AmaVangeli E-Apocrypha—Ingabe Anamaqiniso Afihliwe NgoJesu?

“KUYAMANGALISA lokhu. Abantu abaningi bazodumala.” “Lokhu kushintsha umlando wobuKristu bokuqala.” La mazwi angenhla áshiwo izazi ezithile ezajabula lapho kunyatheliswa incwadi ethi “IVangeli likaJuda,” okuwumbhalo okucatshangwa ukuthi walahleka emakhulwini eminyaka angaphezu kwangu-16 (uboniswe ngenhla).

Abantu banesithakazelo kula mavangeli e-Apocrypha (amavangeli angekho ohlwini lwezincwadi zeBhayibheli). Abanye bathi le mibhalo yembula izenzakalo nezimfundiso ezibalulekile zangesikhathi sikaJesu osekuyisikhathi eside zifihliwe. Kodwa ayini amavangeli e-Apocrypha? Ingabe ngempela angasifundisa iqiniso ngoJesu nangobuKristu ebesingeke silithole eBhayibhelini?

AmaVangeli EBhayibheli Nawe-Apocrypha

Phakathi kuka-41 no-98 C.E., uMathewu, uMarku, uLuka noJohane babhala phansi ‘umlando kaJesu Kristu.’ (Mathewu 1:1) Ngezinye izikhathi lokhu kulandisa kubizwa ngokuthi amavangeli, okusho ukuthi “izindaba ezinhle” ngoJesu Kristu.—Marku 1:1.

Nakuba kungase kube namasiko adluliselwa ngomlomo kanye neminye imibhalo ekhuluma ngoJesu, la maVangeli amane yiwona kuphela aphefumulelwe uNkulunkulu futhi okufanele abe ingxenye yemiBhalo Engcwele—‘asiqinisekisa ngokugcwele’ ngokuphila kukaJesu emhlabeni nezimfundiso zakhe. (Luka 1:1-4; IzEnzo 1:1, 2; 2 Thimothewu 3:16, 17) La maVangeli amane kukhulunywa ngawo kuzo zonke izinhlu zemiBhalo YamaKristu YesiGreki. Asikho isizathu sokungabaza ubuqiniso bawo—ukuba kwawo ingxenye yeZwi likaNkulunkulu eliphefumulelwe.

Nokho, ngokuhamba kwesikhathi, kwaqala ukuvela ezinye izincwadi nazo okwathiwa amavangeli. La mavangeli abizwa ngokuthi amavangeli e-Apocrypha.a

Ngasekupheleni kwekhulu lesibili, u-Irenaeus waseLyon wabhala ukuthi labo ababehlubuke ebuKristwini “baba nemibhalo eminingi engamanga” kuhlanganise namavangeli “abazenzela wona ukuze bakhohlise iziphukuphuku.” Ngenxa yalokho, kwabhekwa njengokuyingozi ukufunda noma ukuba namavangeli e-Apocrypha.

Nokho, izindela nabakopishi baqhubeka bekopisha futhi bewagcina la mavangeli. Ngekhulu le-19, abantu baba nesithakazelo esikhulu kule ndaba futhi kwavela imibhalo eminingi kanye naleyo eyayilungiswe izazi yala mavangeli kanye namanye. Namuhla asakazwa ngezilimi eziningi ezinkulu zesimanje.

Amavangeli E-Apocrypha: Ukulandisa Okuyihaba NgoJesu

Amavangeli e-Apocrypha avame ukugxila kubantu okukhulunywa ngabo kancane noma okungakhulunywa nhlobo ngabo emaVangelini eBhayibheli. Kokunye, akhuluma ngezinto okuthiwa zenzeka lapho uJesu esewusana. Nazi ezinye izibonelo.

◼ IVangeli okuthiwa labhalwa uJakobe, elibuye libizwe ngokuthi “Ukuzalwa kukaMariya,” lichaza ukuzalwa kukaMariya nesikhathi sakhe sobuntwana nangomshado wakhe noJosefa. Lo mlando uye wabizwa ngokuthi inganekwane yenkolo kube kufanele. Ukhuthaza umqondo wokuthi uMariya wahlala eyintombi, kuyacaca ukuthi ubhalwe ngenjongo yokumdumisa.—Mathewu 1:24, 25; 13:55, 56.

◼ Ivangeli elithi “Infancy Gospel of Thomas” ligxile ekuphileni kukaJesu ewumntwana—ngesikhathi eneminyaka engu-5 kuya kwengu-12—futhi limtusa ngokwenza izimangaliso eziyihaba. (Bheka uJohane 2:11.) UJesu uchazwa njengengane egangile, enolaka, eziphindiselayo, esebenzisa amandla ayo ezimangaliso ukuze iziphindisele kothisha, omakhelwane nakwezinye izingane, ezinye zazo eyazishaya ngobumpumputhe, yazikhubaza noma yaze yazibulala.

◼ Amanye amavangeli e-Apocrypha, ‘njengeVangeli likaPetru,’ agxile ezenzakalweni ezihlobene necala, ukufa nokuvuswa kukaJesu. Amanye ‘njengezEnzo zikaPilatu,’ ingxenye ‘yeVangeli likaNikodemu,’ agxile kubantu abahilelekile kulezo zenzakalo. Njengoba lezi zenzakalo zingelona iqiniso nabantu elikhuluma ngabo bengakaze babe khona, alithembekile. “IVangeli likaPetru” libeka uPontiyu Pilatu njengomuntu ongenacala futhi lithi uvuko lukaJesu inganekwane.

AmaVangeli E-Apocrypha Nokuhlubuka EbuKristwini

Ngo-December 1945, eduze kwaseNag Hammadi, Enhla neGibhithe, abantu abangafundile bazithela phezu kwemiqulu engu-13 yemibhalo yesandla ye-papyrus equkethe imibhalo engu-52. Le mibhalo yangekhulu lesine ihlotshaniswa nomzabalazo wenkolo nefilosofi ebizwa ngokuthi ubuGnosticism. Lo mzabalazo wawuxuba izici zemfihlakalo, zobuqaba, zefilosofi yamaGreki, zobuJuda nobuKristu futhi waba ithonya elibi kwabanye ababethi bangamaKristu.—1 Thimothewu 6:20, 21.

“IVangeli likaThomase,” “iVangeli likaFilipi” ‘neVangeli leQiniso,’ ayingxenye yeqoqo elibizwa ngokuthi ‘iNag Hammadi Library,’ futhi anikeza imibono yobuGnosticism njengokungathi ivela kuJesu. “IVangeli likaJuda” elisanda kutholakala nalo libalwa phakathi kwamavangeli obuGnosticism. Libeka uJuda njengomuntu olungile njengokuphela komphostoli owayeqonda ukuthi ungubani ngempela uJesu. Esinye isazi saleli vangeli sithi leli vangeli lichaza uJesu “njengomfundisi nomembuli wokuhlakanipha nolwazi, hhayi njengomsindisi ofela izono zomhlaba.” AmaVangeli aphefumulelwe afundisa ukuthi uJesu wafa ngempela njengomhlatshelo wezwe. (Mathewu 20:28; 26:28; 1 Johane 2:1, 2) Kuyacaca ukuthi amavangeli obuGnosticism ahloselwe ukwehlisa isithunzi nokholo eBhayibhelini.—IzEnzo 20:30.

Amandla AmaVangeli EBhayibheli

Ukuhlolisisa amavangeli e-Apocrypha kusibonise ubunjalo bawo. Uma eqhathaniswa namaVangeli eBhayibheli, kubonakala ngokucacile ukuthi awaphefumulelwe uNkulunkulu. (2 Thimothewu 1:13) Njengoba ebhalwe abantu abangamazi uJesu nabaphostoli bakhe, awembuli amaqiniso afihlekile ngoJesu nangobuKristu. Kunalokho, aqukethe ukulandisa okunganembile, okuqanjiwe, okungasisizi ukuba sazi uJesu nezimfundiso zakhe.—1 Thimothewu 4:1, 2.

Ngakolunye uhlangothi, uMathewu noJohane babeyingxenye yabaphostoli abangu-12; uMarku noLuka babengabangane abakhulu babaphostoli uPetru noPawulu. Baloba amaVangeli abo beqondiswa umoya kaNkulunkulu. (2 Thimothewu 3:14-17) Kungalesi sizathu amaVangeli amane equkethe konke umuntu akudingayo ukuze akholelwe ukuthi “uJesu unguKristu, iNdodana kaNkulunkulu.”—Johane 20:31.

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[Umthombo Wesithombe ekhasini 18]

Kenneth Garrett/National Geographic Stock