Ababhali Basendulo NeZwi LikaNkulunkulu

IMIBHALO yesiHebheru yaqedwa ngasekupheleni kwekhulu lesihlanu B.C.E. Phakathi namakhulu eminyaka alandela, izazi ezingamaJuda, ikakhulukazi amaSopher kamuva namaMasorete, zazilondoloza ngokucophelela izincwadi zesiHebheru. Nokho, izincwadi zeBhayibheli ezindala kunazo zonke ezangesikhathi sikaMose noJoshuwa, ezabhalwa eminyakeni eyinkulungwane ngaphambi kwesikhathi samaSopher. Lezo zincwadi zazilotshwe ezintweni ezingaqinile; ngakho kumelwe ukuba imiqulu yakopishwa izikhathi eziningi. Yini eyaziwayo ngomsebenzi wababhali bangaleyo nkathi yakuqala? Babekhona yini abakopishi abachwepheshile kwa-Israyeli wasendulo?

Imibhalo yesandla yeBhayibheli emidala kunayo yonke esatholakala namuhla izingxenye zemiQulu YasoLwandle Olufile, ezinye zazo ezangekhulu lesithathu nelesibili B.C.E. UProfesa Alan R. Millard, isazi sezilimi nezemivubukulo zezindawo zaseMpumalanga Eseduze, uthi: “Asinawo amakhophi anoma iyiphi ingxenye yeBhayibheli angaphambi kwalena.” Uyanezela: “Inkambiso yamazwe angomakhelwane ingasenza sibone indlela ababhali basendulo ababesebenza ngayo, futhi lolu lwazi lungasisiza ekuhloleni izinga lombhalo wesiHebheru nomlando wawo.”

Umsebenzi Wababhali Bakuqala

Izincwadi zomlando, zenkolo, zomthetho, zezemfundo namanoveli zazitholakala eMesophothamiya eminyakeni engaphezu kwezinkulungwane ezine edlule. Izikole zababhali zaziziningi, futhi esinye sezifundo ezazifundiswa kwakuwukukopisha ngokunembile imibhalo eyayikhona. Izazi zanamuhla zithola izinguquko ezincane kakhulu emibhalweni yaseBhabhiloni eyakopishwa kaninginingi phakathi neminyaka eyinkulungwane noma ngaphezulu.

Umsebenzi wababhali wawungenziwa eMesophothamiya kuphela. I-Oxford Encyclopedia of Archaeology in the Near East ithi: “Umbhali waseBhabhiloni waphakathi nenkulungwane yesibili BCE cishe wayeyozizwa ekhululekile kunoma isiphi isikhungo sababhali kulo lonke elaseMesophothamiya, eSiriya, eKhanani ngisho naseGibhithe.”a

Umsebenzi wababhali wawuhlonishwa eGibhithe ngosuku lukaMose. Ababhali babehlale bematasa bekopisha izincwadi ezilotshiwe. Umsebenzi wabo uboniswa imihlobiso esethuneni laseGibhithe eyenziwa eminyakeni engaphezu kwezinkulungwane ezine. I-encyclopedia ecashunwe ngenhla ithi ngababhali basendulo bale nkathi yakuqala: “Ngenkulungwane yesibili BCE, base beneqoqo elikhulu lezincwadi ezazikhuluma ngempucuko enkulu yaseMesophothamiya neyaseGibhithe futhi ezazinikeza iziqondiso okumelwe zilandelwe umbhali ochwepheshile.”

Lezi “ziqondiso okumelwe zilandelwe” zazihlanganisa ukubhala imininingwane emincane ethasiselayo emaceleni ombhalo oyinhloko. Le mininingwane yayiqukethe amagama ombhali nomnikazi waleso sibhebhe, usuku nomthombo leso sibhebhe esakopishwa sisuselwa kuwo, inani lemigqa, nokunye. Umbhali wayevame ukunezela lokhu: “Sabhalwa futhi sahlolwa ngokuqhathaniswa nombhalo wokuqala esikopishwe kuwo.” Le mininingwane ibonisa ukuthi abakopishi basendulo babekukhathalela ukunemba.

UProfesa Millard ocashunwe ngaphambili uthi: “Kuyabonakala ukuthi kwakunenqubo yokukopisha eyayihlanganisa ukuhlola nokulungisa, inqubo eyayinezindlela zokuvimbela amaphutha. Ezinye zalezi zindlela, ukubalwa kwemigqa noma ikakhulu kwamagama, ziyavela nasezinqubweni ezazilandelwa amaMasorete ekuqaleni kweNkathi Ephakathi.” Ngakho ngesikhathi sikaMose noJoshuwa, kwase kunesimo sengqondo esasigcizelela ukucophelela nokunemba ekudluliseleni imibhalo eyayisikhona eMpumalanga Ephakathi.

Ingabe nama-Israyeli ayenabo abakopishi abawufundele lowo msebenzi? Ubufakazi obuseBhayibhelini bubonisani?

Ababhali Kwa-Israyeli Wasendulo

UMose wakhulela endlini kaFaro. (Eksodusi 2:10; IzEnzo 7:21, 22) Ngokwesazi somlando omdala waseGibhithe lasendulo, imfundo kaMose yayiyohlanganisa nokukwazi ukufunda nokubhala ulimi lwaseGibhithe kanye namakhono athile ababhali. Encwadini yakhe ethi Israel in Egypt, uProfesa James K. Hoffmeier uthi: “Sinesizathu sokukholelwa inkulumo yeBhayibheli ethi uMose wayekwazi ukubhala izenzakalo, abhale imininingwane yohambo lwabo, nokwenza eminye imisebenzi yababhali.”b

IBhayibheli libhekisela nakwabanye kwa-Israyeli wasendulo ababenamakhono ababhali. Ngokwe-Cambridge History of the Bible, uMose “wamisa izikhonzi ezazikwazi ukufunda . . . ukuba zibhale izinqumo futhi zihlele izindaba.” Lesi siphetho sisekelwe emazwini kaMose akuDuteronomi 1:15, athi: “Ngakho ngathatha izinhloko zezizwe zenu, . . . [ngazibeka] njengezinhloko phezu kwenu, izinduna zezinkulungwane nezinduna zamakhulu nezinduna zamashumi ayisihlanu, nezinduna zamashumi nezikhulu zezizwe zenu.” Zazingobani lezi zikhulu?

Igama lesiHebheru elihunyushwe ngokuthi “isikhulu [ngesiNgisi, officer]” livela izikhathi eziningana embhalweni weBhayibheli okhuluma ngezinsuku zikaMose nezikaJoshuwa. Izazi ezihlukahlukene zithi leli gama lisho “unobhala wemibhalo egcinwayo,” “umuntu ‘obhalayo’ noma ‘ogcina imibhalo,’” libuye futhi lisho “isisebenzi esasisiza umahluleli ngemisebenzi yobubhalane.” Ukuvela kwaleli gama lesiHebheru kaningi kubonisa ukuthi kwakunonobhala balolo hlobo abaningana kwa-Israyeli nokuthi babenemithwalo yemfanelo eminingi ekuphathweni kwesizwe kwasekuqaleni.

Isibonelo sesithathu siphathelene nabapristi bakwa-Israyeli. I-Encyclopaedia Judaica ithi “imisebenzi yabo yenkolo neyesizwe yayifuna ukuba babe abafundile.” Ngokwesibonelo, uMose wayala amadodana kaLevi: “Njalo ekupheleni kweminyaka eyisikhombisa, . . . uyofunda lo mthetho phambi kwawo wonke u-Israyeli.” Abapristi baba abagcini bekhophi yoMthetho egunyaziwe. Babegunyaza futhi beqondisa ukulotshwa kwamakhophi ayesuselwa kuyo.—Duteronomi 17:18, 19; 31:10, 11.

Cabanga indlela ikhophi yokuqala yoMthetho eyenziwa ngayo. Ngenyanga yokugcina yokuphila kwakhe, uMose watshela ama-Israyeli: “Kuyothi ngosuku eniwela ngalo iJordani ningene ezweni uJehova uNkulunkulu wakho akunika lona, uzimisele amatshe amakhulu futhi uwacake ngomcako. Kumelwe ubhale phezu kwawo wonke amazwi alo mthetho.” (Duteronomi 27:1-4) Ngemva kokubhujiswa kweJeriko ne-Ayi, ama-Israyeli abuthana eNtabeni i-Ebhali, emaphakathi neZwe Lesithembiso. Nembala uJoshuwa wayibhala “ikhophi yomthetho kaMose” ematsheni e-altare. (Joshuwa 8:30-32) Le mibhalo yayingase ibhalwe kuphela uma kukhona ababhali nabantu abakwaziyo ukufunda. Lokhu kubonisa ukuthi ama-Israyeli okuqala ayenolwazi lolimi namakhono ayedingeka ukuze akwazi ukuyilondoloza ngokunembile imibhalo yawo engcwele.

Ukwethembeka KwemiBhalo

Ngemva kwezinsuku zikaMose noJoshuwa, kwabhalwa eminye imiqulu ehlukahlukene yesiHebheru, futhi kwenziwa namakhophi ayo alotshwe ngesandla. Njengoba la makhophi eguga noma onakaliswa umswakama noma isikhunta, kwakudingeka kwenziwe amanye esikhundleni sawo. Le nqubo yokukopisha yaqhubeka amakhulu eminyaka.

Naphezu kokucophelela kwabakopishi beBhayibheli, aba khona amaphutha abangakwazanga ukuwagwema. Kodwa ingabe amaphutha abakopishi ashintsha okuqukethwe iBhayibheli ngendlela ephawulekayo? Cha. Sekukonke, la maphutha mancane futhi awakuphazamisi ukwethembeka kweBhayibheli selilonke, njengoba kwaboniswa ukuqhathaniswa kwemibhalo yesandla yasendulo okwenziwa abacusumbuli.

Umbono kaJesu Kristu ngezincwadi zokuqala zeBhayibheli wenza amaKristu aqiniseke ngokwethembeka kwemiBhalo Engcwele. Izinkulumo zakhe ezinjengethi, “Anifundanga yini encwadini kaMose?” nethi, “UMose waninika uMthetho, akunjalo?” zibonisa ukuthi uJesu wayebheka amakhophi ayebhalwe ngesandla ayekhona ngesikhathi esemhlabeni njenganokwethenjelwa. (Marku 12:26; Johane 7:19) Ngaphezu kwalokho, uJesu wakuqinisekisa ukwethembeka kwayo yonke imiBhalo YesiHebheru lapho ethi: “Zonke izinto ezilotshwe ngami emthethweni kaMose nakubaProfethi nakumaHubo kumelwe zigcwaliseke.”—Luka 24:44.

Ngakho sinesizathu sokuqiniseka ukuthi imiBhalo Engcwele iye yadluliselwa ngokunembile kusukela endulo. Kunjengoba nje umprofethi ophefumulelwe u-Isaya asho: “Utshani obuluhlaza bomile, imbali ibunile; kodwa izwi likaNkulunkulu wethu lona, liyokuma kuze kube nini nanini.”—Isaya 40:8.

[Imibhalo yaphansi]

[Isithombe ekhasini 18]

Umbhali waseGibhithe esemsebenzini wakhe

[Isithombe ekhasini 19]

Izincwadi zeBhayibheli ezindala kunazo zonke ezangesikhathi sikaMose