UWilliam Whiston—Isihlubuki Noma Isazi Esithembekile? — Watchtower UMTAPO OKUYI-INTHANETHI

UWilliam Whiston—Isihlubuki Noma Isazi Esithembekile?

INGABE ubungawudela umsebenzi wakho wokuziphilisa ngenxa yezinkolelo zakho? UWilliam Whiston wazidela.

Waba yisisulu sokuphikiswa okungokwenkolo ekuqaleni kwekhulu le-18, lapho enqaba ukuvumelana neSonto LaseSheshi ngezimfundiso zeBhayibheli. Ngenxa yalokho, ekugcineni wabizwa ngokuthi isihlubuki. Ngakho inkambo yakhe yamlethela ukugconwa kodwa yamenza wazuza nenhlonipho.

Wayengubani uWilliam Whiston? Futhi yini ayifeza?

Isazi SeBhayibheli

UWilliam Whiston wayeyisisebenzi esikhaliphile esikanye noSir Isaac Newton eCambridge University. Uma uhlola inguqulo yesiNgisi yemibhalo yesazi-mlando esingumJuda sekhulu lokuqala uFlavius Josephus, cishe uzobe ufunda inguqulo eyahunyushwa nguWhiston ngo-1736. Nakuba zikhona ezinye izinguqulo, ukuhumusha kwakhe kobuchwepheshe, kanye namaphuzu akhe nezindaba, kuphuma phambili futhi kusanyatheliswa namanje. Abaningi babheka lomsebenzi njengokuthile okuphakeme kakhulu okufezwe uWhiston.

Nokho, okungamelwe kushalazelwe, i-Primitive New Testament, inguqulo kaWhiston yemiBhalo YamaKristu YesiGreki. Yakhishwa ngo-1745, onyakeni wakhe wama-78 ubudala. UWhiston wahumusha amaVangeli amane nezEnzo ZabaPhostoli ekususela kuyi-Codex Bezae, izincwadi zikaPawulu ezivela kuyi-Codex yaseClermont, nengxenye esele, kanye nesAmbulo, okuvela emiBhalweni Yesandla yase-Alexandria. Wayeqa ngokunakekela ingxenye engamanga ekweyoku-1 Johane 5:7. UWhiston wakhetha lemithombo emithathu yasendulo yesiGreki njengengcono kakhulu eyayitholakala ngalesosikhathi.

Ngokusobala uthando ngeBhayibheli olwashukumisela uWhiston kulokho akwenza. Osukwini lwakhe kwakwande i-deism, imfundiso yokuthi ukucabanga kukodwa kuyisisekelo esanele sokukholelwa kuNkulunkulu. Ngokwencwadi ethi William Whiston—Honest Newtonian, waphakamisa ngamandla “umbono ongokwesiko wokuthi iBhayibheli liwukuphela komthombo ongenaphutha womlando wasendulo.” Igama elithi “Newtonian” lapha libhekisela ku-Isaac Newton, owaziwa kakhulu nge-Principia yakhe, achaza kuyo ngokuningiliziwe umthetho wamandla adonsela phansi wendawo yonke. Ukucabanga kukaNewton kwaba nethonya elikhulu kuWilliam Whiston. Kanjani?

Ubuntu Obungafani

UWilliam Whiston wazalwa ngo-1667, eyindodana yomfundisi weSonto LaseSheshi. Ngemva kokugcotshwa kwakhe ngo-1693, waphindela eCambridge University ukuze ayofunda isayensi yezibalo futhi abe umsizi kaNewton. Kwaba nokusondelana okuseduze phakathi kwabo. Lapho uNewton eshiya isikhundla sakhe sokuba uProfesa Wesayensi Yezibalo ongumLucasian cishe eminyakeni emithathu kamuva, waqikelela ukuba uWhiston amiswe esikhundleni sakhe. Njengoba ayephishekela umsebenzi wakhe, uWhiston wafundisa isayensi yokuhlolwa kwezinkanyezi neyezibalo, kodwa ithonya likaNewton nalo lamshukumisela ekubeni nesithakazelo esijulile ekulandelaneni kwezenzakalo zeBhayibheli nezimfundiso zalo.

UNewton wayengumuntu othanda inkolo. Njengoba ayekholelwa ngokuqinile eMinyakeni Eyinkulungwane engokweBhayibheli, wabhala ngokuningiliziwe ngeziprofetho zikaDaniyeli nesAmbulo. Nokho, akukho neyodwa yalezizincwadi eyanyatheliswa esaphila. Wayenqaba imfundiso kaZiqu-zintathu. Kodwa lapho kuziwa ekusakazweni kobufakazi bakhe ngokumelene noZiqu-zintathu, “uNewton wahlehla esaba ukuthi imibono yakhe ephikisana noZiqu-zintathu yayizokwaziwa,” kuphawula i-New Encyclopædia Britannica. Encwadini ethi Isaac Newton, Historian uF. E. Manuel uthi: “Iqembu likaNewton laligcina imibono yalo iyimfihlo noma licindezele intshiseko yalo. . . . Lapho uNewton efihla izinto uWhiston wayeziveza obala.” Ngakho lamadoda amabili ayenobuntu obungafani.

Ukukhipha Inyumbazane

Ngo-July 1708, uWhiston wabhalela ababhishobhi abakhulu baseCanterbury naseYork, enxusa ukuba kushintshwe imfundiso yeSonto LaseSheshi ngenxa yokuba namanga kwemfundiso kaZiqu-zintathu njengoba iboniswa eSivumweni Sokholo sika-Athanasius. Ngokuqondakalayo, welulekwa ukuba aqaphele. Nakuba kunjalo uWhiston waphikelela. “Ngiwafunde ngokucophelela lamaphuzu,” esho, “futhi ngiqiniseka ngokuphelele ukuthi ibandla lamakristu liye lakhohliswa isikhathi eside nangokungathi sína; futhi, ngesibusiso sikaNkulunkulu, uma bekusemandleni ami, belingeke lisakhohliswa.”

UNewton wayesaba ukulahlekelwa isikhundla sakhe kwezenhlalo nakwezemfundo. Ngakolunye uhlangothi, uWhiston wayengesabi. Ngemva kokusungula izinkolelo zakhe eziphikisana noZiqu-zintathu, wabhala ipheshana eliveza imibono yakhe. Kodwa ngo-August 1708, iCambridge University yenqaba ukunika uWhiston imvume yokunyathelisa lokhu kwaziswa, njengoba kwakubhekwa njengokungagunyaziwe.

Ngo-1710, uWhiston wamangalelwa ngokufundisa imfundiso engavumelani nenkolelo yeSonto LaseSheshi. Walahlwa yicala, waphucwa ilungelo lakhe lokuba uprofesa, futhi waxoshwa eCambridge. Nokho, naphezu kokuthethwa kwamacala akhe okungokomthetho, okwathatha iminyaka ecishe ibe mihlanu eyengeziwe, uWhiston akazange agwetshelwe ukuhlubuka.

Nakuba imibono kaNewton ephikisana noZiqu-zintathu yayifana nekaWhiston, akazange amsekele umngane wakhe futhi ekugcineni wamkhipha inyumbazane. Ekugcineni ngo-1754, ukwaziswa okungokweBhayibheli kukaNewton okudalula uZiqu-zintathu kwasakazwa—eminyakeni engu-27 ngemva kokufa kwakhe. Kodwa lokho kwase kwephuze kakhulu ukuba kube usizo kuWhiston, owayefe eminyakeni emibili ngaphambili.

UNewton ubhekwa futhi njengonecala lokukhipha uWhiston kuyi-Royal Society ehlonishwayo. Kodwa uWhiston akazange adangale. Yena nomkhaya wakhe bathuthela eLondon, lapho asungula khona iNhlangano Yokuthuthukisa UbuKristu Bakuqala. Wagxila kakhulu emsebenzini wokubhala, incwadi yakhe eyayibaluleke kakhulu ngalesosikhathi kwakuyimiqulu emine ye-Primitive Christianity Revived.

Waphikisa Kwaze Kwaba Sekupheleni

Njengesazi sesayensi, uWhiston wahlola izindlela ezihlukahlukene amatilosi ayengahlola ngazo umumo wokujula, nokudepha, nobude bolwandle. Nakuba imibono yakhe ingazange yamukelwe, ekugcineni ukuphikelela kwakhe kwaphumela ekwakhiweni kwe-chronometer yasolwandle. Nakuba imibono eminingi kaWhiston ngesiprofetho seBhayibheli, njengaleyo yalabo ababephila ngesikhathi sakhe, iye yabonakala inganembile, wenza konke okusemandleni akhe ekufuneni kwakhe iqiniso. Izimiso zakhe zokujikeleza kwezinkanyezi ezinomsila nemicabango yakhe ngethonya likaZamcolo wosuku lukaNowa kuphakathi kwezinto eziningi azibhala ukuze avikele iqiniso elingokwesayensi nelingokweBhayibheli. Nokho, imibhalo edlula yonke eminye imibhalo yakhe, yileyo edalula imfundiso kaZiqu-zintathu njengengasekelwe ngokombhalo.

Enza ngendlela ayevame ukusabela ngayo, uWhiston washiya iSonto LaseSheshi ngo-1747. Wenza kanjalo, kokubili ngokoqobo nangokomfanekiso, lapho eshiya isonto njengoba umfundisi ayeqala ukufunda iSivumo Sokholo sika-Athanasius. I-Religious Encyclopædia ithi ngoWhiston: “Umuntu kumelwe akwazise ukukhululeka kobudoda nokuba neqiniso kobuntu bakhe, ukungaguquguquki ekuphileni kwakhe, nokuziphatha kwakhe okungayekethisi.”

UWilliam Whiston, wayengenakuhlehla eqinisweni, futhi ukuqiniseka komuntu siqu kwakuyigugu ngokwengeziwe kuye kunodumo lwabantu. Nakuba ayephikisa, uWhiston wayeyisazi esithembekile esasekela iBhayibheli ngokungesabi njengeZwi likaNkulunkulu.—2 Thimothewu 3:16, 17.

[Umthombo Wesithombe ekhasini 26]