Kusuka EGibhithe Kuya Emadolobheni Omhlaba Wonke
NGUMLOBELI WE-PHAPHAMA! E-ITALY
“‘ASEHAMBE’ aphuma ezweni lawo lendabuko,” kusho umagazini wase-Italy i-Archeo, “aba uphawu olusobala lwempucuko enkulu eyawakhiqiza.” Iningi lawo lasuka kudala eGibhithe layiswa ezindaweni ezifana ne-Istanbul, iLondon, iParis, iRoma kanye neNew York. Abantu abavakashela eRoma bangabona ukuthi iningi lezigcawu zaleli dolobha ezidumile zigcwele wona. Sikhuluma ngani? Amatshe amakhulu abaziwe!
Insika ngayinye yetshe enezinhlangothi ezine eya ngokuya incipha phezulu, eyaziwa ngokuthi i-obelisk, icijile phezulu njengombhoshongo waseGibhithe. Endala kunazo zonke ihlehlela emuva eminyakeni engu-4 000 edlule. Ngisho neyamuva ineminyaka engaba ngu-2 000 ikhona.
La matshe, ayevame ukwenziwa ngegwadle elibomvu, ayembiwa abantu basendulo baseGibhithe eyizinguzunga bese ebekwa phambi kwamangcwaba namathempeli. Amanye makhulu ngempela. Elikhulu kunawo wonke elisamile namanje liphakeme ngamamitha angu-32 esigcawini esithile saseRoma futhi linesisindo esingamathani angaba ngu-445. Iningi lawo lihlotshiswe ngemibhalo eyimidwebo.
Isizathu sokuba kwakhiwe la matshe esikhumbuzo kwakuwukuhlonipha unkulunkulu welanga uRa. Amiselwa ukuba kubongwe lo nkulunkulu ngokuvikela nangokusiza ababusi baseGibhithe ukuba banqobe, kanye nokushweleza kuye. Indlela ami ngayo kucatshangwa ukuthi yathathelwa emibhoshongweni yaseGibhithe. Amelela imisebe yelanga eyehlayo ukuze ifudumeze futhi ikhanyise umhlaba.
Ngaphezu kwalokho, la matshe ayesetshenziselwa ukudumisa oFaro. Imibhalo eqoshwe kuwo ichaza ababusi abehlukahlukene baseGibhithe “njengabathandekayo bakaRa” noma “abahle . . . njengo-Atum,” owayengunkulunkulu welanga lapho seliyoshona. Elinye itshe elikhulu lichaza amakhono asempini kaFaro othile: “Amandla akhe afana nakaMonthu [unkulunkulu wempi], inkunzi enyathela amazwe abafokazi futhi ibulale namambuka.”
La matshe okuqala amiswa edolobheni laseGibhithe iJunu (elibizwa ngokuthi i-Oni eBhayibhelini), okucatshangwa ukuthi kusho ukuthi “iDolobha Lezinsika,” mhlawumbe kubhekiselwa kula matshe ngokwawo. AmaGreki ayebiza iJunu ngeHeliopolis, okusho ukuthi “iDolobha Lelanga,” njengoba laliyisikhungo esiyinhloko sokukhulekelwa kwelanga kwaseGibhithe. Igama lesiGreki elithi Heliopolis lihambisana nelesiHebheru elithi Bheti-shemeshi, elisho ukuthi “iNdlu Yelanga.”
Incwadi yeBhayibheli eyisiprofetho kaJeremiya ikhuluma ngokuphihliza “izinsika zaseBheti-shemeshi, elisezweni laseGibhithe.” Lokhu kungabhekisela ezinsikeni zaseHeliopolis. UNkulunkulu wakulahla ukukhulekelwa kwezithombe ezazikumelela.—Jeremiya 43:10-13.
Ukumbiwa Nokuthuthwa Kwawo
Indlela la matshe ayenziwa ngayo ibonakala etsheni lesikhumbuzo elikhulu kunawo wonke. Lisalokhu lihleli lapho lambiwa khona e-Aswân, eGibhithe. Ngemva kokukhetha idwala elihle nokulisika lize lilingane, izisebenzi zazimba imisele ezungeza lokho okwakuzoba insika. Zazimba imihubhe ngaphansi kwalo zifake izigxobo zokulisekela, kuze kube yilapho ingaphansi lalo selimbiwe lonke. Leli dwala eliyinguzunga, elalinesisindo esingamathani angaba ngu-1 170—lisinda ukuwadlula wonke amadwala ake ambiwa abaseGibhithe lasendulo—ladonselwa eNayile labe selithuthelwa endaweni eliya kuyo ngesikebhe.
Kodwa-ke, izisebenzi zalishiya leli tshe lase-Aswân lapho zibona ukuthi liqhekeke ngendlela engenakulungiseka. Ukube zazikwazile ukuqeda ukulilungisa, lalizoba amamitha angu-42 ukuphakama, ububanzi balo bube ngamamitha amane nxazonke. Namanje akwaziwa ukuthi ayemiswa kanjani aqonde la matshe.
Asuka EGibhithe Aya ERoma
Ngo-30 B.C.E., iGibhithe laba isifundazwe saseRoma. Ababusi baseRoma abahlukahlukene babefisa ukuhlobisa ikomkhulu labo ngamatshe ezikhumbuzo asezingeni eliphezulu, ngakho-ke kwathathwa la matshe angaba ngu-50 ayiswa eRoma. Ukuwathutha kwakusho ukwakha imikhumbi emikhulu eyayiklanyelwe le njongo ngokukhethekile. Lapho esefikile eRoma, aqhubeka ehlotshaniswa ngokuseduze nokukhulekelwa kwelanga.
Lapho uMbuso WaseRoma uwa, iRoma yaphangwa. Iningi lala matshe ladilizwa laba yinto elitshelwe. Nokho, opapa abehlukahlukene baba nesithakazelo ekuwavuseni la matshe ayevela emanxiweni aleli dolobha lamandulo. ISonto LamaRoma Katolika livumile ukuthi la matshe “ayenikelwe eLangeni yinkosi yaseGibhithe” nokuthi ake “aletha inkazimulo eyize emathempelini angcolile amaqaba.”
Ukuvuswa kwala matshe okuqala phakathi nokubusa kukaPapa Sixtus V (1585-90) kwakuhambisana nokukhishwa kwemimoya emibi nokucela izibusiso, kuhlanganise nokuchelwa kwamanzi angcwele nokushiswa kwempepho. Umbhishobhi othile wacula phambi kwensika yetshe eVatican, “Ngithi mayiphume imimoya emibi kuwe, ukuze uthwale iSiphambano esingcwele futhi uhlale ungenakungcola kwamaqaba nakho konke ukuhlaselwa nokungalungi okukhulu okungokwenkolo.”
Ngakho-ke njengoba isivakashi sihlola la matshe amile eRoma namuhla, kungenzeka sicabange ngokuhlakanipha okwakudingeka ukuze ambiwe, athuthwe futhi aphakanyiswe. Singase simangazwe nawukuthi amatshe ezikhumbuzo ayesetshenziselwa ukukhulekelwa kwelanga ahlobisé idolobha lopapa—inhlanganisela eyinqaba ngempela!
[Izithombe ekhasini 15]
ELuxor, eGibhithe
ERoma
ENew York
EParis