Inkolo KaCalvin Isineminyaka Engu-500 Yini—Eye Yayifeza?

UJEAN CAUVIN (uJohn Calvin) wazalelwa eNoyon, eFrance, ngo-1509. Waqala inkolo eyaba nethonya elikhulu ekuphileni kwabantu abaningi emazweni aseYurophu, eMelika, eNingizimu Afrika nakwezinye izindawo. UCalvin ubhekwa njengomunye wabaGuquli besonto abakhulu kakhulu emlandweni waseMpumalanga.

Sekudlule iminyaka engaba ngu-500 uCalvin azalwa, futhi izimfundiso zakhe zisenethonya ezinkolweni zobuProthestani njengesonto iReformed, iPresbyterian, iCongregational, iPuritan namanye. Ngo-September odlule, i-World Alliance of Reformed Churches yabika ukuthi inamalungu ayizigidi ezingu-75 emazweni angu-107.

Ukungqubuzana Kwakhe NobuKatolika

Uyise kaCalvin wayengummeli futhi engunobhala wesonto lobuKatolika eNoyon. Cishe umsebenzi wakhe wawumenza abone yonke inhlobo yenkohlakalo yabefundisi ngaleso sikhathi. Asazi noma yikho yini lokhu okwenza uyise kaJohn nomfowabo bavukela isonto noma baphelelwa inhlonipho ngalo, kodwa ngokuhamba kwesikhathi baxoshwa esontweni. Lapho uyise eshona, isonto alizange libambisane naye ekumngcwabeni ngendlela yobuKristu. Cishe lokho kwenza uJohn wangayethemba nakakhulu inkolo yamaKatolika.

Izincwadi eziningi ezikhuluma ngoCalvin azisitsheli okutheni ngokukhula kwakhe ngaphandle nje kokuthi wayenamahloni futhi eyisithuli. Ngisho nangesikhathi esefunda eParis, e-Orléans naseBourges, kubonakala sengathi wayenabangane abambalwa. Kodwa wayephiwe inhlakanipho nenkumbulo emangalisayo. Njengoba ayenalezi zimfanelo futhi ekhuthele, wayetadisha nsuku zonke kusukela ngehora lesihlanu ekuseni kuze kuyoba phakathi kwamabili. Yingakho aba ungqondongqondo wezomthetho engakahlanganisi neminyaka engu-23. Wafunda isiHebheru, isiGreki nesiLatini ukuze akwazi ukutadisha iBhayibheli. Nokho, okubaluleke kunakho konke ukuthi wayedume ngokuzimisela, ukuba nezimiso eziqinile nokungadlali ngesikhathi, isici abantu abaningi abasihlobanisa nenkolo kaCalvin ngisho nanamuhla.

Phakathi naleso sikhathi, uMartin Luther, owayehlala eJalimane, waligxeka obala iSonto lamaKatolika ethi likhohlakele futhi lifundisa izinto ezingekho eBhayibhelini. Kudume ukuthi ngo-1517 wanamathelisa imibono yakhe engu-95, noma izikhalazo, emnyango wesonto laseWittenberg, ecela ukuba kwenziwe izinguquko ezithile esontweni. Abaningi babevumelana noLuther, futhi ngokushesha yonke iYurophu yaqala ukwenza iziNguquko. Kuyaqondakala ukuthi kungani lokhu kwasusa uthuthuva ezindaweni eziningi, futhi ababebhikisha, noma amaProthestani, bangena enkingeni ngokuzama ukuvikela izinkolelo zabo. Ngo-1533, eParis, umngane kaCalvin, uNicholas Cop, wabeka inkulumo esekela uLuther, futhi njengoba uCalvin amsiza ekuyibhaleni, bobabili kwadingeka babaleke ngoba ukuphila kwabo kwase kusengozini. UCalvin akaphindanga walubhada eFrance.

Ngo-1536, uCalvin wanyathelisa incwadi edingida inkolo yobuProthestani ethi Institutes of the Christian Religion. Wayiqondisa eNkosini uFrancis I ngenjongo yokuvikela amaProthestani aseFrance, kamuva abizwa ngokuthi amaHuguenot. UCalvin wagxeka izimfundiso zobuKatolika futhi wadumisa izimfundiso zenkolo yakhe nalapho isekelwe khona—ebukhosini bukaNkulunkulu. Ngaphandle kwethonya eyaba nalo ezindabeni zenkolo, le ncwadi kaCalvin, iphawuleka nangethonya layo olimini nasendleleni yokubhala yaseFrance. UCalvin wayedume kakhulu ngokuba ngenye yezingqalabutho ezaletha iziNguquko esontweni. Wagcina esehlala eGeneva, eSwitzerland, futhi kusukela ngo-1541 kuye phambili, umsebenzi wakhe wokuguqula isonto wawenza kuleli dolobha ngokuyinhloko.

Ukwenza Izinguquko EGeneva

UCalvin waba nethonya elikhulu eGeneva. I-Encyclopedia of Religion ithi eshukunyiswa ukufuna ukuba abantu baziphathe kahle futhi benze izinto ezilungile, washintsha iGeneva “eyayidume ngokuxegelwa isimilo yaba idolobha elaba nemithetho eqinile elawula ukuziphatha kwabo bonke abantu.” Izinguquko zenzeka nangezinye izindlela. UDkt. Sabine Witt, osebenza eBerlin’s German Historical Museum, uyachaza: “Ngenxa yezimpi zenkolo eFrance, inani labantu [baseGeneva] laphindeka kabili eminyakeni embalwa eyalandela ngoba kwatheleka inqwaba yababaleki abangamaProthestani.” AmaHuguenot, nawo ayekhuthele njengoCalvin, athuthukisa umnotho wedolobha, kanjalo iGeneva yaba isikhungo sokunyathelisa nokukhandwa kwamawashi.

Ababaleki abavela kwamanye amazwe baya eGeneva, kuhlanganise nabaningi abavela eNgilandi ngoba iNdlovukazi uMary I yayisongela amaProthestani. Ngenxa yokuthi inkolo kaCalvin yayakhiwa ngokuyinhloko amaqenjana abantu abadingisiwe, yagcina iyilokho incwadi ethi Christ in der Gegenwart (Contemporary Christian) ekuchaza ngokuthi “inkolo yabashushiswayo.” Ngo-1560, laba babaleki banyathelisa i-Geneva Bible, iBhayibheli lokuqala lesiNgisi elihlukaniswe ngamavesi anezinombolo. Ngenxa yokuthi lalilincane kahle, kwaba lula ngabantu ukufunda iZwi likaNkulunkulu. Kungenzeka ukuthi yilo leli Bhayibheli elathathwa amaPuritan lapho efudukela eNyakatho Melika ngo-1620.

Kodwa iGeneva yayingeyona indawo eyisiphephelo kubo bonke abantu. UMichael Servetus, owazalelwa eSpain ngo-1511, wafunda isiGreki, isiLatini nesiHebheru kanye nobudokotela futhi kungenzeka ukuthi wazana noCalvin ngesikhathi befunda eParis. Ngemva kokutadisha iBhayibheli, uServetus waqaphela ukuthi imfundiso kaZiqu-zintathu ayikho emiBhalweni. Wazama ukuxhumana noCalvin ukuze badingide lolu daba, kodwa uCalvin wayebheka uServetus njengesitha kunanjengomngane. UServetus washushiswa amaKatolika eFrance, ngakho wabalekela eGeneva, idolobha elalihlala uCalvin. Akazange amukelwe ngezandla ezifudumele, kunalokho waboshwa, wathola isigwebo sentambo ngokuba imbuka futhi washiswa esigxotsheni ngo-1553. Isazi-mlando uFriedrich Oehninger sithi “ukubulawa kukaServetus kuseyibala elangcolisa igama [likaCalvin], umuntu owaletha iziNguquko ezinkulu.”

UCalvin wanyathelisa izincwadi eziningi ngesikhathi esesemzabalazweni wokuletha izinguquko. Kuthiwa wabhala ezingaphezu kwekhulu kanye nezincwadi azibhalela abathile eziyinkulungwane kuhlanganise nezintshumayelo ezingaba ngu-4 000 azishumayela eGeneva. Akagcinanga ngokuveza umbono wakhe ngokuthi ubuKristu kufanele bube njani, kodwa wazama nokuphoqelela abantu ukuba baphile ngendlela ayecabanga ukuthi amaKristu kufanele aphile ngayo, ikakhulu eGeneva, indawo ayeyibheka njengomuzi kaNkulunkulu.a

Imizamo yenkuthalo kaCalvin yokuguqula iGeneva yaba namiphi imiphumela? NgokweSwiss Federal Statistics Office, ngonyaka ka-2000, ngamaphesenti angu-16 kuphela ezakhamuzi zaseGeneva ayesonta eSontweni iReformed (inkolo kaCalvin), futhi maningi amaKatolika kunabantu abasonta esontweni likaCalvin kulelo dolobha.

Ukwanda Koqhekeko Olungokwenkolo

Lapho kuqala inkathi yeziNguquko esontweni, amadolobha nezifunda ezithile zathi zizosekela inkolo yamaKatolika, yamaLuthela noma kaCalvin. Lokho kwabangela uqhekeko olungokwenkolo eYurophu. Nakuba abalethi beziNguquko babemunye ekugxekeni iSonto LobuKatolika, nabo ngokwabo babengavumelani. UDkt. Witt, ocashunwe ngaphambidlana, uthi: “Kwaba khona ukungavumelani ngezimfundiso ezithile ngisho naphakathi kwamaProthestani ngokwawo.” Nakuba wonke ayevumelana ngokuthi kufanele iBhayibheli libe isisekelo senkolo yobuKristu, izimfundiso zawo zazingqubuzana kakhulu. Indaba eyayiyinkinga kakhulu incazelo yeSidlo SeNkosi Sakusihlwa nokuba khona kukaKristu. Ngokuhamba kwesikhathi, inkolo kaCalvin yasungula imfundiso eyindida kunazo zonke: ukumiselwa kusengaphambili.

Kwaphikiswana kakhulu ngokuthi kusho ukuthini ukumiselwa kusengaphambili. Elinye iqembu lenkolo kaCalvin lalithi ngaphambi kokona kwabantu, uNkulunkulu wayesenqumile ukuthi kunedlanzana elaliyothola insindiso ngoKristu, abanye bangayitholi. Ngakho, leli qembu lalikholelwa ukuthi insindiso iyisinqumo sikaNkulunkulu nokuthi abantu abalingani. Elinye iqembu lalithi insindiso ingatholwa yibo bonke abantu, futhi kuyisinqumo somuntu ukuthi uyayamukela noma cha. Lokho kwakusho ukuthi umuntu uyazikhethela ukuthola insindiso. Ngemva kweminyaka eminingi uCalvin afa, inkolo yakhe yayingazi ukuthi iphethe ngokuthini ezindabeni ezinjengemithetho kaNkulunkulu, inkululeko yomuntu yokuzikhethela nokuthi abantu banamathuba afanayo yini.

Inkolo KaCalvin Nezenzo Zayo Ezithile Ezimbi

Ngekhulu le-20 leminyaka, iSonto iDutch Reformed elasunguleka enkolweni kaCalvin lathi ubandlululo olwaluseNingizimu Afrika lungenxa yokumiselwa kusengaphambili. Ekhuluma ngomthetho kahulumeni wokuthi abeLungu baphakeme, uNelson Mandela, owaba umongameli wokuqala onsundu eNingizimu Afrika, wathi: “Lo mthetho wasekelwa yiSonto iDutch Reformed eyayithethelela ubandlululo ngemithetho yalo yenkolo esikisela ukuthi amaBhunu akhethwe uNkulunkulu nokuthi abantu abamnyama bayizidalwa eziphansi. Ngokombono wamaBhunu, isonto lalingenankinga nobandlululo.”

Ngawo-1990, iSonto iDutch Reformed laxolisa obala ngokusekela kwalo ubandlululo. Enkulumweni ebhalwe phansi ebizwa ngokuthi iRustenburg Declaration, abaholi baleli sonto bavuma: “Abanye bethu balisebenzisa kabi iBhayibheli ukuze sithethelele ubandlululo, senza abaningi bakholelwa ukuthi uNkulunkulu uyaluvumela.” Phakathi neminyaka, umbono wesonto endabeni yokucwasana awugcinanga ngokuba nesandla ekuhluphekeni okwabangelwa ubandlululo, kodwa waze ngisho wasikisela nokuthi nguNkulunkulu onecala!

UJohn Calvin wafela eGeneva ngo-1564. Lapho esezoshona, kuthiwa wabonga abantu ayesonta nabo “ngokumnika inhlonipho kuyilapho ayengayifanelekeli” futhi wabacela ukuba bamxolele ngobuthaka bakhe bokungabekezeli nokusheshe athukuthele. Nakuba ayenalobo buthaka, asinakuphika ukuthi uJohn Calvin wayenemikhuba emihle yokusebenza—ukukhuthala, ukuzithiba nokuzinikela emsebenzini.

[Umbhalo waphansi]

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Lapho kuqala inkathi yeziNguquko esontweni, amadolobha nezifunda ezithile zathi zizosekela inkolo yamaKatolika, yamaLuthela noma kaCalvin. Lokho kwabangela uqhekeko olungokwenkolo eYurophu

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(Ukuze ubone ukuthi indaba ihlelwe kanjani, bheka encwadini)

ISPAIN

IFRANCE

IPARIS

INoyon

I-Orléans

IBourges

ISWITZERLAND

IGENEVA

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Incwadi kaCalvin ethi “Institutes” (yango-1536) yaba isisekelo senkolo yobuProthestani

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© INTERFOTO/​Alamy

[Isithombe ekhasini 20]

Ukubulawa kukaServetus kuseyibala elangcolisa igama likaCalvin

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© Mary Evans Picture Library

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I-“Geneva Bible” (yango-1560) yiBhayibheli lokuqala lesiNgisi elalihlukaniswe ngamavesi anezinombolo

[Umthombo]

Courtesy American Bible Society

[Umthombo Wesithombe ekhasini 18]

French town: © Mary Evans Picture Library