Ukuphakama Nokuwa Kwezentengiselwano Zomhlaba

Ingxenye 1c—Imbangela Yezinkinga Zemali

UMKHONDO wezici ezithile ezingokwenkolo nezingokombangazwe zomphakathi wesintu ulandeleleka uze uyofika ezinsukwini zikaNimrode, lowo eminyakeni eyizinkulungwane eyedlule owathola iBabiloni. Lokhu kuyiqiniso futhi, nakuba mhlawumbe kungaziwa kakhulu, nangezici ezithile emkhakheni wezamabhizinisi nezentengiselwano.—Genesise 10:8-12.

UMdali weSintu, Lowo ngokufanelekile onquma ukuthi yiziphi izindinganiso zokuhle nokubi, kalula nje wayeyosungula isimiso esingokwezomnotho esikwaziyo ukulungiselela ngokulinganayo izidingo zomkhaya omkhulu wesintu asicabangela kusengaphambili. Kodwa lapho nje umbhangqwana wokuqala wenqaba isiqondiso saphezulu futhi uxoshwa ePharadesi, abantu basala dengwane. (Genesise 3:1-24) Bengabuswa isiqondiso saphezulu, kancane kancane abantu bazakhela eyabo inkolo nohlobo lwabo lukahulumeni. Futhi ngokushesha lapho kuba sobala ukuthi kwakudingeka isimiso esithile sokuphathwa kwekhaya ukuze kulungiselelwe izidingo zezinto ezibonakalayo zomkhaya wabo owandayo, baqalisa lokho esikubiza ngokuthi isimiso sezomnotho. Nalokhu bazenzela khona ngaphandle kwesiqondiso saphezulu.

Ngokusobala ngesikhathi sikaNimrode (c. 2270 B.C.E.), isisekelo sesimiso esinjalo sasifaneleka kakhulu. ICollins Atlas of World History ichaza ukuthi “kusukela enkulungwaneni yesithathu yeminyaka kuqhubeke iMesopotamiya [iBabiloni] yakha izinhlangano ezinamandla zosomabhizinisi. Bathenga izimpahla, bathenga futhi badayisa ngenjongo yokwenza inzalo, basebenzisa izinhlobonhlobo ezihlukahlukene zemali, basebenzisa izimpahla ezihlukahlukene njengemali futhi basebenzisa izigaxa zensimbi, ikakhulukazi zesiliva, elaliqoshwa lenziwe libe nezisindo kanye nobukhulu okuhlukahlukene futhi ngezinye izikhathi zibe nezimpawu ezibonisa ukuthi zazingewona amatshe mbumbulu.” IEncyclopedia Americana ithi izakhamuzi zasendulo zaseShinari—igama lakuqala lalokho kamuva okwabizwa ngokuthi iBabiloni—zaqhuba “isimiso esasiyinkimbinkimbi ngendlela emangalisayo sokuboleka, ukubolekisa, nokufaka imali yesibambiso, kanye nokunikeza izincwadi eziqinisekisa ukukhokhwa kwemali ebhalwe kuzo.”

Umkhuba ngokusobala okubonakala sengathi wawungowaseMesopotamiya ngokukhethekile kwakungowokusebenzisa imali njengempahla futhi kubizwe inzalo ngokuyisebenzisa. Ngaleyondlela, imali yaba indlela yokusebenzisa ukucindezela okungokomnotho. Imibhalo eyavubukulwa ezincithakalweni zaseBabiloni yembula izinqubo zebhizinisi ezazisizakala ngezimo ezingezinhle zezinye zezakhamuzi zazo. Ngisho nangalesosikhathi, umkhuba wanamuhla wokuzuza ngokungafanele ngokulahlekelwa kwabanye wawandile. Akumangalisi ukuthi abadayisi baseBabiloni naseNineve ngokuvamile kwakukhulunywa ngabo ngenzondo nangendelelo.

Izenzo zezentengiselwano zangosuku lukaNimrode akukhulunywa ngazo ngokuqondile eBhayibhelini. Nokho, amazwi atholakala encwadini yalo yokuqala, anjengokuthi ‘ukuthenga,’ ‘ukuthengisa,’ ‘ukuthengiselana,’ abonisa ukuthi okungenani amakhulu ambalwa eminyaka kamuva, ezentengiselwano zazivamile.—Bheka uGenesise 25:31; 34:10, 21; 39:1; 41:56, 57.

Kuyiqiniso futhi ukuthi inkathi ende yesikhathi, izincwadi ezibhalwe ngendlela yecuneiform azisho lutho ngokuphathelene nemisebenzi yezentengiselwano emphakathini waseBabiloni. Nakuba ivuma ukuthi lokho kunzima ukukuchaza, incwadi iAncient Mesopotamia iphetha ngokuthi “umuntu ngeke athathe ngokuthi ubuhlobo bezokuhwebelana baphela kuleyonkulungwane yeminyaka, ikakhulukazi njengoba kwaziwa ukuthi kwaqhubeka kakhulu esikhathini esalandela kamuva.” Lencwadi isikisela ukuthi ngalesosikhathi ukuhweba kwakulawulwa kakhulu ama-Aramu nokuthi ipapyrus nesikhumba kwakusetshenziswa njengezinto zokubhala.

Kokubili iMesopotamiya neGibithe ayephawuleka ngokuhwebelana kwawo ngemihlambi yezilwane. Kavuma, ngokwesilinganiso esikhulu, abantu baseFenike basebenzisa ezentengiselwano ezenzelwa olwandle esikhundleni sokuhwebelana ezweni. Itheku laseCarthage, nelaseTire, naseSidoni aba izikhungo zezentengiselwano ezaziwayo. Ukuhwebelana kwakwenziwa ngokushintshiselana ngezimpahla kwaze kwaba sekhulwini lesishiyagalombili B.C.E., lapho amaGreki eqala ukusebenzisa imali ewuhlweza njengendlela yokushintshiselana ngezinto. Futhi ngokweCollins Atlas of World History, “amakhulu eminyaka alandela [500 B.C.E.] aphawuleka ngokuthuthukiswa kokuhwebelana, imali, amabhange, izinto zokuhamba, kangangokuba izazimlando eziningi ziye zawaqhathanisa nenkathi yomcebo, okungokuqondakalayo ngomqondo oyihaba.”

Empeleni, kusukela ekuqaleni kuqhubeke, izimiso zomnotho ziye zasekelwa emalini. Nakuba uNkulunkulu ekuvumela ukusetshenziswa kwayo kahle, ukusetshenziswa kwayo kabi akakuvumeli. (UmShumayeli 7:12; Luka 16:1-9) Isifiso esingalinganiseli sokuba nemali siye sabangela abantu ukuba baphendukezele ubulungisa, bakhaphele abangane, basonte iqiniso, futhi baze ngisho babulale. Nokho, phawula ukuthi lokhu akulona iphutha lemali ngokwayo kodwa elombono wobugovu wabantu abayifunayo. Kunoma ikuphi, akulona ihaba ukuthi ‘imali iyona eyenza ukuphila kuqhubeke kulomhlaba,’ noma ukuthi ibilokhu injalo ngezindlela ezahlukahlukene iminyaka eyizinkulungwane.—Bheka ibhokisi, ikhasi 7.

Ngakho, phakathi namakhulu eminyaka angaphambi kobuKristu kwabekwa isisekelo sezici eziningi ezingokwezentengiselwano nezomnotho thina namuhla esijwayelene nazo. Kodwa naphezu komlando wawo omude, umkhakha wezentengiselwano uye wahluleka ukwakha izimiso zezomnotho ezingenabunkimbinkimbi ezikwaziyo ukuvimbela ukukhathazeka. Nakuba kunjalo akumelwe sidangale. Ukuphela kwezinkinga zemali kuseduze. Komagazini bethu abayisihlanu abalandelayo, sizochaza ngokuqhubekayo.

[Amazwi acashunwe esihlokweni ekhasini 8]

Isifiso esingalinganiseli sokuba nemali siye sabangela abantu ukuba baphendukezele ubulungisa, bakhaphele abangane babo, basonte iqiniso, futhi babulale

[Ibhokisi/Isithombe ekhasini 7]

Ukusuka Kusawoti Kuye Epulasitikini

Usawoti:

Izilinganiso ezithile zikasawoti zazinikezwa amasotsha aseRoma, kodwa lezilinganiso kamuva zathathelwa indawo imali, noma isalarium. Izinkomo (zohlobo lwepecus) zaziyindlela yokukhokha eRoma yasendulo. Kulamagama esiLatini kuvela elithi “salary” (umholo) nelithi “pecuniary” (imali).

Izinsimbi:

EMesopotamiya yasendulo (ngekhulu leminyaka le-18 kuya kwele-16 B.C.E.), ngokuvamile isiliva lalisetshenziswa ezivumelwaneni zezebhizinisi. EGibithe lasendulo, kwakusetshenziswa ithusi, isiliva, kanye negolide. Phakathi nokubusa kohlu lobukhosi lwakwaMing lwaseChina (1368-1644 C.E.), kubhala uprofesa womlando waseChina uHans Bielenstein, “ithusi lahlala liyindinganiso yamahlelo [emali] asezingeni eliphansi, kuyilapho isiliva lalisetshenziswa ngokwandayo amahlelo asezingeni eliphezulu.”

Imali Ewuhlweza:

Izingcwecwe eziyisisindo nenani elithile elimisiwe, ezenziwe ngengxube engokwemvelo yegolide nesiliva eyaziwa ngokuthi ielectrum, zazikhiqizwa abantu baseLydia eAnatolia phakathi nekhulu lesikhombisa leminyaka B.C.E. futhi ngokunokwenzeka zaziwuhlweza lokuqala olungokoqobo; cishe ekhulwini leminyaka kamuva, eGrisi kwaqalisa ukwenziwa kwemali ewuhlweza.

Iphepha:

Imali eyiphepha yokuqala emhlabeni yabonakala ngo-1024 eChina, lapho ukwanda kwezentengiselwano okungakaze kube khona kuholela ekuntulekeni kwemali ewuhlweza. UProfesa Bielenstein uthi: “Ukuhlola ngemali eyiphepha ebizwa ngokuthi Imali Endizayo kwakwenziwe cishe ngo-811, ngezikhathi zokubusa kohlu lwamakhosi akwaT’ang. Ngalesosikhathi uhulumeni wawukhiphe amamoney order ayengasetshenziswa njengemali kwezamabhizinisi futhi kamuva kutholwe imali ewukheshe ngawo.” Kusukela eNgilandi ngo-1821, izizwe eziningi zasebenzisa indinganiso yegolide, okusho ukuthi izakhamuzi zazingashintsha nganoma isiphi isikhathi imali yephepha ziyenze ibe igolide elingokoqobo eligcinwe ohulumeni bazo. Nokho, njengoba ohulumeni bayiyeka indinganiso yegolide, namuhla babheka imali yabo njengenenani, ngaphandle kokuba nento ethile ephathekayo yokuyisekela.

Amasheke:

Njengoba aqaliswa abanini bamabhange baseNgilandi phakathi nekhulu le-17 leminyaka, amasheke ayiziyalezo ezibhaliwe zokukhokhelwa imali ngebhange; lendlela yebhizinisi, njengoba ilondekile futhi ilula, iye yathandwa kakhulu futhi yasakazeka kabanzi.

Ipulasitiki:

Amakhadi okuthenga (credit card), abanye bawabiza ngokuthi imali eyipulasitiki, aqaliswa eUnited States ngawo-1920 futhi ngokushesha athandwa abantu emhlabeni wonke. Nokho, ukusebenziseka kalula kanye nezinye izinzuzo azinikezayo, kucishe kulingane nezinye izingozi zokuthenga ngokuthatheka kanye nokuphila ngaphezu kwalokho onakho.