Incwadi Yabafel’ Ukholo KaJean Crespin
NGO-1546, amadoda angu-14 aseMeaux, eFrance, atholakala enecala lokuhlubuka futhi athola isigwebo sokuba ashiswe ephila. Ayenzeni? Ayehlangana emakhaya, athandaze, ahube amahubo, agubhe Isidlo SeNkosi Sakusihlwa futhi athi ayengeke azamukele “izithombe ezigunyazwe uPapa.”
Ngosuku lokubulawa kwawo, umfundisi ongumRoma Katolika uFrançois Picard wabuza la madoda ayelahlwe icala ngezinkolelo zawo eziphathelene neSidlo SeNkosi Sakusihlwa. Amphendula ngokumbuza ngezimfundiso zamaKatolika ezimayelana nokuthi isinkwa newayini okusetshenziswa kulesi sidlo kuphenduka kube inyama negazi likaJesu ngokuyisimangaliso. La madoda abuza, ‘Ingabe isinkwa sinambitheka njengenyama? Noma iwayini linambitheka njengegazi?’
Nakuba engakwazanga ukuwaphendula, la madoda angu-14 aboshelwa ezigxotsheni futhi ashiswa ephila. Labo ababenganqunywanga ulimi bahuba amahubo. Abapristi ababeme eduze kwale ndawo la madoda abulawelwa kuyo bazama ukubagqiba ngokuhlabelela kakhulu. Ngosuku olulandelayo, kuyo leyo ndawo, uPicard wamemezela ukuthi laba abangu-14 babeyosha esihogweni phakade.
Ngawo-1500, iYurophu yayiyindawo eyingozi kulabo ababengavumelani nezimfundiso zenkolo. Abaningi ababezibekela inselele izimfundiso zesonto ezamukelwayo babhekana nobunzima obuvela kubaphikisi babo benkolo. Omunye umthombo wokwaziswa okuphathelene nalokho kuhlushwa, incwadi kaJean Crespin ethi Le Livre des martyrs (Book of Martyrs), eyanyatheliswa eGeneva, eSwitzerland, ngo-1554. Yaziwa nangokuthi i-Histoire des martyrs.a
Ummeli Uzihlanganisa Nabashisekeli BeziNguquko
UCrespin, cishe owazalwa ngo-1520 e-Arras, manje esiyinyakatho yeFrance, wafunda ezomthetho eLouvan, eBelgium. Cishe kungesikhathi elapho lapho ahlangana khona okokuqala nemibono yabashisekeli beziNguquko. Ngo-1541, uCrespin waya eParis lapho afike asebenza khona njengonobhala wommeli ohlonishwayo. Phakathi naleso sikhathi, ePlace Maubert, eParis, wabona kushiswa uClaude Le Painctre owayelahlwe yicala lokuba nezinkolelo ezingqubuzana nezesonto. UCrespin lwalumhlabe umxhwele ukholo lwale nsizwa esencane eyayakha izinto zegolide, eyabulawelwa lokho uCrespin akubiza ngokuthi “ukumemezela iqiniso kubazali nakubangane bayo.”
Cishe kungalesi sikhathi uCrespin aqala ngaso ukuba ummeli e-Arras. Kodwa, ngokushesha izinkolelo zakhe ezintsha ayezitholile zenza ukuba asolwe ngokuhlubuka. Ukuze agweme ukuquliswa icala, wabalekela eStrasbourg, eFrance, kwathi kamuva wazinza eGeneva, eSwitzerland. Lapha, wafike waba mdibi-munye nabasekeli beziNguquko. Wawuyeka umsebenzi wakhe wezomthetho waba umshicileli.
UCrespin washicilela izincwadi zenkolo zabalweli beziNguquko abanjengoJohn Calvin, uMartin Luther, uJohn Knox noTheodore Beza. Wanyathelisa umbhalo wesiGreki wengxenye yeBhayibheli evame ukubizwa ngokuthi iTestamente Elisha kanye neBhayibheli—ingxenye yalo noma liphelele— ngesiFulentshi, isiLatini, isiNgisi, isiNtaliyane neSpanishi. Nokho, uCrespin waduma ngencwadi yakhe ethi Incwadi Yabafel’ Ukholo. Kuyona wabhala ngabaningi ababebulewe ngenxa yokuhlubuka phakathi kuka-1415 no-1554.
Injongo Yokugcinwa Komlando Wabafel’ Ukholo
Izincwadi eziningi ezakhishwa abalweli beziNguquko zalugxeka unya lwezikhulu zamaKatolika. Zazikhuthaza abantu ngokuveza “ubuqhawe” babafel’ ukholo abangamaProtestani njengenqubekela phambili yokuhlupheka izinceku zikaNkulunkulu zangaphambili ezabhekana nakho, kuhlanganise namaKristu ekhulu lokuqala. Ukuze anikeze amaProtestani ayekanye nawo izibonelo okufanele azilingise, uCrespin wahlanganisa izithombe zalabo ababulawa ngenxa yokholo lwabo.b
Incwadi kaCrespin iwumbhalo ogciniwe wokushushiswa, ukuphenywa ngemibuzo nokulandisa kofakazi bokuzibonela, kuhlanganise nobufakazi obabhalwa abamangalelwa ngesikhathi besesejele. Kuhlanganiswe nezincwadi ezikhuthazayo ezazibhalelwe labo ababesejele, ezinye zazo zigcwele izingcaphuno zeBhayibheli. UCrespin ukholelwa ukuthi ukholo lwalaba babhali “kufanele luhlale lukhunjulwa.”
Izimfundiso eziningi ezisencwadini kaCrespin zigxile ezimpikiswaneni ezaziwayo phakathi kwamaKatolika namaProtestani. Ngokwesibonelo, abashushisi nalabo ababeshushiswa babephikisana ngezinto ezinjengokusetshenziswa kwezithombe ekukhulekeleni, isihlanzo nokuthandazela abafile, kuhlanganise nokuthi umhlatshelo kaJesu wawungaphindwa yini ngesikhathi seMisa lamaKatolika nokuthi ingabe upapa wayengummeleli kaNkulunkulu yini noma cha.
Incwadi Yabafel’ Ukholo iwubufakazi bezimpikiswano nokungabekezelelani okwakudlangile ngalezo zikhathi ezazinobudlova. Yize uCrespin agxila ekutheni amaKatolika ashushisa amaProtestani, kufanele kukhunjulwe nokuthi amaProtestani nawo ayewashushisa ngonya olufanayo amaKatolika ngezinye izikhathi.
Kuwo wonke umlando, inkolo yamanga iye yazingcolisa ‘ngegazi labaprofethi nelabangcwele nelabo bonke abaye babulawa emhlabeni.’ Ngokuqinisekile, igazi lalabo uNkulunkulu ababheka njengabafel’ ukholo bakhe abathembekile likhalela impindiselo. (IsAmbulo 6:9, 10; 18:24) Cishe abanye balabo abahlupheka futhi babulawelwa ukholo lwabo ngosuku lukaJean Crespin babelifuna ngobuqotho iqiniso elingokwenkolo.
[Imibhalo yaphansi]
a Okunye ukuhunyushwa kwencwadi kaCrespin kuyibeka ngale ndlela, Incwadi Yabafel’ Ukholo, Okungukuthi, Uhlu Lwabafel’ Ukholo Abaningana Abakhuthazelela Ukufa Egameni LeNkosi Yethu UJesu Kristu, Kusukela KuJan Hus Kuze Kube Yilo Nyaka, U-1554. Kwanyatheliswa izinguqulo ezinkulu eziningana ezibukeziwe ezinezihloko nokwaziswa okuhlukahlukene ngesikhathi uCrespin esaphila; nezinye ngemva kokufa kwakhe.
b Ezinye izincwadi ezimbili zohlu lwabafel’ ukholo zanyatheliswa ngo-1554—okuwunyaka uCrespin anyathelisa ngawo incwadi yakhe ethi Incwadi Yabafel’ Ukholo—ekaLudwig Rabus ngesiJalimane nekaJohn Foxe ngesiLatini.
[Isithombe ekhasini 12]
Uqwembe olunesihloko lwencwadi kaCrespin ethi “Incwadi Yabafel’ Ukholo” (Yakhishwa ngo-1564)
[Umthombo Wesithombe ekhasini 13]
Ukubulawa kwamaProtestani phambi kweNkosi engumFulentshi uHenry II nenkantolo yayo
[Umthombo Wesithombe ekhasini 13]
Images, both pages: © Société de l’Histoire du Protestantisme Français, Paris