Ngaba Ubusazi?

Kutheni iBhayibhile inxulumanisa ukunqulwa kothixo wobuxoki uBhahali namatheko obuhenyu?

Uthixo wamaKanan uBhahali wayenguthixo wokuchuma. Abanquli bakhe babekholelwa ukuba uBhahali wayechumisa amasimi abo aze andise nemihlambi yabo. Ngokutsho kwencwadi ethi Manners and Customs in the Bible, “ukwabelana ngesondo ezitempileni kwakusenzelwa ukuchumisa umhlaba ngokukhuthaza uBhahali ukuba abelane ngesondo nesithandwa sakhe uAshera, ukuze isivuno sibe sikhulu nemihlambi yande.”

AmaKanan ayekholelwa ukuba uBhahali wayezimela emathunjini omhlaba xa imvula zingani ngenxa yokoyiswa nguMot, uthixo wembalela nokufa. Ayekholelwa ukuba ukuqalisa kwemvula kwakungumqondiso wokubuya kukaBhahali ngenxa yoko amasimi eza kuphinda achume nobomi bube myoli. Amakanan ayebhiyozela eli xesha ngokuzifica ngesini ngendlela egqithe emgceni. Le nto yenza sibone isizathu sokuba amaSirayeli abe “neentlobano zokuziphatha okubi neentombi zakwaMowabhi” emva kokuba enqule uBhahali wasePehore.—Numeri 25:1-3.

Wayethetha ukuthini uYesu xa wayesithi ababhali nabaFarisi babefana “namangcwaba aqatywe mhlophe”?

UYesu wabakhalimela ababhali nabaFarisi esithi: “Ninentsobi yamangcwaba aqatywe mhlophe, ngaphandle eneneni abonakala emahle kodwa ngaphakathi azele ngamathambo abantu abafileyo nalo lonke uhlobo lokungahlambuluki.” (Mateyu 23:27) AmaYuda ayehombisa amangcwaba ngokuwakalika mhlophe ekupheleni kwexesha leemvula, ngosuku lwe-15 enyangeni ka-Adar, ixesha elingangenyanga ngaphambi kwePasika. Iimvula zazidla ngokuyihlamba loo kalika.

IThe Jewish Encyclopedia, ithi loo mangcwaba ayekalikwa ukuze “izihlwele ezazihamba kwezo ndlela ngePasika” zingenziwa iinqambi ngawo. Umthetho okwiNumeri 19:16 wawusithi nabani na ochukumisa isidumbu, ithambo lomntu okanye ingcwaba wayeyakuba ngongahlambulukanga iintsuku ezisixhenxe. AmaSirayeli angahlambulukanga ayengafanele abe nenxaxheba kwizinto zonqulo olunyulu, yaye ayebulawa xa ewaphula loo mthetho. (Levitikus 15:31) UYesu wawathetha loo mazwi kwiintsuku nje ezimbalwa ngaphambi kwePasika; ngoko abantu babeza kube besandula ukuwabona la mangcwaba akalikiweyo. UYesu wayesithi abachasi bakhe babengeyiyo le nto babebonakala beyiyo, yaye lwaluza kungcola ukholo lwabantu abanxulumana nabo.

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 15]

Limestone stela of Baal-of-the-lightning, 14th-13th centuries B.C.E.

[Inkcazelo]

Musée du Louvre, Paris