Iingcaphulo zeZibhalo zesiHebhere ezikwiTalmud (eyaqokelelwa ngenkulungwane yesibini neyesithandathu yeXesha Lethu Eliqhelekileyo) ngokufuthi zibonisa umthombo owahlukileyo koko kwathi kamva kwaziwa njengombhalo weMasora.

Igama elithi “isithethe” ngesiHebhere lithi ma·soh·rahʹ okanye ma·soʹreth. Ngenkulungwane yesithandathu yeXesha Lethu Eliqhelekileyo, abo babegcina isithethe sokukhuphela iZibhalo zesiHebhere ngokuchanileyo baziwa ngokuba ngamaMasorete. Imibhalo abayenzayo kwabhekiselwa kuyo njengemibhalo yamaMasorete. Yayiyintoni le yayikhethekile ngomsebenzi wabo nangemibhalo abayenzayo?

IsiHebhere asizange siqhubeke silulwimi olusetyenziswayo nolwesizwe, yaye uninzi lwamaYuda lwalungasasifaki nakwincoko yalo. Ngenxa yoko, umbhalo wamaqabane weBhayibhile wawungasaziwa. Ukuze awukhusele, amaMasorete avelisa inkqubo yokufakela izikhamiso ezimelwa ngamachaphaza nemigcana emincinane, ekwabizwa ngokuba ngamachaphaza. Ezi zinto zazibekwa ngentla nangezantsi kwamaqabane. Kwakhona amaMasorete avelisa inkqubo yeempawu ezintsonkothileyo ezathi zasebenza njengohlobo oluthile lweziphumlisi nanjengesikhokelo seyona ndlela ichanileyo yokuphimisela amagama.

Apho amaMasorete ayevakalelwa kukuba umbhalo utshintshwe okanye ukhutshelwe ngokungachananga zizizukulwana ezidluleyo zababhali, kunokuwuguqula umbhalo, ayebhala amagqabaza eludinini olusecaleni. Ayephawula amagama angaqhelekanga nokuhlanganiswa kwawo nokuvela kwawo ngokuphindaphindiweyo kwenye incwadi okanye kuzo zonke iZibhalo zesiHebhere. Kwakhona ayephawula amagqabaza ongezelelekileyo okunceda abakhupheli xa behlola. Kwaveliswa inkqubo ekusetyenziswa kuyo “imiqondiso” eshunqulelweyo ukuze kubhalwe le nkcazelo ngeyona ndlela imfutshane. Eludinini oluphezulu nolusezantsi, kwakukho uhlobo oluthile lwesalatha-magama esincinane esidwelise iinxalenye zeendinyana ezihlobeneyo ekwakugqatyazwe ngazo kwiingongoma eziseludinini olusecaleni.

Eyona nkqubo idumileyo yaveliswa ngamaMasorete eTibheriya, ngakuLwandle lwaseGalili. Intsapho kaBen Asher nekaBen Naphtali ababephila ngenkulungwane yesithoba neyeshumi yeXesha Lethu Eliqhelekileyo, ekusenokwenzeka ukuba zazingamaKaraite, zabalasela.b Nangona kwakukho umahluko kwindlela yokuphimisela amagama namagqabaza ala maqela mabini, zazingaphantsi kweshumi indawana ahluke kuzo amaqabane emibhalo yawo kuzo zonke iZibhalo zesiHebhere.

Omabini la maqela amaMasorete, elikaBen Asher nelikaBen Naphtali, aba negalelo elikhulu ekuphengululeni imibhalo ngexesha lawo. Emva kokuba uMaimonides (umphengululi weTalmud owayenempembelelo ngenkulungwane ye-12) encome umbhalo kaBen Asher, abanye bawuthanda kakhulu. Oku kwaba njalo kangangokuba akukho mbhalo-ngqangi kaBen Naphtali unokufunyanwa namhlanje. Okuseleyo luludwe lwezinto ohluke ngazo la maqela mabini kuphela. Okuhlekisayo kukuba, amagqabaza kaMaimonides ayenento yokwenza nendlela yokubhala, njengokushiya izikhewu phakathi kweziqendu, yaye ayengathethi ngezona nkalo zibalulekileyo zokudlulisela inkcazelo echanileyo.

Ngaba Singawufumana Umbhalo “Osulungekileyo” WeMasora?

Kukho impikiswano eshushu phakathi kwabaphengululi ngokuphathelele icodex “esulungekileyo” ekhoyo namhlanje engumbhalo kaBen Asher, ngokungathi oku kunokusenza sifumane owona mbhalo “oyinyaniso” weMasora. Enyanisweni, akuzange kubekho mbhalo weMasora ukhethekileyo, “osulungekileyo,” nonokuthenjwa. Kunoko, kwakukho imibhalo emininzi yeMasora, ngamnye kuyo wahluke nje kancinane kweminye. Zonke iicodex ezikhoyo ziyimibhalo edityanisiweyo, ekukho kuyo nenguqulelo kaBen Asher nekaBen Naphtali.

Umthwalo ojongene naye nawuphi na umguquleli weZibhalo zesiHebhere namhlanje mkhulu. Umele azi kungekuphela nje umbhalo wesiHebhere kodwa kwakhona umele azi nezinye iindlela ezisengqiqweni apho umbhalo usenokuba watshintshwa ngenxa yeempazamo zomkhupheli okanye ngenye indlela. Ngoxa imibhalo eyahlukahlukeneyo yeMasora isisiseko, kufuneka afune eminye imithombo enokuthenjwa enokumnika ezona nguqulelo zamhlamnene yaye mhlawumbi nezona zichanileyo ezibhalwe kusetyenziswa amaqabane kuphela.

Kwintshayelelo ekwincwadi yakhe ethi The Text of the Old Testament, uErnst Würthwein uyacacisa: “Xa sidibana nendinyana enzima asinakusuka nje sidibanise iinguqulelo ezahlukahlukeneyo size sikhethe leyo ibonakala inikela esona sicombululo silula, maxa wambi sikhethe umbhalo wesiHebhere, size ngamanye amaxesha sikhethe iSeptuagint, size maxa wambi sikhethe iTargum yesiAramiki. Ubungqina bemibhalo abunakuthenjwa bonke. Ngamnye wenziwe ngokwahlukileyo yaye unembali eyahlukileyo. Simele sizazi ezi zinto ukuba sifuna ukuphepha izicombululo ezingafanelekanga okanye ezingachananga.”

Sinesizathu esibambekayo sokuba nentembelo yokuba uYehova uye walilondoloza iLizwi lakhe. Ngenxa yemigudu emanyeneyo yamadoda amaninzi anyanisekileyo amandulo ukutyhubela iinkulungwane, siyifumene intsingiselo, umongo, kwaneenkcukacha zesigidimi seBhayibhile. Nakuphi na ukuguquka okungephi kunobumba okanye kwigama akubuchaphazelanga ubuchule bethu bokuqonda iZibhalo. Ngoku, owona mbuzo ubalulekileyo ngulo, Ngaba siya kuphila ngokweLizwi likaThixo, iBhayibhile?

[Imibhalo esemazantsi]

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 26]

IAleppo Codex iqulethe umbhalo weMasora

[Inkcazelo]

Bibelmuseum, Münster