ITHESTAMENTE ELIDALA LAVELAPHI ?
IBhaybheli yinqolobane yezincwadi ezimiqulu mibili: ngezefindo lokuqala lesivumelwano sokholo (ithestamente elidala) nezefindo lesibili lesivumelwano sokholo (ithestamente elisha).
Izincwadi zethestamente elidala (TD) zaziwa ngabantu bokholo lobuJuda nabokholo lobuKhristu njengesisekelo nensika yokholo lwabo. Ababhali balezi zincwadi kwakungabantu uNkulunkulu ayeziveza ngabo esintwini nababengumlomo wesizwe sakubo kwaIzrayeli wokudumisa nokubonga ngentshisekelo nanesandla soMdali.
Kulesi sikhathi esiphila kuso namuhla abenkolo yobuJuda nabeyobuKhristu bathatha ngokuthi uMoya oNgcwele yiwona sisusa sogqozi lokulotshwa kwale mithandazo nemizekeliso nezigigaba nemibono namahubo aqukethwe kulezi zincwadi.
Lezi zincwadi eziqukethwe ethestamenteni elidala zisetshenziswa njengebalazwe nomthombo wemvuselelo empilweni yamakholwa nasemizamweni yokwakha nokuvuselela iBandla. Ngisho noJesu nabafundi bakhe babezifunda, bezama – njengabo bonke abanye besizwe sakubo ngaleso sikhathi – ukuphila ngawo lo `Mbhalo oNgcwele´ ababewuthatha ngokuthi uyizwi likaNkulunkulu.
AmaJuda awehlukanisa kanje amaqembu ezincwadi zeBhaybheli lawo (ithestamente elidala):
°imibhalo yomthetho (ngesiHebheru „thora“) esezincwadini uGenesisi, uEksodusi, uLevithikhusi, uNumeri noDutheronomi eziyaye zisiselwe uMozi kuthiwe zalotshwa nguye noma kwaziwa ukuthi eqinisweni akunjalo;
° imibhalo yabaphrofethi – abasemandulo (oJoshwa, abeHluleli, uSamweli namaKhosi) nabamuva (oIzaya, noJeremiya, noHezekhiya nencwadi yabaphrofethi abancane abayishumi nambili oAmose noMikha noZefaniya nabanye);
°nemibhalo exubile (amaHubo, uJobe, iZaga, uRuthi, isiLilo, isiHlabelelo sezihlabelelo, umShumayeli, uEsta, uDanyela, uEzra, uNehemiya neziKhronike).
Ngenxa yokuthi izincwadi ezithile namuhla esezicanwe kabili (uSamweli, amaKhosi, uEzra-Nehemiya neziKhronike) zazincwadi-nye, kanti nencwadi yabaphrofethi abancane abayishumi nambili („Duodekapropheton“) kwakusemqulu-munye, elabenkolo yobuJuda ibhaybheli laliqukethe nje-ke ezingamashumi amabili nambili (22) izincwadi ezahlukene.
Muva nje-ke ebhaybhelini lenkolo yobuKhristu sezicanwa-ke lezi zincwadi. Yikho nje-ke sekuthiwa zingamashumi amathathu nesishiyagalolunye (39). Abafundi bezenkolo bazibiza ngokuthi ngezekhethelo eliphambili (ngesiGrikhi „protos kanon“). Leli khethelo-ke laselikhona onyakeni wekhulu emva kokuzalwa kukaJesu (100 AD).
Abenkolo yobuJuda ababeqube eGibhithe ngalozo zikhathi babekhuluma, bekhonza ngolwimi lwesiGriki, nelawo-ke ibhaybheli laselahunyushelwa esiGrikini kwakudala. Abafundi bezenkolo balibiza ngokuthi yiSebthwaginta (= „Septuaginta“) okungukuthi „ngamashumi ayisikhombisa“, ngokulandela umlando othi zazingamashumi ayisikhombisa izikhuthali ezalihumusha ezinsukwini ezingamashumi ayisikhombisa lelo bhaybheli zilisusa kolwesiHebheru, zilifaka kolwesiGriki.
Leli bhaybheli lesiGrikhi laliqukethe nezinye nje-ke izincwadi ezingekho kwelomsuka elingesiHebheru – izincwadi amaJuda ayeqube kwelezizwe ayezemukela ngokuthi nazo ziyingxenye yoMbhalo oNgcwele. NeBandla labakholwa ngobuKhristu elavela emva kwalokho lavumelana ngokuthi lezi zincwadi mazemukeleke enqolobaneni yebhaybheli njengekhethelo lesibili (nesiGrikhi: „deuteros kanon“); yilezi-ke:
° yincwadi kaThobiyase (kaThobi),
° nguJudithi,
° amaMakhabheya okuqala nawesibili,
°nguBhaluki,
°yiNhlakanipho
°kanye nencwadi kaSilahi (kaSirakhi)
°bese kwenazezelwa ngezahluko ezimbalwa encwadini kaDanyela nakwekaEsta.
Elenkolo yobuKhristu-ke ibhaybheli lizihlela ngokuhlobana kwazo izincwadi zethestamente elidala (TD):
°ezomlando,
°ezemfundiso nemvuselelo
°kugcine ezabaphrofethi.
Ukwahlukanisa phakathi kwethestamente elidala (TD) nethestamente elisha (TSh) kwakungakabi bikho ngoba phela ibhaybheli laliqukethe kuphela-nje lezi zincwadi namuhla esesizibiza ngokuthi ngezethestamente elidala (TD).
Muva nje-ke, ngokwemukeleka kwezincwadi zokuqala zabaphostoli eBandleni labakholwa ngobuKhristu njengokuthi nazo sezizosetshenziswa njengebalazwe nomthombo wemvuselelo empilweni yamakholwa nasemizamweni yokwakha nokuvuselela iBandla (ngesiGrikhi: „kanon“ = ubhoko oluyisilinganiso), baqala abafundi bezenkolo yobuKhristu ukwehlukanisa phakathi kwethestamente elidala nelisha, ibizo elithi ithestamente (ngesiLathini: „testamentum“) belichaza ngokuthi yisivumelwano/yifindo (ngesiGrikhi: „diatheke“ = yisibopho, yisiyalelo; ngesiHebheru: „berit“ = yisivumelwano, yifindo, yisibopho).
Uhlu-ke lokuqala ngqa lwazo zonke izincwadi okuvunyelwene ukuthi zemukeleke eBandleni labakholwa ngobuKhristu, zisetshenziswe njengebalazwe nomthombo wemvuselelo empilweni yamakholwa nasemizamweni yokwakha nokuvuselela iBandla (kanon) lwethulwa ngokokuqala emhlanganweni weSinodi lesifunda saseHipho ngonyaka wamakhulu amathathu namashumi ayisishiyagalolunye nantathu (393).
Emva kokuba amabandla akhonza ngesiLathini kanye namabandla aseMpumalanga-Yurophu (akhonza ngezinye izilwimi) esevumelene ngenani ngangesimo sezincwadi ezehlukene zenqolobane yoMbhalo, kwavunyelwana-ke embizweni enkulu yeSonto yaseThendele (= Trent) kwelaseNtaliyane ngonyaka ka-1546 ukuthi yile nqolobane-ke esiyoba yisisekelo nensika yobukholwa bobuKhristu nobhoko okuhlolwa kulinganiswe nalo (= kanon).
Le nqolobane-ke kuvunyelwana ngayo-nje sekukade kwabakhona umqulu oziqukethe zonke lezi zincwadi ngolwimi lwesiLathini, obizwa ngokuthi yiVulgatha (= „Vulgata“ = elikawonke-wonke).
Kwathi-ke uMartin Luther (1483-1546) ehumusha ibhaybheli elifaka olwimini lwakubo lwesiJalimane, wazihlunga, wazishiya ngaphandle izincwadi zekhethelo lesibili (deuteros kanon), oThobi noJudithi. Wazihumusha nokh, wathi othandayo angazifundela noma ngokombono wakhe zingesiyo ingxenye yoMbhalo oNgcwele.
Kusukela lapho-ke onke amaBandla namaSonto enkolo yobuKhristu aphenjwa elandela imfundiso yokuvuselelwa-jikelele (reformation) aqhuba ngendlela kaLutha, azishiya ngaphandle lezi zincwadi zekhethelo lesibili. Zijwayelwe ukubizwa ngokuthi ngamaAphokhrifi (ngesiGrikhi: „apokryphos“ = fihliwe); thina sizozibisa ngamavezandlebe.
Abafundi benkolo yobuKhristu beBandla lamaKhatholika bayehluka-ke nokho kule ndawo: Bona uma bekhuluma ngamavezandlebe basuke bengasho lezi zincwadi esikhuluma ngazo lapha; basho bona nanoma yiyiphi incwajana okwethuka ivela kuleli nakuleliya bandla, yamukelela khona njengengxenye yoMbhalo oNgcwele noma ingaziwa kwamanye amabandla ahambisana nesivumelwano sembizo yaseThendela (= Trent) ka-1546.
Abafundi benkolo yobuKhristu yamaBandla emfundiso yokuvuselelwa-jikelele (reformation) abazemukeli sampela-mpela ke lezi zincwadi ozakwaba abakhuluma ngazho, bazikhipha inyumbazana, bazibize ngokuthi ngamabsoydo-ephigrafu (ngesiGrikhi: „pseudo-epigraphos“ = ngezisiselwa abalobi abdumileyo kube kungezona ezabo), yimilanjwana.
Ezekhethelo elimphambili (protokanon) zidabuka olwimini lwesiHebheru; zimbalwanje izahluko kuzo ezidabuka olwimini lwesiAramu (isingeniso encwadini kaEzra nasencwadini kaDanyela). Ezekhethelo lesibili-ke zona (deuterokanon) zidabuka kolwesiGrikhi.
Ukuvela nokubhalwa kwaleyo naleyo ncwadi (ikakhulukazi mayelana nehzincwadi zethestamente elidala) kwakuthatha imindundu. Ezikhathini eziningi kwakwedlula izizukulwane ezithile kuze kufike isiphethosomlando nengxoxo ethile: Unkulunkulu wayeziveza akhulume nabathile (isibonelo: uMozi), bona-ke bayedlulisele phambili indaba – abnye ngokuyixoxa beziphindelela, abanye-ke ngokuyibhala phansi, bayisakaze nezwe.
Abadala bakwaIzrayeli nezingqapheli zokugcinwa kwamasiko okholo ngokwesiJuda babeyinambithisisa le milando nemibono emithandazweninasendleleni okwakuzanywa ngayo ukuphila ngenqubo edumisa oPhezukonke. Imiqulu yemibhalo-ke eyagcina ikhona ngokuhamba kwesikhathi singayiqhathanisa namuhla nomtapo wesizwe (library) oqukethe ingxubevange yamagugu asemandulo nawezolo kanye nemithandazo nemibono neziyalelo okwathi noJesu wasNazaretha ezalwa,n wazifica, wazifunda, wavumelana kokunye waphikisana nazo; yilo mtapo-ke iSonto lasemandulo emva kokubulawa nokuvuka kukaJesu elavumelana ngokuthi ayibe yisisekelo nensika yenkolo yobuKhristu, abanye abathi `uMbhalo oNgcwele´ noma `yiZwi likaNkulunkulu´.
NguBheni wakwaKhumalo eBaQulusini ekwaMachanca eJalimane [Dr Ben Khumalo-Seegelken].