Ayengobani AmaMasorete?

UJEHOVA, ‘uNkulunkulu weqiniso,’ uye walondoloza iZwi lakhe, iBhayibheli. (IHubo 31:5, qhathanisa ne-NW.) Kodwa njengoba uSathane, isitha seqiniso, eye wazama ukulonakalisa nokulibhubhisa, ngokuyisisekelo iBhayibheli lafinyelela kanjani kithina lisenjengoba lalibhaliwe?—Bheka uMathewu 13:39.

Ingxenye yempendulo ingatholakala emazwini kaProfesa Robert Gordis: “Okwafezwa ababhali abangamaHeberu, ababebizwa ngokuthi ama-masorete noma ‘abalondolozi besiko,’ akuzange kuqashelwe ngokwanele. Laba babhali abangaziwa bakopisha iNcwadi Engcwele ngokucophelela okukhulu nangothando.” Nakuba namuhla singawazi amagama eningi lalaba bakopishi, igama lomunye umkhaya wamaMasorete liye lagcinwa ngokucacile—owakwaBen Asher. Yini esiyaziyo ngawo nangamaMasorete ayekanye nawo?

Umkhaya WakwaBen Asher

Ingxenye yeBhayibheli eyayibhalwe ngesiHeberu ekuqaleni, evame ukubizwa ngokuthi iTestamente Elidala, yakopishwa ngokukholeka ababhali abangamaJuda. Kusukela ekhulwini lesithupha kuya kweleshumi C.E., laba bakopishi babebizwa ngokuthi amaMasorete. Wawuhilelani umsebenzi wabo?

Amakhulu eminyaka isiHeberu sasibhalwa ngongwaqa kuphela, onkamisa befakwa ngumfundi. Nokho, ngesikhathi samaMasorete indlela efanele yokuphinyiselwa kwesiHeberu yayisilahleka ngenxa yokuthi amaJuda amaningi ayengasalwazi kahle lolo limi. EBabiloni nakwa-Israyeli amaqembu amaMasorete asungula izimpawu ezazizobekwa emaceleni ongwaqa ukuze zibonise ukugcizelela nokuphinyiselwa konkamisa ngendlela efanele. Okungenani kwasungulwa izimiso ezintathu ezihlukene, kodwa esaba nethonya kakhulu kwakungesamaMasorete aseTiberiya, ngasoLwandle LwaseGalile, ikhaya lomkhaya wakwaBen Asher.

Imithombo inikeza uhlu lwezizukulwane ezinhlanu zamaMasorete ezavela kulomkhaya oyingqayizivele, iqala ngo-Asher uMdala wekhulu lesi-8 C.E. Abanye kwakunguNehemiah Ben Asher, u-Asher Ben Nehemiah, uMoses Ben Asher, ekugcineni, kube ngu-Aaron Ben Moses Ben Asher wekhulu leshumi C.E.a Lamadoda ayehola kulabo ababephelelisa izimpawu ezilotshiwe ezaziyokuveza kangcono kakhulu lokho ababekuqonda njengendlela efanele yokuphimisela umbhalo weBhayibheli lesiHeberu. Ukuze benze lezi zimpawu, kwakudingeka bathole isisekelo sesimiso sohlelo lolimi lwesiHeberu. Kwakungekho simiso esicacile semithetho yohlelo lolimi lwesiHeberu esake salotshwa. Ngakho-ke, umuntu angase asho ukuthi lamaMasorete ayephakathi kwabahleli bokuqala bolimi lwesiHeberu.

U-Aaron, iMasorete lokugcina lesiko lomkhaya wakwaBen Asher, wayengowokuqala ukuba abhale futhi ahlele lokhu kwaziswa. Wenza kanjalo encwadini enesihloko esithi “Sefer Dikdukei ha-Te‘amim,” incwadi yokuqala yemithetho yohlelo lolimi lwesiHeberu. Lencwadi yaba isisekelo somsebenzi wabanye abahleli bolimi lwesiHeberu emakhulwini eminyaka ayesazolandela. Kodwa lona kwakumane kuwumkhiqizo oseceleni womsebenzi wamaMasorete obaluleke ngokwengeziwe. Wawuyini lomsebenzi?

Kwakudingeka Inkumbulo Engavamile

Okuyinhloko amaMasorete ayekhathazeke ngakho kwakuwukudluliselwa kwegama ngalinye ngokunembile, ngisho nohlamvu ngalunye, lombhalo weBhayibheli. Ukuze aqiniseke ngokunemba, amaMasorete ayesebenzisa izikhala ezisemaceleni ekhasini ngalinye ukuze abhale ukwaziswa okwakuyobonisa noma yimuphi umbhalo okungenzeka washintshwa ngephutha noma ngamabomu abakopishi bangaphambili. Kulamaphuzu asezikhaleni ezisemaceleni, amaMasorete ayephawula nokuma kwamagama nokuhlanganiswa kwawo ngendlela engavamile, ephawula ukuthi lokhu kuvela izikhathi ezingaki encwadini ethile noma kuyo yonke imiBhalo YesiHeberu. Lamaphuzu ayebhalwa ngesimiso esifushaniswe kakhulu, njengoba indawo yayilinganiselwe. Njengethuluzi elengeziwe lokuhlolisisa, ayephawula igama nohlamvu oluphakathi nendawo lwezincwadi ezithile. Ayeze abale ngisho nazo zonke izinhlamvu eziseBhayibhelini ukuze aqiniseke ukuthi akopisha ngokunembile.

Ezikhaleni ezingenhla nezisezansi ekhasini, amaMasorete ayebhala amaphuzu aningiliziwe aphathelene namanye amaphuzu afushanisiwe asezikhaleni ezisemaceleni.b Lamaphuzu ayewusizo ekuhlolisiseni umsebenzi wawo. Njengoba ngaleso sikhathi amavesi ayengenazo izinombolo futhi engekho namakhonkodensi eBhayibheli, amaMasorete ayebhekisela kanjani kwezinye izingxenye zeBhayibheli ukuze enze lokhu kuhlolisisa? Ezikhaleni ezingenhla nezisezansi, ayebhala ingxenye yevesi elihambisanayo ukuze liwakhumbuze ukuthi lelo gama noma amagama abonisiwe ayetholakala kuyiphi enye indawo eBhayibhelini. Ngenxa yokuba nendawo elinganiselwe, ngokuvamile ayebhala nje igama elilodwa eliyisihluthulelo ukuze liwakhumbuze ivesi ngalinye elihambisana nalo. Ukuze lamaphuzu asemaceleni abe wusizo, laba bakopishi kwakudingeka bazi cishe lonke iBhayibheli lesiHeberu ngekhanda.

Izinhlu ezazizinde kakhulu ukuba zifakwe ezikhaleni zekhasi zaziyiswa kwenye ingxenye yombhalo wesandla. Ngokwesibonelo, uphawu lwamaMasorete olusesikhaleni esiseceleni kuGenesise 18:3 lubonisa izinhlamvu ezintathu zesiHeberu, קלד. Lokhu kuyinombolo yesiHeberu esho u-134. Ekugcineni kombhalo usuwonke, kunohlu olubonisa izindawo ezingu-134 lapho abakopishi abangaphambi kwamaMasorete basusa khona ngamabomu igama elithi Jehova embhalweni wesiHeberu, befaka elithi “Nkosi” esikhundleni salo.c Nakuba ayeluqaphela lolu shintsho, amaMasorete awazange azikhethele ukushintsha umbhalo owawudluliselwe kuwo. Kunalokho, abonisa lolu shintsho emaphuzwini awo asezikhaleni ezisemaceleni. Kodwa kungani amaMasorete acophelela kakhulu kangaka ukuba angawushintshi umbhalo kuyilapho abakopishi bangaphambili babewushintshile? Ingabe uhlobo lwawo lwenkolo yobuJuda lwaluhlukile kolwabanduleli bawo?

Yini Ayeyikholelwa?

Phakathi nalenkathi yokuthuthuka kwamaMasorete, inkolo yobuJuda yayihileleke empini egxilile yemibono. Kusukela ekhulwini lokuqala C.E., ithonya lenkolo yobuJuda yorabi lalilokhu likhula. Njengoba orabi babebhala iTalmud nezincazelo, umbhalo weBhayibheli wawuya usalela kunencazelo yorabi yomthetho odluliselwa ngomlomo. Ngakho-ke, ukulondolozwa ngokucophelela kombhalo weBhayibheli kwakungase kulahlekelwe ukubaluleka kwako.

Ekhulwini lesi-8, iqembu elalaziwa ngokuthi amaKaraite lakuvukela lokhu kuthambekela. Ligcizelela ukubaluleka kokuzifundela iBhayibheli ngokomuntu siqu, lalilahla igunya nezincazelo zorabi neTalmud. Lamukela umbhalo weBhayibheli kuphela njengegunya lalo. Lokhu kwakhulisa isidingo sokudluliselwa okunembile kwalowo mbhalo, futhi izifundo zamaMasorete zathola ugqozi oluvuselelwe.

Inkolelo yorabi noma yamaKaraite yawuthonya ngezinga elingakanani umsebenzi wamaMasorete? UM. H. Goshen-Gottstein, isazi semibhalo yesandla yeBhayibheli lesiHeberu, uthi: “AmaMasorete ayeqiniseka . . . ukuthi ayegcina isiko lasendulo, futhi ukulephula ngamabomu kwakuyoba icala elibi kunawo wonke ayengawenza.”

AmaMasorete ayebheka ukukopishwa okufanelekile kombhalo weBhayibheli njengomsebenzi ongcwele. Nakuba kungenzeka ukuthi wona siqu ayeshukunyiswa okunye ukucabangela okungokwenkolo, kubonakala sengathi umsebenzi wamaMasorete ngokwawo wawungeyona nje indaba yemibono. Wona kanye amaphuzu afingqiwe asemaceleni ayenganikezi thuba lenkulumo-mpikiswano yemfundiso yenkolo. Into ayekhathazeke ngayo ekuphileni kwawo kwakungumbhalo weBhayibheli; ayengeke awuphazamise.

Ukuzuza Emsebenzini Wawo

Nakuba u-Israyeli wemvelo ayengasesona isizwe sikaNkulunkulu esikhethiwe, laba bakopishi abangamaJuda babezinikezele ngokuphelele ekulondolozweni ngokunembile kweZwi likaNkulunkulu. (Mathewu 21:42-44; 23:37, 38) Okwafezwa umkhaya wakwaBen Asher namanye amaMasorete kufushaniswa kahle uRobert Gordis, owabhala: “Lezo zisebenzi ezithobekile kodwa ezingenakunqotshwa . . . nakuba zingadumile zenza umsebenzi wazo omkhulukazi wokuqapha ukuba umBhalo weBhayibheli ungalahleki noma uhlukahluke.” (The Biblical Text in the Making) Ngenxa yalokho, lapho abaShisekeli Benguquko bekhulu le-16 abanjengoLuther noTyndale belishaya indiva igunya lesonto futhi beqala ukuhumushela iBhayibheli ezilimini ezivamile ukuze lifundwe yibo bonke, babenombhalo wesiHeberu olondolozwe kahle ababengawusebenzisa njengesisekelo somsebenzi wabo.

Umsebenzi wamaMasorete uyaqhubeka usizuzisa namuhla. Imibhalo yawo yesiHeberu yakha isisekelo semiBhalo yesiHeberu ye-New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures. Lenguqulo iyaqhubeka ihunyushelwa ezilimini eziningi ngomoya ofanayo wokuzinikezela nokukhathalela ukunemba okwakuboniswa amaMasorete asendulo. Kufanele sibonise umoya ofanayo ngokunaka iZwi likaJehova uNkulunkulu.—2 Petru 1:19.

[Imibhalo yaphansi]

[Ibhokisi/Isithombe ekhasini 28]

Isimiso Sokuphinyiselwa KwesiHeberu

UKUFUNA indlela engcono kakhulu yokubhala izimpawu zonkamisa nezokugcizelela kwawathatha amakhulu eminyaka amaMasorete. Ngakho, akumangalisi ukuthola intuthuko eqhubekayo esizukulwaneni ngasinye somkhaya wakwaBen Asher. Imibhalo yesandla ekhona ibonisa izindlela zamaMasorete amabili kuphela okugcina omkhaya wakwaBen Asher, uMoses no-Aaron.d Ukutadishwa kwalemibhalo yesandla ngokuqhathaniswa kubonisa ukuthi u-Aaron wenza imithetho ezicini ezithile zokuphimisela nokubhala ezingabalulekile kakhulu ezazihlukile kwezikayise, uMoses.

UBen Naphtali wayephila ngesikhathi sika-Aaron Ben Asher. ICairo Codex kaMoses Ben Asher iqukethe izincazelo eziningi okuthiwa ezikaBen Naphtali. Ngakho-ke, kungaba ukuthi uBen Naphtali ngokwakhe wayefundiswa uMoses Ben Asher noma bobabili balondoloza isiko lasendulo elifanayo. Izazi eziningi zikhuluma ngomehluko phakathi kwezimiso zabakwaBen Asher nabakwaBen Naphtali, kodwa uM. H. Goshen-Gottstein uyabhala: “Bekuyobonakala kunembile ukukhuluma ngezimiso ezincane eziphakathi komkhaya wakwaBen Asher nokwetha umehluko wezincazelo ngokuthi: Ben Asher versus Ben Asher.” Ngakho kungaba okunganembile ukukhuluma ngendlela eyodwa kuphela kaBen Asher. Akukhona ukuphakama okungokwemvelo kwezindlela zika-Aaron Ben Asher okwenza zaba indlela yokugcina eyamukelwa. Ukukhethwa kombhalo ka-Aaron Ben Asher kwakungenxa nje yokuthi isazi seTalmud sekhulu le-12 uMoses Maimonides sasiwuncoma.

[Artwork—Hebrew characters]

Ingxenye ka-Eksodusi 6:2 enezimpawu zokuphinyiselwa konkamisa namagama nengenazo

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[Isithombe ekhasini 26]

ITiberiya, isikhungo somsebenzi wamaMasorete kusukela ekhulwini lesishiyagalombili kuya kweleshumi

[Umthombo]

Pictorial Archive (Near Eastern History) Est.