Iqiniso Ngesihogo

NGOKUSOBALA, imfundiso eyisisekelo eye yabangela ukukholelwa ekujezisweni ngemva kokufa iyinkolelo yokuthi umuntu woqobo akafi ngempela lapho umzimba wenyama ufa kodwa okuthile—ngokuvamile okubizwa ngokuthi umphefumulo—kuyasinda ekufeni komzimba. Lenkolelo, njengoba sibonile esihlokweni esandulelayo, ivela kumaSumerian nakwabaseBabiloni basendulo eMesopotamiya. Kamuva, yamukelwa amaGreki, lawo azazi zawo zefilosofi, njengoPlato, zawuthuthukisa lombono ocatshangelwe. Inkolelo yawo ethuthukisiwe yokuthi ‘umzimba nomphefumulo’ kuyizinto ezimbili ezihlukene yaba yingxenye yenkolelo yamaJuda yokuhlubuka.

AmaKristu okuzisholo akwamukela nini ukukholelwa ekuphileni okunjalo kwangemva kokufa? Ngokuqinisekile hhayi ngesikhathi sikaJesu nabaphostoli bakhe. IEncyclopædia Universalis yesiFulentshi ithi: “IApocalypse of Peter [engathembekile] (yekhulu leminyaka lesi-2 C.E.) yayiyincwadi yokuqala yamaKristu eyachaza ukujeziswa nokuhlushwa kwezoni esihogweni.”

Eqinisweni, kubonakala sengathi phakathi kofata bokuqala besonto, kwakunokuphikisana okukhulu ngesihogo. UJustin Martyr, uClement waseAlexandria, uTertullian, noCyprian babesekela isihogo esivutha umlilo. UOrigen wazama ukuguqula isihogo ngenjongo yokusilungisa, ethi izoni ezisesihogweni ekugcineni ziyosindiswa. Walandelwa uGregory waseNazianzus noGregory waseNyssa. Kodwa uAugustine wayiqeda imibono enjalo ethambile ngesihogo. Encwadini yakhe ethi Early Christian Doctrines, uprofesa waseOxford uJ. N. D. Kelly ubhala lokhu: “Ngekhulu leminyaka lesihlanu imfundiso eqinile yokuthi izoni ngeke zibe nethuba lesibili ngemva kwalokhu kuphila neyokuthi umlilo oyozishwabadela awusoze wacinywa yayisivelele kuyo yonke indawo.”

Ngokuqondene nesihlanzo, incwadi ethi Orpheus—A General History of Religions ithi: “USt. Augustine wayekholelwa ukuthi kukhona isimo esiphakathi nendawo sokulengiselwa isigwebo phakathi komusa wesikhathi esizayo nokulahlwa, okungukuhlanzwa kwemiphefumulo ngomlilo. Lena imfundiso yesiHlanzo kaOrpheus [umGreki oyiqaba] noVirgil [umRoma oyiqaba]: akukho lutho olushiwoyo ngaso emaVangelini. . . . Imfundiso yesiHlanzo . . . yaqanjwa ekhulwini leminyaka lesithupha, futhi kwamenyezelwa ukuthi iyimfundiso yesonto nguMkhandlu waseFlorence (1439).” INew Catholic Encyclopedia iyavuma: “Imfundiso yamaKatolika ngesihlanzo isekelwe esikweni, hhayi emBhalweni Ongcwele.” Ngokuqondene neLimbo, uKhadinali waseRome uRatzinger uyavuma ukuthi ‘imane nje iwumbono wenkolo ocatshangelwe.’

Akukho-sijeziso Ngemva Kokufa

Nokho, kuthiwani ngeBhayibheli? Ingabe liyasho ukuthi umphefumulo uyasinda ekufeni komzimba nokuthi ngalesizathu ungajeziswa esihogweni esivutha umlilo noma esihlanzweni? INew Catholic Encyclopedia ithi: “Umqondo womphefumulo osindayo ngemva kokufa awubonakali eBhayibhelini. . . . Umphefumulo eT[estamenteni] E[lidala] awusho ingxenye yomuntu, kodwa usho umuntu ewonke—umuntu njengesidalwa esiphilayo. Ngokufanayo, eT[estamenteni] E[lisha] ufanekisela ukuphila komuntu: ukuphila komuntu ngamunye.”

Ngakho umqondo ocatshangelwe oyisisekelo wokujeziswa ngemva kokufa uyabhuntsha. IBhayibheli lithi: “Umphefumulo owonayo uyakufa.” (Hezekeli 18:4, Revised Standard Version, uhlelo lwamaKatolika) Lithi futhi: “Inkokhelo yesono ingukufa.” (Roma 6:23, RSV) Ngakho, uma iBhayibheli likhuluma ngabantu ababi abangaphenduki abagcina ‘eGehena,’ ‘emlilweni ongunaphakade,’ noma ‘echibini lomlilo,’ limane nje lisebenzisa ulimi olungokomfanekiso ekukhulumeni ngokufa kwabo okungunaphakade, “ukufa kwesibili.”—Mathewu 23:33; 25:41, 46; IsAmbulo 20:14; 21:8;a qhathanisa neyesi-2 Thesalonika 1:7-9.

Isihogo Siyathululwa Ngovuko

Khona-ke, ingabe isihogo siyashisa? Akunjalo ngokweBhayibheli. Ngempela, amagama elesiHeberu nelesiGreki ahunyushwe kwamanye amaBhayibheli ngokuthi “isihogo” amane nje asho ithuna elivamile labantu abafile. Aliyona indawo eshisayo yokuhlushwa. Kunalokho, liyindawo yokuphumula, abantu abafile abayophuma kuyo ngovuko. (UmShumayeli 9:10; IzEnzo 24:15) UOscar Cullmann, uprofesa woMkhakha Wemfundiso Yenkolo eYunivesithi yaseBasel eSwitzerland, neyaseSorbonne, eParis, ukhuluma “ngomahluko omkhulu phakathi kokulindela kwamaKristu uvuko lwabafile nenkolelo yamaGreki ekungafini komphefumulo.” Ngokunembile, uthi “iqiniso lokuthi ubuKristu bakamuva baxhumanisa lezinkolelo ezimbili . . . eqinisweni alikhona neze ukuxhunyaniswa kodwa liwukulahlwa kokunye [imfundiso yeBhayibheli yovuko] nokwamukelwa kokunye [inkolelo yobuqaba yokungafi komphefumulo womuntu].”—Omalukeke sizenzele.

OFakazi BakaJehova abakulahlanga ukukholelwa kwabo ovukweni ukuze bamukele umqondo wokungafi komphefumulo. Bayokujabulela ukuhlanganyela nawe ithemba labo elijabulisayo futhi bakubonise ngeBhayibheli ukuthi ngempela, isihogo asishisi.

[Umbhalo waphansi]