Imbono YeBhayibhile
Ngaba Kufanelekile Ukusebenzisa Imifanekiso Yeengcwele Elunqulweni?
NGOAGASTI 15 nyaka ngamnye, kwisiqithi samaGrike iTínos kubakho umbhiyozo omkhulu wonqulo. Amawaka aye ahlanganisane ukuza kunqula umfanekiso ongcwele kaMariya unina kaYesu, ekukholelwa ukuba lo mfanekiso unamandla okwenza imimangaliso.a Ebhekisela koku amaGrike obuOthodoki athi: “Ngokholo olungazenzisiyo sibonisa imbeko koYena Ungcwele uTheotokos, uMama weNkosi yethu, yaye sicela asikhusele aze akhawuleze asihlangule aze asincede. Sicela uncedo lweentswelo zethu zokomoya nezokwenyama kwiiNgcwele ezikwaziyo ukwenza imimangaliso—amadoda namabhinqa Angcwele . . . Sinentlonelo enzulu, siyayincamisa imifanekiso yabo engcwele.”
Abanye abazibiza ngokuba bangamaKristu kwezinye iimvaba nabo banqula imifanekiso. Kodwa ngaba ukusetyenziswa kwemifanekiso yeengcwele kuyavisisana noko kufundiswa yiBhayibhile?
AmaKristu Okuqala
Xa umpostile uPawulos wayetyelele eAthene ngonyaka wama-50 C.E. waphawula ukuba kweso sixeko kwakunqulwa imifanekiso. UPawulos wabacacisela abantu baseAthene ukuba uThixo “akahlali zitempileni zenziwe ngezandla, enganyanyekelwa nazizandla zabantu ngokungathi ebeswele nantoni na . . . Ngoko ke, . . . sifanele singacingi ukuba Lowo Ungokobuthixo unjengegolide okanye isilivere okanye ilitye, njengento eqingqwe ngobugcisa nokuyila komntu.”—IZenzo 17:24, 29.
Enyanisweni, kwiZibhalo zamaKristu zesiGrike, ezikwabizwa ngokuba yiTestamente Entsha silunyukiswa ngokuphathelele ukusetyenziswa kwezithixo. Ngokomzekelo, umpostile uYohane ubongoza amaKristu esithi: “Zilindeni kuzo izithixo.” (1 Yohane 5:21) UPawulos wabhalela amaKristu aseKorinte esithi: “Inakuvisisana kuni na itempile kaThixo nezithixo?” (2 Korinte 6:16) Uninzi lwamaKristu okuqala ayesebenzisa imifanekiso xa enqula. UPawulos wakhumbuza amaKristu aseTesalonika ngako oku esithi: ‘Nazilahla izithixo naza naguqukela kuThixo, ukuze nibe ngamakhoboka oThixo ophilayo noyinyaniso.’ (1 Tesalonika 1:9) Licacile elokuba, loo maKristu okuqala ayenembono efanayo ngemifanekiso yeengcwele noYohane noPawulos.
“AmaKristu” Asebenzisa Imifanekiso Yeengcwele
IEncyclopædia Britannica ithi “ebudeni beenkulungwane ezintathu zokuqala zeCawa yamaKristu, . . .kwakungekho namnye umfanekiso onento yokwenza nobuKristu, necawa yayingafuni nokuyibona. Ngokomzekelo, uClement waseAlexandria, walugxeka unqulo (lobuhedeni) olukhuthaza abantu ukuba banqule izinto ezidaliweyo kunokuba banqule uMdali.”
Ngoko ke, kutheni ukusetyenziswa kwemifanekiso yeengcwele kuxhaphake kangaka? IEncyclopædia Britannica iqhubeka isithi: “Phakathi kwinkulungwane yesithathu kwangena imifanekiso ezotyiweyo kodwa ke ayizange ichaswe kangako kwezinye iityalike. Imifanekiso le yaqala ukusetyenziswa ezicaweni ebutsheni benkulungwane yesine, xa iCawa yamaKristu yayiphantsi koMlawuli wamaRoma uConstantine, yaye yaqala yamkeleka kwiicawa zobuKristu ngokubanzi.”
Iicawa ngokubanzi ngoku ezizibanga zingamaKristu zazinqula umfanekiso ozotyiweyo womlawuli. Kwincwadi yakhe ethi Icon Painting, uJohn Taylor uyacacisa: “Ngokuvumelana nonqulo lokumkani, abantu babenqula umfanekiso wakhe ozotywe kwilaphu leseyile nasemthini, yaye loo ndawo yayikufutshane naleyo kwakunqulelwa kuyo imifanekiso.” Ngaloo ndlela, ukunqulwa kwemifanekiso kwakuthatyathelw’ indawo kukuhlonelwa komfanekiso kaYesu, kaMariya, iingelosi, “noweengcwele.” Imifanekiso le yaqala ukusetyenziswa ezicaweni yaye ngokuthe ngcembe izigidi zabantu ziye zahombisa ngayo emakhayeni azo.
Ukunqula “Ngomoya Nenyaniso”
UYesu waxelela abo babemphulaphule ukuba, abakhonzi bakaThixo bamele bamnqule “ngomoya nenyaniso.” (Yohane 4:24) Ngoko ke, xa umntu ekufuna ngokunyanisekileyo ukwazi inyaniso ngokusetyenziswa kwemifanekiso yeengcwele elunqulweni, iLizwi likaThixo liya kumkhanyisela ngalo mbandela.
Ngokomzekelo, iBhayibhile iqulethe amazwi kaYesu athi: “Ndim indlela nenyaniso nobomi. Akukho bani uzayo kuBawo ngaphandle kokuza ngam.” (Yohane 14:6) UPawulos uthi “mnye uThixo, nomlamli phakathi koThixo nabantu, uKristu Yesu,” yaye ‘nguKristu osibongozelayo.’ (1 Timoti 2:5; Roma 8:34) Sifumana intsingiselo engakumbi yoku xa sifunda ukuba uKristu uyakwazi “kwanokubasindisa ngokupheleleyo abo basondela kuThixo ngaye, ngenxa yokuba usoloko ephila ukuze ababongozele.” (Hebhere 7:25) Xa sithandaza kuThixo sikwenza oko egameni likaYesu Kristu. Asinguye omnye umntu, yaye ngokuqinisekileyo asiyiyo nemifanekiso yeengcwele engaphiliyo, enokuthabathel’ indawo uYesu Kristu. Ulwazi olunjalo olufumaneka kwiLizwi likaThixo lunokumnceda ubani ofuna ukwazi indlela yokunqula “uBawo ngomoya nenyaniso” neyokufumana iingenelo zendlela ephakamileyo yokunqula. Kuba eneneni, njengokuba noYesu esitsho, “uBawo ufuna abanjalo ukumnqula.”—Yohane 4:23.
[Umbhalo osemazantsi]
a Ngokuqhelekileyo, umfanekiso othile wonqulo ungumqondiso wonqulo oluthile yaye uhlonelwa ngamalungu olo nqulo kuphela. Ngokomzekelo, kwiCawa yobuOthodoki yaseMpuma, eminye imifanekiso imela uKristu; uBathathu Emnye, “iingcwele,” izithunywa zezulu okanye, njengokuba kuboniswe ngasentla, uMariya unina kaYesu. Izigidi zabantu ziyayihlonela imifanekiso yeengcwele njengokuba kunjalo ngemifanekiso esetyenziswa elunqulweni. Ezinye iinkonzo ezingezozabuKristu zibambelele kwiinkolelo ezifanayo yaye zivakalelwa ngendlela efanayo ngeengcwele nangemifanekiso yoothixo bazo.
[Inkcazelo Ngomfanekiso okwiphepha 13]
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