Zavelaphi?

NAKUBA izinkolo zezwe zihlukene kakhulu, kunokufana okuthile okusakazekile. Ngokwesibonelo, izinkolo zabalumbi eNingizimu Melika, izinkolo zesizwe eAfrika, izinkolo ezinkulu zaseMpumalanga, izinkolo zabomdabu eAustralia—eqinisweni, cishe zonke izinkolo—zikholelwa ukuthi kunengxenye engokomoya yomuntu esindayo ekufeni komzimba wenyama. Futhi, izinkolo eziningi zinezinkolelo zobukhona bemimoya engabonakali engalethela isintu okuhle noma okubi.

Ingabe uke waphawula, futhi, ukuthi kusakazeke kangakanani ukusetshenziswa kwezithombe ezingokwenkolo? Futhi, izinkolo eziningi ziyabhula noma zihlola izinkanyezi. Futhi inani elimangalisayo lezinkolo emlandweni wonke bezinonkulunkulu abamthathemunye, abafanayo noZiqu-zintathu weLobukholwa.

Ingabe ucabanga ukuthi kunokwenzeka zonke lezizinkolo zaqalisa imikhuba efanayo kanjalo engokwenkolo ngaphandle kokuthonyana? Noma kungenzeka ukuthi ngandlela thile zathola imiqondo yazo emthonjeni ofanayo? Ngokuqinisekile lokhu kunengqondo kakhulu. Kodwa wawuyini lowomthombo ofanayo?

Ukuphendula lokhu, kufanele sixoxe ngombuzo wokuthi inkolo yaqhamukaphi. Lena indaba abafundi bomlando abangayiqondi kahle. IThe World Book Encyclopedia ithi: “Ezinye izazi ziye zaveza ukucabangela ngendlela inkolo eyaqala ngayo ezikhathini ezingaphambi komlando. Akukho nokukodwa ukucabangela okuye kwamukelwa yizo zonke izazi.” Nokho, kunencwadi enokwethenjelwa esitshela ngomsuka wenkolo. Lencwadi iBhayibheli.

Isiqalo Sakho Konke

Njengoba wazi, iBhayibheli liyincwadi ngesinye isikhathi eyayihlonishwa kakhulu. Kulezizinsuku, nokho, bayancipha abantu abalifundayo. Kodwa uma sikhuluma ngenkolo, asinakwenza ngendlela eyanelisayo uma sihluleka ukubhekisela eBhayibhelini, ngoba, uma sekukhulunywa ngokwenkolo, linethonya elikhulu esintwini kunanoma iyiphi enye incwadi.

Futhi, ngaphandle kwanoma yini enye, incazelo yeBhayibheli ngendlela inkolo eyaqala ngayo inesisindo ngoba lalotshwa ngabantu abaphila ngesikhathi esisondele kakhulu ezehlakalweni zoqobo kunathi. Make sihlole okushiwo yiBhayibheli futhi siqhathanise esikutholayo nokunye ukucabangela kwezazi zanamuhla.

IBhayibheli lisitshela ukuthi umuntu ekuqaleni wayekholelwa kuNkulunkulu oyedwa kuphela. Lokhu kwakungewona umqondo wakhe siqu. Ngokombiko, uNkulunkulu wazembula ngokwakhe kumuntu kwasekuqaleni njengoMthombo oyinhloko wokuphila. Wanikeza usizo nesiqondiso, ukuze umuntu aphumelele ekuphileni. (Genesise 1:26–2:25) Ngakho-ke, yonke into yaqala ngenkolo eyodwa. Khona-ke, senzeka kanjani isimo esixovekile sanamuhla?

NgokweBhayibheli, lokhu kwavela ekuhlubukeni kulowoMthombo owodwa wokuqala. Encwadini enobudala beminyaka engaphezu kwe-3 000, indoda ethiwa uNimrodi ichazwa njengesusa lokhu kuhlubuka. UNimrodi waba umakhi wemizi, akha imizi endaweni yasendulo eyaziwa ngokuthi iMesopotamia. Namuhla lendawo iyingxenye yeIraq. Eminye yemizi ayakha kwakuyiBabele, iEreke, iAkade neKaline.—Gen. 10:10-12.

UDr. Robert M. Adams, ebhala kumagazini iScientific American, wabiza ukwakhiwa kwemizi ngokuthi “‘ukuhlubuka okukhulu’ okungokwesibili empucukweni yabantu.” Njengoba lemizi uNimrodi ayakha yayiphakathi kweminye emidaladala ephawulwa eBhayibhelini, singaqaphela ithonya lendoda okumelwe ukuthi yayinalo.

Ngalowo ekugcineni owaba omkhulukazi wemizi yasendulo, iBabele (noma iBabiloni), iBhayibheli lilandisa ngomzamo wokuvimbela intando eyayikhulunywe uNkulunkulu ukuthi isintu kumelwe sisabalale kuwo wonke umhlaba futhi sakhe kuwo. Abantu bathi: “Wozani, asakhe umuzi nombhoshongo osiqongo sawo sisezulwini, sizenzele igama, funa sihlakazeke ebusweni bomhlaba wonke.” (Genesise 11:4) Nokho ngenxa yokungenela kwaphezulu bahluleka enjongweni yabo futhi bahlakazeka kancane kancane baya ezindaweni ezahlukene zomhlaba. Ngokwenza kanjalo, bahamba nemiqondo yabo yokuhlubuka yenkolo.

Lokhu kuqhathaniseka kanjani nokwanamuhla ukucabangela kwezazi?

Okokuqala: IEncyclopedia Americana ithi: “Izazi zicishe zivumelane zonke ngokuthi impucuko yokuqala esinolwazi lwayo yavela phakathi kwamaSumerians eMesopotamia.” UDr. Gideon Sjoborg, esihlokweni esikuScientific Americana, uyavuma, ngokuthi: “Ngokwazi kwethu, imizi yokuqala yezwe yakhiwa . . . eFertile Crescent, engxenyeni engasempumalanga ehlanganisa iMesopotamia.” Ngakho-ke, ososayensi banomuzwa wokuthi isintu saqala ukwakha imizi emikhulu endaweni ethi ayifane nsé neshiwo yiBhayibheli.

Okwesibili: Amagama nezindawo eziningi zalemizi iBhayibheli elithi yayakhiwe uNimrodi ijwayekile kubavubukuli.

Okwesithathu: Ababakhe eMesopotamia babaziwa ngokwakha imibhoshongo emikhulu ngokwezinjongo zenkolo. Babeyibiza ngokuthi amaziggurats. Empeleni, uqobo lombhoshongo okubhekiselwa kuwo kuGenesise isahluko 11 awuqedwanga. Kodwa abavubukuli baye bathola imibhoshongo eminingi engaqedwanga ngokusobala eyayifana nawo.

Okwesine: Igama elithi “Nimrodi” alitholakalanga ngaphandle kwaseBhayibhelini uqobo, kodwa amanye amaencyclopedia alihlanganisa negama likaNkulunkulu omkhulu waseBabiloni, uMarduk. Izinhlamvu ezithi “MRD,” ezivela egameni ngalinye, zibonakala ziyisiqu, noma ingxenye enengqondo, yamagama omabili. Uma lokhu kuhlanganiswa kuqondile, khona-ke uNimrodi ekugcineni wayekhonzwa njengonkulunkulu njengoba nje, eminyakeni yamuva, oKesari baseRoma noFaro baseGibithe babekhonzwa njengonkulunkulu.

Ngempela, abavubukuli balinganiselwe kwabangase bakuthole ngezinto ezenzeka kudaladala. Imvithimvithi eningi abayimbayo isesimweni esingesihle, futhi kunzima ukuyichaza ngokuqondile. Ngokungangabazeki ubufakazi obuningi obubalulekile buye balahleka phakade. Ngakho-ke, umfundi weBhayibheli akanciki olwazini lokuvubukula ukuze afakazele iqiniso lombiko weBhayibheli.a Nokho, kufanele kukhunjulwe ukuthi lesayensi iye yaqinisekisa izindaba ezivamile zezehlakalo ezilotshwe eBhayibhelini.

Kufanele kukhunjulwe futhi ukuthi lomlando wasendulo usisiza ukuba siqonde izici eziqondene nesehlakalo esingokwenkolo yezwe namuhla. Kanjani? Ngokuthi ababakhe eMesopotamia babekholwe kakhulu ngemva kwalokho kuhlubuka kuqala. Babekholelwa ukuthi kwakunengxenye engokomoya yomuntu esindayo ekufeni. Babekholelwa ngokuqinile emademonini. Babesebenzisa izithombe. Babebhula futhi behlola izinkanyezi, futhi babenonkulunkulu abamthathemunye. Lezi ezinye zezinkolelo ezifanayo abaningi abasabambelele kuzo ngokuvamile namuhla.

Ingabe lokhu kusho ukuthi inkolo yaseMesopotamia lasendulo yasakazeka futhi yathonya izinkolo emhlabeni wonke? Izazi eziningi ziye zafinyelela kulesosiphetho. KuHandbooks of the History of Religions, uProf. Morris Jastrow wakhuluma nge“thonya elikhulu elaba phezu kwezwe lasendulo ngenxa yezibonakaliso eziphawulekayo zokucabanga okungokwenkolo kwelaseBabiloni.”

Encwadini iThe Worship of the Dead, uCol. J. Garnier wabhala: “Akubona kuphela abaseGibithe, amaKaledi, amaFenike, amaGreki namaRoma, kodwa namaHindu, amaBudha, . . . amaGoths, ama-AngloSaxons, amaDruids, amaMexicans namaPeruvians . . . kumelwe ukuba bonke basusela imiqondo yabo engokwenkolo emthonjeni ofanayo nasemnyombweni ofanayo. Yonke indawo sithola ukuhlangana okumangalisayo emikhutsheni yesonto, imigidi, amasiko, imikhuba yemvelo, nasemagameni nasebuhlotsheni bonkulunkulu nonkulunkulukazi bawo.” Ngokusobala, lapho abaseBabiloni lakuqala bephoqelelwa ukuba bayokwakha kuwo wonke umhlaba, baya nemiqondo yabo engokwenkolo emakhayeni abo amasha.

Kodwa ingabe lolulwazi lungasisiza ukuba sithole inkolo yeqiniso namuhla?

[Umbhalo waphansi]

[Amazwi acashunwe esihlokweni ekhasini 5]

Onkulunkulu abamthathu emunye. Ukusetshenziswa kwezithombe. Ukuhlolwa kwezinkanyezi. Ubukhona bemimoya engabonakali. Ingxenye engokomoya yomuntu esindayo ekufeni. Lezinkolelo zijwayelekile ezinkolweni emazweni amaningi

[Izithombe ekhasini 4]

IBABILONI LASENDULO

Umbhoshongo WamaMaya

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UZiqu-zintathu WamaKristu

Ukudunyiswa KukaMariya

Ukukhulekelwa Kokhokho