IEbla—Isixeko Samandulo Esasisele Silityelwe Siyavela Kwakho
Kwihlobo lowe-1962, uPaolo Matthiae, ityendyana lomembi wezinto zakudala laseItali, wayehlola amathafa asemntla ntshona weSiriya engacingi ukuba kukho nto anokuyifumana apho. Umbindi weSiriya kwakusithiwa anawo kangako amanxiwa ezinto zakudala. Ukanti, xa kwaqaliswa ukwembiwa emva kweminyaka emibini eTell Mardikh malunga neekhilomitha ezingama-60 kumazantsi eAleppo, kwafunyanwa amabhodlo agqalwa ‘njengawona abalulekileyo kwimbali yokwembiwa kwezinto zakudala kwinkulungwane yama-20.’
IMIBHALO ngqangi yakudala yabungqina ubukho besixeko ekwakusithiwa yiEbla. Kodwa, akukho mntu wayesazi ukuba kuloo mabhodlo athe saa kuMbindi Mpuma liliphi esasikulo eso sixeko. Omnye umbhalo wabalisa ngokoyisa kukaSargon, ukumkani waseAkhadi, isixeko “saseMari, Yarmuti, ne-Ebla.” Komnye umbhalo uKumkani wamaSumeri uGudea uthetha ngamaplanga amahle awawafumana “kwintaba zeIbla [Ebla].” Igama lesixeko iEbla liphinda livele eKarnak, eYiputa kuludwe lwezixeko ezathinjwa nguFaro Thutmose III. Unokusiqonda isizathu sokuba abembi bezinto zakudala beye bazama kangaka ukufumana isixeko iEbla.
Ngokuqhubeka besimba bafumana izinto ezininzi. Ngowe-1968 kwafunyanwa umfanekiso oqingqiweyo kakumkani uIbbit-Lim wase-Ebla. Wawunesifungo esasibhalwe ngolwimi lwesiAkhadiya nesasibonisa ukuba lo mfanekiso uqingqiweyo wawunikezelwe kwisithixokazi uIshtar, “owayebalasele e-Ebla.” Ewe, ukwembiwa kwezinto zakudala kwabangela ukuba kuvele “ulwimi olutsha, imbali entsha nenkcubeko entsha.”
Isiqinisekiso sokuba iTell Mardikh yayiyiEbla yamandulo safunyanwa ngowe-1974/75 xa kwafunyanwa imibhalo yoonobumba abatsobhileyo ababesoloko bekhankanya eloo gama. Ezinye izinto ezafunyanwayo zabonisa ukuba esi sixeko sakhiwa izihlandlo ezibini. Emva kokwakhiwa okokuqala, satshatyalaliswa. Saphinda sakhiwa, kodwa satshatyalaliswa kwakho sade salibaleka kangangeenkulungwane.
Isixeko Esinembali Ende
Inkoliso yezixeko zakudala zazakhiwe emathafeni anamanzi njengalawo aphakathi komlambo iTigris nomEfrate, ukuze kube lula ukulima. Izixeko zokuqala ethetha ngazo iBhayibhile zaziseMesopotamiya. (Genesis 10:10) Kubonakala ngathi igama elithi Ebla lithetha “Ilitye Elimhlophe,” libhekisela kwilitye elimhlophe esasakhelwe phezu kwalo esi sixeko. Kuyacaca ukuba le ndawo yakhethwa ngenxa yokuba ilitye ilimestone libonisa ukuba kukho amanzi kuloo ndawo, into ebalulekileyo kummandla okude nemilambo emikhulu.
Ngenxa yokunqongophala kwemvula e-Ebla kwakutyalwa ingqolowa, imidiliya nemithi yomnquma kuphela. Lo mmandla wawulungele nemfuyo ngakumbi iigusha. Ekubeni esi sixeko sasimi phakathi kweMesopotamiya nonxweme lweMeditera kwakulula ukurhweba ngamaplanga, amatye anqabileyo nesinyithi. Esi sixeko sasinabantu abakuma-200 000, loo nto ithetha ukuba umyinge weshumi ekhulwini wabantu babehlala kwesi sixeko.
Amabhodlo esi sixeko abonisa ukuba esi sixeko sesibini sasiphucuke gqitha. Isango lokungena ebhotwe laliphakame ngemitha ezi-12 ukusa kwezili-15. Eli bhotwe lalimana ukwandiswa ukuze ulawulo lwalo lube namandla. Amagosa ayesebenzisa inkqubo entsonkothileyo yolawulo—ikumkani nekumkanikazi babencediswa “ziinkosi” “neerhuluneli.”
Kuye kwafunyanwa amacwecwe odongwe namaceba angaphezu kwe-17 000. Kusenokwenzeka ukuba ekuqaleni, kwakukho amacwecwe angaphezu kwama-4 000 kwithala elenziwe ngeplanga. La maxwebhu anikela ubungqina bokuba iEbla yayirhweba gqitha ngezinto eziliqela. Ngokomzekelo, esi sixeko sasirhweba neYiputa, njengokuba imbasa yomfanekiso woofaro ababini ibonisa. Ubukhulu becala amacwecwe ayebhalwe ngesiSumeri. Kodwa amanye ayebhalwe ngolwimi lwesiEbla, ulwimi lwantlandlalo lwesiSemite yaye olu lwimi lwaqondwa ngenxa yala maxwebhu. Abantu basempuma bashiyeka bebamb’ ongezantsi ngokufunyanwa kombhalo wolu lwimi lwantlandlolo. Into ebangela umdla kukuba amanye ala macwecwe anamagama esiSumeri nesiEbla. Incwadi ethi Ebla—Alle origini della civiltà urbana (IEbla—Unozala Wempucuko Yezixeko) ibiza la macwecwe ngokuba “zezona zichazi-magama zidala sizaziyo.”
Kubonakala ukuba iEbla yayilawula ngomkhosi, kuba izinto zakudala eziye zembiwa zinemifanekiso yamajoni abulala iintshaba zawo okanye aphethe iintloko zabantu ezinqunyuliweyo. Ubuhle be-Ebla bafikelela esiphelweni xa imbali yabo yangqubana negunya leAsiriya nelaseBhabhiloni. Akululanga ukufumana elona xesha lezo ziganeko, kodwa kubonakala ngathi uSargon I (kungekhona uSargon ekuthethwe ngaye kuIsaya 20:1) wahlasela isixeko iEbla ibe nomzukulwana wakhe uNaram-Sin wenza okufanayo. Izinto eziye zembiwa zibonisa ukuba ezi mfazwe zazinogonyamelo.
Njengokuba sekutshiwo esi sixeko saphinda sakhiwa saza sakhonya kulo mmandla. Eso sixeko sitsha saba sihle gqitha. Kumazantsi aso kwabakho indawo engcwele enikelwe kuthixokazi uIshtar, ekwakusithiwa nguthixokazi wenzala ngamaBhabhiloni. Mhlawumbi wakhe weva ngeSango likaIshtar elidumileyo, elafunyanwa kumabhodlo aseBhabhiloni. Isakhiwo esithile e-Ebla kubonakala ngathi sasihlala iingonyama ezazigqalwa njengezingcwele kuthixokazi uIshtar. Oku kusizisa kunqulo lwaseEbla.
Unqulo Lwase-Ebla
Njengazo zonke iindawo zaseMpuma mandulo, iEbla yayinothotho loothixo. Abanye babo yayinguBhahali, uHadadi (igama elivela njengenxalenye yegama lookumkani abathile baseSiriya), noDagan. (1 Kumkani 11:23; 15:18; 2 Kumkani 17:16) Abantu base-Ebla babeboyika bonke aba thixo. Babede bahlonele noothixo bezinye iintlanga. Oku kwembiwa kubonisa ukuba kwakunqulwa nabantu basebukhosini abaye benziwa izithixo, ngakumbi kwiwaka leminyaka lesibini ngaphambi kweXesha Eliqhelekileyo.
Abantu base-Ebla babengathembeli ngokupheleleyo koothixo babo. Esi sixeko sitsha sasineendonga eziphindwe kabini ezazinokoyikisa naziphi na iintshaba. Iindonga ezingaphandle zazigubungela umgama omalunga neekhilomitha ezintathu. Zisabonakala nangoku.
Noko naso eso sixeko sesibini satshatyalaliswa. Mhlawumbi malunga nonyaka we-1600 B.C.E. amaHiti akugqibezela ukuwa kwale ndawo yakha yayimbalasane. Ngokutsho kwembongi yakudala, iEbla ‘yaqhekezwa yaziingceba okwesitya sodongwe.’ Akuzange kube kudala yalityalwa. Ingxelo yabalweli bokholo ababesinge eYerusalem ngowe-1098 ithetha ngesiza eyayakhiwe kuso iEbla, isichaza njengesasakhiwe kwinkqantosi ekuthiwa yiMardikh. IEbla yayisele ilityelwe, de yavela emva kweenkulungwane ezininzi.
[Ibhokisi ekwiphepha 14]
IEBLA NEBHAYIBHILE
Inqaku elapapashwa ngowe-1976 kwiphephancwadi iBiblical Archeologist lavusa umdla wabaphengululi beBhayibhile. Umguquleli wezinto ezazibhalwe kumacwecwe awafunyanwa e-Ebla wavuselela umdla wabaphengululi, kuba la macwecwe ayekhankanya amagama abantu neendawo ekuthethwa ngazo eBhayibhileni. Becingela izinto ezingekhoyo kwelo nqaku, bambi abaphengululi bathi ukwembiwa kwezinto zakudala e-Ebla kunika ubungqina bokuba ingxelo ekwiGenesis inokuthenjwa.a Umfundisi wamaKatolika uMitchell Dahood wathi “la macwecwe odongwe [ase-Ebla] acacisa izinto ezingaqondakaliyo eziseBhayibhileni.” Ngokomzekelo wayekholelwa ukuba, inokubanceda bacombulule “intsinda-badala yegama likaThixo kaSirayeli.”
Ngoku le mibhalo iphengululwa ngocoselelo. Ekubeni isiHebhere nesiEbla zinemvelaphi efanayo, inokwenzeka into yokuba amagama ezixeko ezithile okanye abantu afane nalawo aseBhayibhileni. Kodwa oku akuthethi kuthi abhekisela kwiindawo ezinye okanye kubantu abanye. Akukaziwa ukuba ziza kukuphembelela njani ukufundwa kweBhayibhile izinto ezifunyenwe e-Ebla. Ngokuphathelele igama likaThixo, umbhali wenqaku kweli phephancwadi uyakhanyela ukuba wakhe wathi kukho igama elithi “Yahweh” kwimibhalo yase-Ebla. Abanye abaphengululi bathi umbhalo otsobhileyo oye waguqulelwa ngokuthi ja ubhekisela kwesinye sezithixo zase-Ebla, ngoxa ezinye ingcali zisala ukuba ligama lomntu eli. Enoba ligama okanye asililo, eli gama alibhekiseli kuThixo oyinyaniso, uYehova.—Duteronomi 4:35; Isaya 45:5.
[Umbhalo osemazantsi]
a Ukuze ufumane ingxubusho ngendlela ukwembiwa kwezinto zakudala okuyixhasa ngayo ingxelo yeBhayibhile, funda isahluko 4 sencwadi ethi IBhayibhile Ngaba Ililizwi LikaThixo Okanye Lomntu? ipapashwe ngamaNgqina kaYehova.
[Imaphu/Umfanekiso okwiphepha 12]
(Ukuba ufuna inkcazelo ehlahlelwe kakuhle, yiya kwimpapasho)
ULWANDLE OLUKHULU
KWAKANAN
ESIRIYA
EAleppo
E-Ebla (iTell Mardikh)
Umlambo UmEfrate
[Inkcazelo]
Archaeologist: Missione Archeologica Italiana a Ebla-Università degli Studi di Roma ‘La Sapienza’
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 12, 13]
Amaso egolide omqala asusela malunga nowe-1750 B.C.E.
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 13]
Amabhodlo ebhotwe
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 13]
Amacwecwe odongwe awayegcinwe kwigumbi elithile kwithala leencwadi
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 13]
Icwecwe lombhalo otsobhileyo
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 13]
Igqudu elalisetyenziswa kubukhosi baseYiputa ngowe-1750-1700 B.C.E.
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 13]
Amajoni ase-Ebla ephethe iintloko zeentshaba zawo
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 14]
Umbhalo oqingqiweyo onikezelwe kwisithixokazi uIshtar
[Inkcazelo]
Missione Archeologica Italiana a Ebla-Università degli Studi di Roma ‘La Sapienza’
[Inkcazelo Ngomfanekiso okwiphepha 13]
All images (except palace remains): Missione Archeologica Italiana a Ebla-Università degli Studi di Roma ‘La Sapienza’