IParadisi

Ingcaciso: KwiSeptuagint yesiGrike eyinguqulelo yeBhayibhile ngokufanelekileyo abaguquleli basebenzise igama elithi “iparadisi” (pa·raʹdei·sos) xa bebhekisela kumyezo wase-Eden, kuba ngokucacileyo wawuyipaki ebiyelweyo. Emva kwengxelo ekwiGenesis, izibhalo zeBhayibhile ezithetha ngeparadisi zibhekisela (1) kumyezo wase-Eden, okanye (2) kumhlaba uphela xa kwixesha elizayo uya kuguqulelwa ekubeni yimeko efana naleyo yase-Eden, okanye (3) zibhekisela kwiimeko ezingokomoya ezikho phakathi kwabakhonzi bakaThixo emhlabeni, okanye (4) zibhekisela kumalungiselelo asezulwini akhumbuza ubani nge-Eden.

Ngaba “iTestamente Entsha” iyathetha ngeparadisi yasemhlabeni neyexesha elizayo okanye oko kuthethwa kuphela “kwiTestamente Endala”?

Ukwahlulwa kweBhayibhile ibe ngamacandelo amabini, ukuhlalutywa kokuxabiseka kwamazwi ayo athile ngokwesizinzi sokuba akwinxalenye “Endala” okanye akwinxalenye “Entsha” akufanelekanga ngokweZibhalo. Kweyesi-2 kuTimoti 3:16 sixelelwa oku: “Sonke isibhalo, siphefumlelwe nguThixo nje, sikwancedela ukufundisa, ukohlwaya, ukululeka.” AmaRoma 15:4 abhekisela kwiZibhalo eziphefumlelweyo zamaxesha angaphambi kobuKristu xa esithi: “Izinto zonke ezabhalwayo ngenxa engaphambili, zaye zibhalelwa okwethu ukufundiswa.” Ngoko, impendulo evakalayo kulo mbuzo imele iqwalasele iBhayibhile iphela.

IGenesis 2:8 ithi: “UYehova uThixo watyala umyezo [“ipaki,” Mo; “iparadisi,” Dy; pa·raʹdei·son, LXX] e-Eden ngasempumalanga; wambeka khona umntu [onguAdam] abembumbile.” Kwakukho iintlobo ezininzi ezahlukahlukeneyo nezinomtsalane zezityalo nezilwanyana. UYehova wasisikelela isibini sokuqala esingabantu waza wathi kuso: “Qhamani, nande, niwuzalise umhlaba niweyise; nibe nobukhosi ezintlanzini zolwandle, nasezintakeni zezulu, nasezintweni zonke eziphilileyo ezinambuzelayo emhlabeni.” (Gen. 1:28) Injongo kaThixo yangaphambili yokuba wonke umhlaba ube yiparadisi emiwe ngabo bathi ngoxabiso bayithobele imithetho yakhe ayiyi kuhlala ingazalisekiswanga. (Isa. 45:18; 55:10, 11) Kungeso sizathu le nto uYesu wathi: “Banoyolo abanobulali; ngokuba umhlaba baya kuwudla ilifa bona.” Kwakhona kungeso sizathu le nto wafundisa abafundi bakhe ukuthandaza bathi: “Bawo wethu osemazulwini, malingcwaliswe igama lakho. Mabufike ubukumkani bakho. Makwenziwe ukuthanda kwakho nasemhlabeni, njengokuba kusenziwa emazulwini.” (Mat. 5:5; 6:9, 10) Ngokuvisisana noko, amaEfese 1:9-11 acacisa injongo kaThixo ‘ikukuhlanganisela zonke izinto kuye uKristu, ezisemazulwini kwanezisemhlabeni.’ AmaHebhere 2:5 abhekisela ‘kwelimiweyo eliza kubakho.’ ISityhilelo 5:10 sikhanyanya abo, njengeendlalifa ezingamadlelane noKristu, baza kuba “ngookumkani phezu komhlaba.” ISityhilelo 21:1-5 nesama-22:1, 2 songezelela iingcaciso ezichulumancisayo zeemeko eziya kubakho ‘kumhlaba omtsha’ nezikhumbuza ubani ngeParadisi yangaphambili yase-Eden eyayinomthi wayo wobomi.—Gen. 2:9.

Ukongezelela, uYesu wasebenzisa igama lesiGrike elithi paraʹdei·sos xa wayebhekisela kwiParadisi yasemhlabeni yexesha elizayo. “Wathi kuye [umenzi-bubi owayexhonywe ecaleni likaYesu nowabonakalisa ukholo kulawulo lukaYesu oluzayo]: ‘Inene ndithi kuwe namhlanje, Uya kuba nam eParadisi.’—Luka 23:43, NW.

Sinokuqiniseka njani ngoko kwakuthethwa nguYesu ngeParadisi kumazwi akhe awayewabhekisa kumenzi wobubi, kuLuka 23:43?

Ngaba le yayiyindawo yokwexeshana ‘yemiphefumlo yabafi abalungileyo,’ inxalenye yeHadesi?

Ivela phi loo mbono? IThe New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology ithi: “Ngokungenelela kwemfundiso yamaGrike yokungafi komphefumlo iparadisi iba yindawo ehlala amalungisa ebudeni bexesha lokulamlelwa.” (Grand Rapids, Mich.; 1976, eyahlelwa nguColin Brown, Umqu. 2, iphe. 761) Ngaba loo mbono ingeyoyazibhalo yayiqhelekile kumaYuda xa uYesu wayesemhlabeni? IDictionary of the Bible kaHastings ibonisa ukuba kuyathandabuzeka ukuba kwakunjalo.—(Edinburgh, 1905), Umqu. III, iphe. 669, 670.

Nokuba loo mbono yayiqhelekile phakathi kwamaYuda ngenkulungwane yokuqala, ngaba uYesu ngewayeyixhasile ngedinga lakhe kumenzi wobubi oguqukileyo? UYesu wabagxeka ngamandla abaFarisi nababhali abangamaYuda ngokufundisa izithethe ezazingqubana neLizwi likaThixo.—Mat. 15:3-9; bona kwanomxholo oyintloko othi “Umphefumlo.”

UYesu waya eHadesi xa wafayo, njengoko kuboniswe kwiZenzo 2:30, 31, (AP). (Umpostile uPetros, xa ebhekisela kwiNdumiso 16:10, ucatshulwa njengosebenzisa igama elithi Hadesi njengelinentsingiselo enye nelithi Sheol.) Kodwa kwiBhayibhile akukho ndawo apho ithi iSheol/iHadesi okanye nayiphi na inxalenye yayo yiparadisi ezisa uyolo emntwini. Kunoko, INtshumayeli 9:5, 10 ithi abo balapho “abazi lutho.”

Ngaba iParadisi kaLuka 23:43 yayilizulu okanye iyinxalenye ethile yasezulwini?

IBhayibhile ayivumelani nembono yokuba uYesu nomenzi wobubi baya ezulwini ngosuku uYesu awathetha ngalo kuye. UYesu wayexele kwangaphambili ukuba, emva kokubulawa kwakhe, wayengayi kuvuswa de kube lusuku lwesithathu. (Luka 9:22) Ebudeni belo thuba leentsuku ezintathu wayengekho ezulwini, kuba emva kokuvuka kwakhe waxelela uMariya waseMagadala oku: “Andikanyuki ndiye kuBawo.” (Yoh. 20:17) Kwakuziintsuku ezingama-40 emva kokuvuka kukaYesu abathi abafundi bakhe bambona enyuka esuka emhlabeni waza waphel’ emehlweni njengoko wayeqalisa ukunyukela kwakhe ezulwini.—Ize. 1:3, 6-11.

Umenzi wobubi akazange ahlangabezane neemfuneko zokuya ezulwini kwanakwixesha elithile lamva. ‘Wayengazalwanga ngokutsha’—ekubeni wayengabhaptizwanga emanzini yaye engazalwanga nangomoya kaThixo. Umoya oyingcwele wathululelwa phezu kwabafundi bakaYesu emva kweentsuku ezingaphezu kwama-50 efile umenzi wobubi. (Yoh. 3:3, 5; Ize. 2:1-4) Ngosuku lokufa kwakhe, uYesu ‘kwabo babesoloko behleli naye ekulingweni kwakhe’ wayenze umnqophiso woBukumkani basezulwini. Umenzi wobubi wayengenayo ingxelo yokuthembeka okulolo hlobo yaye akazange aqukwe.—Luka 22:28-30.

Yintoni ebonisa ukuba le Paradisi yeyasemhlabeni?

IZibhalo zesiHebhere azizange zibangele amaYuda athembekileyo alindele umvuzo wobomi basezulwini. Ezo Zibhalo zabonisa ngokubuyiswa kweParadisi apha emhlabeni. UDaniyeli 7:13, 14 wayexele kwangaphambili ukuba xa “igunya, nobuhandiba, nobukumkani” zaziya kunikelwa kuMesiya, ‘iintlanga, nezizwe, neelwimi, zaziya kumbusa.’ Aba balawulwa boBukumkani babeya kuba lapha emhlabeni. Ngoko wakuthethayo kuYesu, ngokucacileyo umenzi wobubi wayevakalisa ithemba lokuba uYesu wayeya kumkhumbula lakufika elo xesha.

Ngoko, uYesu wayeya kuba kunye nomenzi wobubi njani? Ngokumvusa kwelabafileyo, ngokulungiselela iintswelo zakhe zokwenyama, nokumnika ithuba lokufunda nokuzivisisanisa neemfuneko zikaYehova zobomi obungunaphakade. (Yoh. 5:28, 29) UYesu wasibona isimo sengqondo sokuguquka nesentlonelo yomenzi wobubi njengesizinzi sokumquka phakathi kwamawaka ezigidi aya kuvuselwa kubomi basemhlabeni aze anikwe nethuba lokungqina ukufaneleka kwawo ukuze aphile ngonaphakade eParadisi.

Umenzi wobubi uya kubakho nini eParadisi?

Ukuqonda kukabani uLuka 23:43, (NW) kuphenjelelwa kukufakelwa kweziphumlisi ngumguquleli. Zazingekho ezi ziphumlisi kwimibhalo-ngqangi yangaphambili yeBhayibhile yesiGrike. IThe Encyclopedia Americana (1956, Umqu. XXIII, iphe, 16) ithi: “Akukho mzamo wakufakela ziphumlisi ubonakalayo kwimibhalo-ngqangi yangaphambili nakwiincwadi zesiGrike.” Iziphumlisi ezinjalo zaqalisa ukusetyenziswa ngenkulungwane yesi-9 C.E. Ngaba uLuka 23:43 umele afundwe ngolu hlobo, “Inene, ndithi kuwe, Namhlanje uya kuba nam eParadisi” (BX, RS), okanye ngaba umele afundwe ngolu hlobo, ‘Inene ndithi kuwe namhlanje, Uya kuba nam eParadisi’? Iimfundiso zikaKristu nezeBhayibhile iphela zimele zibe sisizinzi sokwenziwa kwesigqibo, kungekhona umsila owahlonyelwa esibhalweni kwiinkulungwane emva kokuthetha kukaYesu loo mazwi.

IThe Emphasised Bible eyaguqulelwa nguJ. B. Rotherham iyavumelana nesiphumlisi esifakwe kwiNew World Translation. Kumbhalo osemazantsi okuLuka 23:43, umguquleli weBhayibhile yesiJamani uL. Reinhardt uthi: “Isiphumlisi esisetyenziswa ngoku [ngabaguquleli abaninzi] kule ndinyana ngokungathandabuzekiyo siphosakele ibe siyaphikisana nayo yonke indlela yokucinga kukaKristu nomenzi wobubi. . . . [UKristu] ngokuqinisekileyo akazange ayiqonde iparadisi ilicandelo elingasezantsi lommandla welabafileyo, kodwa kunoko wayiqonda ikukubuyiselwa kweparadisi emhlabeni.”

UYesu wayeya ‘kungena nini ebukumkanini bakhe’ aze azalisekise injongo kayise yokwenza umhlaba ube yiparadisi? Incwadi yeSityhilelo, eyabhalwa malunga neminyaka engama-63 emva kokuba kwabhalwa amazwi akuLuka 23:42, 43, ibonisa ukuba ezi ziganeko zaziseza kwenzeka kwixesha elizayo. (Bona iphepha 133, 135, phantsi kothi “ImiHla Yeziganeko,” kwanomxholo omkhulu othi “ImiHla Yokugqibela.”)