Owama—2000 Ngaba Ngunyaka Okhethekileyo?
NGABA kukho nto ithile ikhethekileyo ngonyaka wama-2000? Abantu abaphila kumazwe aseNtshona ngokuqhelekileyo bawugqala njengonyaka wokuqala wewaka leminyaka lesithathu. Sele eqalisiwe amalungiselelo akhethekileyo okuwubhiyozela. Kwenziwa iiwotshi ezinkulu ze-elektroniki eziza kubala imizuzwana de kuqalise iwaka leminyaka elitsha. Kulungiselelwa iibhola eziqhele ukusetyenziswa xa kubhiyozelwa uNyaka Omtsha. Kwiidolophu ezithile nakoobhazabhaza beevenkile abakwizixeko ezikhulu kuthengiswa izikipa ezinemibhalo yokuphela kwewaka leminyaka.
Iicawa ezinkulu nezincinane, ziya kuthelela kwimibhiyozo eya kuqhutywa unyaka wonke. Ekuqaleni konyaka ozayo, uPopu John Paul II kulindeleke ukuba aye kwaSirayeli aye kukhokela amaRoma Katolika koko kuye kwabizwa ngokuba “ngumbhiyozo weCawa yamaRoma Katolika wentlokoma yewaka leminyaka.” Kuthelekelelwa ukuba abakhenkethi ababalwa phakathi kwezigidi ezibini ezinesiqingatha nezigidi ezithandathu, abangamakholwa kunye nabo banomdla nje wokubona, baceba ukutyelela elakwaSirayeli kunyaka ozayo.
Siyintoni isizathu sokuba abantu abaninzi kangaka bacebe ukutyelela elakwaSirayeli? Ethetha egameni likapopu, uRoger Cardinal Etchegaray, oligosa laseVatican, wathi: “Unyaka wama-2000 ngumbhiyozo kaKristu nobomi bakhe kweli lizwe. Ngoko ke kulindelekile ukuba uPopu eze apha.” Udibana njani unyaka wama-2000 noKristu? Ngokuqhelekileyo, kucingwa ukuba ngonyaka wama-2000 kuya kube kuphela iminyaka engama-2000 ngqo ukususela ekuzalweni kukaKristu. Kodwa ngaba kunjalo? Siza kubona.
Unyaka wama-2000 ubaluleke nangakumbi kumalungu amanye amaqela onqulo. Eyisekile ukuba kulo nyaka uzayo, uYesu uza kubuyela kwiNtaba yemiNquma nokuba idabi leArmagedon ekuthethwa ngalo kwincwadi yeSityhilelo, liya kulwelwa kwintlambo yeMegido. (ISityhilelo 16:14-16) Elindele ezi ziganeko, amakhulu abemi baseUnited States athengisa amakhaya awo nempahla yawo eninzi yaye afudukela kwaSirayeli. Ukuze kungenelwe abo bangenakushiya amakhaya abo, omnye umshumayeli odumileyo waseUnited States kuthiwa uthembise ukusasaza ukubuya kukaYesu kumabonwakude—ovelisa yonke imibala!
Kumazwe aseNtshona, sele esenziwa amalungiselelo okwamkela iwaka leminyaka lesithathu. Noko ke, kwamanye amazwe abantu baqhubeka nemisebenzi yabo eqhelekileyo. Aba bantu—uninzi lwabemi bomhlaba—abakholelwa ukuba uYesu waseNazarete wayenguMesiya. Bengayamkeli ncam naloo ndlela yokubala ngoB.C.-A.D.a Ngokomzekelo, amaSilamsi amaninzi asebenzisa ikhalenda yawo, ngokutsho kwayo unyaka ozayo iza kuba ngowe-1420—kungekhona owama-2000. AmaSilamsi abala iminyaka ukususela mhla umprofeti uMuḥammad wasaba eMecca waya eMedina. Lilonke, emhlabeni jikelele abantu basebenzisa iikhalenda ezingama-40 ezahlukahlukeneyo.
Ngaba unyaka wama-2000 umele ube nentsingiselo kumaKristu? Ngaba ngokwenene uJanuwari 1, 2000, ngumhla obaluleke ngokukhethekileyo? Le mibuzo iza kuphendulwa kwinqaku elilandelayo.
[Imibhalo esemazantsi]
a Kwindlela yokubala ngo-B.C.-A.D., iziganeko ezehla ngaphambi kwexesha eliqhelekileyo lokuzalwa kukaYesu zichazwa ngo-“B.C.” iminyaka (yangaphambi koKristu); ezo zenzeka kamva zichazwa ngo-“A.D.” iminyaka ekuthiwa (yiAnno Domini—“ngonyaka weNkosi yethu.”) Noko ke, abanye abaphengululi abanolwazi bakhetha ukusebenzisa u-“B.C.E.” (ngaphambi kweXesha lethu Eliqhelekileyo) kunye no-“C.E.” (iXesha lethu Eliqhelekileyo.)