Iminyaka Engama-500 Yemfundiso KaCalvin, Ifeze Ntoni?

UJOHN Calvin wazalwa ngowe-1509 eNoyon, eFransi. Waseka icawa eyaba nempembelelo enkulu kubantu baseYurophu, eMerika, eMzantsi Afrika nakwezinye iindawo. Ugqalwa njengomnye wabona bahlaziyi baphambili becawa kwimbali yaseNtshona.

Ngoku sele kudlule iminyaka engama-500 wazalwayo uCalvin kodwa izinto awazifundisayo zisafundiswa ngokubanzi kumahlelo obuprotestanti anjengeeCawa zohlaziyo, iRhabe, iCongregational, amaPuritan nezinye. Kulo Septemba odluleyo iWorld Alliance of Reformed Churches ibinamarhamente azizigidi ezingama-75 kumazwe angama-107.

Ukuxabana Kwakhe NamaKatolika

Uyise kaCalvin wayeligqwetha aze aphinde abe ngunobhala wecawa yamaKatolika aseNoyon. Kusenokwenzeka ukuba umsebenzi wakhe wamenza wakubona kakuhle ukuziphatha okubi kwabefundisi belo xesha. Asinakuqiniseka ukuba loo nto yamenza wayikhalazela icawa waza akayihlonela, kodwa ke ethubeni uyise kaJohn nomntakwabo basikwa ecaweni. Kwaba nzima kakhulu kuJohn emva kokuba uyise efile kuba icawa yayingafuni ukumngcwaba. Mhlawumbi loo nto yamenza uJohn akawathemba nangakumbi amaKatolika.

Akukho nto ingako yaziwayo ngobutsha bukaCalvin ngaphandle nje kokuba wayesaziwa njengomntu ongesosithethi. Kubonakala ngathi wayenabahlobo abambalwa naxa wayefunda eParis, eOrléans naseBourges. Kodwa ke uCalvin wayenengqondo ebukhali nenkumbulo emangalisayo. Ezi ziphiwo kunye nokukhuthala kwakhe emsebenzini okwakumenza akwazi ukusebenza ukususela ngentsimbi yesihlanu ekuseni kude kube sezinzulwini zobusuku, zamenza waba ngugqirha wezomthetho ngaphambi kokuba abe neminyaka engama-23 ubudala. Kwakhona wafunda isiHebhere, isiGrike nesiLatini ukuze akwazi ukufunda iBhayibhile. Kodwa ke eyona nto wayedume ngayo uCalvin kukuzibhokoxa emsebenzini nto leyo esanxulunyaniswa naye nanamhla oku.

Kwangaxeshanye, eJamani uMartin Luther wayegxeka iCawa yamaKatolika ngobuqhetseba nangokufundisa izinto ezingekhoyo eBhayibhileni. Kucingelwa ukuba ngowe-1517 waxhoma izikhalazo zakhe ezingama-95 kumnyango wecawa yaseWittenberg ekhuthaza uhlaziyo. Abantu abaninzi bamxhasa uLuther yaye kungekudala uHlaziyo lwanwenwa kuyo yonke iYurophu. Olo hlaziyo lwachaswa kwiindawo ezininzi yaye amaProtestanti atshutshiswa. Ngowe-1533 umhlobo kaCalvin uNicholas Cop wanikela intetho eyayixhasa uLuther eParis, yaye ekubeni yayinguCalvin owayebhale loo ntetho kwanyanzeleka ukuba bobabini basabe. UCalvin akazange aphinde awubeke umcondo wakhe eFransi.

Ngowe-1536 uCalvin wapapasha incwadi ehlonelwayo eyayichaza iinkolelo zamaProtestanti nebizwa ngokuba yi-Institutes of the Christian Religion. Le ncwadi wayithumela kuKumkani uFrancis I ethethelela amaProtestanti aseFransi kamva awabizwa ngokuba ziiHuguenots. Lo kaCalvin wazigxeka iimfundiso zamaKatolika waza wabambelela ngokuqinileyo kwimfundiso yolongamo lukaThixo, ezazisekelwe kuyo iimfundiso zakhe. Ukongezelela kwigalelo eyaba nalo kwizinto zonqulo, i-Institutes kaCalvin yaba nempembelelo kwisiFrentshi nakwindlela esibhalwa ngayo. UCalvin wayegqalwa njengomnye wabaHlaziyi bokuqala. Ekugqibeleni wazinza eGeneva eSwitzerland yaye ukususela ngowe-1541 ukusa phambili waqalisa uhlaziyo kweso sixeko.

Ukukhuthaza Uhlaziyo EGeneva

UCalvin wayishukumisa iGeneva. IEncyclopedia of Religion ithi le ndoda eyayinemilinganiselo ephakamileyo yokuziphatha yayitshintsha iGeneva “ekubeni sisixeko esidume ngokuziphatha okubi yaza yaba sisixeko esinabantu abanemilinganiselo ephakamileyo yokuziphatha.” Zikho nezinye izinto ezatshintshayo. UGqr Sabine Witt weBerlin’s German Historical Museum uthi: “Abahlali baseGeneva banda ngenxa yokuthontelana kweembacu ezazisaba kwiimfazwe zonqulo zaseFransi.” IiHuguenots ezazikhuthele njengoCalvin zaluphucula uqoqosho lwesixeko yaza loo nto yenza ukuba iGeneva ibe sisazulu sokushicilela nesokwenza iiwotshi zaloo maxesha.

EGeneva kwafika neembacu ezazivela nakwamanye amazwe njengaseNgilani apho amaProtestanti ayetshutshiswa nguKumkanikazi uMary I. Abaxhasi bakaCalvin ababebunjwa ngamaqela amancinane awayeselubhacweni baqalisa unqulo olubizwa ngokuba “yimfundiso yabo batshutshiswayo” liphephancwadi iChrist in der Gegenwart. Ngowe-1560 ezi mbacu zapapasha iBhayibhile yokuqala yesiNgesi eyahlulwahlulwe ngokweevesi nezayibiza ngokuba yiGeneva Bible. Le Bhayibhile eyayincinane yabenza abantu bakukhuthalela ukufunda iLizwi likaThixo. Kusenokwenzeka ukuba yile Bhayibhile le emka nayo amaPuritani xa ayefudukela kuMntla Merika ngowe-1620.

Kodwa ke yayingezizo zonke iimbacu ezazikhuselekile eGeneva. UMichael Servetus owazalelwa eSpeyin ngowe-1511 wafunda isiGrike, isiLatini, isiHebhere kunye nezamayeza yaye kusenokwenzeka ukuba wadibana noCalvin xa babefunda eParis. Ukufunda kukaServetus iBhayibhile kwamenza waqonda ukuba imfundiso yokuba uThixo uneziqu ezithathu ayikho eZibhalweni. Wazama ukuthetha noCalvin ngalo mba kodwa ke yena uCalvin wayengamginyi ncam. UServetus owayetshutshiswa ngamaKatolika aseFransi wabalekela kwidolophu kaCalvin iGeneva. Nalapho akazange amkeleke kodwa wabanjwa, wabekwa ityala lokuwexuka waza watshiselwa esibondeni ngowe-1553. Umbhali mbali uFriedrich Oehninger uthi: “Ukubulawa ngokungenalusini kukaServetus kuyaqhubeka kusisihla kwigama nakumsebenzi omhle womHlaziyi odumileyo uCalvin.”

UCalvin wasebenza nzima efuna ukusasaza uhlaziyo. Kuthiwa wabhala iincwadi ezili-100 neeleta ezili-1000 waza wenza neentshumayelo ezingama-4000 eGeneva. UCalvin akazange ashumayele nje kuphela ngendlela awayecinga ukuba ubuKristu bufanele bube yiyo kodwa wazama ukuyinyanzelisa loo ndlela kumaKristu ngokukodwa eGeneva, awayesithi yayisisixeko sikaThixo.a

Wafeza ntoni uCalvin ngokuzibhokoxa kwakhe eGeneva? ISwiss Federal Statistics Office ithi ngonyaka wama-2000 abantu behlelo lohlaziyo lukaCalvin babeli-16 ekhulwini eGeneva yaye ayemaninzi amaKatolika kunabo kweso sixeko.

Iicawa Ezizintlaba Zahlukane Ziyanda

UHlaziyo lwabangela ukuba izixeko kwakunye namaphondo amaninzi akhethe phakathi kwamaKatolika, amaLuthere nobuCalvin nto leyo eyenza iYurophu yaziintlaba zahlukane ngokonqulo. Abahlaziyi babengovani nangona bonke babedibene ngokugxeka iCawa yamaKatolika. UGqr. Witt ocatshulwe ngasentla uthi: “AmaProtestanti axabana odwa ngenxa yeemfundiso zawo.” Nangona onke ayevumelana ukuba iimfundiso zobuKristu zifanele zisekelwe eBhayibhileni, ayefundisa izinto ezingafaniyo. Into yokuqala eyawaxabanisayo yayikoko kuthethwa Sisidlo Senkosi kunye nobukho bukaKristu. Ekuhambeni kwexesha ihlelo likaCalvin laqalisa ukufundisa enye yezona mfundiso zalo zingaqondakaliyo: ukumiselwa kwangaphambili kwekamva.

Kwaphikiswana kakhulu ngale mfundiso. Elinye ihlelo likaCalvin lalisithi ngaphambi kokuba abantu bone, uThixo wayefuna ukuba iqaqobana elikhethiweyo lisindiswe ngoKristu ngoxa abanye babeza kuzibonela. Eli hlelo lalikholelwa ekubeni ukusindiswa kuxhomekeke kuThixo nokuthi abantu abalingani. Kanti elinye ihlelo lona lalifundisa ukuba bonke abantu bamele basindiswe kodwa kuxhomekeke kukhetho lomntu ngamnye. Loo nto yayithetha ukuba umntu uyazikhethela ukusindiswa. Kwade kwadlula iminyaka emva kokufa kukaCalvin abalandeli bakhe bengayiqondi kakuhle eyona nyaniso ngokuphathelele ummiselo kaThixo, inkululeko yabantu yokuzikhethela kunye nokulingana kwabo.

Ichaphaza Kwigama Awazenzela Lona UCalvin

Ngenkulungwane yama-20 ihlelo leCawa yamaDatshi eHlaziyiweyo elikholelwa kuCalvin laxhasa ucalucalulo eMzantsi Afrika kuba lisithi ikamva labantu limiselwa kwangaphambili. Egxeka umgaqo-nkqubo karhulumente owawusithi abantu abamhlophe bongamile kunabantsundu, uNelson Mandela owaba ngumongameli woMzantsi Afrika wokuqala omnyama wathi: “Lo mgaqo wawuxhaswa yiCawa yamaDatshi eHlaziyiweyo eyayifundisa ukuba amaBhulu ngabantu abakhethwe nguThixo baze bona abantu abantsundu babe zizicaka. KumaBhulu ucalucalulo necawa zazingumtya nethunga.”

Ngeminyaka yee-1990 iCawa yamaDatshi yacela uxolo esidlangalaleni ngokuxhasa kwayo ucalucalulo. Kuxwebhu olubizwa ngokuba yiRustenburg Declaration abefundisi bathi: “Abanye bethu bagqwetha iBhayibhile kuba befuna ukuthethelela ucalucalulo nto leyo eyenza abaninzi bacinga ukuba lwaluxhaswa nguThixo.” Ukuxhasa kwecawa ucalucalulo akuzange kuphelele nje ekubeni negalelo ekubandezelekeni kwabantu kodwa kwenza ukuba noThixo abekwe ityala.

UJohn Calvin wafela eGeneva ngowe-1564. Kuthiwa ekupheleni kobomi bakhe wabulela amadoda awayesebenza nawo “ngokumjizeka amawonga nangona ayengamfanelanga” waza wacela ukuxolelwa ngobuthathaka bokungabi namonde nokuba nephuku. Nangona wayenobuthathaka obuthile, kuyacaca kona ukuba ukukhuthala kwamaProtestanti, ukuzeyisa kwawo nokuzimisela emsebenzini kufana nqwa nobuntu nemilinganiselo kaJohn Calvin.

[Umbhalo osemazantsi]

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UHlaziyo lwabangela ukuba izixeko kwakunye namaphondo amaninzi akhethe phakathi kwamaKatolika, amaLuthere nobuCalvin nto leyo eyenza iYurophu yaziintlaba zahlukane ngokonqulo

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(Ukuba ufuna inkcazelo ehlahlelwe kakuhle, yiya kwimpapasho)

SPAIN

FRANCE

PARIS

Noyon

Orléans

Bourges

SWITZERLAND

GENEVA

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I-Institutes of the Christian Religion kaCalvin yahlahla indlela yobuProtestanti

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© INTERFOTO/Alamy

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Ukubulawa kukaServetus kwalingcolisa igama likaCalvin

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© Mary Evans Picture Library

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“IGeneva Bible” (1560) yiBhayibhile yesiNgesi yokuqala ukwahlulwa ngokweevesi

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Courtesy American Bible Society

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French town: © Mary Evans Picture Library