Makhe Siphos’ Iliso Kubuncwane BukaChester Beatty
“UYOKOYOKO bubuncwane bezinto zenkcubeko ongasenakuzifumana naphi na, . . . umbejembeje nabubuhle bemizobo engayiwayo.” Lafutshanisa latsho ichule elalisakuba liliso kuMzi Wogcino-zincwadi kaChester Beatty eDublin, eIreland, uR. J. Hayes. Lo mzi ugushe intaphane yobuncwane bamandulo, imisebenzi engayiwayo yobugcisa, iincwadi ezinqabileyo nemibhalo-ngqangi exabiseke ngendlela engathethekiyo. Kanye kanye ngubani lo Chester Beatty? Ibubuphi ubuncwane awabuqokelelayo?
UAlfred Chester Beatty, owazalelwa eNew York, eUnited States ngowe-1875, wayenemvelaphi yaseSkotlani, eIreland naseNgilani. Wathi esiba neminyaka engama-32 ubudala, waba sele engunonjineli nengcali kwezemigodi kwaye esisinhanha. Ngalo lonke ixesha lobomi bakhe, wasebenzisa ubutyebi bakhe ukuze aqokelele ubukhazikhazi. Ekufeni kwakhe, xa wayeneminyaka engama-92 ubudala ngowe-1968, lo kaBeatty washiya bonke obo bukhazikhazi kubantu baseIreland.
Ziintoni Ezi Waziqokelelayo?
Zininzi yaye zahlukahlukene izinto ezaqokelelwa nguBeatty. Kudla ngokuboniswa nje isi-1 ekhulwini ngexesha. Waqokelela izinto ezinqabileyo nezixabisekileyo ebezikho ngamaxesha nakwiinkcubeko ezahlukeneyo kumawakawaka eminyaka—asusela kwiYurophu yamaxesha aphakathi naweeNguqu kwanamanye amazwe awahlukeneyo aseAsia nawaseAfrika. Ngokomzekelo, umfanekiso oxoziweyo waseJapan nogqwesileyo ngobuhle ungomnye weyona mihle emhlabeni.
Eyona nto ihamba yodwa kwimisebenzi yobugcisa awakha wayiqokelela ngamacwecwe angaphezu kwekhulu awenziwe ngodongwe aseBhabhiloni naseSumeria abhalwe ngoonobumba abatsobhileyo bamandulo. Abantu baseMesopotamiya ababephila kwiminyaka engaphezu kwama-4 000 eyadlulayo babhala iinkcukacha eziphathelele ubomi babo kumacwecwe odongwe baza bawabhaka. Amaninzi kuloo macwecwe asekho nanamhlanje, esibonisa ngokucacileyo ubuchule bokubhala bamandulo.
Wayezithand’ Egazini Iincwadi
Kuyabonakala ukuba uChester Beatty lo wayezithanda iincwadi ezibhalwe ngobuchule. Waqokelela amawakawaka emiqulu yeencwadi zonqulo nezingezizo ezonqulo, kuquka nemibhalo yeKoran ehonjisiweyo. Omnye umbhali umchaza athi “wayezithanda gqitha izibalo ezikulo mbhalo wesiArabhu, . . . nangenxa yokuthanda kwakhe imibala watsaleleka gqitha kumagama abhalwe kakuhle alo mbhalo nahonjiswe ngegolide, isilivere kwanamanye amatye anqabileyo.”
UChester Beatty wayelithanda gqitha ilitye elinqabileyo elibizwa ngokuba yijeyidi, kanye njengabalawuli baseTshayina beenkulungwane ezingaphambili. Ijeyidi esulungekileyo babeyigqala njengesona simbiwa sixabiseke nangaphezulu lee kunegolide. Aba balawuli bayalela amagcisa athile ukuba atshintshe izitena zejeyidi zibe ngamacwecwe amancinane nasulungekisiweyo. La magcisa aphum’ izandla azalisa la macwecwe ejeyidi ngoonobumba abacekethekileyo nemifanekiso eyenziwe ngegolide, ngaloo ndlela evelisa ezinye zezona ncwadi zimangalisayo kwezakha zenziwa. Ukuqokelela kukaBeatty ezi ncwadi kwaziwa lihlabathi lonke.
Imibhalo-ngqangi YeBhayibhile Exabisekileyo
Kwabo bathanda iBhayibhile, obona buncwane bukaChester Beatty yingqokelela yakhe ebanzi yemibhalo-ngqangi yeBhayibhile yamandulo neyamaxesha aphakathi. Imihombiso yayo emihle ibonisa indlela ababenomonde nababengamachule ngayo ababhali bayo ababeyikhuphela ngosiba. Ezi ncwadi zishicilelweyo zibonisa ubuchule obungathethekiyo babashicileli bamandulo. Ngokomzekelo, iBiblia Latina yashicilelwa eNuremberg ngowe-1479 nguAnton Koberger, owayephila malunga nexesha elinye noJohannes Gutenberg yaye kuthethwa ngaye “njengomnye wabona bashicileli babalulekileyo nababezimisele mandulo phayaa.”
Enye into eyayibalasele kuMzi Wogcino-ncwadi kaChester Beatty ngumbhalo-ngqangi owawubhalwe esikhumbeni wenkulungwane yesine kaEphraem, owayengumphengululi waseSiriya. UEphraem wayecaphula ubukhulu becala kwincwadi yenkulungwane yesibini ekuthiwa yiDiatessaron. Kuyo umbhali uTatian wadibanisa iingxelo ezine zeVangeli ezingobomi bukaYesu Kristu zaba libali elinye. Kamva nabanye ababhali babhekisela kwiDiatessaron, kodwa imibhalo yayo ayisekho. Bambi abaphengululi benkulungwane ye-19 babethandabuza kwainto yokuba yakha yakho. Noko ke, ngowe-1956, uBeatty wafumana uxwebhu olunamagqabaza kaEphraem ngeDiatessaron kaTatian—nto leyo eyongezelela kubungqina obusele bukho bokuba iBhayibhile ichanile yaye iyinyaniso.
Ubutyebi Bemibhalo-ngqangi Yompapiri
Enye into eyaqokelelwa ngulo kaBeatty yintaphane yemibhalo-ngqangi yompapiri, eyonqulo nengeyiyo eyonqulo. Imibhalo-ngqangi engaphezu kwama-50 yompapiri isusela ngaphambi kwenkulungwane yesine yeXesha Eliqhelekileyo. Eminye kule mibhalo-ngqangi yompapiri yacholwa kwingqumba ethile—ekubonakala ukuba yayiyeyenkunkuma—ekwathabatha iinkulungwane ingafunyanwa kwintlango yaseYiputa. Uninzi lwala maxwebhu ompapiri ayengekho kwimeko entle xa ayethengiswa. Abathengisi babesiza neebhokisi ezinamadlakadlaka ompapiri. UCharles Horton ongumalathisi kwiWestern Collections yoMzi Wogcino-ncwadi kaChester Beatty uthi “abo babenomdla ekuwathengeni babekhetha amaxwebhu amakhulu nawayesenamagama aliqela.”
Lo kaHorton uthi “enye yezinto ezibangel’ umdla ezafunyanwa nguBeatty,” yimibhalo-ngqangi yeBhayibhile exabisekileyo “neyayiquka eminye yeyona mibhalo yamandulo neyaziwayo yeTestamente Endala Nentsha YamaKristu.” Kusenokwenzeka ukuba abathengi ababelazi ixabiso layo bayahlulahlula ukuze bathengisele abantu abahlukeneyo. Noko ke, uBeatty wakwazi ukuthenga eyona mininzi kuyo. Ibaluleke kangakanani yona le mibhalo-ngqangi? UMhlekazi uFrederic Kenyon uyichaza “njengeyona ibalulekileyo” ukususela oko uTischendorf wafumanisa iCodex Sinaiticus ngowe-1844.
Le mibhalo-ngqangi yeyaphakathi kwenkulungwane yesibini neyesine yexesha eliqhelekileyo. Phakathi kweencwadi zeZibhalo zesiHebhere ezikwiSeptuagint yesiGrike yimibhalo emibini yeGenesis. UKenyon, uthi zibaluleke ngokukhethekileyo, “ngenxa yokuba incwadi [yeGenesis] phantse ayikho nje kwaphela kwimibhalo-ngqangi yesikhumba yenkulungwane yesine yeVaticanus neSinaiticus.” Emithathu kule mibhalo-ngqangi ineencwadi zeZibhalo ZamaKristu ZesiGrike. Omnye unenxalenye enkulu yeeNcwadi ezine zeVangeli neyencwadi yeZenzo. Umbhalo-ngqangi wesibini onamaphepha awongezelelekileyo, nowafunyanwa nguBeatty kamva, phantse unazo zonke iincwadi zikampostile uPawulos, kuquka leyo iya kumaHebhere. Umbhalo-ngqangi wesithathu unamalunga nesinye kwisithathu sencwadi yeSityhilelo. Ngokutsho kukaKenyon, le mipapiri iye “yomeleza ngakumbi isiseko—ebesisele somelele phofu—sokuthembela kwethu kumbhalo weTestamente Entsha njengoko sele sinayo.”
IBhayibhile yompapiri kaChester Beatty ibonisa ukuba amaKristu aqalisa kwakudala ukusebenzisa umbhalo-ngqangi okanye incwadi endaweni yomsongo ekunzima ukuwuphatha, mhlawumbi ngasekupheleni kwenkulungwane yokuqala yeXesha Eliqhelekileyo. Kanti le mipapiri ibonisa ukuba ekubeni izinto zokubhala zazinqabile, abakhupheli babedla ngokuphinda bawasebenzise amaphepha ompapiri. Ngokomzekelo, omnye umbhalo-ngqangi wamaCopt onenxalenye yeNcwadi yeVangeli kaYohane ubhalwe “kwinto engathi yincwadi yesikolo enezibalo zamaGrike.”
La maxwebhu ompapiri akagqwesanga ngobuhle, kodwa axabisekile. Abubungqina obucacileyo nobubonakalayo besiqalo sobuKristu. UCharles Horton uthi: “Xa uwajongile ubona uhlobo lweencwadi ezazisetyenziswa ngamanye amaKristu amandulo—iincwadi ezazixabisekile kuwo.” (IMizekeliso 2:4, 5) Ukuba unokuze ufumane ithuba lokuhlolisisa obu buncwane bukuMzi Wogcino-ncwadi kaChester Beatty, akunakuzisola ngokwenjenjalo.
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Umfanekiso oxoziweyo waseJapan kaKatsushika Hokusai
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“IBiblia Latina” yayiphakathi kweyona mibhalo yashicilelwa kuqala yeBhayibhile
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Uxwebhu olunamagqabaza kaEphraem nge-“Diatessaron” kaTatian agxininisa ukuchana kweBhayibhile
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IChester Beatty P45, owona mbhalo-ngqangi mdala ehlabathini, unenxalenye enkulu yeeNcwadi zeVangeli kwakunye neyencwadi yeZenzo kumqulu omnye
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Reproduced by kind permission of The Trustees of the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin
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All images: Reproduced by kind permission of The Trustees of the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin