Ukuhlonishwa Kwezithombe—Impikiswano
ENDAWENI ethile ePoland, indoda ethile isilungele uhambo lwayo. Nokho, kusamelwe inakekele umniningwane owodwa obalulekile. Iyaguqa phambi kwesithombe sikaJesu, yenza umnikelo, bese ithandazela ukuthola isivikelo ohambweni lwayo.
Ebangeni eliqhele ngamakhilomitha ayizinkulungwane, eBangkok, eThailand, ungabona umkhosi wokuqala womjikelezo waminyaka yonke wamaBuddha, ngesikhathi sokuhlangana kwenyanga ngoMay. Phakathi nalomkhosi isithombe sikaBuddha kubukiswa ngaso emigwaqweni.
Ngokungangabazeki uyaqaphela ukuthi ukuhlonishwa kwezithombe, njengoba kusanda kuchazwa, kusabalele. Izigidigidi zabantu zikhothamela izithombe. Ezinkulungwaneni zeminyaka izithombe ziye zabhekwa njengendlela ebalulekile yokusondela kuNkulunkulu.
Uyini umbono wakho ngokusetshenziswa kwezithombe ekukhulekeleni? Ingabe ukuhlonishwa kwezithombe kulungile noma akulungile? UNkulunkulu uzizwa kanjani ngakho? Ingabe bukhona ubufakazi bokuthi uyakwamukela ukukhulekela okunjalo? Mhlawumbe wena ngokwakho awukaze ucabange kangako ngemibuzo enjalo. Nokho, uma ukwazisa ukuba nobuhlobo noNkulunkulu, kudingeka uzithole izimpendulo zayo.
Kuyavunywa, kwabaningi lokhu akuzange kube yinto exazululeka kalula. Eqinisweni, iye yaba indaba yezimpikiswano ezishubile futhi ngezinye izikhathi ezinobudlova ezinkulungwaneni zeminyaka. Ngokwesibonelo, emuva onyakeni ka-1513 B.C.E., umholi wamaHeberu uMose wabhubhisa isithombe sethole legolide futhi wabulala ngenkemba abantu abacishe babe ngu-3 000 ababesihlonipha.—Eksodusi, isahluko 32.
Ukumelana ngokuqinile nokusetshenziswa kwezithombe zenkolo akuzange kugcine kumaJuda. Izazi-mlando zezwe zasendulo ziye zalondoloza indaba yasendulo kaTakhmūrūp, umbusi wasePheresiya okuthiwa wenza imikhankaso emikhulu yokumelana nokuhlonishwa kwezithombe emakhulwini eminyaka ngaphambi kukaMose. EChina kubikwa ukuthi inkosi okuthiwa yayikhona endulo yaqala ukuhlasela ngamabutho izithombe zonkulunkulu abahlukahlukene. Ngemva kokuba izithombe zibhujisiwe, yakulahla njengokuwubuwula ukuhlonipha onkulunkulu abenziwe ngobumba. Kamuva, lapho uMuhammad eseyingane, kwakunama-Arabhu ayemelene nokusetshenziswa kwezithombe ekukhulekeleni. Ithonya lawo kuMuhammad laba nengxenye ekumeni akuthatha ngokuqondene nokukhonza izithombe eminyakeni eyalandela. KuyiKoran, uMuhammad ufundisa ukuthi ukukhonza izithombe kuyisono esingenakuthethelelwa, ukuthi abakhonza izithombe akumelwe bathandazelwe, nokuthi kwenqatshelwe ukushada nabantu abakhonza izithombe.
Ngisho nakweLobukholwa abaholi benkolo abavelele bekhulu lesibili, lesithathu, lesine, nelesihlanu leminyaka C.E., abanjengoIrenaeus, uOrigen, uEusebius waseKhesariya, uEpiphanius, noAugustine, bamelana nokusetshenziswa kwezithombe ekukhulekeleni. Cishe ngasekuqaleni kwekhulu lesine leminyaka C.E., e-Elvira, eSpain, iqembu lababhishobhi laqamba amazwi ezinqumo amaningi abalulekile amelene nokuhlonishwa kwezithombe. LoMkhandlu Wase-Elvira owaziwayo wabangela ukunqatshelwa kwezithombe emasontweni nasekumisweni kwezijeziso ezinzima kubakhulekeli bezithombe.
Ababhubhisi Bezithombe
Lezizenzakalo zacaba indlela yenye yezimpikiswano ezinkulu kunazo zonke emlandweni: impikiswano ehilela ababhubhisi bezithombe yekhulu lesishiyagalombili nelesishiyagalolunye leminyaka. Esinye isazi-mlando sithi ‘lempikiswano eshubile yathatha isikhathi esingangekhulu leminyaka nengxenye, futhi yabangela ukuhlupheka okungenakuchazwa’ nokuthi ‘yayingenye yezimbangela eziqondile zokuhlukana phakathi kwemibuso yaseMpumalanga neyaseNtshonalanga.’
Lomkhankaso wokumelana nezithombe wahlanganisa ukususwa nokubhujiswa kwezithombe kulo lonke elaseYurophu. Kwamiswa imithetho eminingi emelene nezithombe ukuze kuqedwe ukusetshenziswa kwezithombe ekukhulekeleni. Ukuhlonishwa kwezithombe kwaba impikiswano eshubile engokombangazwe eyaholela ababusi nopapa, ojenene nababhishobhi empini yangempela engokwenkolo.
Futhi lempi yayingaphezu nje kokulwa ngamagama. ICyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature, kaMcClintock noStrong, ithi ngemva kokuba uMbusi uLeo III ekhiphe umyalo omelene nokusetshenziswa kwezithombe emasontweni, abantu “bahlangana ngobuningi bemelana nalomyalo, futhi iziphithiphithi ezihambisana nobudlova, ikakhulukazi eConstantinople,” zaba izenzakalo zansuku zonke. Ukulwa phakathi kwamabutho ombuso nabantu kwaphumela ekubulaweni nasekucekeleni phansi. Izindela zashushiswa ngonya. Emakhulwini eminyaka kamuva, phakathi nekhulu le-16 leminyaka, kwaba nezimpikiswano zasobala eziningi eZurich, eSwitzerland, eziphathelene nendaba yezithombe emasontweni. Ngenxa yalokho, kwamiswa umthetho owawuyala ukuba kususwe zonke izithombe emasontweni. Abanye abagqugquzeli balenguquko babaziwa kakhulu ngokulahla kwabo ukukhulekelwa kwezithombe ngamandla futhi ngokuvamile nangobudlova.
Ngisho nanamuhla kunokungavumelani okukhulu phakathi kwezazi zenkolo zanamuhla ngokuqondene nokusetshenziswa kwezithombe ekukhulekeleni. Isihloko esilandelayo sizokusiza ukuba ubone ukuthi izithombe zingamsiza ngempela yini umuntu ukuba asondele kuNkulunkulu.