Ababhali Bamandulo NeLizwi LikaThixo

IZIBHALO zesiHebhere zagqitywa ukubhalwa ngasekupheleni kwinkulungwane yesihlanu ngaphambi kweXesha Eliqhelekileyo. Kwiinkulungwane ezalandelayo, abaphengululi bamaYuda, ngakumbi amaSoferim kamva amaMasorete, enza imigudu ephawulekayo elondoloza izibhalo zesiHebhere zahlala zichanile. Noko ke, ezona ncwadi zindala zeBhayibhile zabhalwa ngomhla kaMoses noYoshuwa, kwiminyaka eliwaka ngaphambi kokubakho kwamaSoferim. Izinto ezazibhalwe kuzo ezo ncwadi zazisonakala; ngoko kwakufuneka zihlale zikhutshelwa rhoqo. Yintoni eyaziwayo ngababhali belo xesha? Ngaba babekho abakhupheli abanobuchule kwaSirayeli mandulo?

Eyona mibhalo midala ekhoyo yeBhayibhile namhlanje iyinxalenye yeMisongo yoLwandle Olufileyo, eminye yayo esusela kwinkulungwane yesithathu neyesibini ngaphambi kweXesha Eliqhelekileyo. UNjingalwazi Alan R. Millard umphengululi weelwimi nokwembiwa kwezinto zakudala kwiMpuma Ekufuphi uthi: “Asikwazi kufumana nayiphi na inxalenye yemibhalo yantlandlolo. Izithethe zabamelwane zibonisa indlela ababesebenza ngayo ababhali bamandulo, ibe olo lwazi lunokusinceda siqonde indlela ebaluleke ngayo imibhalo yesiHebhere nembali yaso.”

Ubuchule Bababhali Bokuqala

Kwakwiminyaka engamawaka amane eyadlulayo, eMesopotamiya kwakusenziwa iincwadi zembali, ezonqulo, ezomthetho, ezemfundo nezobugcisa. Kwakukho izikolo ezininzi zababhali, ibe phakathi kwezinto ababezifundiswa kukuthembeka xa bekhuphela imibhalo. Luncinane gqitha utshintsho oluye lwafunyanwa ngabaphengululi banamhlanje kwimibhalo yaseBhabhiloni nakuba iye yakhutshelwa ngokuphindaphindiweyo kwithuba leminyaka eliwaka nangaphezulu.

Ubuchule bokubhala babungekho Mesopotamiya kuphela. IThe Oxford Encyclopedia of Archaeology in the Near East ithi: “Ababhali baseBhabhiloni bewaka lesibini leminyaka ngaphambi kweXesha Eliqhelekileyo babekhululeka xa bekulo naliphi na iziko lababhali kulawo ayezalise iMesopotamiya, eSiriya, eKanan naseYiputa.”a

Ababhali babejongelwa phezulu eYiputa ngomhla kaMoses. Ababhali babehlala bekhuphela iincwadi. Umsebenzi wabo ubonwa kwimikrolo ehombise amangcwaba aseYiputa aneminyaka engamawaka amane ubudala. Le ntyilalwazi icatshulwe ngasentla ithi ngababhali belo xesha: “Malunga newaka lesibini leminyaka ngaphambi kweXesha Eliqhelekileyo babesele bekhuphele inqwaba yeencwadi zempucuko yaseMesopotamiya naseYiputa ibe zazinemigaqo nemithetho yokuziphatha kwababhali.”

Le “migaqo nemithetho” yayiquka ukuchazwa komnini wencwadi. Le mibhalo yayichaza igama lombhali nelomnini-cwecwe elo kubhalwa kulo, umhla, nomthombo lowo kukhutshelwa kuwo, inani lemigca, njalo njalo. Ababhali babedla ngokuthi: “Lo mbhalo ukhutshelwe waza wahlolwa uthelekiswa ngqo nowantlandlolo.” Ezi nkcukacha zibonisa ukuba abakhupheli bamandulo babekuxhalabele gqitha ukuchana kwemibhalo yabo.

UNjingalwazi Millard, ocatshulwe ngaphambili, uthi: “Kubonakala ukuba inkqubo yokukhuphela yayiquka ukuhlolwa nokulungiswa kombhalo, inkqubo eyayithintela iimpazamo. Enye yezi nkqubo, yayikukubala imigca okanye amagama, ngakumbi lawo ayefakelwa kwindlela yokubhala yamaMasorete asekuqaleni kwamaXesha Aphakathi.” Ngoko, ngexesha likaMoses noYoshuwa, kwakusele kukho inkqubo yokuguqulela ngokuchanileyo nangenyameko kuMbindi Mpuma.

Ngaba zazikho iinkunkqele zokuguqulela kumaSirayeli? Ibonisa ntoni yona iBhayibhile?

Ababhali KumaSirayeli Amandulo

UMoses wakhula elilungu lentsapho kaFaro. (Eksodus 2:10; IZenzo 7:21, 22) Ngokutsho kweengcali zabaphengululi beYiputa yamandulo, imfundo kaMoses yayiquka ubuchule bokufunda nokubhala imibhalo yaseYiputa. Kwincwadi yakhe ethi Israel in Egypt, uNjingalwazi James K. Hoffmeier uthi: “Kukho ubungqina obuxhasa oko kuthethwa yiBhayibhile ngokubhala kukaMoses iziganeko, njengeso seMfuduko, neminye imisebenzi yababhali.”b

IBhayibhile iphinda ithethe ngabanye ababenobuchule bokubhala kwaSirayeli mandulo. IThe Cambridge History of the Bible, ithi uMoses “wamisela amagosa okubhala . . . ukuze abhale phantsi izigqibo neminye imicimbi yolawulo.” Ifikelela kwesi sigqibo ngenxa yoko kubhalwe kwiDuteronomi 1:15, ethi: ‘Ndabathabatha ke [mna Moses] abaziintloko zezizwe zenu ndabamisa baziintloko phezu kwenu, iintloko zamawaka neentloko zamakhulu neentloko zamashumi amahlanu neentloko zamashumi namagosa ngokwezizwe zenu.’ Yayingoobani la magosa?

Igama elithi “igosa” livela kaninzi kwizibhalo ezithetha ngemihla kaMoses noYoshuwa. Abaphengululi abahlukeneyo bathi eli gama lithetha “unobhala weengxelo,” “umntu ‘obhalayo’ okanye ‘owenza iingxelo,’” “nonobhala womgwebi.” Ukuvela kaninzi kweli gama lesiHebhere kubonisa ukuba kwaSirayeli babebaninzi oonobhala ibe babeneembopheleleko ezininzi kwimisebenzi yolawulo lwelo lizwe.

Umzekelo wesithathu ngowababingeleli bakwaSirayeli. IEncyclopaedia Judaica ithi “unqulo nemisebenzi yabo yayifuna bafunde.” Ngokomzekelo, uMoses wabayalela oku oonyana bakaLevi: “Rhoqo ekupheleni kweminyaka esixhenxe, . . . wowufunda lo mthetho phambi kukaSirayeli wonke esiva.” Ababingeleli yaba ngabo abanyamekela umbhalo woMthetho. Babegunyazisa baze bongamele ukukhutshelwa kwemibhalo.—Duteronomi 17:18, 19; 31:10, 11.

Khawucinge indlela owenziwa ngayo umbhalo wokuqala woMthetho. Kwinyanga yokugqibela esidl’ amazimba, uMoses wawaxelela oku amaSirayeli: “Mhla nayiwela iYordan nangena kulo ilizwe akunika lona uYehova uThixo wakho, uzimisele amatye amakhulu, uwaqabe ngekalika. Uze ubhale kuwo onke amazwi alo mthetho.” (Duteronomi 27:1-4) Emva kokutshatyalaliswa kweYeriko neAyi, amaSirayeli ahlanganisana kwiNtaba ye-Ebhali, ekumbindi weLizwe Lesithembiso. Ngokwenene, uYoshuwa wabhala kumatye esibingelelo “umthetho kaMoses.” (Yoshuwa 8:30-32) Oko kwakufuna abantu abakwaziyo ukufunda nokubhala. Oku kubonisa ukuba amaSirayeli okuqala ayelwazi kakuhle ulwimi lwawo yaye enobuchule bokulondoloza imibhalo yawo engcwele ichanile.

Ukuchana KweZibhalo

Emva kokufa kukaMoses noYoshuwa, kwabhalwa imibhalo yesiHebhere eyahlukeneyo, kwakhutshelwa neminye yayo. Ekubeni le mibhalo yayisonakala okanye ingunda, kwakufuneka kubhalwe eminye endaweni yayo. Oku kukhuphela kwaqhubeka kangangeenkulungwane.

Phezu kwayo nje inyameko yabakhupheli beBhayibhile, zabakho iimpazamo ezithile ezenziwayo. Ngaba ezo mpazamo zabakhupheli zawutshintsha umongo weBhayibhile? Nakanye. Sezizonke khange ibe ziimpazamo zingako, ngoko azinafuthe kumongo nokuchana kweBhayibhile, kanye njengokuba lusitsho nohlolisiso lwayo xa kuthelekiswa imibhalo-ngqangi yantlandlolo.

KumaKristu, indlela uYesu Kristu awayejonga ngayo iincwadi zokuqala zeBhayibhile iqinisekisa ukuchana kweZibhalo Ezingcwele. Amazwi afana nala “Anizange nifunde na kwincwadi kaMoses?” nathi “UMoses waninika uMthetho, akunjalo?” abonisa ukuba uYesu wayeyigqala njengenokuthenjwa imibhalo eyayikho xa wayelapha emhlabeni. (Marko 12:26; Yohane 7:19) Ngaphezulu, uYesu wakuqinisekisa ukunyaniseka kwazo zonke iZibhalo zesiHebhere xa wathi: “Zonke izinto ezibhaliweyo ngam emthethweni kaMoses nakubaProfeti nakwiiNdumiso zimelwe kukuzaliseka.”—Luka 24:44.

Ngoko sinesizathu sokuqiniseka ukuba iZibhalo Ezingcwele bezisoloko zikhutshelwa ngokuchanileyo ukususela ntlandlolo. Zinjengokuba kanye umprofeti ophefumlelweyo uIsaya watshoyo: “Ingca eluhlaza yomile, intyatyambo ibunile; kodwa ke lona ilizwi loThixo wethu, liya kuhlala ukusa kwixesha elingenammiselo.”—Isaya 40:8.

[Imibhalo esemazantsi]

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 18]

Umbhali waseYiputa esebenza

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 19]

Ezona ncwadi zindala zeBhayibhile zisusela kwimihla kaMoses