Ukusuka KuMama OnguMhlaba Kuya Konkulunkulukazi Benzalo

INGABE uyamazi unkulunkulukazi oboniswa esembozweni salomagazini? NguIsis, unkulunkulukazi ongumama wasendulo waseGibithe. Uma uye wavakashela umnyuziyamu noma wabheka emakhasini encwadi yomlando wasendulo, ngokunokwenzeka uye wazibona kakade izithombe ezifana nalesi. Nokho cabangela lokhu: Ingabe ubungakhothama futhi umkhulekele unkulunkulukazi uIsis?

Uma uyilungu lenye yezinkolo zeLobukholwa, lokho kungase kubonakale kungumbuzo oxakayo. Ngokunokwenzeka ubuyogcizelela ekutheni ukhulekela uMdali, Lowo okuthiwa kuye, “Baba wethu osezulwini.” (Mathewu 6:9) Umqondo wokukhothamela unkulunkulukazi ongumama ungase ubonakale uxaka, ungemukeleki ngisho nokwemukeleka. Nokho, ukukhulekela okunjalo bekulokhu kusakazekile kuwo wonke umlando, futhi ungase ushaqeke ngokwazi ukuthi obani ngempela abakhulekela unkulunkulukazi omkhulu ongumama namuhla.

Nokho, ngaphambi kokuba sixoxe ngalokho, ake sithole isizinda ngokucabangela izinga lokukhulekelwa kukankulunkulukazi ongumama ezikhathini zasendulo. Loluhlobo lokukhulekela lubonakala luwuhlobo oludala kakhulu lwenkolo yamanga. Imifanekiso nezithombe zonkulunkulukazi abangomama abanqunu ziye zambiwa abavubukuli emanxiweni asendulo kulo lonke elaseYurophu kanye nasemazweni aseMedithera kuya eNdiya.

UMama onguMhlaba wayebhekwa njengomthombo ohlala njalo wazo zonke izinhlobo zokuphila, enikeza ukuphila futhi abuye akuthathe ekufeni kwazo. Njengoba ayenjalo, wayekhulekelwa kodwa futhi esatshwa. Okokuqala nje, kwakukholelwa ukuthi amandla akhe okuzala ayengewona angokobulili. Khona-ke, ngokwezinganekwane, wazala uBaba oyiSibhakabhaka wesilisa futhi waba umkakhe. Lombhangqwana wazala abanye onkulunkulu nonkulunkulukazi abangenakubalwa.

Umfuziselo WaseBabiloni

Konkulunkulu baseBabiloni abaqashelwa ngokomthetho, uIshtar wayewunkulunkulukazi oyinhloko, efana nonkulunkulukazi wenzalo wamaSumer uInnanna. Ngokuyindida, wayeyikho kokubili unkulunkulukazi wempi nonkulunkulukazi wothando nenkanuko. Encwadini yaso ethi Les Religions de Babylonie et d’Assyrie (Izinkolo ZaseBabiloni NaseAsiriya), isazi esingumFulentshi uÉdouard Dhorme sathi ngoIshtar: “Wayewunkulunkulukazi, inkosazana, umama onomusa olalela imikhuleko futhi ashweleze phambi konkulunkulu abathukuthele futhi abathobise. . . . Wayedunyiswa ngaphezu kwabo bonke, waba unkulunkulukazi wonkulunkulukazi, indlovukazi yabo bonke onkulunkulu, umbusi wonkulunkulu bezulu nomhlaba.”

Abakhulekeli bakaIshtar babembiza ngokuthi “iNcasakazi,” “iNcasakazi Engcwele,” nangokuthi “uMama OyiNcasakazi.” “Umkhuleko Wokulila KuIshtar” wasendulo wamaSumer nama-Akkad uthi: “Ngiyakhuleka kuwe, O Nkosazana yamakhosazana, nkulunkulukazi wonkulunkulukazi. O Ishtar, ndlovukazi yabo bonke abantu. . . . O mnini wawo wonke amandla aphezulu, othwala umqhele wokubusa. . . . Amasonto, izindawo ezingcwele, amanxiwa angcwele, namathempeli kuyakuhlonipha. . . . Yini engafaniswanga nawe? . . . Ngibheke O Nkosazana yami; yamukela imikhuleko yami.”a

Ukukhulekelwa Kukankulunkulukazi OnguMama Kuyasakazeka

Isazi sezinto zaseMpumalanga uÉdouard Dhorme sikhuluma “ngokwanda kokukhulekelwa kukaIshtar.” Kwasakazeka kulo lonke elaseMesopotamiya, futhi uIshtar ngokwakhe noma abanye onkulunkulukazi abanamagama ahlukahlukene kodwa abanezici ezifanayo babekhulekelwa eGibithe, eFenike, naseKhanani, kuhlanganise naseAnatolia (Asia Minor), eGrisi, naseItaly.

Unkulunkulukazi ongumama oyinhloko owayekhulekelwa eGibithe kwakunguIsis. Isazi-mlando uH. G. Wells sabhala: “UIsis wadonsa abakhulekeli abaningi, ababefunga ngokuphila kwabo kuye. Izithombe zakhe zazimi ethempelini, zithweswe umqhele njengeNdlovukazi Yezulu futhi egone usana uHorus ezingalweni zakhe. Amakhandlela ayelanguka futhi ephephetheka phambi kwakhe, futhi ethempelini kwakulenga iminikelo yokubonga eyenziwe ngengcina.” (The Outline of History) Ukukhulekelwa kukaIsis kwakudume kakhulu eGibithe. Kwasakazeka futhi kuyo yonke indawo yaseMedithera, ikakhulukazi ukuya eGrisi naseRoma, kufinyelela ngisho nasentshonalanga nenyakatho yeYurophu.

EFenike naseKhanani, ukukhulekelwa kukankulunkulukazi ongumama kwakugxile kuAshitaroti, noma uAstarte, okuthiwa wayengumkaBali. Njengomfuziselo wakhe waseBabiloni, uIshtar, wayeyikho kokubili unkulunkulukazi wenzalo nowempi. EGibithe kuye kwatholakala imibhalo eqoshiwe yasendulo lapho uAstarte ebizwa khona ngokuthi uyinkosazana yezulu nendlovukazi yamazulu. AmaIsrayeli kwakumelwe alwisane ngokungaphezi nethonya elonakalisayo lokukhulekelwa kwalonkulunkulukazi wenzalo.

Ngasenyakatho-ntshonalanga yeAnatolia, olingana noIshtar kwakunguCybele, owayaziwa njengoMama Omkhulu wonkulunkulu. Wayebizwa nangokuthi uMzali wabo bonke, uMondli wabo bonke, uMama wabo bonke abaBusisiwe. Ukusuka eAnatolia inkolo kaCybele yasakazekela kuqala eGrisi yase iya eRoma, lapho yachuma khona kwaze kwaba iSikhathi Esivamile. Ukukhulekelwa kwalonkulunkulukazi wenzalo kwakuhlanganisa ukusina kobuhlanya, ukuzisika kwabapristi, ukuzithena kwabazongenela ubupristi, nezindwendwe lapho isithombe salonkulunkulukazi sasithwalwa sisebucwazicwazini obukhulu.b

AmaGreki asendulo ayekhulekela unkulunkulukazi onguMama Womhlaba owayebizwa ngokuthi uGaea. Kodwa onkulunkulukazi bawo abangokomthetho bahlanganisa nonkulunkulukazi abafana noIshtar, njengoAphrodite, unkulunkulukazi wenzalo nothando; uAthena, unkulunkulukazi wempi; noDemeter, unkulunkulukazi wezolimo.

ERoma, uVenus wayengunkulunkulukazi wothando futhi, engonjalo, wayehambelana noAphrodite wamaGreki noIshtar waseBabiloni. Nokho, namaRoma ayekhulekela onkulunkulukazi abangoIsis, uCybele noMinerva (uAthena wamaGreki), bonke ababefana ngandlela-thile nomfuziselo kaIshtar waseBabiloni.

Ngokusobala, ezinkulungwaneni eziningi zeminyaka, ukukhulekelwa kukankulunkulukazi omkhulu ongumama kwakuwukuhlubuka okunamandla ekukhulekelweni okumsulwa koMdali omkhulu, uJehova. Ingabe ukukhulekelwa kukankulunkulukazi omkhulu ongumama kwaphela? Noma ingabe kuye kwaqhubeka kwaze kwaba sosukwini lwanamuhla? Siza uqhubeke ufunda.

[Imibhalo yaphansi]

[Isithombe ekhasini 3]

UISHTAR waseBabiloni owenziwe samuntu njengenkanyezi

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Courtesy of The British Museum

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UISIS waseGibithe ekanye nonkulunkulu owusana uHorus

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Musée du Louvre, Paris