Ingabe UJesu Wafela Esiphambanweni Ngempela?

ENYE i-encyclopedia ithi “isiphambano siwuphawu lobuKristu oluthandwa kakhulu.” Imifanekiso eminingi yenkolo nemidwebo yesandla kubonisa uJesu ebethelwe esiphambanweni. Kungani lolu phawu luvame kangaka kweLobukholwa? Ingabe uJesu wafela esiphambanweni ngempela?

Abaningi bangathi impendulo itholakala eBhayibhelini. Ngokwesibonelo, iBhayibheli lesiZulu elivamile lithi ngesikhathi uJesu ebulawa, ababebukele bahlekisa ngaye futhi bamphonsela inselele yokuba ‘ehle esiphambanweni.’ (Mathewu 27:40, 42) Ezinye izinguqulo eziningi zeBhayibheli zifundeka ngendlela efanayo. I-Today’s English Version isho lokhu ngoSimoni waseKhurene: “Amasosha amphoqa ukuba athwale isiphambano sikaJesu.” (Marku 15:21) Kula mavesi, igama elithi “isiphambano” lihunyushwa lisuselwa kwelesiGreki elithi staurosʹ. Ingabe sikhona isisekelo esizwakalayo sale ndlela yokuhumusha? Ithini incazelo yalelo gama lokuqala?

Ingabe Kwakuyisiphambano?

Ngokusho kwesazi sesiGreki uW. E. Vine, igama elithi staurosʹ “ngokuyinhloko lisho ugodo oluqondile noma isigxobo. Izelelesi zazibethelwa esigxotsheni esinjalo lapho zibulawa. Ibizo [elithi staurosʹ] nesenzo esithi stauroō, esisho ukubophela esigxotsheni noma ogodweni, ekuqaleni kwakungewona amagama asho izingodo ezimbili zesiphambano sesonto.”

I-Imperial Bible-Dictionary ithi igama elithi staurosʹ “lalichaza ngokufanelekile isigxobo, ugodo oluqondile, noma ipulangwe okungalengiswa noma yini kulo, noma elingase lisetshenziswe ekubiyeleni indawo ethile.” Lesi sichazamazwi siyaqhubeka: “Kubonakala sengathi ngisho naphakathi kwamaRoma i-crux (igama lesiLatin, okuvela kulo elesiNgisi elithi cross) ekuqaleni yayiwugodo oluqondile.” Ngakho-ke, akumangazi ukuthi i-Catholic Encyclopedia ithi: “Kunoma yikuphi, kuyiqiniso ukuthi ekuqaleni isiphambano sasiwugodo oluqondile, olucije ngenhla.”

Kunelinye igama lesiGreki elithi xyʹlon, abalobi beBhayibheli abalisebenzisa lapho bechaza ugodo uJesu abulawelwa kulo. I-Critical Lexicon and Concordance to the English and Greek New Testament ichaza elithi xyʹlon ngokuthi “ukhuni, isigxobo.” Iqhubeka ithi njengegama elithi staurosʹ, i-xyʹlon “yayimane iwugodo oluqondile noma isigxobo amaRoma ayebethela kuso labo okwakuthiwa kumelwe babulawe.”

Ngokuvumelana nalokhu, iBhayibheli lesiZulu elivamile lifundeka kanje kuyizEnzo 5:30: “UNkulunkulu wawobaba wamvusa uJesu enambulala nina ngokumphanyeka emthini [xyʹlon].” Nokho, ezinye izinguqulo ezihumusha elithi staurosʹ ngokuthi “isiphambano,” zibuye zihumushe elithi xyʹlon ngokuthi ‘umuthi.’ Encwadini yezEnzo 13:29, i-Jerusalem Bible isho lokhu ngoJesu: “Kwathi sebefezé konke okwakubikezelwe ngaye emibhalweni bamehlisa emthini [xyʹlon] bamngcwaba.”

Mayelana nencazelo eyisisekelo yegama lesiGreki elithi staurosʹ nelithi xyʹlon, i-Critical Lexicon and Concordance ecashunwe ngenhla ithi: “Womabili la magama ayaphikisana nombono wanamuhla wesiphambano esisibona ezithombeni eziningi.” Ngamanye amazwi, lokho okwachazwa abalobi bamaVangeli besebenzisa igama elithi staurosʹ akufani nakancane nalokho abantu namuhla abakubiza ngokuthi isiphambano. Ngakho-ke, kuyafaneleka ukuthi INguqulo Yezwe Elisha YemiBhalo Engcwele isebenzisa amazwi athi ‘isigxobo sokuhlushwa’ kuMathewu 27:40-42 nakwezinye izindawo lapho kuvela khona elithi staurosʹ. Ngokufanayo, i-Complete Jewish Bible isebenzisa amazwi athi “isigxobo sokubulala.”

Umsuka Wesiphambano

Uma iBhayibheli lingasho ngempela ukuthi uJesu wabulawelwa esiphambanweni, pho kungani wonke amasonto athi afundisa futhi alandela iBhayibheli—amaKatolika, amaProthestani namasonto obu-Orthodox—ehlobisa izakhiwo zawo ngesiphambano futhi esisebenzisa njengophawu lokholo lwawo? Kwénzeka kanjani ukuba isiphambano sigcine sesiwuphawu oluthandwa kangaka?

Impendulo iwukuthi isiphambano asihlonishwa nje kuphela abantu abasontayo nabathi bakholelwa eBhayibhelini, kodwa sihlonishwa nangabantu abangenandaba neBhayibheli nabasezinkolweni ezindala kakhulu kunenkolo “yobuKristu.” Izincwadi eziningi zenkolo ziyavuma ukuthi ukusetshenziswa kweziphambano ezime ngezindlela ezinhlobonhlobo kusukela emuva lé ngaphambi kwenkathi yempucuko. Ngokwesibonelo, indlela yokubhala yamaGibhithe asendulo nemifanekiso yonkulunkulu nonkulunkulukazi bawo kuvame ukubonisa isiphambano esime njengo-T onendilinga phezulu. Lesi siphambano simise okwesibambo, futhi kuthiwa siwuphawu lokuphila. Ngokuhamba kwesikhathi, lolu hlobo lwesiphambano lwemukelwa futhi lwasetshenziswa kabanzi yiSonto LamaCopt nabanye.

Ngokwe-Catholic Encyclopedia, “isiphambano esidala kakhulu kubonakala kuyileso esibizwa ngokuthi ‘i-gamma’ (crux gammata), abantu baseMpumalanga nabafundi bemivubukulo yasendulo ababesibiza ngegama laso lesiSanskrit, elithi swastika.” Lolu phawu lwalusetshenziswa kakhulu amaHindu eNdiya namaBuddha kuyo yonke i-Asia futhi nanamuhla lusasetshenziswa emifanekisweni nasemihlobisweni kulezo zindawo.

Akwaziwa ngempela ukuthi isiphambano samukelwa nini njengophawu “lobuKristu.” I-Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words kaVine ithi: “Maphakathi nekhulu leminyaka lesithathu A.D. amasonto ayeseziyekile noma esezisontile izimfundiso ezithile zokholo lobuKristu. Ukuze amaqembu ezihlubuki angathunazeki isithunzi, amasonto awamukela lawo maqaba ayengazange amukele ukholo lobuKristu, futhi avunyelwa ukugcina izimpawu nemifanekiso yawo,” kuhlanganise nesiphambano.

Abanye abalobi baphawula ngalokho okwashiwo uConstantine, umkhulekeli kankulunkulu welanga. UConstantine wathi ngo-312 C.E., lapho ekweminye yemikhankaso yezempi, wabona embonweni isiphambano esikhulu elangeni eduze kwaso kunamazwi esiLatin athi “in hoc vince” (nqoba ngalokhu). Ngokuhamba kwesikhathi, uphawu “lobuKristu” lwasetshenziswa kuzo zonke izinto zombuso, ezihlangwini nasezembathweni zamasosha akhe. (Umfanekiso walo ungakwesobunxele.) Kuthiwa uConstantine waguqukela ebuKristwini yize abhapathizwa sekudlule iminyaka engu-25 esegulela ukufa. Abanye basingabaza isisusa sakhe. Incwadi ethi Non-Christian Cross ithi: “Wazama ukuguqulela ubuKristu kulokho ayecabanga ukuthi kwakuyokwamukelwa izikhonzi zakhe njengenkolo yobukatolika [yomhlaba wonke], kunokuba kube nguyena oguqukela ezimfundisweni zikaJesu umNarazetha.”

Kusukela ngaleso sikhathi, kuye kwasetshenziswa izinhlobonhlobo zeziphambano. Ngokwesibonelo, i-Illustrated Bible Dictionary ithi isiphambano esibizwa ngokuthi isiphambano sikaSt. Anthony “sasimise okohlamvu olungufeleba u-T, futhi abanye bacabanga ukuthi sasuselwa ophawini lukankulunkulu [waseBhabhiloni] uTamuzi, ohlamvwini u-tau.” Kwakukhona nesiphambano sikaSt. Andrew esimise okohlamvu u- X, kanye nesijwayelekile esinokhuni oluvundlile ngezansana. Lesi sokugcina esibizwa ngokuthi isiphambano sesiLatin, “sekuyisikhathi eside sibhekwa njengesiphambano esime njengaleso okwafela kuso iNkosi uJesu,” kanti akunjalo.

Lokho AmaKristu Ekhulu Lokuqala Ayekukholelwa

IBhayibheli libonisa ukuthi ekhulwini lokuqala, abaningi abezwa uJesu ekhuluma baba amakholwa futhi bamukela inani elisindisayo lokufa kwakhe okuwumhlatshelo. Ngemva kokuba umphostoli uPawulu eshumayeze amaJuda eKorinte, efakazela ukuthi uJesu unguKristu, iBhayibheli lithi, “uKrispu isikhulu esengamele sesinagoge wakholwa yiNkosi, nendlu yakhe yonke yakholwa. Abaningi kwabaseKorinte abezwa, bakholwa futhi babhapathizwa.” (IzEnzo 18:5-8) UPawulu akazange atshele lawo maKristu ukuthi kufanele asebenzise uphawu oluthile lwenkolo noma umfanekiso ekukhulekeleni kwawo, kunalokho wawayala ukuba ‘abalekele ukukhonza izithombe’ nanoma imiphi eminye imikhuba eyayivela ekukhulekeleni kwamaqaba.—1 Korinte 10:14.

Abukho ubufakazi obuye batholwa yizazi-mlando nabacwaningi obuqinisekisa ukuthi amaKristu okuqala ayesebenzisa isiphambano. Kuyathakazelisa ukuthi incwadi ethi History of the Cross icaphuna omunye umlobi owaphila ngasekupheleni kwekhulu le-17 owabuza: “Kungamjabulisa yini uJesu ongcwele ukubona abafundi bakhe bekhazimulisa umfanekiso wento [okuthiwa] wabekezelela ukubulawelwa kuyo engenacala futhi engenandaba nehlazo?” Ubungaphendula kanjani?

Ukukhulekela okwamukelwa uNkulunkulu akudingi imifanekiso noma izithombe. UPawulu wabuza: “Linakuvumelana kuni ithempeli likaNkulunkulu nezithombe?” (2 Korinte 6:14-16) Awekho amavesi emiBhalweni athi ukukhulekela kwamaKristu kufanele kuhlanganise ukusebenzisa umfanekiso wento efana naleyo uJesu abethelwa kuyo.—Qhathanisa noMathewu 15:3; Marku 7:13.

Pho amaKristu eqiniso abonakala ngaluphi uphawu? Awabonakali ngesiphambano noma ngolunye uphawu, kodwa abonakala ngothando. UJesu watshela abalandeli bakhe: “Ngininika umyalo omusha, wokuba nithandane; njengoba nje nami nginithandile, ukuba nani nithandane. Bonke bayokwazi ngalokho ukuthi ningabafundi bami, uma ninothando phakathi kwenu.”—Johane 13:34, 35.

[Amazwi acashunwe esihlokweni ekhasini 19]

Lokho okwachazwa abalobi bamaVangeli akufani nakancane nalokho abantu namuhla abakubiza ngokuthi isiphambano

[Isithombe ekhasini 18]

Umdwebo wangekhulu le-17 obonisa ukubulawa komuntu kuyi-Staurosʹ, othathwe encwadini kaLipsius ethi “De Cruce”

[Isithombe ekhasini 19]

Umdwebo wasobondeni wasegibhithe (cishe wangekhulu le-14 B.C.E.) obonisa isiphambano esimise okwesibambo, uphawu lokuphila

[Umthombo]

© DeA Picture Library / Art Resource, NY

[Isithombe ekhasini 19]

Isiphambano i-gamma esiseThempelini lamaHindu iLaxmi Narayan

[Umthombo Wesithombe ekhasini 20]

From the book The Cross in Tradition, History, and Art (1897)