INtaba IAthos—Ngaba “Yintaba Engcwele”?

KUMALUNGU angaphezu kwezigidi ezingama-220 eCawa yobuOthodoki, iNtaba iAthos, iphondo lamagqagala eliphokophelela elwandle kumntla weGrisi, “yeyona ntaba ingcwele kumaKristu obuOthodoki.” Kuninzi lwawo, uhambo ngezonqulo oluya “kwintaba engcwele” yaseAthos luyinto enqweneleka ngokwenene. Yintoni le “ntaba ingcwele”? Kwenzeka njani ukuze ibaluleke kangaka? Yaye ngaba abantu aboyika uThixo bamele bafune ukhokelo lokomoya nolonqulo oluyinyaniso kule “ntaba”?

Ibinzana elithi “intaba engcwele” liyavela eBhayibhileni. Linxulunyaniswa nonqulo olungcwele, olunyulu, oluphakamileyo loThixo oyinyaniso, uYehova. INtaba yeZiyon kwiYerusalem yamandulo yaba “yintaba engcwele” xa uKumkani uDavide wazisa ityeya yomnqophiso apho. (INdumiso 15:1; 43:3; 2 Samuweli 6:12,17) Emva kokwakhiwa kwetempile kaSolomon kwiNtaba iMoriya, “iZiyon” yaquka isiza setempile; ngenxa yoko iZiyon yahlala “iyintaba engcwele” kaThixo. (INdumiso 2:6; Yoweli 3:17) Ekubeni itempile kaThixo yayiseYerusalem, maxa wambi eso sixeko sasibizwa ngokuba “yintaba engcwele” kaThixo.—Isaya 66:20; Daniyeli 9:16, 20.

Kuthekani namhlanje? Ngaba iNtaba iAthos—okanye nayiphi na incopho—“iyintaba engcwele” apho abantu bamele baye kunqula kuyo uThixo ngokwamkelekileyo?

“INtaba Engcwele” Yoonongendi

INtaba iAthos ingasekupheleni ngakwimpuma yeChalcidice Peninsula kwincam yomhlaba omxinwa ophokophelela kuLwandle lweAegean kwimpuma yeThessaloníki yezi mini. Yincam ebalaseleyo ekufumaneka ibhastile kuyo enyusa umqengqelezi ukusuka elwandle ukuya kufikelela kumphakamo oziimitha ezingama-2 032.

Kudala iAthos igqalwa njengendawo engcwele. Kwiintsomi zamaGrike yayilikhaya loothixo ngaphambi kokuba iNtaba iOlympus ibe likhaya labo. Ngathuba lithile emva kwexesha likaConstantine Omkhulu (wenkulungwane yesine yeXesha Eliqhelekileyo), iAthos yaba yindawo engcwele kwiicawa zamaKristu. Ngokutsho kwenye intsomi, “intombi enyulu” enguMariya, iphelekwe nguMvangeli uYohane ukuya eSipro ukuya kutyelela uLazaro, bathatyathwa luqhwithela olunamandla olwavela ngesiquphe lwaya kubaphosa eAthos. Ichukunyiswe bubuhle bale ntaba, yayicela kuYesu. Ngenxa yoko, iAthos yaziwa ngokuba “nguMyezo WeNtombi Enyulu Engcwele.” Phakathi ngexesha leByzantine, wonke lo mxawuka waziwa ngokuba yiNtaba Engcwele. Ukubizwa kwawo ngolo hlobo kwaqaliswa ngokusemthethweni kwaza kwaqinisekiswa phakathi kwinkulungwane ye-11 ngokomyalelo woMlawuli uConstantine IX Monomachus.

Ngenxa yokuba iligqagala yaye ikwanti, iAthos iye yazibangela ukuba ibe yindawo yabo bazibandeza uyolo. Ebudeni beenkulungwane, iye yanomtsalane kubantu bonqulo abaphuma kwiinkalo zonke zobuOthodoki—amaGrike, abemi baseSerbia, amaRoma, abemi baseBulgaria, amaRashiya, nabanye—abaye bazakhela iindawo eziliqela zoonongendi, neecawa zabo nabantu ngokubanzi. Zimalunga nama-20 ezisekhoyo.

INtaba iAthos Namhlanje

Namhlanje, iAthos ingummandla ozimeleyo, onomgaqo-siseko wawo owamkelwa ngowe-1926. Emva kweminyaka yokuwohloka, inani labahlali abangoonongendi liye lantinga laya kutsho ngaphaya kwama-2 000.

Ikhaya ngalinye loonongendi lineefama zalo, iicawa, neendawo zokuhlala. Eyona cawa inkulu yamakheswa ifumaneka kwindawo eyiKaroúlia, ithe ngcu kwiliwa elingumqengqelezi ngasekupheleni kweNtaba iAthos. Indlela yokuya kumanqugwala asondeleleneyo ziindledlana zeenyawo, imichankcatho yamatye, nemiqokozo. EAthos, oonongendi basadla ngendeb’ endala, besebenzisa iwotshi yaseByzantium (apho usuku luqalisa ekutshoneni kwelanga) nekhalenda kaJulian (esemva ngeentsuku ezili-13 kwekaGregory).

Nangona le ndawo yonqulo kusithiwa “ubungcwele” bayo bungenxa yomfazi, kangangeminyaka eli-1 000 oonongendi namakheswa ayo baye bathi yonke into ebhinqileyo kunye nezilwanyana eziziimazi mazingawuthi cakatha umcondo kuye wonke loo singasiqithi kuquka naliphi na ithenwa nomntu ongenandevu. Kutshanje, umthetho ophathelele amadoda angenazindevu nezinye izilwanyana eziziimazi uye wanyenyiswa, kodwa amabhinqa asabekelwe umqathango ongqongqo wokuba aphelele kwiimitha ezingama-500 ngaphambi kokuba afike kunxweme lweAthos.

“Intaba Engcwele” Yabo Bonke

Ngaba iAthos “yintaba engcwele” afanele aye kunqula kuyo amaKristu awoyika uThixo? Ethetha nebhinqa elingumSamariya elalikholelwa ukuba uThixo ufanele anqulwe kwiNtaba yeGerizim, uYesu wacacisa ukuba akukho ntaba yokoqobo eyayiza kuphinda imiselwe njengendawo yokunqula uThixo. UYesu wathi: “Liyeza ilixa ekuya kuthi ngalo ningamnquli uBawo [eGerizim] okanye eYerusalem.” Ngoba? “UThixo unguMoya, nabo bamnqulayo bamele banqule ngomoya nenyaniso.”—Yohane 4:21, 24.

Ebhekisela kwixesha lethu, umprofeti uIsaya waxela kusengaphambili ukuba “intaba yendlu kaYehova” iya ‘kuvelela ezincotsheni zazo iintaba’ ize “izongamele iinduli,” yaye abantu beentlanga zonke babeya kuba ngumsinga ukuya kuyo ngokomfuziselo.—Isaya 2:2, 3.

Amadoda kunye nabafazi abafuna ukuba nolwalamano olwamkelekileyo noThixo bamenyelwa ukuba banqule uYehova “ngomoya nenyaniso.” Emhlabeni wonke izigidi ziye zayifumana indlela eya ‘entabeni kaYehova.’ Zona kunye nabanye, zivakalelwa ngendlela efanayo neyegqwetha elingumGrike elathi ngokuphathelele iAthos: “Ndiyathandabuza ukuba ubumoya bufumaneka kwizakhiwo ezithile okanye kwiindawo zoonongendi.”—Thelekisa IZenzo 17:24.

[Ibhokisi ekwiphepha 31]

Ubutyebi Ekudala Bufihliwe

Ebudeni beenkulungwane, oonongendi baseAthos baye baziqwebela ubutyebi obuquka imibhalo-ngqangi eli-15 000, eminye kuthiwa isusela kwinkulungwane yesine, nto leyo eyenza ibe yenye yezona ngqwebo zixabisekileyo ehlabathini. Kukho imisongo, imiqulu epheleleyo neencwadana zeVangeli, iindumiso namaculo, ngaphandle kwemizobo emidala kakhulu, imifanekiso engcwele, imifanekiso eqingqiweyo, nezinto ezenziwe ngesinyithi. Kuthelekelelwa ukuba iNtaba iAthos inesinye kwisine semibhalo-ngqangi yesiGrike esehlabathini lonke, nangona eminye kusafuneka icwangciswe ngokokulandelelana kwayo. Ngowe-1997, okokuqala ngqa, iimonki zavuma ukuba obunye bobutyebi bazo kuboniswe ngabo eThessaloníki.

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Telis/Greek National Tourist Organization