UWessel Gansfort—“Umlweli Wohlaziyo Ngaphambi Kokuba Lwenzeke”

ULuther, uTyndale, noCalvin baziwa kakuhle ngabo bonke abafundi boHlaziyo lwamaProtestanti olwaqala ngowe-1517. Kodwa bambalwa abamaziyo uWessel Gansfort. Kudla ngokuthiwa “ngumlweli wohlaziyo ngaphambi kokuba lwenzeke.” Ngaba ufuna ukwazi ngakumbi ngale ndoda?

UWESSEL wazalwa ngowe-1419 kwidolophu yaseGroningen eNetherlands. Bambalwa abantu abafumana ithuba lokuya esikolweni ngenkulungwane ye-15, ibe uWessel ngomnye wabo. Nakuba wayengumpondo zihlanjiwe esikolweni, kwafuneka asishiye xa eneminyaka esithoba ubudala ngenxa yokuba ngamahlwempu kwabazali bakhe. Ngethamsanqa, mhlolokazi uthile omi kakuhle, wathi akuva ngokuba krelekrele kwakhe, wathembisa ukumhlawulela iindleko zakhe zesikolo. Watsho wakwazi ukutyhalela phambili nezifundo zakhe. Ethubeni waphumelela isidanga sobuNgcali Kwezobugcisa. Kubonakala ukuba kamva waba ngugqirha kwezakwalizwi.

UWessel wayelunxanelwe ulwazi. Noko ke, ngelo xesha ayembalwa gqitha amathala eencwadi. Nakuba ukushicilela ngoomatshini kwavela ngexesha lakhe, iincwadi ezininzi zazibhalwa ngesandla yaye zibiza gqitha. Wayekwiqela labaphengululi ababetyhutyha amathala nemizi yoonongendi befuna imibhalo-ngqangi enqabileyo neencwadi ezalityalwayo. Emva koko, babechubelana ngoko bakufumeneyo. Waqokelela ulwazi oluninzi walubhala kwincwadi yakhe eneengcaphulo nezicatshulwa azithabathe kwezona ncwadi ziphambili. Abanye abafundi bezakwalizwi babemrhanela kuba wayesazi izinto ezininzi ababengazange beve ngazo. Waye wabizwa ngokuba yiMagister Contradictionis, okanye uMakhwekhwetha Wempikiswano.

“Kutheni Ungandixeleli NgoKristu?”

Kwiminyaka engama-50 ngaphambi koHlaziyo, uWessel wadibana noThomas à Kempis (malunga nowe-1379-1471), owayengumbhali ovunyiweyo wencwadi ethi De Imitatione Christi, (Ukuxelisa UKristu). UThomas à Kempis wayekwiqela iBrethren of the Common Life, elalikhuthaza ukuphila ubomi bokuzinikela. Umbhali wobomi bukaWessel uthi uThomas à Kempis wayesoloko ekhuthaza uWessel ukuba athandaze kuMariya. Ephendula oko uWessel wathi: “Kutheni ungandixeleli ngoKristu, omema ngobubele ukuba beze kuye bonke abo basindwa yimithwalo?”

Kuthiwa uWessel wayikhaba into yokwenziwa kwakhe umfundisi. Xa wabuzwa isizathu sokwala ukucheba iinwele ngendlela ebonisa ukuba ungumfundisi, wathi akoyiki ukubulawa logama nje eza kufa esakwazi ukucinga. Kuyabonakala ukuba wayebhekisela kwinto yokuba abefundisi abaninzi abonileyo babesinda ekufeni ngenxa nje yokuba bengabefundisi. Waphikisa izinto ezininzi ezazisenziwa elunqulweni. Ngokomzekelo, wagxekwa ngokungakholelwa kwakhe iziganeko zemimangaliso ezikwincwadi eyayithandwa ngomhla wakhe ethi, Dialogus Miraculorum. Eziphendulela wathi: “Ngekubhetele ukuba bendizifunda kwiZibhalo Ezingcwele.”

“Sithi Ukuze Sazi Sibuze”

UWessel wafunda isiHebhere nesiGrike watsho wayazi kakuhle imibhalo yeeNkokeli zeCawa zokuqala. Ukuthanda kwakhe iilwimi zantlandlolo neyabhalwa ngazo iBhayibhile kuphawuleka gqitha, kuba waphila ngaphambi koErasmus noReuchlin.a Ngaphambi koHlaziyo abantu babengenalwazi kangako ngesiGrike. EJamani babembalwa gqitha abaphengululi abaqhelene naso, ibe babengenazo iincwadi zokusifunda. Emva kokuwa kweConstantinople ngowe-1453, kucaca ukuba uWessel wadibana noonongendi bamaGrike ababebhacele eNtshona, waza wafunda kubo isiGrike esisisiseko. Kuloo mihla, isiHebhere sasisaziwa ngamaYuda kuphela, ibe kubonakala ukuba uWessel wafunda isiseko saso kumaYuda aguqukileyo.

UWessel wayeyithanda gqitha iBhayibhile. Wayeyigqala njengencwadi ephefumlelwe nguThixo ekholelwa ukuba zonke iincwadi zayo ziyavumelana. Kuye, ukuguqulelwa kweendinyana zeBhayibhile kwakumele kuvumelane nomongo wayo zingajijwa. Nayiphi na ingcamango efakelweyo yayimele igqalwe njengephum’ ecaleni. Enye yeendinyana zeBhayibhile awayezithanda yincwadi kaMateyu 7:7, ethi: “Qhubekani nifuna, niya kufumana.” Ngenxa yamandla ale ndinyana, wayekholelwa ngamandla ukuba kuluncedo ukubuza, evakalelwa ukuba “sithi ukuze sazi sibuze.”

Isicelo Esimangalisayo

Ngowe-1473, uWessel watyelela eRoma. Apho wafumana ithuba lokuthetha noPopu Sixtus IV, owokuqala koopopu abathandathu abaziphatha kakubi gqitha de oko kwakhokelela kuHlaziyo lwamaProtestanti. Umbhali-mbali uBarbara W. Tuchman uthi, nguSixtus IV owakhuthaza abantu ukuba babe “phandle, bangayifihli futhi bazabalaze ngamandla xa benqwenela izinto ezithile negunya lezopolitiko.” Bonke abantu bothuka gqitha kuquka icawa ngokuqesha phandle izalamane zakhe. Omnye umbhali-mbali uthi uSixtus usenokuba wayefuna ukuyenza ishishini lentsapho loo ofisi kapopu. Bambalwa abantu ababa nobuganga bokukugxeka oko.

Noko ke, yena uWessel Gansfort wayahlukile kuye. Ngenye imini uSixtus wathi kuye: “Nyana wam, cela nantoni na oyifunayo, siza kukunika.” Ngokukhawuleza, uWessel wathi: “Bawo Oyingcwele, . . . ekubeni ukwindawo yoyena mfundisi nomalusi ophakamileyo apha emhlabeni, ndicela . . . ufeze indima yakho ephakamileyo ngendlela yokuba xa uMalusi Omkhulu wezimvu . . . efika athi kuwe: ‘Wenze kakuhle, khoboka elilungileyo nelithembekileyo! ngena kuvuyo lwenkosi yakho.’” USixtus waphendula ngokuthi yimbopheleleko yakhe leyo ekuphela kwento amele ayenze yena uWessel kukuzicelela yena into ayifunayo. UWessel wathi: “Xa kunjalo ndicela undiphe iBhayibhile yesiGrike neyesiHebhere kwezo zikwiThala LeVatican.” Ipopu yamnika yatsho isithi wenze ngobuyatha kuba ebemele acele ukwenziwa ibhishopu!

“Ubuxoki Nempazamo”

Efuna ngamandla imali yokwakha isakhiwo secawa iSistine Chapel yodumo namhlanje, uSixtus weza nenkqubo yokuhlawulela imiphefumlo yabafileyo. Le nkqubo yathandwa gqitha ngabantu. Incwadi ethi, Vicars of Christ—The Dark Side of the Papacy ithi: “Abahlolo nabahlolokazi, abazali abafelwe ngabantwana babechitha nepeni yokugqibela bezama ukuhlawulela izihlobo zabo zikhululwe kwindawo yeNtlambululo-miphefumlo.” Le nkqubo yathandwa gqitha ngabantu abaqhelekileyo, ababekholelwa ukuba upopu unokuqinisekisa ukuba izihlobo zabo ziya ezulwini.

Yena, uWessel wayekholelwa ukuba iCawa yamaKatolika, kuquka upopu abanalo igunya lokuxolela izono. Watsho phandle ukuba oko “yayibubuxoki nempazamo.” Nale yokuvuma izono kubefundisi wayengakholelwa ukuba iyafuneka ukuze umntu axolelwe izono.

UWessel wayengakholelwa ukuba upopu akenzi siphoso, esithi isiseko sokholo besiya kuba bubuthathaka ukuba abantu bekuza kufuneka basoloko bekholelwa oopopu, kuba oopopu baye bazenza iimpazamo. Wabhala wathi: “Ukuba bayibeka bucala imiyalelo kaThixo baze babeke eyabo, . . . oko bakutshoyo kulilize.”

UWessel Uhlahl’ Indlela Yohlaziyo

UWessel wafa ngowe-1489. Nakuba wayephikisana nezinto ezithile eziphosakeleyo ezenziwa ecaweni, wahlala engumKatolika. Ukanti, icawa ayizange imgwebe njengomwexuki. Noko ke, emva kokufa kwakhe oonongendi bamaKatolika ababenenzondelelo yempambano bazama ukuyitshabalalisa imibhalo yakhe kuba bevakalelwa ukuba ayihambisani neemfundiso zecawa. Ngexesha likaLuther, lalisele libulityalwa igama likaWessel, kungekho nanye incwadi yakhe eshicilelweyo, sele imbalwa nemibhalo-ngqangi yakhe ekhoyo. Inguqulelo yakhe yokuqala yapapashwa phakathi kowe-1520 nowe-1522. Kuyo kwakukho neleta kaLuther awayesothulela umnqwazi ngayo imibhalo kaWessel.

Nakuba uWessel engazange alwele uHlaziyo, njengoLuther wazigxeka phandle izinto eziphosakeleyo ezakhokelela kuHlaziyo. ICyclopedia kaMcClintock noStrong imchaza “njengeyona ndoda ibalulekileyo phakathi kwamaJamani awahlahl’ indlela yoHlaziyo.”

ULuther wayemgqala njengehlakani lakhe uWessel. Umbhali uC. Augustijn uthi: “ULuther uthelekisa umhla wakhe noko kwakusenzeka ngomhla kaEliya. Kanye njengokuba uEliya wayecinga ukuba nguye kuphela oseleyo ukuze alwele uThixo, noLuther wayevakalelwa ukuba uzimele ngenkqay’ elangeni kumlo wakhe necawa. Kodwa wathi akufunda imibhalo kaWessel waqonda ukuba iNkosi ishiye ‘intsalela kwaSirayeli.’” “ULuther ude athi: ‘Ukuba ndandizifunde kwasekuqaleni iincwadi zakhe, iintshaba zam beziya kuthi ndiye ndamfimfitha kwanto kuWessel, kuba ucinga kanye njengam.’”b

“Niya Kufumana”

UHlaziyo aluzange lwenzeke ngamininye. Iingcamango zalo zaqhubeka ixesha elide. UWessel waqonda ukuba ukungakwazi kuziphatha koopopu kwakuza kwenza abantu bafune utshintsho. Wakha wathi komnye umfundi: “Njengokuba ukuthanda nje ukufunda kwedini, ngenye imini uya kube ukho xa iimfundiso . . . ezingqubanayo zabakwalizwi ziya kube zikhatywa ngabo bonke abaphengululi bamaKristu.”

Nakuba uWessel wabona ezinye izenzo eziphosakeleyo nenkohlakalo yomhla wakhe, wasilela ukutyhila konke ukukhanya kwenyaniso yeBhayibhile. Sekunjalo, kuye iBhayibhile yayiyincwadi emele ifundwe. Ngokutsho kwencwadi ethi A History of Christianity, uWessel “wayekholelwa ukuba, ekubeni iphefumlelwe ngoMoya Oyingcwele, iBhayibhile lelona gunya kumele kuviwe ngalo kwimibandela yokholo.” Namhlanje, amaKristu okwenyaniso akholelwa ukuba iBhayibhile liLizwi likaThixo eliphefumlelweyo. (2 Timoti 3:16) Noko ke, akusekho nzima ukufumana inyaniso yeBhayibhile. Namhlanje uye wangqineka uyinyaniso umgaqo weBhayibhile othi: “Qhubekani nifuna, niya kufumana.”—Mateyu 7:7; IMizekeliso 2:1-6.

[Imibhalo esemazantsi]

[Ibhokisi/Umfanekiso okwiphepha 14]

UWESSEL NEGAMA LIKATHIXO

Kwimibhalo kaWessel, igama likaThixo liguqulelwe ngokuthi “Johavah.” Kodwa ubuncinane izihlandlo ezibini wasebenzisa elithi “Yehova.” Exubusha ngeembono zikaWessel, umbhali uH. A. Oberman uthi uWessel wayecinga ukuba xa uThomas Aquinas nabanye babesazi isiHebhere, “babeya kuyazi into yokuba igama likaThixo elatyhilwa kuMoses alithethi kuthi ‘Ndinguye endinguye,’ kunoko lithetha ukuthi ‘Ndinguye lowo ndiya kuba nguye.’”c INguqulelo Yehlabathi Elitsha iliguqulela ngokuchanileyo eli binzana xa isithi “Ndinguye lowo ndiya kuzingqina ndinguye.”—Eksodus 3:13, 14.

[Umbhalo osemazantsi]

[Inkcazelo]

Manuscript: Universiteitsbibliotheek, Utrecht

[Imifanekiso ekwiphepha 15]

UWessel wayiphikisa inkqubo eyavunywa nguPope Sixtus IV yokuhlawulelwa kwemiphefumlo yabafileyo