Ukufika KweBhayibhile KwiBig Red Island
ISIQITHI saseMadagascar esisesine kwezona ziqithi zikhulu emhlabeni, sikumgama omalunga nama-400 eekhilomitha ukusuka kunxweme lwaseAfrika olungakumzantsi-mpuma. Abantu baseMadagascar kudala belazi igama elithi Yehova, kuba bebeneenguqulelo zeBhayibhile zesiMalagasy ezinegama likaThixo kangangeminyaka engaphezu kwe-170. Inguqulelo yesiMalagasy yabakho ngenxa yokuzingisa nokuzinikela kwabaguquleli.
Kwaqaliswa ukwenziwa iinzame zokuguqulela iBhayibhile kwisiMalagasy kwisiqithi saseMauritius esikufutshane nalapho. Malunga nowe-1813, uMhlekazi uRobert Farquhar owayeyinzalelwane yaseBritani nowayengumlawuli eMauritius, waqalisa umsebenzi wokuguqulela iincwadi zeVangeli kwisiMalagasy. Kamva wakhuthaza uRadama I, owayengukumkani waseMadagascar ukuba ameme abahlohli beLondon Missionary Society (iLMS), ukuba beze kwiBig Red Island, gama elo iMadagascar edla ngokubizwa ngalo.
NgoAgasti 18, 1818, uDavid Jones noThomas Bevan, abavangeli ababini baseWales, bafika kwisixeko saseToamasina bevela eMauritius. Bafikela kubantu abathanda unqulo, abanqula izinyanya nabathanda amasiko. Abantu baseMadagascar babethetha ulwimi olunesigama esityebileyo olusuka kwisiMalayo-Polynesian.
Emva kokuqalisa isikolo esincinane, uJones noBevan bathatha abafazi nabantwana babo eMauritius babazisa eToamasina. Noko ke, okubuhlungu kukuba, bonke bahlaselwa yimalariya, waza uJones wafelwa ngumfazi nomntwana wakhe ngoDisemba 1818. Emva kweenyanga ezimbini, esi sifo sabulala yonke intsapho yakwaBevan. Kwasinda uDavid Jones kuphela.
Lo kaJones akazange avumele le ntlekele ukuba imthez’ amandla. Wayezimisele ukuba abantu baseMadagascar balifumane iLizwi likaThixo. Emva kokuya eMauritius okwethutyana ukuze achache, lo kaJones waqalisa ukufunda isiMalagasy. Ngokukhawuleza emva koko, waqalisa ukuguqulela incwadi yeVangeli kaYohane.
Ngo-Oktobha 1820, uJones wabuyela eMadagascar. Wafikela eAntananarivo, isixeko salapho esikhulu waza waqalisa isikolo sokuqeqesha abavangeli. Iimeko zazimaxongo kwesi sikolo. Kwakungekho zincwadi, zibhodi nazidesika. Kodwa umgangatho wokufundisa wawusemagqibini nabantwana babekuthanda ukufunda.
Emva kweenyanga ezimalunga nesixhenxe uJones esebenza yedwa, kwafika uDavid Griffiths owangena ezihlangwini zikaBevan. Aba babini bazinikela ekuguquleleni iBhayibhile kwisiMalagasy.
Ukuqalisa Komsebenzi Wokuguqulela
Ekuqaleni kweminyaka yee-1820, ekuphela kwesiMalagasy esasibhalwa yayiyisorabe—amagama esiMalagasy abhalwe ngoonobumba besiArab. Bambalwa abantu ababekwazi ukufunda olu lwimi. Ngoko emva kokuba abavangeli bethethe noKumkani uRadama I, lo kumkani wabanika imvume yokusebenzisa oonobumba besiRoma endaweni yabesorabe.
Umsebenzi wokuguqulela waqalisa ngoSeptemba 10, 1823. UJones waguqulela incwadi yeGenesis nekaMateyu waza uGriffiths waguqulela eye-Eksodus nekaLuka. Omabini la madoda ayezibhokoxa emsebenzini wawo. Ngaphandle komsebenzi wokuguqulela awayewenza, ngeentsasa nasemva-kwemini ayeqhubeka nomsebenzi wokufundisa. Ayelungiselela neenkonzo zecawa awayeziqhuba ngeelwimi ezintathu. Sekunjalo, eyona nto ayenikele ingqalelo kuyo ngumsebenzi wokuguqulela.
Bencediswa ngabafana abali-12 ababebafundisa, aba bavangeli babini baguqulela zonke iZibhalo zesiGrike neencwadi ezininzi zeZibhalo zesiHebhere ngeenyanga nje ezili-18. Kunyaka olandelayo, bagqiba ukwenza inguqulelo yokuqala epheleleyo yeBhayibhile. Phofu ke, kwakusafuneka belungise iindawo ezithile. Ngoko kwathunyelwa iingcali zolwimi ezimbini zaseNgilani, uDavid Johns noJoseph Freeman.
Ukunyamezela Amahla-ndinyuka
Emva kokuba inguqulelo yesiMalagasy igqityiwe, iLMS yathumela uCharles Hovenden eMadagascar ukuba aye kudibanisa umatshini wokuqala wokushicilela. UHovenden wafika ngoNovemba 21, 1826. Noko ke, naye waba nemalariya waza wafa kwisithuba esingangenyanga efikile kwaza kwasala kungekho mntu ukwaziyo ukusebenzisa umatshini wokushicilela. Kunyaka olandelayo, kwafika uJames Cameron waseSkotlani owayelichule lokulungisa oomatshini waza, esebenzisa incwadi wadibanisa laa matshini wokushicilela. Emva kwawo onke loo mahla-ndinyuka, ngoDisemba 4, 1827 uCameron wakwazi ukushicilela inxalenye yesahluko sokuqala seGenesis.a
Emva kokufa kukaRadama I ngoJulayi 27, 1828, kwavela enye ingxaki. UKumkani uRadama wayewuxhasa kakhulu lo msebenzi wokuguqulela. UDavid Jones wathi: “UKumkani uRadama unobubele ngeyona ndlela. Uyithanda kakhulu imfundo yaye ukufundiswa kwabantu belizwe lakhe inkcubeko ukuxabise ngaphezu kweGolide neSilivere.” Noko ke, ezihlangwini zikakumkani kwangena umfazi wakhe uRanavalona I, owabonakala zisuka nje ukuba akanamdla kwinkqubela yalo msebenzi njengomyeni wakhe.
Emva nje kokubekwa kukakumkanikazi esihlalweni, kwafika undwendwe oluvela eNgilani lwaza lwacela ukuthetha naye ngomsebenzi wokuguqulela. Akazange avume. Ngesinye isihlandlo, xa abavangeli baxelela ukumkanikazi ukuba ziseninzi izinto abafuna ukuzifundisa abantu, njengesiGrike nesiHebhere, ukumkanikazi wathi: “Andinaxesha lesiGrike nesiHebhere, kunokuba bhetele xa ninokubafundisa into enokubanceda, njengokwenza isepha.” Eqonda ukuba kusenokufuneka bahambe bengekayigqibi iBhayibhile yesiMalagasy, uCameron wacela ukuya kukucinga oku kangangeveki.
Kwiveki elandelayo, uCameron wanika abantu ababethunywe ngukumkanikazi iisepha ezimbini ezazenziwe ngezinto ezifumaneka lula apho. Ukumkanikazi waneliseka koku nazezinye izinto ezenziwa ngaba bavangeli, kangangokuba bahlala de bakwazi ukugqiba inxalenye eninzi yeZibhalo zesiHebhere.
Iindaba Ezimnandi Ezalandelwa Kukuphoxeka
Nangona ukumkanikazi waqala ngokubachasa aba bavangeli, ngoMeyi 1831, wamisela umthetho owothusa bonke abantu. Wavumela abemi belo ukuba babhaptizwe njengamaKristu! Kodwa lo mthetho watshitshiswa kungekudala. Ngokutsho kweA History of Madagascar, “ukubhaptizwa kwabantu abaninzi kwawothusa amagosa asebukhosini awayehleli engayiginyi ncam yonke le nto, aza emva koko afak’ umoya kukumkanikazi emxelela ukuba ubhaptizo lufana nqwa nokwenza isifungo sokuzinikela kwiBritani.” Ngenxa yoko, ekupheleni kowe-1831, umthetho ovumela abantu ukuba babhaptizwe njengamaKristu warhoxiswa, emva kokusebenza iinyanga nje ezintandathu.
Ngenxa yokuthingaza kukakumkanikazi nempembelelo yamagosa karhulumente awayebambelele nkqi kwizithethe, aba bavangeli basebenza ngamandla ukuze bagqibe umsebenzi wokushicilela iBhayibhile. IZibhalo zamaKristu zesiGrike zazisele zigqityiwe yaye amawaka ngamawaka eekopi zazo ayesele esasaziwe. Noko ke, ngoMatshi 1, 1835, kwavela omnye umqobo xa uKumkanikazi uRanavalona I ekhupha isaziso sokuba ubuKristu abuvumelekanga ngokomthetho waza wayalela ukuba zonke iincwadi zobuKristu zisiwe kumagosa omthetho.
Ngenxa yalo mthetho kakumkanikazi, abemi baseMadagascar ababencedisa kumsebenzi wokushicilela kwafuneka bayeke. Ngenxa yoko, loo msebenzi kwafuneka ugqityezelwe yimbinana yabavangeli eyazibhokoxayo isebenza imini nobusuku de ekugqibeleni kwakhutshwa iBhayibhile epheleleyo ngoJuni 1835. Ekugqibeleni, kwabakho iBhayibhile yesiMalagasy!
Njengokuba lo msebenzi wawungavumelekanga ngokusemthethweni, iiBhayibhile zasasazwa ngokukhawuleza kwaza kwafihlwa iincwadi zeZibhalo ezingama-70 ukuze zingatshatyalaliswa. Kwathi kanti bazincedile kuba kwisithuba esingangonyaka abanye abavangeli bemka kweso siqithi kwaza kwasala ababini kuphela. Kodwa ilizwi likaThixo lalisasazekile kwiBig Red Island.
Abantu BaseMadagascar Bayayithanda IBhayibhile
Bavuya ngokwenene abantu baseMadagascar kuba bekwazi ukufunda iLizwi likaThixo ngolwimi lwabo! Zikho iimpazamo kule nguqulelo yaye amanye amagama asetyenziswe apho akusekho mntu uwasebenzisayo. Sekunjalo, phantse bonke abantu baseMadagascar baneBhayibhile yaye abaninzi bayifunda rhoqo. Okuphawulekayo kukuba kule nguqulelo igama likaThixo elinguYehova likho kuzo zonke iZibhalo zesiHebhere. KwiiBhayibhile zokuqala igama likaThixo likho nakwiZibhalo zesiGrike. Ngenxa yoko, abantu abaninzi baseMadagascar bayalazi igama likaThixo.
Xa kwakushicilelwa imibhalo yokuqala yeZibhalo zesiGrike, uMnu. uBaker owayengumshicileli wayo, ngenxa yokubona uvuyo lwabantu baseMadagascar, wathi: “Andingomprofeti kodwa andiqondi ukuba ilizwi likaThixo liya kuze litshatyalaliswe ngokupheleleyo kweli lizwe!” Wayenyanisile. Imalariya, ukuzama ukufunda ulwimi olunzima nemithetho esongelayo yomlawuli ayizange ikwazi ukuthintela iLizwi likaThixo ukuba lifumaneke eMadagascar.
Izinto zibhetele nangakumbi ngoku. Kutheni sisitsho nje? Ngowama-2008 kuye kwakhutshwa INguqulelo Yehlabathi Elitsha YeZibhalo Ezingcwele epheleleyo ngesiMalagasy. Oku kungqina ukuba izinto zibhetele ngakumbi ngoku, kuba le nguqulelo ibhalwe ngolwimi lwezi mini olufundeka lula. Ngoku iLizwi likaThixo alinakutshitshiswa kwiBig Red Island.—Isa.40:8.
[Umbhalo osemazantsi]
a Inxalenye yokuqala yeBhayibhile yesiMalagasy, eyashicilelwa eMauritius malunga noAprili noMeyi 1826, yayiyiMiyalelo Elishumi noMthandazo weNkosi. Noko ke, iikopi zayo zanikwa intsapho kaKumkani uRadama namanye amagosa karhulumente kuphela.
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 31]
“INguqulelo Yehlabathi Elitsha” yesiMalagasy iyalizukisa igama likaThixo elinguYehova