Ingxelo Eyalahlekayo KaJohn Milton

INQABILE into yokuba umbhali abe nefuthe ehlabathini njengoJohn Milton, umbhali wombongo wesiNgesi othi Paradise Lost. Omnye umbhali uthi, okaMilton “wayeyintandane yabaninzi, bekho abangamginyiyo, kodwa ikho imbinana engazanga yeva ngaye nasemdudweni.” Nanamhl’ oku, ubona iincwadi nenkcubeko yamaNgesi zisekho nje, kukuncanca kumbele wolwazi lwakhe.

Kwathini phi ukuze uJohn Milton abe nefuthe elingako? Yintoni le yabangela ingxokozelo engaka ngencwadi yakhe yokugqibela ethi On Christian Doctrine, de ingapapashwa kangangeminyaka eli-150?

Ubutsha Bakhe

UJohn Milton lo wazalwa yintsapho yezinhanha yaseLondon ngowe-1608. Lo kaMilton wathi: “Ndandiseyinkwenkwana ukuqala kukatata ukundiphekela ukuba ngumbhali weencwadi, ibe ngendlela endandiwuthanda ngayo loo msebenzi ukususela kwiminyaka elishumi elinesibini ubudala, andikhumbuli ndiwushiya ndiye kulala ingabethanga eyeshumi elinesibini ezinzulwini zobusuku.” Wayengumfundi ophum’ izandla de wafumana isidanga seemasters eCambridge ngowe-1632. Nasemva koko, wathi gqolo efunda ngezembali noncwadi lwamandulo.

UMilton wayefuna ukuba yimbongi, kodwa eNgilani ngelo xesha kwakugqub’ imvukelo. Ipalamente, eyayilawulwa nguOliver Cromwell, yatyumba inkundla eyagunyazisa ukubulawa kukaKumkani uCharles I ngowe-1649. Lo kaMilton wabhala umbongo ochukumisayo, owasithethelelayo esi senzo, nto leyo eyamenza wabekwa njengesithethi sorhulumente kaCromwell. Phofu, kwangaphambi kokuba abe yimbongi eyaziwayo, uJohn Milton wayesele edume ngamaphepha awayedla ngokuwabhala, athetha ngeepolitiki nemiba yokuziphatha.

Kuthe xa kuphinda kubuyiswa ubukhosi ngokubekwa kukaCharles II ngowe-1660, kwahla kwabonakala ukuba ukulala ngengub’ enye kwalo kaMilton noCromwell kubek’ ubomi bakhe esichengeni. UMilton waya kuzifihla, yaye into eyamsindisa ekufeni kukuba nabahlobo abanempembelelo. Kuwo onke loo mahla-ndinyuka, akazange ayeke ukuluthanda unqulo.

“IBhayibhile Njengodondolo”

Echaza ukuthanda kwakhe unqulo eselula, lo kaMilton wathi: “Ukufundisisa iTestamente Endala neNtsha ngeelwimi zantlandlolo ndakuqala ndiseyinkwenkwe.” UMilton wagqala iZibhalo Ezingcwele njengekuphela kwesikhokelo kwimiba yokuziphatha neyonqulo. Kodwa watyhafa akufunda iincwadi zonqulo ezazithenjiwe ngelo xesha. Mva wathi xa wayebhala: “Ndazibonela ukuba andinakukwazi ukusekela iinkolelo zam okanye ndithembele kwezo ncwadi.” Ezixelele ukuba “uza kusebenzisa iBhayibhile njengodondolo lokuva iinkolelo zakhe,” uMilton waqala wazenzela udederhu lwezibhalo awayezibona njengezibalulekileyo, wazifaka phantsi kwemixholo ethile waza wacaphula iindinyana ezikolu dederhu.

Nangoku, eyona nto akhunjulwa ngayo uJohn Milton ngumbongo wakhe othi Paradise Lost, othathwe kwingxelo yeBhayibhile yendlela abantu abahlukana ngayo nemfezeko. (iGenesis, isahluko 3) Ngenxa yalo mbongo, owaqala ukupapashwa ngowe-1667, okaMilton waduma njengengcungela yombhali, ingakumbi phakathi kwamaNgesi. Iphindile le nkokeli yongeza apho ngokubhala umbongo othi Paradise Regained. Le mibongo yayo ichaza eyona njongo kaThixo ngabantu—ukuphila ubomi obufezekileyo kwiparadesi esemhlabeni—ize ithethe nangokubuyisela kukaThixo iParadesi emhlabeni esebenzisa uKristu. Ngokomzekelo, kothi Paradise Lost, uMikayeli isiphatha-zithunywa siprofeta ngexesha laxa uKristu eya “kunika abantu Bakhe abathembekileyo umvuzo nolonwabo olungapheliyo, enoba kusezulwini okanye emhlabeni, kuba ngelo xesha wonke umhlaba uya kuba yiparadesi, indawo emnandi gqitha kune-Eden nezele ziintsuku ezimyoli.”

Incwadi Ethi On Christian Doctrine

Kube liqela leminyaka uMilton lo efuna ukuvelisa incwadi eza kunaba ngobomi neemfundiso zamaKristu. Sele etyhaphake ngokupheleleyo ngowe-1652, wakhupha nawokugqibela amandla kule ncwadi encediswa ngoonobhala bakhe de kwaba sekoyisweni kwakhe kukufa ngowe-1674. Lo kaMilton wayithiy’ igama le ncwadi yakhe yamagqibelo wathi yiA Treatise on Christian Doctrine Compiled From the Holy Scriptures Alone. Kwingabula-zigcawu yayo, wathi: “Ababhali abaninzi abaye bathetha ngalo mba . . . baphelela nje ekuwukheni phezulu, beyiyeka eyona nqontsonqa, le yokucaphula izahluko neendinyana zezibhalo osekelwe kuzo umbandela. Kanti, mna ndizamile ukuzalisa amaphepha, aphuphume ukuba ayathanda, ngezicatshulwa endizithathe kuyo yonke iBhayibhile.” Unyanisile uMilton kuba le ncwadi yakhe ithi On Christian Doctrine izicaphula ngqo iZibhalo ngaphezu kwezihlandlo ezingama-9 000.

Nakuba ngaphambili lo kaMilton wayengacengi solalaphi xa kufuneka ethethe intw’ ayicingayo, akazange avume ukuyipapasha le ncwadi yakhe. Ngoba? Kaloku wayesazi ukuba indlela ezicacisa ngayo iZibhalo yahluke kwaphela kuleyo yamkelekileyo ezicaweni. Kanti, njengoko kwakusele kuphinde kwalawula ookumkani, wayengaseyiyo inceke yaseburhulumenteni. Kungenzeka ukuba wayelinde ukuba kukhe kwehl’ imimoya. Kodwa ke, ithe isakulal’ ukufa le nkokeli yakwaMilton, unobhala wayo wathabatha umbhalo-ngqangi wesiLatini wawusa kwinkampani yokupapasha, kodwa le nkampani ayizange ivume ukuwupapasha. Usibakhulu kurhulumente waseNgilani wawuhlutha lo mbhalo-ngqangi waza waya kuwuvalela. Kwathatha inkulungwane enesiqingatha ngaphambi kokuba le ncwadi kaMilton ifunyanwe.

Kuthe ngowe-1823, mabhalana uthile wawufumana usongelwe umbhalo-ngqangi wale ngcungcu yembongi. UKumkani uGeorge IV owayelawula eNgilani ngelo xesha wayalela ukuba le ncwadi iguqulelwe kwisiLatini ukuze ifumaneke kuwonke-wonke. Yathi yakupapashwa ngesiNgesi kwiminyaka emibini emva koko, yavus’ uthuli phakathi kwabakwalizwi nababhali beencwadi. Omnye ubhishophu wayitsho zisuka nje into yokuba lo mbhalo-ngqangi yinkqatho nje, engafuni kuyiginya into yokuba uMilton—owayedume kwabaninzi njengengcungela yembongi yonqulo eNgilani—angazigxibha kangako iinkolelo ezithandwayo zecawa. Eqonda ukuba bakho abantu abaza kuvakalelwa ngaloo ndlela, ekwabethelela nento yokuba lo mbhalo-ngqangi ngokaMilton, umguquleli wawo wafaka imibhalo esemazantsi, echaza izinto ezingama-500 efana ngazo incwadi ethi On Christian Doctrine nombongo othi Paradise Lost.a

Iinkolelo ZikaMilton

Ngexesha likaMilton, iNgilani yayisamkela ubuProtestanti obuHlaziyiweyo, iqhekekile kwiCawa yamaRoma Katolika. AmaProtestanti ayekholelwa ukuba ziZibhalo Ezingcwele ezinegunya kwimiba yonqulo nokuziphatha kungekhona upopu. Kodwa kwiOn Christian Doctrine, uMilton wabonisa ukuba iimfundiso ezininzi zamaProtestanti nezinto awayezenza zaziphum’ ecaleni kwiZibhalo. Exhathise ngeBhayibhile, wayigxibha imfundiso kaCalvin yokumiselwa kusengaphambili kwekamva esithi abantu banenkululeko yokuzikhethela. Wakhuthaza ukusetyenziswa kwegama likaThixo, uYehova ngentlonelo ibe walisebenzisa gqitha kwiincwadi zakhe.

UMilton wayixhasa ngeZibhalo ingcamango yokuba umphefumlo womntu uyafa. Egqabaza ngeGenesis 2:7, wabhala wathi: “Xa umntu edalwe ngale ndlela, kuthiwa ke ekugqibeleni: umntu ke waba ngumphefumlo ophilayo. . . . Akazozinto zimbini zahlukahlukeneyo, ngokwendlela adla ngokuchazwa ngayo kusithiwa ungumphefumlo nomzimba. Ngokwahlukileyo, umntu ewonke ungumphefumlo, nomphefumlo ngumntu.” Wandula ke uMilton wabuza lo mbuzo: “Ngaba umntu ufa wonke okanye kufa nje umzimba?” Emva kokuveza uthotho lwezibhalo ezingqina ukuba umntu ufa wonke, walek’ umsundulo ngelithi: “Kodwa into yokuba umphefumlo uyafa ndingayingqina ivakale ngamazwi kaThixo akuHezekile 18:20 athi: “umphefumlo owonayo kuya kufa wona.” Waphinda uMilton wacaphula uLuka 20:37 noYohane 11:25 ephuhlisa elokuba abafileyo banethemba lokuvuswa kwixesha elizayo kubuthongo bokufa.

Yintoni le yabangela ingxokozelo ngeOn Christian Doctrine? Yaba bubungqina obulula kodwa obunamandla beBhayibhile obanikelwa nguMilton bokuba uKristu, uNyana kaThixo, ungaphantsi koThixo, onguYise. Emva kokucaphula uYohane 17:3 noYohane 20:17, uMilton wabuza lo mbuzo: “Ukuba uBawo unguThixo kaKristu nowethu, yaye ukuba mnye uThixo, ngubani ke onokuba nguThixo ngaphandle koBawo?”

Ukongezelela, uMilton uthi: “Kuyo yonke into eyathethwayo neyabhalwayo ngulo Nyana nabapostile bakhe bayavuma ukuba uBawo mkhulu kunoNyana kwizinto zonke.” (Yohane 14:28) “Enyanisweni nguKristu othi, kuMat. xxvi. 39 [Mateyu 26:39]: Bawo, ukuba kunokwenzeka, mayidlule le ndebe kum; kanti, kungekhona ngokuthanda kwam, kodwa ngokuthanda kwakho. . . . Kutheni ethandaza kuBawo yedwa, engathandazi kwisiqu sakhe, ukuba yena eneneni unguThixo? Ukuba yena ungumntu aphinde abe nguThixo ophakamileyo, yintoni ebangela ukuba athandazele into anamandla okuyenza? . . . Njengoko uNyana ethanda aze ahlonele uYise kuyo yonk’ into, nathi usifundisa ukuba senze into efanayo.”

Iimpazamo ZikaMilton

UJohn Milton wayeyithanda inyaniso. Noko ke, njengamntu wonke wayenazo iimpazamo yaye kusenokwenzeka ukuba izinto ezibuhlungu ezamehlelayo zaba nefuthe kwindlela awayezijonga ngayo ezinye izinto. Ngokomzekelo, akuzange kube kudala emva kokuba etshatile, umtshakazi wakhe, oyintombi eselula yesinhanha sakomkhulu, wamshiya waya kuhlala kowabo kangangeminyaka emithathu. Kwelo xesha, uMilton wabhala amaphecana athethelela uqhawulo-mtshato, kungekhona ngesizathu sokungathembeki emtshatweni—esona sizathu sabekwa nguYesu—kodwa ngesizathu sokungafanelani. (Mateyu 19:9) UMilton waphinda wayithethelela le mbono kwincwadi ethi On Christian Doctrine.

Ngaphandle kwezo mpazamo zikaMilton, iOn Christian Doctrine iyimela ngamandla imbono yeBhayibhile kwintaphane yemiba ebalulekileyo. Nanamhl’ oku, incwadi yakhe inyanzela abo bayifundayo ukuba beve iimfundiso zabo ngodondolo olungasoze lwaphuke, oluziZibhalo Ezingcwele.

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UMilton wayengumfundi weBhayibhile okhutheleyo

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Courtesy of The Early Modern Web at Oxford

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Umbongo othi “Paradise Lost” wambeka emanqwanqweni lo kaMilton

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Courtesy of The Early Modern Web at Oxford

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Incwadi yokugqibela kaMilton yanyamalala kangangeminyaka eli-150

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Image courtesy of Rare Books and Special Collections, Thomas Cooper Library, University of South Carolina

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Image courtesy of Rare Books and Special Collections, Thomas Cooper Library, University of South Carolina