Imvelaphi Yesihogo

“ISIHOGO,” kuchaza iNew Catholic Encyclopedia, yigama “elisetshenziselwa ukuchaza indawo yabalahliwe.” Iencyclopedia yamaProthestani ichaza isihogo ngokuthi “indawo yokujeziswa kwababi esikhathini esizayo.”a Kodwa ukukholelwa endaweni enjalo yokujeziswa ngemva kokufa akugcini emasontweni amakhulu eLobukholwa. Kwavela emakhulwini eminyaka amaningi ngaphambi kokuba eLobukholwa libe khona.

Isihogo SaseMesopotamiya

Eminyakeni engaba izi-2 000 ngaphambi kokuzalwa kukaJesu, amaSumeria nabaseBabiloni babekholelwa ezweni elingaphansi komhlaba ababelibiza ngokuthi iZwe Okungayi Kulo Lubuyayo. Lenkolelo yakudala ibonakala ezinkondlweni zamaSumeria nezama-Akkadia ezaziwa ngokuthi “Inkondlo KaGilgamesh” nethi “Ukwehlela KukaIshtar Ezweni Elingaphansi Komhlaba.” Zichaza lendawo yabafile njengendlu yobumnyama, “indlu okungaphumi muntu ongene kuyo.”

Ngokuqondene nezimo ezikhona lapho, umbhalo waseAsiriya wasendulo uthi “izwe langaphansi komhlaba laligcwele ukwesaba.” Inkosana engumAsiriya okuthiwa yanikwa umbono walendawo yabafile yangaphansi komhlaba yavuma ukuthi ‘imilenze yayo yayiqhaqhazela’ ngenxa yalokho eyayikubona. Ichaza uNergal, inkosi yezwe elingaphansi komhlaba, yabhala: “Ngezwi elinamandla waklabalasa engimemeza ngentukuthelo njengesivunguvungu esinamandla.”

Izinkolo ZaseGibithe NezaseMpumalanga

AmaGibithe asendulo ayekholelwa ekungafini komphefumulo, futhi ayenowawo umbono ngezwe langemva kokufa. INew Encyclopædia Britannica ithi: “Imibhalo yabaseGibithe ephathelene nezemingcwabo ibonisa indlela eya ezweni elizayo njengegcwele izingozi ezisabisayo: izilo ezinkulu ezisabekayo, amachibi omlilo, amasango okungenakwedlulwa kuwo ngaphandle kokuba kusetshenziswe imilingo, nendoda eyethusayo egwedla isikebhe enhloso yayo embi kumelwe ibhuntshiswe ngomlingo.”

Izinkolo zamaNdiya namaIran zaqamba izinkolelo ezihlukahlukene ngokujeziswa ngemva kokufa. Ngokuqondene nobuHindu, iEncyclopædia Universalis (IEncyclopedia Yomhlaba Wonke) yesiFulentshi ithi: “Kunezincazelo ezingenakubalwa zezihogo ezingama-21 ezicatshangwa amaHindu. Izoni zishwabadelwa izilo zasendle nayizinyoka, zosiwa ngentshiseko, zihlahlelwa zibe izicucu, zihlushwa ngokoma nangendlala, zibiliswa emafutheni, noma zigaywe zibe impuphu ezitsheni zensimbi noma zetshe.”

Kokubili ubuJain nobuBuddha bunezinhlobo zabo zesihogo, lapho kuhlushwa khona izoni eziphendukayo. UbuZoroastrian, obaqanjwa eIran, noma ePersia, nabo bunaso isihogo—indawo ebandayo, enuka kabi lapho imiphefumulo yezoni ihlushwa khona.

Ngokuthakazelisayo, kuyabonakala ukuthi ukuhlushwa ezinhlotsheni zesihogo zaseGibithe, zobuHindu, zobuJain, ubuBuddha, nezobuZoroastrian akukhona okwaphakade. Ngokwalezinkolo, ngemva kwenkathi ethile yokuhlupheka, imiphefumulo yezoni idlulela kwenye indawo noma isimo, kuye ngombono waleyonkolo ngendawo okuya kuyo abantu. Imiqondo yazo ngesihogo ifuze isihlanzo sobuKatolika.

Isihogo SamaGreki, SamaEtruscan, NesamaRoma

AmaGreki asendulo ayekholelwa ekungafini komphefumulo (psy·kheʹ, igama futhi ayelisebenzisela uvemvane). Ayebiza indawo yabafile ngokuthi iHayidese futhi ekholelwa ukuthi ibuswa unkulunkulu onegama elifanayo. Encwadini yakhe ethi Orpheus—A General History of Religions, isazi esiwumFulentshi uSalomon Reinach sabhala lokhu ngamaGreki: “Inkolelo eyayande kakhulu yayiwukuthi [umphefumulo] ungena ezindaweni ezivuthayo ngemva kokuwela umfula iStyx ngesikebhe sendoda endala uCharon, owayefuna iobolus [uhlamvu lwemali] njengemali yokugibela, eyayifakwa emlonyeni womuntu ofile. Ezindaweni ezivuthayo wawuma ngaphambi kwamajaji amathathu aleyondawo . . . ; uma ugwetshwa ngenxa yobubi bawo, kwakumelwe uhlupheke eTartarus. . . . AmaGreki aqamba ngisho naneLimbo, indawo yabantwana abafe beseyizinsana, nesiHlanzo, lapho isijeziso esithile esilula sasihlanza khona imiphefumulo.” NgokweWorld Book Encyclopedia, imiphefumulo eyayigcina eTartarus “yayihlushwa phakade.”

EItaly amaEtruscan ampucuko yawo yandulela eyamaRoma, nawo ayekholelwa ekujezisweni ngemva kokufa. IDictionnaire des Religions (Isichazamazwi Sezinkolo) ithi: “Ukunakekela okwedlulele amaEtruscan ayenakekela ngakho abafile bawo kuchazwa umbono wawo ngezindawo zangaphansi komhlaba. NjengabaseBabiloni, ayecabangela lezindawo njengezindawo zokuhlupheka nokukhungatheka ngamathongo [imimoya yabafile]. Ukukhululeka kuwona kwakungeza kuphela ngeminikelo yesihlengo eyenziwa inzalo yawo.” Enye incwadi okubhekiselwa kuyo ithi: “Amathuna amaEtruscan abonisa imifanekiso esabisayo eyathonya imidwebo yamaKristu yesihogo.”

AmaRoma amukela isihogo samaEtruscan, esibiza ngokuthi iOrcus noma i-Infernus. Futhi atsheleka nezinganekwane zamaGreki ngoHayidese, inkosi yezwe elingaphansi komhlaba, embiza ngokuthi uOrcus, noma uPluto.

AmaJuda NemiBhalo YesiHeberu

Kuthiwani ngamaJuda ngaphambi kosuku lukaJesu? Ngokuqondene nawo, sifunda lokhu kuyiEncyclopædia Britannica (1970): “Kusukela ekhulwini leminyaka lesi-5 B.C. kuye phambili, amaJuda ayesondelene kakhulu namaPheresiya namaGreki, izizwe ezazinemibono ethuthukisiwe ngokuphila okuzayo. . . . Ngesikhathi sikaKristu, amaJuda ayeseyamukele inkolelo yokuthi imiphefumulo emibi iyojeziswa ngemva kokufa eGehena.” Nokho, iEncyclopædia Judaica ithi: “Akukho kusikisela kwalomqondo wakamuva ngeGehena okutholakalayo emBhalweni.”

Lamazwi asanda kushiwo ayiqiniso. Akukho kusikisela emiBhalweni yesiHeberu kokujeziswa komphefumulo kwangemva kokufa esihogweni esivutha umlilo. Lemfundiso esabekayo ivela ezinkolweni zaseBabiloni zangemva kukaZamcolo, hhayi eBhayibhelini. Imfundiso yeLobukholwa yokujeziswa esihogweni yadabuka kwabaseBabiloni basendulo. Umqondo wamaKatolika wokuhlupheka okwelaphayo esihlanzweni kuvela ezinkolweni zasendulo zaseGibithe nezaseMpumalanga. ILimbo yathathwa ezinganekwaneni zamaGreki. Imithandazo neminikelo yabafile kwakwenziwa amaEtruscan.

Kodwa lezimfundiso zesijeziso esizwakalayo ngemva kokufa zisekelwe kuziphi izinto ezicatshangelwayo eziyisisekelo?

[Umbhalo waphansi]

[Isithombe ekhasini 5]

Ukuwela iStyx njengoba kuchazwe kuyi“Inferno” kaDante

[Umthombo]

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