IMasada—Kungani Yenzeka?
“KUSUKELA kudala, bangane bami abanesibindi, sazimisela ukungakhonzi kungaba amaRoma nanoma ubani omunye ngaphandle kukaNkulunkulu kuphela . . . Wozani, kuyilapho izandla zethu zisakhululekile ukuba zibambe inkemba . . . Masifeni ngaphambi kokuba sibe izigqila ngaphansi kwezitha zethu, futhi sishiye lokhu kuphila ndawonye njengamadoda akhululekile nabantwana bethu nomkethu!”
Kubikwa ukuthi lokhu kunxusa okunamandla kwanikezwa nguEleazar, indodana kaJair (noma uBen Ya’ir), kubavikeli beMasada. Kwalotshwa emibhalweni egciniwe isazi-mlando sekhulu lokuqala uJosephus encwadini yakhe ethi The Jewish War. Kungani lowomholi wamaJuda anxusa abangane bakhe ukuba babulale kakhulu nabo bazibulale, ngokuphambene nomthetho kaNkulunkulu? (Eksodusi 20:13) Okubaluleke kakhulu, ukwazi lezozimo kungakusiza kanjani ukuba usinde ezweni lanamuhla elinobudlova?
Amadoda Enkemba AseMasada
Ngaphambi kokugqashuka kokuvukela kwamaJuda ngo-66 C.E., inqaba yebutho lamaRoma yayiseMasada, okuyisiqongo segquma esivikelekile ngasoLwande Olufile. Nakuba iMasada kwakuyindawo ezimele yodwa, uHerode Omkhulu wayekade enesigodlo esihle sasebusika esasakhiwe lapho. Wakha isimiso sokungenisa amanzi ukuze ngisho nokugeza ngamanzi ashisayo kujatshulelwe. Nokho, okubi nangokwengeziwe ukuthi lapho lenqaba yayisetshenziswa amaRoma yayinendawo enkulu yokugcina izikhali. Lapho imizwa yokuvukela abantu abangamaRoma abahlala ePalestina iphakama, izikhali zazisengozini yokuwela ezandleni zabavukeli abangamaJuda. Elinye iqembu elinjalo kwakungamaSicarii, okusho ‘amadoda enkemba,’ okukhulunywa ngawo eBhayibhelini njengayehilelekile ekuvukeleni.—IzEnzo 21:38, NW.
Ngo-66 C.E. amadoda enkemba avimbezela iMasada. Ngezikhali zawo ayesanda kuzithola, amasha aya eJerusalema ukuze asekele ukuvukela ukubusa kwamaRoma. Ukubulala okunonya kwabavukeli abangamaJuda ezinqabeni zamabutho eMasada naseJerusalema kwalethela abantu bakubo nawo intukuthelo yoMbuso wamaRoma. Ngaphambi kokuba u-66 C.E. aphele, iButho leMpi Elikhulu Leshumi Nambili lamaRoma ngaphansi kukaCestius Gallus lamasha langena eJudiya futhi lakanisa ngaphandle kweJerusalema. AmaRoma ahlasela umuzi nhlangothi zonke aze ngisho emba izisekelo ezingasenyakatho zethempeli. Ngokushesha uGallus wahoxisa amabutho akhe futhi ngesizathu esingaqondakali walishiya iJudiya. “Ukuba waphikelela nokuhlasela isikhashana wayeyowuvimbezela uMuzi kube kanye,” kwabhala ufakazi wokuzibonela uJosephus.
Kodwa amaRoma ayengakaqedi. Eminyakeni emine kamuva ujenene wamaRoma uTitus wamasha wangena eJerusalema namabutho amakhulu amane.a Kulokhu wonke umuzi wabhujiswa, futhi iJudiya labuyiselwa ngaphansi kokubusa okuqinile kwamaRoma. Kwasala iMasada kuphela.
Ezimisele ukubhodloza lendawo yokugcina evikelekile, amaRoma akha udonga oluwugqinsi lwamatshe oluzungeza lenqaba namakamu ayisishiyagalombili akhiwe ngezindonga zamatshe. Ekugcineni akha idundu lomhlabathi eliholela phezulu—ummango owenziwe abantu ongamamitha angu-197 ubude nophakeme ngamamitha angu-55! Phezu kwawo akha inqaba futhi amisa into yokubhodloza ukuze abhodloze udonga lwaseMasada. Kwathatha isikhashana nje ukuba ibutho lamaRoma lithutheleke ngaphakathi futhi livimbezele lenqaba yokugcina yaseJudiya!
Namuhla umkhondo ocacile wamakamu amaRoma, udonga oluzungezile lokuvimbezela, nedundu elikhulu kufakazela indlela ukuvukela kwamaJuda okwaphela ngayo. Ukumba okukhulu kokuvubukula iMasada kwaqedwa ngo-1965. Ikhuluma ngalokho okutholiwe, iNew Encyclopædia Britannica (1987) ithi: “Izincazelo zesazi somlando wamaRoma namaJuda uJosephus, ezaziwukuphela komthombo onemininingwane womlando weMasada kwaze kwaba yilesosikhathi, kwatholakala ukuthi zinembe kakhulu.”
Kodwa njengoba amaRoma ayesezobhodloza izindonga angene, amadoda enkemba asabela kanjani enkulumweni yokuzibulala kaEleazar, indodana kaJair? UJosephus uyabhala: “Wonke abulala imikhaya yawo; . . . khona-ke, esekhethe amadoda ayishumi ngenkatho ukuba abe ababulali babo bonke, ngamunye wayelala phansi eceleni komkakhe nabantwana, futhi besonga izandla, babevulela imiphimbo yabo inqunywe yilabo okwakumelwe benze lomsebenzi obuhlungu.b Laba bababulala bonke ngokungahlehli, base benza okufanayo komunye nomunye, . . . kodwa owesifazane osegugile, kanye nomunye . . . babaleka . . . Izisulu zilinganiselwa emakhulwini ayisishiyagalolunye namashumi ayisithupha, kuhlanganise abesifazane nabantwana.”
Kungani ukuvukela kwamaJuda kwaphela kabuhlungu kangaka? Ingabe kwakuhlangene nokuphila nokufa kukaJesu waseNazaretha?
[Imibhalo yaphansi]
a EMasada, abavubukuli bathola amakhulu ezinhlamvu zemali ezinemibhalo yesiHeberu eqoshiwe egubha lokho kuvukela, njengothi “Lwenkululeko YeSiyoni” nothi “IJerusalema Elingcwele.” UDkt. Yigael Yadin encwadini yakhe ethi Masada uyachaza: “Amashekeli asemivubukulweni yethu awayo yonke iminyaka yokuvukela, kusukela onyakeni wokuqala kuya onyakeni ongavamile neze wesihlanu, unyaka wokugcina wokwenziwa kweshekeli, oqondana nonyaka ka-70 AD lapho iThempeli laseJerusalema libhujiswa.” Phawula uhlamvu lwemali olungenhla.
b Endaweni okwakubulawelwana kuyo ngakwelinye lamasango aseMasada, kwatholwa izingcezu zezinto ezenziwe ngobumba ezingu-11, ngalunye lubhalwe igama lesiHeberu elifushane eliyisifekethiso. Izazi eziningana zisikisela ukuthi lezingcezu kungenzeka ziyinkatho uJosephus abhekisela kuyo. Kwenye kwakuqoshwe igama elithi “Ben Ya’ir,” elisho ukuthi “ndodana kaJairus.” “Ukuthola kukaYadin inkatho, kuhlanganise naleyo ebhalwe igama likaBen Jair, kuyisiqinisekiso esikhulu sokulandisa kukaJosephus,” kusho uLouis Feldman kwethi Josephus and Modern Scholarship.
[Isithombe esembozweni]
IMasada—Ingabe Iwubufakazi Bokuthi UMesiya Wayefikile?
[Isithombe ekhasini 4]
Uhlamvu lwemali lwamaJuda lwango-67 C.E., oluphawula “Unyaka Wesi-2” wokulwa neRoma
[Umthombo]
Pictorial Archive (Near Eastern History) Est.