UJohn Foxe Neziyaluyalu Zosuku Lwakhe
NGABE isintu siyafunda emaphutheni esikhathi esidlule noma cha? Cabanga ngalowo mbuzo njengoba uhlola ukuphila kukaJohn Foxe, indoda eyiNgisi eyaloba incwadi inethemba lokuthi abayoyifunda bayozilahla izenzo zonya ezazigcwele ngosuku lwayo.
Ukulandisa kukaJohn Foxe okwalotshwa ngenkathi yeziNguquko, kwaba nethonya elinamandla ngempela kubantu baseNgilandi amakhulu eminyaka. Kwamthatha iminyaka engu-25 ukuloba incwadi yakhe ethi Acts and Monuments of the Church. Kanti abanye bathi iyincwadi yesibili ngemva kweBhayibheli lolimi lwendawo eyaba nethonya elihlala isikhathi eside olimini nasemasikweni aseNgilandi.
Iminyaka Yeziyaluyalu
UJohn Foxe wazalelwa eBoston, eNgilandi, ngo-1516 noma ngo-1517, cishe unyaka okuthiwa uMartin Luther wanamathisela ngawo uhlu lwezikhalazo zakhe ezingu-95 emnyango wesonto eWittenberg, eJalimane. Ngakho-ke, uFoxe owazalelwa enkolweni yamaRoma Katolika, waqala ukuvela ngesikhathi abalweli beziNguquko bephonsela igunya nezimfundiso zeSonto lamaKatolika inselele.
UFoxe wafunda e-Oxford University, kanti izifundo ayezenza zazihlanganisa isiGreki nesiHebheru, okwamhlomisela ukuba akwazi ukufunda iBhayibheli ngezilimi zalo zokuqala. Ngokusobala, lokhu kwamenza waqala ukungazethembi izinkolelo zakhe zobuKatolika. Empeleni, abafundi ayekanye nabo baqala ukucabanga ukuthi cishe usenezinkolelo zamaProthestani—izinsolo abazibikela iziphathimandla zekolishi. Ngemva kwalokho, uFoxe waqashwa ngeso lokhozi.
Ngemva kokuthola kwakhe iziqu ze-master’s ngo-1543, kwakufanele agcotshwe njengompristi. Kodwa wenqaba ukugcotshwa ngoba wayengavumelani nokuba yindela ephoqelelwe. Ukwenza kwakhe lokhu kwaletha le ndaba emvuthwandabeni wayo. Ngenxa yezinsolo zokuthi uyisihlubuki—okuyicala elinesigwebo sokufa—wesula eyunivesithi ngo-1545. Eshiya ithuba elihle lomsebenzi emkhakheni wezemfundo, uFoxe waba nguthisha emkhayeni othile ngaseStratford-upon-Avon, eWarwickshire, lapho ashada khona nowesifazane okuthiwa u-Agnes Randall.
U-Agnes, owayeyisakhamuzi saseCoventry eseduze, watshela uFoxe ngomfelokazi okuthiwa uSmith (noma Smythe) owayefundise izingane zakhe Imiyalo Eyishumi kanye nomthandazo kaJesu oyisibonelo, ovame ukubizwa ngokuthi uMthandazo weNkosi. Nokho, kunokuba azifundise ngesiLatini, wazifundisa ngesiNgisi. Ngenxa yalokhu “kwephula umthetho” washiswa esigxotsheni kanye namanye amadoda ayisithupha ayebekwe icala elifanayo. Ngenxa yokuthi lokhu kungabi nabulungisa okukhulu kwabathukuthelisa abantu, umbhishobhi wendawo wasakaza inkulumo yokuthi laba ababebulewe babeshiswe ngenxa “yamacala amakhulu” okudla inyama ngoLwezihlanu kanye nangezinye izinsuku zokuzila.
Laba bafel’ ukholo babezaze kanjani izingxenye zeBhayibheli ngesiNgisi? Eminyakeni engu-150 ngaphambili, naphezu kokuphikisa kwesonto, uJohn Wycliffe wayehumushele iBhayibheli lesiLatini esiNgisini, wabuye waqeqesha nabashumayeli ababejikeleza okwakuthiwa amaLollards.a Laba babephatha izingxenye zemiBhalo ezibhalwe ngesandla, ababezifundela abantu. Ngenxa yalokho, iPhalamende lazama ukuvala umsebenzi wabo. Ngo-1401, lagunyaza umthetho onika ababhishobhi amandla okubopha nokuhlukumeza izihlubuki nokuzishisa esigxotsheni.
Esaba ukuthi uzoboshwa, uFoxe wathuthela eLondon nomkhaya wakhe, lapho kamuva amelela khona izinkolelo zobuProthestani. Ngesikhathi elapho, wahumushela abalweli beziNguquko baseJalimane amapheshana ngesiNgisi kanye namanye amapheshana ayengawesiLatini. Wabuye wabhala nawakhe siqu.
Ngaphezu kwalokho, waqala nokuhlanganisa umlando wamaLollards eNgilandi, wawuphothula ngo-1554. Lo msebenzi wakhe wanyatheliswa eStrasbourg, namuhla eyidolobha laseFrance, kanye nomqulu omncane wesiLatini onamakhasi angu-212. Lena kwakuyingxenye yokuqala yencwadi yakhe ethi Acts and Monuments of the Church. Eminyakeni emihlanu kamuva, wawandisa lo mqulu waba namakhasi angaphezu kuka-750.
Imiphumela Ebulalayo Yokungakwazi Ukubekezela
INkathi yeziNguquko eYurophu yaholela ekubulaweni kwezinkulungwane zamadoda, abesifazane nezingane. Ngo-1553, eNgilandi, kwagcotshwa umKatolika oshisekayo owayebizwa ngokuthi uMary Othanda Ukuchitha Igazi. Ngenxa yokuthi iPhalamende laseNgilandi lalibunqamule bonke ubudlelwane balo neRoma ngo-1534, wayezimisele ukubuyisela iNgilandi ngaphansi kwegunya lesonto lamaKatolika. Ngesikhathi sokubusa kukaMary okwathatha iminyaka emihlanu, amadoda nabesifazane abangaba ngu-300, kuhlanganise nabaholi bamaProthestani bashiswa ngoba kuthiwa bayizihlubuki. Baningi abanye abafela ejele.
UFoxe wasinda ngalesi sikhathi ngoba wathatha umkhaya wakhe waya eBasel, eSwitzerland, ngokushesha nje ngemva kokuthatha kukaMary ubukhosi. Ngo-1559, ngemva konyaka udadewabo kaMary ongumProthestani u-Elizabeth egcotshwe njengendlovukazi, wabuyela eNgilandi kanye nabanye ababesekudingisweni. Ngawo lowo nyaka, u-Elizabeth wavuselela uMthetho Wegunya Eliphakemeb, owamenza waba uMphathi Ophakeme weSonto. Esabela kulokhu, uPapa uPius V wamxosha ebandleni ngo-1570. Ngokushesha kwatholakala ukuthi iNgilandi yayiboshelwe uzungu, nokuthi kwakunetulo lokubulala le ndlovukazi engumProthestani. Ngenxa yalokho, amakhulu amaKatolika amangalelwa ngokuba amambuka futhi abulawa ngomyalo ka-Elizabeth.
Yeka ukuthi amasonto eLobukholwa—amaKatolika namaProthestani—ayephambuke kangakanani ezimfundisweni zikaJesu Kristu! Wafundisa, “Qhubekani nithanda izitha zenu, nithandazela nalabo abanishushisayo.” (Mathewu 5:44) Ngenxa yokuthi amaKatolika namaProthestani asishaya indiva lesi siqondiso esicacile, aletha isihlamba ebuKristwini—isenzakalo esasibikezelwe eBhayibhelini. Umphostoli uPetru wabhala, “Indlela yeqiniso iyohlanjalazwa,” ngenxa yamaKristu okuzenzisa.—2 Petru 2:1, 2.
UFoxe Uphothula Umsebenzi Wakhe
Lapho esebuyele eNgilandi, uFoxe wabhala ukulandisa okwengeziwe ngendaba yakhe, okukhuluma ngezenzakalo okungenzeka abanye babafundi bakhe babezibonele zona mathupha. Ingxenye yokuqala yesiNgisi eyayinamakhasi angu-1 800 nemifanekiso eminingana—yakhishwa ngo-1563 futhi ngokushesha yathengwa ubuthaphuthaphu.
Ingxenye yesibili yakhishwa eminyakeni engu-7 kamuva. Imiqulu yayo emibili yayinamakhasi angaphezu kuka-2 300 kanye nemifanekiso engu-153. Ngonyaka owalandela, iSonto laseNgilandi lanquma ukuba ikhophi yencwadi kaFoxe ibekwe eceleni kweBhayibheli kuwo wonke amasonto amakhulu aseNgilandi kanye nasemakhaya ezikhulu zesonto ukuze kuzuze izikhonzi nezivakashi. Ngokushesha amasonto amancane nawo asilandela lesi sibonelo. Ngisho nababengayanga esikoleni babengazuza ngenxa yemifanekiso, eyayigxila futhi ikhumbuleka isikhathi eside.
Ngalesi sikhathi, uFoxe wayesezibandakanye namaPuritan, okungamaProthestani ayenomuzwa wokuthi ukuzihlukanisa nje nesonto laseRoma kwakungenele. Ayefundisa ukuthi kufanele kususwe yonke iminonjana yobuKatolika—ngokumangalisayo, lokhu kwawaxabanisa kakhulu neSonto lamaProthestani laseNgilandi, elingawalahlanga amasiko amaningi nezimfundiso zobuKatolika.
Ngenxa yokuthi umsebenzi wakhe wawudalula izenzo zonya eziningi ezingokwenkolo ezenzeka ngezikhathi zakhe zeziyaluyalu, uJohn Foxe wathonya indlela abantu ababeyibheka ngayo inkolo nezombangazwe zaseNgilandi amakhulu eminyaka alandela.
[Imibhalo yaphansi]
a Bheka isihloko esithi “AmaLollards, Abashumayeli BeBhayibheli Abanesibindi,” kuyi-Nqabayokulinda ka-February 1, 1980.
b Incwadi ethi Leading Facts of English History, ka-D. H. Montgomery, ibika ukuthi ngo-1534 iPhalamende lamisa uMthetho Wegunya Eliphakeme, “owamisa uHenry ngaphandle kokuthandabuza njengowukuphela kwenhloko yeSonto, ngaleyo ndlela laphela icala lokuba yimbuka. Njengoba igunyaza lo mthetho, ngepeni nje iNkosi yasula inqubo eyase ineminyaka eyinkulungwane, kanjalo iNgilandi yaphumela obala neSonto LeSizwe elalingekho ngaphansi kukaPapa.”
[Ibhokisi/Isithombe ekhasini 28]
INCWADI YABAFEL’ UKHOLO KAFOXE
Njengoba iSonto LamaKatolika laliqhubeka nokulwa nabalweli beziNguquko, abalobi ababebhala ngabafel’ ukholo eYurophu, njengoJean Crespin, babhala imininingwane ephathelene nokushushiswa nokufel’ ukholo emazweni abo.c Ngenxa yalokho, incwadi ethi Foxe’s Acts and Monuments of the Church yethiwa igama elithi “Incwadi Yabafel’ Ukholo KaFoxe.” Kamuva, lapho kuvela izincwadi ezibukeziwe nezifushanisiwe, lesi sihloko sencwadi esingekho emthethweni sathatha indawo yaleso esasikhethwe uFoxe.
[Umbhalo waphansi]
c Bheka isihloko esithi “Incwadi Yabafel’ Ukholo KaJean Crespin” kumagazini ofanayo ka-March 2011.
[Umthombo]
© Classic Vision/age fotostock
[Isithombe ekhasini 27]
UJohn Wycliffe wathuma abashumayeli abajikelezayo ababebizwa ngokuthi amaLollards
[Umthombo]
From the book The Church of England: A History for the People, 1905, Vol. II
[Umthombo Wesithombe ekhasini 26]
From Foxe’s Book of Martyrs