Ukuqhola Isidumbu—Ngaba Kufanelekile KumaKristu?

Njengoko wayesekhukweni lokufa, usolusapho othembekileyo uYakobi wenza lo myolelo: “Ndingcwabeni noobawo emqolombeni osentsimini kaEfron umHiti, emqolombeni osentsimini yaseMakaphela ephambi kweMamre ezweni lakwaKanan.”—Genesis 49:29-31.

UYOSEFU wawuthobela lo myolelo kayise ngokusebenzisa isithethe esasixhaphakile eYiputa ngelo xesha. Wayalela “abakhonzi bakhe, oogqirha bakhe, ukuba bamqhole uyise.” Ngokwengxelo efumaneka kwiGenesis isahluko 50, oogqirha bathabatha iintsuku ezingama-40 ukuqhola eso sidumbu, xesha elo lalithatyathwa ngokuqhelekileyo xa kuqholwa isidumbu. Ukuqholwa kwesidumbu sikaYakobi kwaba yingenelo kwiqela elikhulu elalihamba kancinane lamalungu entsapho neendwalutho zaseYiputa njengoko laliza kuhamba umgama omalunga neekhilomitha ezingama-400 ukuya kungcwaba eso sidumbu eHebron.—Genesis 50:1-14.

Ngaba isidumbu sikaYakobi esasiqholiwe sinokuze sifunyanwe ngenye imini? Akubonakali njalo. Ummandla wakwaSirayeli wawuyindawo enamanzi amaninzi, nto leyo ebangela ukuba zingabi ninzi iintlobo zezinto ezifumaneka apho xa kumbiwa izinto ezazikho kudala. (Eksodus 3:8) Zininzi izinto zamandulo ezenziwe ngesinyithi namatye ezifumanekayo apho, kodwa inkoliso yezinto ezicekeceke, njengelaphu, nezinto ezenziwe ngesikhumba nezidumbu eziqholiweyo, ayizange ikwazi ukumelana nokufuma nokuguquguquka kweemeko ngelo xesha.

Yintoni eyenziwayo xa kuqholwa izidumbu? Ziqholelwa ntoni? Ngaba kufanelekile kumaKristu?

Laqala Phi Eli Siko?

Ukuqholwa kwesidumbu kunokuchazwa ngokuthi kukukhusela isidumbu somntu okanye sesilwanyana ukuba singaboli. Ababhali-mbali bayavumelana ukuba ukuqholwa kwesidumbu kwaqala eYiputa kodwa kwakusenziwa nangabantu bamandulo baseAsiriya, amaPersi namaSkitiya. Mhlawumbi, abantu baqalisa ukuba nomdla wokuqhola izidumbu emva kokuba kufunyenwe izidumbu ezazingcwatywe kwintlabathi yasentlango zaza ngenxa yoko zahlala ixesha elide zingabolanga. Ukungcwatywa ngaloo ndlela kwakuza kwenza ukuba ukufuma nomoya kungangeni, yaye ngaloo ndlela isidumbu sasingaboli ngokulula. Bambi bathi ukuqholwa kwezidumbu kwaqaliswa xa kwafunyanwa izidumbu ezazigcinwe kwinatron (isodium carbonate), uhlobo lwealkali oluxhaphakileyo eYiputa.

Injongo yomntu oqhola isidumbu kukuthintela iintsholongwane ezingena kwisidumbu kwiiyure nje ezimbalwa emva kokuba umntu efile, ezisibangela ukuba sibole. Xa oko kunokuthintelwa, asinakubola okanye asinakubola ngokukhawuleza. Zintathu izinto ezifunekayo: ukusenza sibe ngathi ngumntu ophilayo, ukuthintela ukubola kwesidumbu nokusithintela singonakaliswa zizinambuzane.

Ngokuyintloko, amaYiputa amandulo ayeqhola izidumbu ngenxa yezizathu zonqulo. Inkolelo yawo yobomi emva kokufa yayisekelwe kumnqweno wokuba umfi abe nonxibelelwano nabaphilayo. Ayekholelwa ukuba imizimba yawo ayeza kuyisebenzisa ngonaphakade yaye yayiza kuphinda ifakwe amandla okuphila. Nangona ukuqholwa kwesidumbu kwakuyinto exhaphakileyo, kude kuze kuthi ga ngoku akukafumaneki ngxelo eYiputa ebonisa indlela okwakusenziwa ngayo oku. Ingxelo efumanekayo yileyo yombhali-mbali ongumGrike ogama linguHerodotus owayephila kwinkulungwane yesihlanu ngaphambi kweXesha Eliqhelekileyo. Noko ke, kuthiwa xa kulandelwa indlela eyachazwa nguHerodotus akufumaneki miphumo ifanayo naleyo yamandulo.

Ngaba Kufanelekile KumaKristu?

Isidumbu sikaYakobi saqholwa ngabantu ababengenazinkolelo zonqulo zifana nezakhe. Ukanti, akunakwenzeka ukuba xa uYosefu wanika oogqirha isidumbu sikayise, wacela ukuba sithandazelwe kwenziwe nezithethe ekusenokwenzeka ukuba zazisenziwa xa kuqholwa isidumbu eYiputa ngelo xesha. Bobabini uYakobi noYosefu babengamadoda awayenokholo. (Hebhere 11:21, 22) Nangona kubonakala ukuba yayingengomyalelo kaYehova ukuba isidumbu sikaYakobi siqholwe, akukho nto igxekwayo ziZibhalo ngokuphathelele oko. Ukuqholwa kwesidumbu sikaYakobi akuzange kwenziwe ngenjongo yokumisela umzekelo wokulandelwa luhlanga lwakwaSirayeli okanye libandla lamaKristu. Eneneni, akukho miyalelo ikhethekileyo eLizwini likaThixo ngokuphathelele oku. Emva kokuqholwa kwesidumbu sikaYosefu eYiputa, akukho ngxelo yimbi eZibhalweni ethetha ngokwenziwa kwesi sithethe.—Genesis 50:26.

Izidumbu ezibolileyo ezafunyanwa kumangcwaba asePalestina zibonisa ukuba kwakungelosiko lamaHebhere ukuqhola izidumbu, okanye ke zazingaqholwa ngenjongo yokuba zihlale ixesha elide zingaboli. Ngokomzekelo, isidumbu sikaLazaro asizange siqholwe. Nangona wayesongelwe ngamalaphu, abantu babexhalabile xa kwakuza kususwa ilitye elalivale ingcwaba lakhe. Ekubeni kwakusele kudlule iintsuku ezine uLazaro efile, udade wabo wayeqinisekile ukuba kwakuza kuvakala ivumba xa kuvulwa ingcwaba.—Yohane 11:38-44.

Ngaba isidumbu sikaYesu Kristu saqholwa? Iingxelo zeVangeli azibonisi ngolo hlobo. Ngelo xesha, kwakulisiko lamaYuda ukuqhola isidumbu ngeziqholo neoli yobulawu ngaphambi kokuba singcwatywe. Ngokomzekelo, ukuze alungise umzimba kaYesu, uNikodemo weza nesixa esikhulu seziqholo. (Yohane 19:38-42) Kwakutheni ukuze eze neziqholo ezininzi kangaka? Kusenokwenzeka ukuba uthando olusuk’ entliziyweni nentlonelo awayenayo ngoYesu yamqhubela ekubeni abonakalise isisa ngolu hlobo. Asinakugqiba kwelokuba ukusetyenziswa kwezo ziqholo yayikukuze kuthintelwe ukubola kweso sidumbu sakhe.

Ngaba umKristu ubeya kulichasa isiko lokuqhola isidumbu? Enyanisweni, ukuqhola isidumbu kukuthintela nje ukuba singaboli ngokukhawuleza nangona eneneni ekugqibeleni siya kubola. Senziwa ngothuli, yaye xa sisifa sibuyela eluthulini. (Genesis 3:19) Kodwa siya kuhlala ixesha elide kangakanani isidumbu ngaphambi kokuba singcwatywe? Ukuba amalungu entsapho nezihlobo zihlala kude yaye zinqwenela ukubona isidumbu, ngokungathandabuzekiyo kuya kufuneka ukuba eso sidumbu siqholwe ukusa kumlinganiselo othile.

Ngoko ke, iZibhalo azikugatyi ukuqholwa kwesidumbu ukuba isiko lasekuhlaleni ligunyazisa ukuba isidumbu siqholwe okanye ukuba amalungu entsapho afuna ngolo hlobo. Abafileyo “abazi nto konke konke.” (INtshumayeli 9:5) Ukuba bakwinkumbulo kaThixo, baya kuvuselwa kwihlabathi elitsha alithembisileyo.—Yobhi 14:13-15; IZenzo 24:15; 2 Petros 3:13.

[Ibhokisi/Umfanekiso okwiphepha 31]

UKUQHOLWA KWEZIDUMBU—MANDULO NANAMHLANJE

KwiYiputa yamandulo, kusenokwenzeka ukuba indlela yokuqholwa kwesidumbu yayixhomekeke kwiimeko zentsapho. Mhlawumbi intsapho emi kakuhle yayiya kukhetha le nkqubo ilandelayo:

Ubuchopho babukhutshwa ngempumlo kusetyenziswa isixhobo esenziwe ngesinyithi. Emva koko, ukakayi lwalufakwa amachiza afanelekileyo. Emva koko kwakukhutshwa amalungu omzimba angaphakathi, ngaphandle kwentliziyo nezintso. Ukuze kukhutshwe okungaphakathi esiswini, kwakufuneka umntu asikwe, kodwa oku kwakugqalwa njengesono. Ukuze kwenziwe eli siko linobuzaza, abaqholi baseYiputa babemisela umntu owayebizwa ngokuba ngumsiki ukuze ibe nguye osika izidumbu. Ngokukhawuleza nje emva kokuba enze oko wayebaleka, kuba umntu owenze loo nto wayefumana isohlwayo ngokuqalekiswa aze axulutywe ngamatye kusithiwa waphule umthetho.

Emva kokuba kukhutshwe okungaphakathi esiswini, isidumbu sasihlanjwa ngokucokisekileyo. Umbhali-mbali uHerodotus wabhala: “Babezalisa isisu ngemore ecolekileyo, nekasiya, nalo lonke uhlobo lweziqholo ngaphandle kwentlaka yokuqhumisa, baze balithunge elo nxeba.”

Emva koko, isidumbu sasifakwa kwinatron iintsuku ezingama-70 ukuze some. Emva koko, sasihlanjwa size sisongelwe kakuhle ngelinen. Ilinen yayiqatywa ngentlaka yokunamathelisa, ize loo “mummy” (isidumbu esiqholiweyo) ifakwe kwibhokisi eyenziwe ngomthi eyayimilise okomntu.

Namhlanje, izidumbu ziqholwa nje ngeeyure ezimbalwa. Ngokuqhelekileyo kufakwa umlinganiselo owaneleyo wolwelo lokuqhola emithanjeni, esiswini nasesifubeni. Ukutyhubela iminyaka, kuye kwaveliswa kwaza kwasetyenziswa imixube eyahlukahlukeneyo. Noko ke, ngenxa yexabiso lawo nokungabi nabungozi kwawo, umxube osetyenziswa ngokufuthi ekuqholeni izidumbu ubizwa ngokuba yiformaldehyde.

[Umfanekiso]

Ibhokisi yokungcwaba yegolide kaKumkani uTutankhamen