Umbono WeBhayibheli

Okufanele Ukwazi NgoKhisimusi

IZIGIDI emhlabeni wonke zizilungiselela ukugubha inkathi kaKhisimusi ka-2002. Mhlawumbe nawe uphakathi kwazo. Ngakolunye uhlangothi, kungenzeka akulona isiko lakho ukuhlanganyela ezicini ezingokwenkolo zalo mkhosi othandwayo. Kungakhathaliseki ukuthi yikuphi, cishe awunakulibalekela ithonya likaKhisimusi. Ubusa ezentengiselwano nezokuzijabulisa, ngisho nasemazweni angewona awobuKristu.

Wazini ngoKhisimusi? Ingabe iBhayibheli liyakusekela ukugubha ukuzalwa kukaKristu? Uyini umsuka walo mkhosi othandwayo ogujwa njalo ngo-December 25?

UKhisimusi Uyanqatshelwa

Uma ungase uzinike ithutshana lokucwaninga ngale ndaba, uyothola ukuthi uKhisimusi awuveli ebuKristwini beqiniso. Izazi eziningi zeBhayibheli zezinkolo ezihlukahlukene ziyakuvuma lokhu. Ucabanga ngalokho, akufanele kukumangaze ukuthi eNgilandi, iPhalamende likaCromwell ngo-1647 lanquma ukuthi uKhisimusi ube usuku lokuphenduka ezonweni lase liwunqabela ngokuphelele ngo-1652. IPhalamende lalihlangana ngamabomu ngo-December 25 minyaka yonke kusukela ngo-1644 kuya ku-1656. Ngokwesazi-mlando uPenne L. Restad, “abefundisi ababeshumayela ngoKuzalwa KukaKristu babezifaka engozini yokugqunywa ejele. Amagosa ayehlawuliswa uma ehlobisa amasonto awo. Umthetho wawufuna ukuba izitolo zivulwe ngoKhisimusi njengakuzo zonke ezinye izinsuku zebhizinisi.” Kungani kwakunemithetho eqatha kangaka? AmaPuritan angabashisekeli bezinguquko ayekholelwa ukuthi isonto kwakungafanele lisungule amasiko angekho emiBhalweni. Ngenkuthalo, ashumayela futhi asakaza izincwadi ezilahla imikhosi kaKhisimusi.

Kwakunesimo esifanayo naseNyakatho Melika. Phakathi konyaka ka-1659 no-1681, uKhisimusi wawenqatshelwe eMassachusetts Bay Colony.a Ngokomthetho owashaywa ngaleso sikhathi, uKhisimusi kwakungamelwe ugujwe nganoma iyiphi indlela. Ababephula lo mthetho babehlawuliswa. Akukhona nje ukuthi amaPuritan aseNew England ayengafuni ukugubha uKhisimusi kodwa namanye amaqembu asemakoloni ayesenkabeni yezwe ayengafuni. AmaQuaker asePennsylvania ayenombono oqinile ngalo mkhosi njengamaPuritan. Omunye umthombo uthi “ngemva nje kokuba amaMelika esezuze uzibuse, u-Elizabeth Drinker, naye owayengumQuaker, wahlukanisa abantu basePhiladelphia ngezigaba ezintathu. Kwakukhona amaQuaker, ‘ayengawushayi mkhuba [uKhisimusi] ewubheka njengezinye izinsuku,’ kukhona nalabo abakholiwe, bese kuba yibo bonke abanye ‘ababewugubha bexokozela futhi bephuza.’”

UHenry Ward Beecher, umshumayeli waseMelika owaziwayo owakhulela emkhayeni wabalandeli bakaCalvin ababesadla ngoludala, wayengazi lutho ngempela ngoKhisimusi kwaze kwaba yilapho eseneminyaka engu-30 ubudala. UBeecher wabhala ngo-1874: “UKhisimusi wawungasho lutho kimi.”

Amasonto okuqala amaBaptist namaCongregational nawo awazitholanga izizathu ezingokomBhalo zokugubha ukuzalwa kukaKristu. Omunye umthombo uphawula ukuthi iSonto LamaBaptist laseNewport [eRhode Island] laze laqala ukugubha uKhisimusi ngo-December 25, 1772. Cishe kwase kuyiminyaka engu-130 kwasungulwa isonto lamaBaptist lokuqala eNew England.

Umsuka KaKhisimusi

I-New Catholic Encyclopedia iyavuma: “Usuku lokuzalwa kukaKristu alwaziwa. Amavangeli awasitsheli ukuthi wazalwa ngaluphi usuku noma inyanga . . . Ngokombono ovezwa uH. Usener . . . futhi owamukelwa izazi eziningi namuhla, ukuzalwa kukaKristu kwabekwa osukwini lwenjikalanga yasebusika [enhla nenkabazwe] (ngo-December 25 ngokweKhalenda likaJulius, ngo-January 6 kwelaseGibithe), ngoba ngalolu suku, njengoba ilanga liqala ukubuyela enyakatho nenkabazwe, amaqaba ayekhulekela uMithra ayegubha umkhosi we-dies natalis Solis Invicti (usuku lokuzalwa kwelanga elingenakunqotshwa). Ngo-Dec. 25, 274, u-Aurelian wayememezele ukuthi unkulunkulu welanga ungumvikeli oyinhloko wombuso futhi wanikezela ithempeli kuye eCampus Martius. UKhisimusi wavela ngesikhathi ukukhulekelwa kwelanga kwakunamandla kakhulu eRoma.”

I-Cyclopœdia kaM’Clintock noStrong ithi: “Ukugubha uKhisimusi akumiswanga nguNkulunkulu, futhi akuveli eTestamenteni Elisha. Usuku lokuzalwa kukaKristu alunakutholakala eTestamenteni Elisha, noma-ke kunoma yimuphi omunye umthombo.”

‘Inkohliso Eyize’

Ngenxa yalokho osekushiwo ngenhla, ingabe amaKristu eqiniso kufanele ahlanganyele emasikweni kaKhisimusi? Ingabe kuyamthokozisa uNkulunkulu ukuxuba ukukhulekelwa kwakhe nezinkolelo nemikhuba yenkolo yabantu abangamkhulekeli? Umphostoli uPawulu waxwayisa kweyabaseKolose 2:8: “Xwayani: mhlawumbe kungase kube khona othile oyomuka nani njengezisulu zakhe ngefilosofi nenkohliso eyize ngokwesiko labantu, ngokwezinto zokucathula zezwe futhi hhayi ngokukaKristu.”

Lo mphostoli waphinde wabhala: “Ningaboshelwa ngokungalingani ejokeni nabangewona amakholwa. Ngoba kunabudlelwane buni ukulunga nokungabi namthetho? Noma ukukhanya kunasabelo sini nobumnyama? Ngaphezu kwalokho, ikuphi ukuvumelana okukhona phakathi kukaKristu noBeliyali [uSathane]? Noma unasabelo sini umuntu okholekile nongelona ikholwa?”—2 Korinte 6:14, 15.

Ngenxa yobufakazi obuqand’ ikhanda obukhona, oFakazi BakaJehova bayakugwema ukuhlanganyela emikhosini kaKhisimusi. Ngokuvumelana nemiBhalo, balwela ukuqhuba “indlela yokukhulekela ehlanzekile nengangcolile ngokombono kaNkulunkulu,” ngokuzigcina ‘bengenalo ibala elivela ezweni.’—Jakobe 1:27.

[Umbhalo waphansi]

[Amazwi acashunwe esihlokweni ekhasini 24]

IPhalamende laseNgilandi lenqabela ukugubha uKhisimusi ngo-1652

[Amazwi acashunwe esihlokweni ekhasini 25]

“UKhisimusi wawungasho lutho kimi”—UHENRY WARD BEECHER, UMFUNDISI WASEMELIKA

[Isithombe ekhasini 25]

Amaqaba ayekhulekela uMithras nonkulunkulu welanga (oboniswe esithombeni) ayegubha u-December 25

[Umthombo]

Musée du Louvre, Paris