UOlivétan—“Umguquleli Othobekileyo” WeBhayibhile YesiFrentshi

KwakungoSeptemba 13, 1540. Amapolisa ayegqogqa ikhaya likaCollin Pellenc. Kwigumbi elifihlakeleyo, afumana amaxwebhu awayerhaneleka, phakathi kwawo kwakukho incwadi enkulu. Kwiphepha lesibini kwakubhalwe la magama: “P. Robert Olivetanus, umguquleli othobekileyo.” YayiyiBhayibhile yesiWalden! UCollin Pellenc wabanjwa, wagwetyelwa uwexuko waza watshiswa ephila.

EFRANSI ngelo xesha, njengakwamanye amazwe aseYurophu, iCawa yamaKatolika yayikwiphulo lokutshayela abaHlaziyi nokuphelisa iimfundiso zabo “eziyingozi.” Omnye wabaHlaziyi owayethetha phandle, uGuillaume Farel, wayefuna abantu abathetha isiFrentshi bamkele iimfundiso zikaMartin Luther, owayeyinkokeli yabaHlaziyi abangamaProtestanti. UFarel, owayesuka eDauphiné, iPhondo lasemzantsi ntshona eFransi, wayesazi ukuba abantu bayamkela lula into ebhaliweyo. Ukuze aphumelele kweli phulo lakhe, kwakufuneka abe namaphecana kunye neBhayibhile. Kodwa yayiza kuvela phi imali yokuxhasa eli phulo? Wasebenzisa amaWaldo, iqela lonqulo elalizimisele ukushumayela iBhayibhile.

Ingqungquthela YeCawa EChanforan

NgoSeptemba 1532, abefundisi bamaWaldo baba nengqungquthela eChanforan, kufutshane naseTurin eItali. Kangangeqela leminyaka kwakukho ukwabelana ngezimvo phakathi kwamaWaldo neenkokeli zoHlaziyo. UFarel nabanye abantu bamenywa nabo kule ngqungquthela. AmaWaldo ayefuna ukwazi enoba iimfundiso zawo zazivisisana kusini na nezo zazishunyayelwa nguLuther nabafundi bakhe.a

Kule ngqungquthela yayiseChanforan, uFarel wathetha kwema ngaye. Xa abefundisi bamaWaldo bambonisa iBhayibhile yabo ebhalwe ngesandla, wababongoza ukuba baxhase ukushicilelwa kweBhayibhile yesiFrentshi ngemali. Ngokwahlukileyo kwinguqulelo yowe-1523 kaLefèvre d’Étaples, eyayiguqulelwe ngokusuka kwiLatin, le yona yayiza kuguqulelwa ngokusuka kwisiHebhere nesiGrike. Kodwa yayingubani owayeza kwenza lo msebenzi mkhulu kangaka?

UFarel wayeyazi indoda eyayinokuwenza lo msebenzi. Igama layo yayinguPierre Robert, kodwa yayibizwa ngokuba nguOlivétan,b ityendyana elalingutitshala kwingingqi yePicardy ekumantla eFransi. UOlivétan, owayengumza kaJohn Calvin, wayengomnye wabaHlaziyi bokuqala nendoda ethembekileyo. Waphinda wachitha iminyaka eStrasbourg efunda iilwimi ebhalwe ngazo iBhayibhile.

NjengoFarel nabanye, uOlivétan wayehlala elubhacweni eSwitzerland. Abahlobo bakhe bamcenga ukuba aguqulele. Emva kokulandula izihlandlo ezininzi, wada wavuma ekugqibeleni ukuguqulela iBhayibhile “kwisiFrentshi ngokusuka kwisiHebhere nakwisiGrike.” Kwangaxeshanye anikela ngeengqekembe zegolide ezingama-500 kwezingama-800 ezazifuneka ukuze kushicilelwe le Bhayibhile.

Unomyayi Nomlonji

Ekuqaleni kowe-1534, uOlivétan waya kuhlala kwiintaba zeAlps waza waqalisa ukusebenza kweloo thala lakhe leencwadi. Abaphengululi namhlanje bebeya kulinqwenela elo thala lakhe. Ithala lakhe laliquka iinguqulelo zeBhayibhile zesiSiriya, isiGrike neLatin, amagqabaza oorabhi, iincwadi zamaKhaledi zomgaqo-ntetho nezinye iincwadi. Okona kubalulekileyo kukuba wayenenguqulelo yelo xesha yeBhayibhile yantlandlolo yesiHebhere.

UOlivétan wasekela inguqulelo yakhe kwiTestamente Entsha kwinguqulelo yesiFrentshi kaLefèvre d’Étaples, nangona maxa wambi wayekhe asebenzise nenguqulelo yesiGrike kaErasmus, umphengululi ongumDatshi. UOlivétan wayesebenzisa isigama esingazi kumnxulumanisa nobuKatolika. Ngokomzekelo, wasebenzisa “umveleli” kunegama elithi “ubhishopu” nelithi “ibandla” kunelithi “icawa.”

KwiTestamente Endala, uOlivétan wayezimisele ukuguqulela gama ngalinye ngokusuka kwisiHebhere. Waqhula wathi ukuguqulela isiHebhere kwisiFrentshi “kwakufana nokufundisa umlonji ukuba acule njengonomyayi”!

Kwizibhalo zesiHebhere, uOlivétan wadibana negama likaThixo elibhalwe ngeTetragrammaton izihlandlo ezingamawaka waka. Wayedla ngokuliguqulela ngokuthi “Unaphakade,” kamva eli binzana laye laxhaphaka kwiiBhayibhile zesiFrentshi zamaProtestanti. Noko ke, kwiivesi eziliqela wasebenzisa “UYehova,” ngokukodwa kwiEksodus 6:3.

Okumangalisayo kukuba, ngoFebruwari 12, 1535, emva kwesithuba esingangonyaka nangaphezulu, lo mguquleli wawugqiba umsebenzi wakhe! Ekubeni wavuma ukuba “lo msebenzi [wokuguqulela] ebesoloko ewenza yedwa,” kubonakala ukuba ngonyaka we-1534/1535 wayewugqibezela lo msebenzi unzima. Ngokuthobeka lo mguquleli wathi: “Ndenze unako nako.” Ngoku ekuphela kwento eyayifuneka yayikukushicilelwa kweBhayibhile yesiFrentshi yokuqala eguqulelwe ngokusuka kwiilwimi zantlandlolo.

Kumzi Wokushicilela KaPirot

UPierre de Wingle, owayesaziwa ngokuba nguPirot Picard, owayengumhlobo kaFarel nowayengumshicileli ngexesha loHlaziyo wafak’ isandla. Emva kokuba egxothiwe eLyon yiCawa yamaKatolika, wazinza eNeuchâtel, eSwitzerland, ngowe-1533. Esebenzisa imali yamaWaldo, waqalisa ukushicilela amaphecana amaninzi awayekhuthaza uHlaziyo. Ngokomzekelo yayingumzi wakhe wokushicilela owashicilela amaphecana awayegxeka iDini leMisa, amanye awo ada aya kufika nakuKumkani uFrancis I waseFransi owayengumKatolika.

Ude Wingle waphinda washicilela iBhayibhile! Ukuze akhawulezise umsebenzi, abasebenzi abane okanye abahlanu babesebenzisa amatye amabini okushicilela. Ekugqibeleni, “ngomhla we-4 kaJuni ngowe-1535,” ude Wingle watyobela igama lakhe njengomshicileli weBhayibhile kaOlivétan. Kwintshayelelo yakhe, lo mguquleli weBhayibhile wanikela ngayo kumahlwempu “awayekhotyokiswa zizithethe ezililize.”

Le Bhayibhile yaba nomphumo ababewulindele. Le nguqulelo yeBhayibhile yesiFrentshi eyayicacile neyayifundeka lula, iphepha ngalinye lalahlulwe embindini, lanezahluko neziqendu. Amagqabaza aseludinini ayebonisa ukuba umguquleli wayengumphengululi ophum’ izandla. Amagqabaza entshayelelo, izihlomelo, izicangca nemibongo zonke zayenza yathandeka le nguqulelo. Ekupheleni kwalo mqulu, kukho umbongo othi “amaWaldo ashumayela iVangeli ebangela ukuba obu buncwane bufunyanwe ngumntu wonke.”

Umsebenzi Oncomekayo . . . Neentsilelo Zawo

Inguqulelo kaOlivétan eyayikade igxekwa, namhlanje wonke umntu uyavuma ukuba isemagqabini. Ukongezelela koko, iinguqulelo zeBhayibhile zamaProstestanti zaguqulelwa ngokusuka kuyo kangangeenkulungwane ezintathu!

Nangona kwashicilelwa iiBhayibhile eziliwaka, azizange zithengwe kangako. Kwakungenxa yokuba ngelo xesha zazingekho iinkqubo zokusasaza iiBhayibhile, lwabe nolwimi lwesiFrentshi lwalusoloko lutshintsha. Ekubeni yayiziikhilogram ezintlanu ubunzima kwakungelulanga ukuyiphatha xa ushumayela okanye ukuyifunda kwindawo efihlakeleyo.

Nangona umbhalo wayo waya kufika kwikhaya likaCollin Pellenc eFransi, njengoko bekuchaziwe ekuqaleni kweli nqaku, iBhayibhile kaOlivétan ayizange ithengwe kangako. Ngowe-1670, emva kwenkulungwane enesiqingatha, enye ivenkile ethengisa iincwadi eGeneva yayisenawo lo mbhalo.

“Umntu Ongaziwayo”

Emva kokuba ewugqibile umsebenzi wakhe, uOlivétan waphinda wathi shwaka. Watshintsha igama lakhe, waze wahlaziya iTestamente Entsha neencwadi ezithile zeTestamente Endala. Kwakhona wazibhokoxa nasekufundiseni awayekuthanda egazini. Ekubeni wayengumhlohli onovelwano, wahlaziya incwadi yakhe ethi Instruction des enfans (Umyalelo Wabantwana), eyayenzelwe ukufundisa abantwana indlela yokuziphatha neyayenzelwe ukufundisa isiFrentshi ngokusuka eZibhalweni. Elinye lamagama azibiza ngawo nguBelisem de Belimakom, igama elithetha “Umntu Ongaziwayo.”

UOlivétan wafa ngowama-1538 eneminyaka engaphezu kwama-30 ubudala eRoma. Bambalwa namhlanje abantu abayaziyo indima ebalulekileyo yalo mphengululi wasePicardy ekuguquleleni iBhayibhile yesiFrentshi. Igama lakhe alifane livele kwizichazi magama. Ufanele ukuba wayeza kuyithanda loo nto lo ‘Mguquleli Othobekileyo,’ uLouys Robert, owaziwa ngokuba nguOlivétan!

[Imibhalo esemazantsi]

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Archives de la Ville de Neuchâtel, Suisse/Photo: Stefano Iori

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Left photo: Alain Leprince - La Piscine-musée, Roubaix/Courtesy of the former Bouchard Museum, Paris

Center and right: Société de l’Histoire du Protestantisme Français, Paris

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Société de l’Histoire du Protestantisme Français, Paris