Ubungqina Bamandulo Bemibhalo Engcwele YeBhayibhile

“KUBONAKALA ngathi umgca ngamnye ubhalelwe ukuvus’ umdla wabo bafuna ukwazi ngembali yamaKristu amandulo.” Le yindlela olwaluchazwa ngayo uxwebhu lwamandulo. Inokuba luluphi olo xwebhu?

Mhlawumbi uyalwazi okanye akuzange uve ngalo nasembalini—yiMuratorian Fragment. Enoba uyalwazi okanye akunjalo, usenokuba uyazibuza, ‘Yintoni ebaluleke ngayo le Muratorian Fragment?’ Yeyona ncwadi indala okanye iyincwadi ekuludwe lweencwadi ezamkelekileyo kwimibhalo engcwele yeZibhalo ZamaKristu ZesiGrike.

Mhlawumbi akunangxaki yokuzamkela njengemibhalo engcwele zonke iincwadi eziseBhayibhileni. Sekunjalo, ngaba ubuya kothuka xa uxelelwa ukuba abanye babengaqinisekanga ukuba ziziphi kanye kanye iincwadi ezimele zibe seBhayibhileni? IMuratorian Fragment, okanye umbhalo ongcwele, inoludwe lwemibhalo egqalwa njengephefumlelweyo. Usenokuba uyayazi indlela obaluleke ngayo owona mongo weBhayibhile. Ngoko ke, yintoni eyatyhilwa lolo xwebhu ngeencwadi zeZibhalo ZamaKristu ZesiGrike? Makhe sihl’ amahlongwane ngemvelaphi yolu xwebhu.

Indlela Olwafunyanwa Ngayo

IMuratorian Fragment yinxalenye yombhalo-ngqangi okumaphepha enziwe ngezintsu angama-76, apho iphepha ngalinye liziisentimitha ezingama-27 ubude nezili-17 ububanzi. Wafunyanwa ngumbhali-mbali owazibalulayo waseItali, uLudovico Antonio Muratori, kuMzi Weencwadi iAmbrose, eMilan, eItali. Lo kaMuratori wawupapasha ngowe-1740 lo mbhalo-ngqangi, waza wawuthiya igama lokuba yiMuratorian Fragment. Kubonakala ngathi wona wabhalwa ngenkulungwane yesibhozo kumzi woonongendi owawuseBobbio, kufuphi nePiacenza, kumntla weItali. Wafuduselwa kulo Mzi Weencwadi iAmbrose ekuqaleni kwenkulungwane ye-17.

Imigca engama-85 yeMuratorian Fragment inezicatshulwa ezifumaneka kwiphepha le-10 nele-11 lecodex. Le codex ibhalwe ngesiLatini, yaye ngokuqinisekileyo yakhutshelwa ngumbhali owayengawukhathalele umsebenzi wakhe. Ezinye zeempazamo awazenzayo ziye zafunyanwa kuba iye yathelekiswa nemibhalo-ngqangi emine yenkulungwane ye-11 neye-12.

Yabhalwa Nini?

Usenokuba uyazibuza ukuba yabhalwa nini inkcazelo yantlandlolo ekwiMuratorian Fragment. Kubonakala ngathi eyantlandlolo yabhalwa ngesiGrike kwiinkulungwane ezininzi ngaphambi kokuba kubhalwe iMuratorian Fragment, eguqulelwe ngesiLatini. Makhe sikuthele thsuphe ngento enokukunceda ulazi ixesha eyabhalwa ngalo eyantlandlolo. Le Fragment ikhankanya incwadi ebizwa ngokuba yiShepherd nengenanto yakwenza neBhayibhile, yaye ithi yabhalwa nguHermas “kweli xesha lethu, kwisixeko saseRoma.” Abaphengululi bathi le ncwadi yagqitywa ukubhalwa phakathi kowe-140 nowe-155 C.E. Ngaloo ndlela unokusiqonda isizathu sokuba umbhalo wantlandlolo weMuratorian Fragment yesiGrike oguqulelwe kwisiLatini kuthiwe wagqitywa phakathi kowe-170 nowama-200 C.E.

Ukuthetha kwayo ngokungqalileyo nangokungangqalanga ngeRoma kubonisa ukuba kusenokwenzeka ukuba yabhalwa kweso sixeko. Kodwa kusaphikiswana ngelokuba ngubani owayibhalayo. Kuthiwa yabhalwa nguClement waseAlexandria, uMelito waseSardis, noPolycrates wase-Efese. Sekunjalo, abaphengululi abaninzi bathi yabhalwa nguHippolytus, ingcungela yombhali owayebhala ngesiGrike nowayehlala eRoma ngexesha ekucingelwa ukuba yabhalwa ngalo iMuratorian Fragment. Kusenokwenzeka ukuba akunamdla kangako kuloo nto, kodwa uyafuna ukwazi okungakumbi ngezinto eziqulethwe yile Fragment nezibangela ukuba ibaluleke kangaka.

Inkcazelo Enayo

Lo asingombhalo nje woludwe lweencwadi zeZibhalo ZamaKristu ZesiGrike. Uyathetha ngezi ncwadi kwanababhali bazo. Xa uwufunda, uya kufumanisa ukuba imigca yokuqala ayikho, kwaye uphela usenomdla. Kuqala uthetha ngeVangeli kaLuka, yaye uthi umbhali wale ncwadi yeBhayibhile wayengugqirha. (Kolose 4:14) Uthi incwadi yevangeli kaLuka yeyesithathu, ngoko unokubona ukuba le migca yokuqala ingekhoyo ithetha ngencwadi yeVangeli kaMateyu nekaMarko. Ukuba ufikelela kweso sigqibo, uhambisana kunye neMuratorian Fragment, ethi iVangeli yesine yekaYohane.

Le Fragment iyavuma ukuba incwadi yeZenzo zabaPostile yabhalwa nguLuka, eyibhalela ‘uTiyofile owayebalasele kunene.’ (Luka 1:3; IZenzo 1:1) Emva koko yenza uludwe lweencwadi zikampostile uPawulos, eyabaseKorinte (zombini), eyabase-Efese, eyabaseFilipi, eyabaseKolose, eyabaseGalati, eyabaseTesalonika (zombini), amaRoma, uFilemon, uTito, noTimoti (zombini). Ithi incwadi kaYude kunye nezimbini zikaYohane nazo ziphefumlelwe. Kwakusele kuthethiwe ngencwadi yokuqala kampostile uYohane kunye neyeVangeli. IApocalypse, okanye ISityhilelo, iqukumbela uludwe lweencwadi ethi ziphefumlelwe.

Okuphawulekayo kukuba, le Fragment ikhankanya iApocalypse kaPetros kodwa ithi bambi bavakalelwa kukuba amaKristu akafanele ayifunde. Umbhali wayo uthi ngemihla yakhe kwakusele kugqugqise imibhalo ekhohlisayo. IMuratorian Fragment ithi le mibhalo mayingamkelwa, “kuba akunako ukudibanisa ubusi nento ekrakrayo.” Kwakhona olu xwebhu luthetha ngeminye imibhalo eyayingamele iqukwe kwimibhalo engcwele. Mhlawumbi ngenxa yokuba yabhalwa emva kwexesha labapostile, njengeShepherd eyabhalwa nguHermas, okanye yayixhasa uqhekeko.

Mhlawumbi sele uphawule ukuba le Fragment ethetha ngeencwadi zeBhayibhile ezinokuthenjwa, ayithethi nto ngencwadi yamaHebhere, iincwadi ezimbini zikaPetros kunye nekaYakobi. Ethetha ngomsebenzi walowo wakhuphela lo mbhalo-ngqangi, uGqr. Geoffrey Mark Hahneman wathi, “kusengqiqweni ukuthi kusenokwenzeka ukuba le Fragment inezinye iimbekiselo ezadukayo eziquka incwadi kaYakobi, amaHebhere (kunye neyoku-1 kaPetros).”—IThe Muratorian Fragment and the Development of the Canon.

IMuratorian Fragment iyangqina ukuba ngenkulungwane yesibini yeXesha Eliqhelekileyo iincwadi ezininzi ezikwiZibhalo ZamaKristu ZesiGrike zazigqalwa njengemibhalo engcwele. Ewe, ubungcwele beencwadi zeBhayibhile—oko kukuthi, ukufaneleka kwazo ukuba zibe seBhayibhileni—abuxhomekekanga ekubeni kuyathethwa kusini na ngazo kuludwe lweencwadi zamandulo. Oko zikuquletheyo kunikela ubungqina bokuba ezi ncwadi zeBhayibhile zibhalwe ngomoya oyingcwele. Zonke zingqina ukuba zabhalwa nguYehova uThixo yaye ziyavisisana. Indlela ezivisisana ngayo ezi ncwadi zingama-66 ibonisa ukuphelela kwazo. Ngoko ke, uya kungenelwa ukuba uzamkela njengeLizwi likaYehova eliphefumlelweyo, eliye lalondolozwa kwada kwaza kuthi ga kulo mhla wethu.—1 Tesalonika 2:13; 2 Timoti 3:16, 17.

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 13]

ULudovico Antonio Muratori

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 14]

UMzi Weencwadi iAmbrose

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 15]

IMuratorian Fragment

[Inkcazelo]

Diritti Biblioteca Ambrosiana. Vietata la riproduzione. Aut. No. F 157/05

[Inkcazelo Ngemifanekiso ekwiphepha 13]

Fragments: Diritti Biblioteca Ambrosiana. Vietata la riproduzione. Aut. No. F 157/05; Muratori, based on line art: © 2005 Brown Brothers