‘Unozulane Onesibindi Egameni Lokusakaza IVangeli’

KUBIKWA ukuthi lapho eneminyaka engu-18 ubudala, uGeorge Borrow wayesazi izilimi ezingu-12. Eminyakeni emibili kamuva wayesekwazi ukuhumusha “kalula nangobuciko” izilimi ezihlukene ezingu-20.

Ngo-1833, i-British and Foreign Bible Society, eLondon, eNgilandi, yamema le ndoda enesiphiwo esingavamile ukuba izoxoxisana nayo. Engakwazi ukukhokhela uhambo lwakhe kodwa ezimisele ukusebenzisa leli thuba elihle, uBorrow owaneminyaka engu-30 ubudala wahamba ngezinyawo amakhilomitha angu-180 esuka kwakhe eNorwich, okwamthatha amahora angu-28 nje kuphela.

I-Bible Society yambekela inselele—ukuba ezinyangeni eziyisithupha afunde ulimi lwesiManchu, olwalusetshenziswa ezingxenyeni ezithile zeChina. Wacela incwadi yohlelo lolimi, kodwa ukuphela kwento ababengamnika yona kwakuyikhophi yeVangeli likaMathewu lesiManchu kanye nesichaza-mazwi sesiManchu nesiFulentshi. Noma kunjalo, engakapheli amasonto angu-19 wabhalela eLondon, ethi, “Ngosizo lukaNkulunkulu, sengisazi kahle isiManchu.” Le mpumelelo yayibabazeka nakakhulu ngoba ngesikhathi esifanayo kuthiwa wayelungisa iVangeli likaLuka lesiNahuatl, olunye lwezilimi zabomdabu baseMexico.

IBhayibheli LesiManchu

Ekhulwini le-17, lapho isiManchu siqala ukubhalwa, kusetshenziswa amagama ayetshelekwe ezinhlamvini zesi-Uighur saseMongolia, saba ulimi olwasetshenziswa uhulumeni waseChina. Nakuba ngokuhamba kwesikhathi ukusetshenziswa kwaso kwancipha, amalungu e-British and Foreign Bible Society ayemagange ukunyathelisa nokusakaza amaBhayibheli ngesiManchu. Ngo-1822 la malungu ayesekhokhe imali yokuba kunyatheliswe amakhophi angu-550 ohlelo lweVangeli likaMathewu, olwaluhunyushwe uStepan V. Lipoftsoff. Wayeyilungu loMnyango Wezangaphandle WaseRussia, futhi ehlalé eChina iminyaka engu-20. Lelo Vangeli lanyatheliswa eSt. Petersburg, kodwa ngemva kokuba kusakazwe amakhophi ambalwa nje, wonke ayesele acekelwa phansi isikhukhula.

Ngokushesha kwalandela ukuhunyushwa kwayo yonke imiBhalo YamaKristu YesiGreki. Ngo-1834, ukutholakala kombhalo wesandla wasendulo, owawuyingxenye enkulu yemiBhalo YesiHebheru, kwakhulisa isithakazelo eBhayibhelini. Ubani owayengaqondisa ukubukezwa kweBhayibheli lesiManchu elalikhona, aqedele nokuhumusha ingxenye eyayisasele? I-British and Foreign Bible Society yathumela uGeorge Borrow ukuba ayoyenzela lowo msebenzi.

Ukuya ERussia

Ngemva kokufika eSt. Petersburg, uBorrow wazikhandla ekusitadisheni ngokujulile isiManchu ukuze akwazi ukuhlola nokulungisa umbhalo weBhayibheli ngokunembe kakhudlwana. Nakuba kunjalo, isabelo sakhe sasibizela futhi wayesebenza amahora angu-13 ngosuku esiza ekwakheni izinhlamvu zamagama e-New Testament, kamuva eyachazwa “njengohlelo oluhle lwencwadi yasempumalanga.” Kwanyatheliswa amakhophi ayinkulungwane ngo-1835. Kodwa umgomo omkhulu kaBorrow wokuwayisa eChina nokuwasakaza khona wabhuntsha. Uhulumeni waseRussia, wesaba ukuthi lokhu kungabhekwa njengomkhankaso wokuhambisa ivangeli okwakungase kukhinyabeze ubungane owawubujabulela naleli zwe elingumakhelwane, wenqaba ukunika uBorrow imvume yokuya emngceleni weChina uma ayezohamba “neBhayibheli lesiManchu, ngisho noma lilinye vó.”

Kwasakazwa amakhophi ambalwa eminyakeni ethi ayibe yishumi kamuva, kwathi ngo-1859 kwavela izinguqulo zamaVangeli kaMathewu noMarku, ezazinezinhlu ezihambisayo zesiManchu nesiChina. Kodwa ngaleso sikhathi, abantu abaningi ababengasifunda isiManchu babekhetha ukufunda isiChina, futhi amathemba okuthi liyoke libe khona iBhayibheli eliphelele lesiManchu aqala ukufiphala. Empeleni, isiManchu sasiwulimi olwaluphela, ngokushesha olwaluzothathelwa indawo isiChina. Lokho kwase kwenzekile ngo-1912 lapho iChina iba i-republic.

INhlonhlo Yase-Iberia

Ethola ugqozi kulokho ayekwenzile, uGeorge Borrow wabuyela eLondon. Ngo-1835 waphinde wathunyelwa ePortugal naseSpain, “ukuba ayothola ukuthi izingqondo zabantu zazikulungele kangakanani ukwamukela amaqiniso obuKristu,” njengoba asho kamuva. Ngaleso sikhathi, i-British and Foreign Bible Society yayingakafiki kuwo womabili la mazwe ngenxa yeziyaluyalu zezombusazwe nezenhlalo ezazande kakhulu. UBorrow wayekujabulela ukuxoxa nabantu ngeBhayibheli emaphandleni asePortugal, kodwa esikhathini esingengakanani, ukungabi nandaba nenkolo anqwamana nako kwamenza wawelela eSpain.

ISpain yaba inselele ehlukile, ikakhulukazi amaGypsy, abantu uBorrow ajwayelana nabo ngokushesha, njengoba ayekwazi ukukhuluma ulimi lwabo. Ngokushesha nje efikile, waqala ukuhumusha “iThestamente Elisha” ngolimi lwamaGypsy aseSpain, isiGitano. Engxenyeni yalo msebenzi, wacela abesifazane ababili abangamaGypsy ukuba bamsize. Wayebafundela inguqulo yeSpanishi abese ebacela ukuba bamhumushele. Ngale ndlela wakwazi ukufunda indlela efanele yokusetshenziswa kwezisho zamaGypsy. Ngenxa yalowo mzamo, iVangeli likaLuka lakhishwa entwasahlobo yango-1838, okwashukumisa omunye umbhishobhi ukuba ababaze: “Uzoyiguqula yonke iSpain ngolimi lwamaGypsy.”

UGeorge Borrow wayekade egunyazwe ukuba athole “umuntu okufanelekelayo ukuhumusha imiBhalo ngesiBasque.” Lowo msebenzi wanikwa uDkt. Oteiza, “owayelwazi kahle lolo limi, nami ngokwami enginolwazi oluthile lwalo,” kubhala uBorrow. Ngo-1838, iVangeli likaLuka laba incwadi yeBhayibheli yokuqala ukuvela ngesiBasque saseSpain.

Evuthelwa isifiso sakhe sokukhanyisela abantu abavamile, uBorrow wayehamba amabanga amade, ngokuvamile ezindleleni eziyingozi, ukuze ayosakaza izincwadi zeBhayibheli kubantu abampofu emiphakathini yasemaphandleni. Wayefuna ukubakhulula ekungazini nakuyinkolelo-ze engokwenkolo. Ngokwesibonelo, lapho eveza obala ubuze bokuthethelelwa izono ababekuthenga, wayethi: “Kungenzeka yini ukuthi uNkulunkulu, njengoba emuhle, agunyaze ukuthengiswa kwesono?” Kodwa i-Bible Society, yesaba ukuthi ukuhlaselwa okunjalo kwezinkolelo ezamukelwayo kwakungase kuholele ekuvalweni kwemisebenzi yayo, yayala uBorrow ukuba agxile ekusakazeni imiBhalo kuphela.

UBorrow wathola imvume yomlomo yokunyathelisa i-Nuevo Testamento, i-New Testament yeSipanishi, engenayo imibhalo eseceleni echaza izimfundiso zamaRoma Katolika. Lokho kwenzeka yize ekuqaleni undunankulu ayekuphikisa, echaza leyo nguqulo njengeyingozi ‘nanjengencwadi engafaneleki.’ UBorrow wabe esevula idepho eMadrid ukuze athengise le New Testament yeSipanishi, isinyathelo esamholela ekungqubuzaneni nabaholi benkolo neziphathi-mandla zezwe. Wagqunywa ejele izinsuku ezingu-12. Lapho efaka isikhalo, wacelwa ukuba ahambe isinyenyela. Azi kahle kamhlophe ukuthi ukuboshwa kwakhe kwakungekho emthethweni, wabhekisela esibonelweni somphostoli uPawulu wabe esekhetha ukuhlala aze akhululwe ngendlela efanele, kungabi nasihlamba esinamathele egameni lakhe.—IzEnzo 16:37.

Ngesikhathi isithunywa sayo esishisekayo siyishiya iSpain ngo-1840, iBible Society yayingabika: “Kuye kwanyatheliswa amakhophi emiBhalo acishe abe ngu-14 000 eSpain kule minyaka emihlanu edlule.” Njengoba ayebe nendima enkulu kulokhu, uBorrow wachaza ngamafuphi isikhathi asichitha eSpain ngokuthi “iminyaka ejabulisa kunayo yonke ekuphileni kwami.”

Incwadi ethi The Bible in Spain, eyanyatheliswa okokuqala ngo-1842—esanyatheliswa namanje—iqukethe ukulandisa okucacile kukaGeorge Borrow ngokuhambahamba kwakhe nezigigaba ezamehlela. Kule ncwadi, eyathengwa ubuthaphuthaphu zisuka nje, wazibiza “ngonozulane egameni lokusakaza iVangeli.” Wabhala: “Ngahlosa ukuhambela izindawo ezifihlakele neziqhelile phakathi kwamagquma nezintaba ezimangelengele, futhi ngikhulume nabantu ngoKristu ngendlela engifuna ngayo.”

Ekusakazeni nasekuhumusheni kwakhe imiBhalo ngenkuthalo engako, uGeorge Borrow wabekela abanye isisekelo—ilungelo eliyigugu ngempela.

[Ibalazwe ekhasini 29]

(Ukuze ubone ukuthi indaba ihlelwe kanjani, bheka encwadini)

Imizamo kaGeorge Borrow yokuhumusha nokusakaza iBhayibheli yamsusa (1) eNgilandi, yamyisa (2) eRussia, (3) ePortugal (4) naseSpain

[Umthombo]

Mountain High Maps® Copyright © 1997 Digital Wisdom, Inc.

[Isithombe ekhasini 28]

Amazwi okuvula eVangeli likaJohane ngesiManchu, elanyatheliswa ngo-1835, elifundwa kusuka phezulu kuya ezansi, kusuka kwesobunxele kuya kwesokudla

[Umthombo]

From the book The Bible of Every Land, 1860

[Umthombo Wesithombe ekhasini 27]

From the book The Life of George Borrow by Clement K. Shorter, 1919