IBook of Martyrs KaJean Crespin

NGOWE-1546 amadoda ali-14 aseMeaux, eFransi afunyaniswa enetyala lokuwexuka aza agwetywa ukuba atshiswe ephila. Ayenze ntoni? Ayedibana emakhayeni awo, athandaze, acule iindumiso, aqhube iSidlo seNkosi yaye ayesala ukunqula izithixo ezazize noopopu.

Ngosuku lokubulawa kwawo, umfundisi wamaRoma Katolika uFrançois Picard wawaphek’ ewophula ngemibuzo malunga neenkolelo zawo ngokuphathelele iSidlo seNkosi. Amphendula ngokumncina ngemfundiso yamaKatolika yokuba isonka newayini esetyenziswa kwiSidlo seNkosi zitshintsha ngokungummangaliso zibe yinyama negazi likaYesu. La madoda abuza esithi, ‘Ngaba incasa yesonka ifana neyenyama?’ ‘Okanye ngaba yona eyewayini ifana neyegazi?’

Nangona lo kaPicard engazange akwazi ukuphendula imibuzo yawo, la madoda ali-14 abotshelelwa ezibondeni aza atshiswa ephila. Lawo ayengaqhawulwanga ulwimi aqhubeka ecula iindumiso. Abefundisi ababeme kufutshane nawo bazama ukucula kakhulu kunawo ukuze angavakali. Ngosuku olulandelayo lo kaPicard wema kwindawo awayetshiselwe kuyo la madoda waza wathi agwetyelwe ukutshiswa esihogweni ngonaphakade.

Ngeminyaka yee-1500, iYurophu yayiyingozi kubantu ababephikisana neembono zecawa. Uninzi olwaluphikisana neemfundiso zecawa lwalutshutshiswa. Enye yeencwadi ezithetha ngoko kutshutshiswa yethi Le Livre des martyrs (Book of Martyrs), kaJean Crespin eyapapashwa eGeneva, eSwitzerland ngowe-1554. Ikwabizwa ngokuba yiHistoire des martyrs.a

Igqwetha Lincedisa KuHlaziyo

UCrespin owazalwa malunga nowe-1520, eArras ngoku ekumntla weFransi wafundela ubugqwetha eLouvain, eBelgium. Kusenokwenzeka ukuba waqala apho ukuva ngeemfundiso zabantu ababefuna ukuhlaziya icawa. Ngowe-1541, uCrespin waya eParis ukuze asebenze njengonobhala wegqwetha elaziwayo. Malunga nelo xesha wabona uClaude Le Painctre etshiswa ngenxa yokuba kwakusithiwa ngumwexuki, ePlace Maubert, eParis. Wayithanda indlela awayenokholo ngayo lo mfana wayesebenza ngegolide nowabulawa ngenxa yento uCrespin awayibiza ngokuba “kukuxelela abazali nabahlobo bakhe inyaniso.”

Malunga nelo xesha uCrespin waqalisa ukuba ligqwetha eArras. Noko ke, kungekudala watyholwa ngokuba ngumwexuki ngenxa yeenkolelo zakhe ezintsha. Ukuze angabulawa wabalekela eStrasbourg, eFransi yaye ekuhambeni kwexesha waya kuhlala eGeneva, eSwitzerland. Apho uCrespin wanxulumana nabaxhasi boHlaziyo. Wazibeka phantsi iintambo njengegqwetha waza waqalisa ukushicilela.

UCrespin wapapasha iincwadi zabaHlaziyi abanjengoJohn Calvin, uMartin Luther, uJohn Knox noTheodore Beza. Washicilela imibhalo yesiGrike, esele ibizwa ngokuba yiTestamente Entsha kwakunye neBhayibhile—epheleleyo okanye inxalenye yayo—ngesiFrentshi isiLatini isiNgesi, iSpanish, nesiTaliyane. Noko ke, uCrespin waduma ngencwadi yakhe ethi Book of Martyrs. Kule ncwadi wabhala amagama abantu ababulawa ngezityholo zokuwexuka phakathi kowe-1415 nowe-1554.

Injongo Yokubhala Ngabafeli-nkolo

Iincwadi ezininzi zabaHlaziyi zazigxeka inkohlakalo yabefundisi bamaKatolika. Zazikhuthaza abantu ngokuveza ukuba ubugorha babafeli-nkolo abangamaProtestanti babufana twatse nokutshutshiswa kwabakhonzi bakaThixo bangaphambili, kuquka amaKristu enkulungwane yokuqala. UCrespin waqulunqa uluhlu lwabantu ababulawa ngenxa yokholo lwabo ukuze anike amaProtestanti imizekelo anokuyixelisa.b

Incwadi kaCrespin iyingqokelela yamatyala, iingxoxo, izinto ezathethwa ngamangqina okuzibonela kwakunye nezinto ezabhalwa ngabamangalelwa ngoxa babesentolongweni. Kwakhona ineeleta ezazibhalelwe ukukhuthaza amabanjwa, yaye ezinye zazo zazinezicatshulwa eziliqela zeBhayibhile. UCrespin wayesithi ukholo lwababhali “lufanele lukhunjulwe ngonaphakade.”

Inxalenye enkulu yemibandela yokonqulo ekuthethwe ngayo kwincwadi kaCrespin iphathelele ukungavisisani kwamaKatolika namaProtestanti. Ngokomzekelo, abatshutshisi kunye nabo babetshutshiswa babephikisana ngokusetyenziswa kwezithixo, isihogo, ukuthandazela abafileyo, enoba idini lentlawulelo likaYesu laliphindwa kwiDini leMisa lamaKatolika nokuba upopu wayenguye ngokwenene na ummeli kaThixo.

Incwadi ethi Book of Martyrs ibubungqina beempikiswano nokunganyamezelani okwakukho ngaloo maxesha ezidubedube. Nangona uCrespin wathetha ngokutshutshiswa kwamaProtestanti ngamaKatolika, asifanele silibale ukuba ngezihlandlo ezithile namaProtestanti awatshutshisa ngolunya amaKatolika.

Kuyo yonke imbali, unqulo lobuxoki luye lwazingcolisa ‘ngegazi labaprofeti nelabo bangcwele nelabo bonke abaye babulawa ngogonyamelo emhlabeni.’ Kucace mhlophe ukuba igazi labo uThixo abagqala njengabafeli-nkolo bakhe abanyanisekileyo likhalela impindezelo. (ISityhilelo 6:9, 10; 18:24) Kusenokwenzeka ukuba abanye babantu abatshutshiswa baza babulawa ngenxa yokholo lwabo ngexesha likaJean Crespin, babeyifuna ngokunyanisekileyo inyaniso engokonqulo.

[Imibhalo esemazantsi]

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 12]

Umxholo wencwadi kaCrespin ethi “Book of Martyrs” (Uhlelo lowe-1564)

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 13]

Ukubulawa kwamaProtestanti phambi kukaKumkani uHenry II waseFransi nenkundla yakhe

[Inkcazelo Ngomfanekiso okwiphepha 13]

Images, both pages: © Société de l’Histoire du Protestantisme Français, Paris