Imiqulu YasoLwandle Olufile—Igugu Elingandulelwa Yilutho

ESINQENI seWadi Qumran, engxenyeni esenyakatho-ntshonalanga yoLwandle Olufile, kunamanxiwa athile asendulo. Njengoba sekukade kucatshangwa ukuthi ayizinsalela zenqaba yamaRoma, awazange anakwe ngabavubukuli. Nokho, ukutholwa koMqulu kaIsaya WasoLwandle Olufile ngo-1947 kwashukumisela ukuba lendawo iphinde icatshangelwe.

Ngokushesha izazi zathi lezizakhiwo kwakungezomphakathi wenkolo wamaJuda. Ukucabangela ezazinakho kwaba ukuthi lababantu babefihle imiqulu emihumeni ephakathi kwamawa ayeseduze. Kodwa okwatholwa kamuva kwabonakala kubangela ukukungabaza lokho.

Okutholiwe Okungandulelwa Yilutho

AmaBedouin ayekuqaphela ukubaluleka kwemibhalo yesandla ayeseyitholile kakade. Ngakho, ngo-1952, lapho ikhehla elithile lilandisa ukuthi lapho liselisha laxosha ithendele elilimele laze layongena emgodini owawungaphezu kwedwala, lapho elathola khona izitsha ezithile zobumba nesibani samafutha sakudala, kwaqaliswa ukuhlola okusha.

Lelikhehla lalisakwazi ukubona umlomo walowomhume phakathi kwemifantu ejulile yewa elimangelengele. Wabonakala uwumhume owenziwa umuntu, manje obizwa ngokuthi iCave 4. Lapho amaBedouin athola izingcezu zemibhalo yesandla emgodini ojule cishe ngemitha owawumbiwe endaweni yaphansi eyayikhona ngalesosikhathi. Azikho kulezingcezu ezazigcinwe kojeke, ngakho eziningi zazonakele kakhulu, zigqungqile, futhi zifohloke kakhulu. Ngokuhamba kwesikhathi kwatholwa izingcezu ezicishe zibe ngu-40 000, ezazimelela imibhalo yesandla ecishe ibe ngu-400. Zonke izincwadi zemiBhalo yesiHeberu, ngaphandle kwekaEsteri, kwakukhona ezizimelelayo phakathi kwemibhalo yesandla yeBhayibheli eyikhulu. Eminingi yalemibhalo eyatholwa kuCave 4 ayikasakazwa namanje.

Omunye wemibhalo yesandla ebaluleke kakhulu kwakungowezincwadi zikaSamuweli, owawulotshwe emqulwini owodwa. Umbhalo wawo wesiHeberu, owawulondolozwe ezinhlwini ezingu-47 ngokunokwenzeka kwezingu-57, ufana kakhulu nalowo owasetshenziswa abahumushi benguqulo yesiGreki yeSeptuagint. Kukhona nezingcezu zesiGreki zeSeptuagint ezivela kuLevitikusi noNumeri ezihlehlela emuva ekhulwini lokuqala leminyaka B.C.E. Umbhalo wesandla kaLevitikusi usebenzisa uIAO, egameni lesiHeberu elithi יהוה, igama laphezulu likaNkulunkulu, esikhundleni segama lesiGreki elithi Kyʹri·os, elisho ukuthi “Nkosi.”a

Ocezwini oluvela kuDuteronomi, umbhalo wesiHeberu uhlanganisa nengxenyana evela esahlukweni 32, ivesi 43, etholakala kuyiSeptuagint futhi ucaphuna kumaHeberu 1:6: “Nezingelosi zonke zikaNkulunkulu mazikhuleke kuye.” Lokhu kungokokuqala ngqá ukuba lomusho utholwe kunoma yimuphi umbhalo wesandla wesiHeberu, owembula umbhalo oyisekela ngokucacile inguqulo yesiGreki. Kanjalo izazi ziye zazuza ukuqonda okusha ngombhalo weSeptuagint, ovame ukucashunwa emiBhalweni YamaKristu YesiGreki.

Umqulu kaEksodusi kuye kwathiwa ungowengxenye yesithathu yekhulu lesithathu leminyaka B.C.E., okaSamuweli kwathiwa ungowangasekupheleni kwalelokhulu leminyaka, futhi umqulu kaJeremiya kwathiwa ungowaphakathi kuka-225 no-175 B.C.E. Kuye kwatholwa imibhalo eyanele esukela ekhulwini lesithathu kuya kwelokuqala leminyaka B.C.E. ukuze kutholwe izinguquko ezindleleni zokubhala nasezinhlamvwini ngazinye zama-alfabhethi esiHeberu nawesiAramu, okuyinto ebaluleke kakhulu ekutholeni isikhathi semibhalo yesandla.

Isimangaliso SeCave 11

Ekugcineni, yonke indawo ezungeze iQumran yahlolisiswa, amaBedouin akuleyondawo nangabavubukuli. Nokho, ngolunye usuku ngo-1956, amanye amaBedouin abona amalulwane ephuma emifantwini yamawa enyakatho neCave 1. Akhwela futhi athola omunye umhume, umnyango wawo owawuvimbekile. Kwadingeka ukuba kususwe amathani amabili edwala elaliwile ukuze uvulwe. Okwatholwa ngaphakathi kwakumangalisa—imibhalo yesandla emibili ephelele kanye nezingxenyana eziyisihlanu ezinkulu zeminye.

Okutholiwe okubaluleke kakhulu kwakuwumqulu omuhle wamaHubo. Ubuqatha besikhumba busikisela ukuthi ngokunokwenzeka yisikhumba senkonyane kunokuba kube ngesembuzi. Ingqikithi yezingcwecwe eziyisihlanu, izingcwecwe ezilukhuni ezine ezihlukanayo, nezingcezu ezine iwenza ukuba ube nobude obungaphezu kwamamitha amane. Nakuba ingxenye engenhla yalomqulu ilondolozeke kahle, ichopho elingezansi lonakele kakhulu. Ungowesikhathi esisukela engxenyeni yokuqala yekhulu lokuqala leminyaka C.E. futhi uqukethe izingxenye zamahubo angu-41. ITetragrammaton ilotshwe izikhathi ezicishe zibe ngu-105 ngezinhlamvu zesiHeberu sakuqala sasendulo, okuyenza igqame phakathi kombhalo wesiHeberu oyizikwele womongo.

Omunye umbhalo wesandla, kaLevitikusi, wonke ulotshwe ngombhalo wesiHeberu sasendulo, kodwa ukuthi kungani lokhu kunjalo akukachazwa ngokwanele. Uwumbhalo omude kunayo yonke kwekhona esebenzisa loluhlobo lokubhala, olwalusetshenziswa lapho amaJuda eya ekuthunjweni kwaseBabiloni ekupheleni kwekhulu lesikhombisa leminyaka B.C.E.

Ikhophi yeTargum, ukubukezwa kwesiAramu kwencwadi kaJobe, nayo yatholwa. Iphakathi kwamaTargum okuqala impela ake abhalwa. Izincwadi eziningi ezikhulumela ezinye izincwadi zeBhayibheli nazo zatholwa emihumeni ehlukahlukene. Kwenzeka kanjani ukuba yonke lemiqulu ifihleke kahle kangaka kulemihume?

Njengoba kushiwo ekuqaleni, eminye kungenzeka yafihlwa umphakathi wamaQumran. Kodwa ngokobufakazi, kubonakala kungenzeka kakhulu ukuthi eminingi yabekwa lapho ngamaJuda ayebalekela ukusondela kwamaRoma eJudiya ngonyaka ka-68 C.E., ngaphambi kokubhujiswa kokugcina kweJerusalema okwenzeka eminyakeni emibili kamuva. Ihlane lakwaJuda laliyisiphephelo esingokwemvelo esiphephile semibhalo yesandla eyigugu hhayi nje emihumeni eseduze naseQumran kodwa nakuleyo esendaweni engamakhilomitha amaningi ukuya enyakatho, ezungeze iJeriko, nokuya eningizimu, ngaseMasada. Yeka indlela esibonga ngayo ngokulondolozeka kwayo! Inikeza ubufakazi obengeziwe bokuthi iZwi likaJehova eliphefumlelwe alinakushintsha. Ngempela, “izwi likaNkulunkulu wethu limi kuze kube-phakade.”—Isaya 40:8.

[Umbhalo waphansi]

[Ibhokisi ekhasini 13]

INGABE KUNOKWENGEZIWE OKUZOZA NGOKUSHESHA?

Nakuba zatholwa emashumini eminyaka adlule, izingcezu eziningi zeMiqulu YasoLwandle Olufile azisakazwa. INew York Times kaDecember 23, 1990, yazwakalisa ukungavumi: “Ngisho namakhophi ayo athwetshuliwe agcinwa yiqembu lezazi elizikhethayo eligwema abantu elisebenza nabo nelinqaba ukusakaza eminingi yemibhalo elinayo.” Nokho, leliphephandaba labika ukuthi kusanda kushitshwa izisebenzi kuleliqembu labahleli, okungaba isinyathelo sokuhlakaza “ukuzikhetha okuzungeze lemiqulu . . . , futhi umhlaba uyokwazi okwengeziwe ngenkathi engavamile emlandweni.”

[Umthombo Wesithombe ekhasini 12]

Pictorial Archive (Near Eastern History) Est.