Ubufakazi Bokulondoloza Kwaphezulu
IZWI likaNkulunkulu eliphefumlelwe liye ladluliselwa kithi lingenalo iphutha, futhi okokuqala kumelwe sibonge uMlobi weBhayibheli ngokulondoloza okunjalo okumangalisayo. Cishe kunemibhalo eyizi-6 000 yemiBhalo yesiHeberu yonke noma izingxenye zayo kanye neminye eyizi-5 000 yemiBhalo YamaKristu YesiGreki.
“Izwi leNkosi [uJehova] limi kuze kube-phakade.” (1 Petru 1:24) Kodwa ukucwaninga kwanamuhla kuye kwembulani mayelana nokulondolozwa kweZwi lakhe eliNgcwele?
Uyiqiniso Kangakanani UmBhalo?
Kodwa uthembeke kangakanani nje umbhalo wemiBhalo YamaKristu YesiGreki? Uthembeke ngempela, ngokungenakuqhathaniswa uma sicabangela eminye imibhalo eye yasinda ezikhathini zasendulo. Leliqiniso laqokonyiswa encwadini iAuf den Spuren Jesu (Ezinyathelweni ZikaJesu), kaGerhard Kroll. Ngokwesibonelo umlobi wabonisa ukuthi amapapyri ayisithupha kuphela alondoloziwe emibhalo yesazi sefilosofi uAristotle (wekhulu lesine leminyaka B.C.E.), amaningi aqala ekhulwini leshumi leminyaka C.E. noma ngemva kwalokho. Imisebenzi kaPlato (wekhulu lesine leminyaka B.C.E.) yayingconywana. Kunemibhalo eyishumi yemisebenzi yakhe eyaqala ngaphambi kwekhulu le-13 leminyaka. Endabeni kaHerodotus (wekhulu lesihlanu leminyaka B.C.E.), cishe kunezingxenye zepapyrus ezingama-20 ezaqala ngekhulu lokuqala leminyaka C.E. nangemuva. Imibhalo yokuqala ephelele yomsebenzi wakhe yaqala ngekhulu leshumi leminyaka. Futhi imibhalo yokuqala yemisebenzi kaJosephus ihlehlela emuva ekhulwini le-11 leminyaka.
Ngokuphambene nalokhu, umbhalo wemiBhalo YamaKristu YesiGreki (owaqedwa ekhulwini lokuqala leminyaka C.E.) ufakazelwa izingxenye zekhulu lesibili leminyaka kanye namakhophi aphelele ekhulu lesine leminyaka. Ngokusho kukaKroll, kunamapapyrus angama-81 asukela ekhulwini leminyaka lesi-2 kuya kwelesi-7, imibhalo ebhalwe ngofeleba engama-266 esukela ekhulwini lesi-4 leminyaka kuya kwele-10, kanye nemibhalo engama-2 754 ebhalwe ngokuhlanganisa esukela ekhulwini lesi-9 leminyaka kuya kwele-15, kanye nezincwadi ezinemithetho yokukhulekela eziyizi-2 135. Konke lokhu kusisiza ukuba siqiniseke ngombhalo wemiBhalo YamaKristu YesiGreki. Khona-ke, yebo, ufakazelwa kahle ngempela.
Ingxenye Ebalulekile YeVangeli LikaJohane
Ubani obengalindela ukuthola ingxenye yombhalo weBhayibheli ebalulekile enqwabeni yezibi? Nokho, yilapho lapho ingxenye eyigugu yesahluko se-18 seVangeli likaJohane yatholwa khona. Manje yaziwa ngokuthi iJohn Rylands Papyrus 457 (P52), ilondolozwe eManchester, eNgilandi. Yatholakala kanjani, futhi kungani ibaluleke kangaka?
Ekupheleni kwekhulu leminyaka, abavubukuli bamba inqwaba yezingxenye zepapyrus, kanye nezincwadi, amarisidi, izicelo, kanye nemibhalo yokubalwa kwabantu, kuhlanganise neminye nje imibhalo eminingi, ngaphandle kwedolobha laseOxyrhynchus esifundeni Base-El Faiyûm, eGibithe. Okuningi kwakubhalwe ngesiGreki, konke kwakulondolozwe esihlabathini esomileyo isikhathi esingamakhulu eminyaka.
Ngonyaka ka-1920, iqoqo lalamapapyrus lazuzwa uMtapo Wezincwadi kaJohn Rylands waseManchester. Eminyakeni eyishumi nane kamuva, isazi uC. H. Roberts, lapho sihlela ezinye zezingcezu, sahlangabezana namazwi ambalwa abonakala ejwayelekile kuso. Cabanga indlela esajabula ngayo lapho siphawula ukuthi ayevela kuJohane isahluko 18, izingxenye zamavesi 31 kuya ku-33 kolunye uhlangothi locezu nezingxenye zamavesi 37 no-38 kolunye uhlangothi ngemuva. Lolucezu lwepapyrus lwabonakala luyingxenye yokuqala eyaziwayo yanoma yimuphi umbhalo wemiBhalo YamaKristu YesiGreki esatholakele. Libhalwe ngofeleba besiGreki, lasungulwa engxenyeni yokuqala yekhulu lesibili leminyaka eSikhathini Sethu Esivamile.
Isilinganiso salolucezu singamasentimitha angu-8,9 ubude nangu-6,4 ububanzi. Lolucezu lwepapyrus lunganikezwa kanjani usuku oluqonde kangaka? Kakhulukazi, ngokuhlola indlela yokubhala, okuyisifundo esaziwa ngokuthi ipaleography. Konke ukubhala ngesandla kuyashintsha njalo ngemva kweminyaka, futhi yilolushintsho olubonisa ubudala bombhalo, eceleni kube neminyaka ethile engaphezu noma ngaphansi kweminyaka ecatshangelwayo. Ngakho umbhalo ophelele lowo lolucezu oluyingxenye encane kakhulu yawo wakopishwa eduze kakhulu nesikhathi sokubhalwa komlando wokuqala weVangeli elalotshwa uJohane uqobo. Cishe, igebe lalilincane kangangeminyaka engama-30 noma engama-40. Futhi singaqiniseka ukuthi umlando kaJohane awushintshwanga kakhulu ngababhali bamuva, ngoba umbhalo wocezu cishe uvumelana ncamashi nalowo otholakala emibhalweni yamuva kakhulu.
Ngaphambi kwalokhu kutholakala, abagxeki babephikise ngokuthi iVangeli likaJohane aliwona umbhalo obhalwe umphostoli kaJesu uqobo kodwa wawubhalwe esikhathini esithile kamuva, ngasekupheleni kwekhulu lesibili leminyaka. Ngokuphambene, manje kuyacaca ngokwalolucezu ukuthi iVangeli likaJohane lalikhona eGibithe engxenyeni yokuqala yekhulu lesibili leminyaka C.E., lingekho esimweni somqulu, kodwa sencwadi njengecodex. Yeka ukuthi kumangalisa kanjani ukuthi ucezu olunjalo lwepapyrus olubonakala lungelutho lungathulisa abagxeki ngokuphumelela kangaka!
[Ibhokisi ekhasini 31]
IPAPYRUS
IPAPYRUS isitshalo esimila emanzini angashoni, ami ndawonye noma emaxhaphozini nasosebeni lwemifula ehamba kancane, njengeNayili. (Jobe 8:11) Iphepha lepapyrus kungenzeka lalisetshenziswa njengento okubhalelwa kuyo kudala kangangesikhathi sika-Abrahama. Kamuva, ukukhiqizwa kwalo kwakungomunye wemisebenzi eyinhloko yabaseGibithe lasendulo. Lapho belenza, babelandela indlela elula. Ubude bendawo engaphakathi yalesitshalo babusikwa bube izingcezu ezincane ezinde bese zibekwa olunye eceleni kolunye, bese kunanyathiselwa olunye ziphambaniswe. Lokhu kwakucindezelwa kugaywe kube iphepha elide, komiswe elangeni, bese ngokuhamba kwesikhathi kucwalwe ngetshe ipumice, ngegobongo, noma ngezinyo lendlovu. Lamaphepha amade ayengase ahlanganiswe enze umqulu, onesilinganiso sobude bamamitha angu-4 kuya ku-6, nakuba omunye ogciniwe unobude obungu-41 m. Uma kungenjalo, amakhasi ayegoqwa ukuze kwenziwe incwadi efana necodex, uhlobo lwencwadi eyayivamile kumaKristu okuqala.
[Ibhokisi ekhasini 31]
IPHEPHA ELILUKHUNI NELITHAMBILE
IALEXANDRINE CODEX yekhulu lesihlanu leminyaka, ekuqaleni eyayiqukethe iBhayibheli lonke, ibhalwe ephepheni elithambile. Kuyini lokhu, futhi kuhluke kanjani ephepheni elilukhuni?
Kusukela ezikhathini zakudala, iphepha elilukhuni lalenziwa ngesikhumba semvu, sembuzi, noma senkonyane. Sasilungiswa ngokususa uboya ezikhunjeni ezihlanziwe, ezazinwetshwa ngezinhlaka ezithile ukuze zome. (Qhathanisa no-2 Thimothewu 4:13.) Ngekhulu lesithathu nelesine leminyaka leSikhathi Sethu Esivamile, kwakwamukelwa umahluko phakathi kwamazinga ephepha, elalingalungiswanga kahle laqhubeka libizwa ngokuthi iparchment, kodwa elithambile labizwa ngokuthi ivellum. Ekwenzeni ivellum, kwakusetshenziswa izikhumba ezithambile zamankonyane noma zamazinyane noma zamankonyane namawundlu okuzalwe kufile. Zazikhiqiza iphepha lokubhala elilula, elithambile cishe elimhlophe elalisetshenziselwa ukwenza izincwadi ezibalulekile kwaze kwaba yilapho kusungulwa izinto zokunyathelisa, ezazidinga amaphepha ashibhile nangcono.