Amagugu Avela Ezinqwabeni Zezibi ZaseGibithe

INGABE ubungalindela ukuthola imibhalo yesandla yeBhayibheli eyigugu enqwabeni yezibi? Phakathi kwezihlabathi zaseGibithe, ngasekupheleni kwekhulu leminyaka eledlule, yilokho kanye okwenzeka. Kanjani?

Kusukela ngo-1778 kuqhubeke kuze kube sekupheleni kwekhulu le-19 leminyaka, imibhalo eminingi yepapyrus yatholakala eGibithe kungazelelwe. Nokho, akubanga nokuhlola okuhleliwe okungako kwaze kwaba seminyakeni eyikhulu edlule. Ngalesosikhathi uchungechunge lwemibhalo yasendulo lwalutholwa abantu bendabuko ababesebenza kwezolimo, ngakho iNhlangano Yokuhlola EGibithe eyayixhaswe iBrithani yaqaphela isidingo sokuthumela iqembu elalizohlola kungakephuzi kakhulu. Yakhetha izazi ezimbili zaseOxford, uBernard P. Grenfell noArthur S. Hunt, ezathola imvume yokuhlola indawo engaseningizimu yendawo yamapulazi esifundeni saseFaiyūm (eboniswe ngenhla).

Indawo ethiwa iBehnesa yazwakala inikeza ithemba kuGrenfell ngenxa yegama layo lesiGreki sasendulo, elithi Oxyrhynchus. Njengesikhungo sobuKristu baseGibithe, iOxyrhynchus yayiyindawo ebalulekile phakathi nekhulu lesine nelesihlanu leminyaka C.E. Izindlu zezindela zakuqala eziningi zazakhiwe eduze nalendawo, futhi amanxiwa alelidolobha elingaphucukile ayegcwele yonke indawo. UGrenfell wayethemba ukuthi uzothola izingcezu zezincwadi zobuKristu lapho, kodwa ukuhlola amathuna nezindlu ezidilikile akuvezanga lutho. Kwasala izinqwaba zezibi zalelidolobha kuphela, ezinye zazingamamitha angu-9 ukuphakama. Ukumba ukuze kutholakale amapapyrus kuleyondawo kwabonakala kunjengokuvuma ukuthi bahlulekile; kodwa lababahloli bezwe banquma ukuba bazame.

Iqoqo Lamagugu

NgoJanuary 1897 kwembiwa umsele okwakuzozanywa kuwo, futhi phakathi namahora ambalwa kwatholakala amaphepha asendulo epapyrus. Ayehlanganisa izincwadi zangasese, izivumelwano, kanye nezincwadi zasemthethweni. Isihlabathi esasipheshethwe umoya sasiwambozile, futhi isimo sezulu esingenamvula sasiwalondoloze iminyaka ecishe ibe ngu-2 000.

Ezinyangeni ezingaphezu nje kwezintathu, amathani acishe abe mabili amapapyrus atholakala eOxyrhynchus. Amabhokisi amakhulu angamashumi amabili nanhlanu agcwaliswa ayesethunyelwa eNgilandi. Futhi njalo ngesikhathi sasebusika eminyakeni eyishumi eyalandela, lezizazi ezimbili ezinesibindi zaziphindela eGibithe ukuze zandise amaqoqo azo.

Kwesinye isenzakalo, lapho besavubukula amathuna eTebtunis, abazange bathole lutho ngaphandle kwezidumbu zezingwenya ezomiswe ngemithi. Isisebenzi esithile ngenxa yokukhungatheka saphihliza eyodwa yaba izicucu. Samangala lapho sithola ukuthi yayisongwe ngamaphepha epapyrus. Ezinye izingwenya, abazithola, nazo zazisetshenziswe ngendlela efanayo, futhi ezinye zazinemiqulu yepapyrus ihlohlwe emiphinjeni yazo. Kwatholakala izingcezu zombhalo wobuciko wasendulo, kanye nemiyalo yasebukhosini nezivumelwano zihlanganiswe ndawonye nama-akhawunti ebhizinisi kanye nezincwadi zangasese.

Yayibaluleke ngani yonke lemibhalo? Yabonakala ithakazelisa kakhulu, ngoba eminingi yayibhalwe abantu abavamile ngolimi lwesiKoine, isiGreki esasivamile ngalesosikhathi. Njengoba amaningi amagama abawasebenzisa evela nasemiBhalweni yesiGreki yeBhayibheli, “iTestamente Elisha,” ngokushesha kwaba sobala ukuthi ulimi olusetshenziswe emiBhalweni lwalungesona isiGreki seBhayibheli esikhethekile, njengoba ezinye izazi ziye zasikisela, kodwa kwakuwulimi lwabantu abavamile. Ngakho ngokuqhathanisa indlela amagama ayesetshenziswa ngayo ezimweni zansuku zonke, kuye kwaqondwa kangcono lokho lamagama akushoyo emiBhalweni YamaKristu YesiGreki.

Imibhalo Yesandla YeBhayibheli

Kwatholakala nezingcezu zemibhalo yesandla yeBhayibheli, futhi lezi, ngokuvamile ezazilotshwe ngendlela yokubhala emaxikixiki engahlotshisiwe kangako futhi kusetshenziswe iphepha elisezingeni eliphansi, zazimelela iBhayibheli labantu abavamile. Ake sihlole okunye kwalokho okwatholwa.

UHunt wathola ikhophi yesahluko sokuqala seVangeli likaMathewu, amavesi 1 kuya ku-9, 12, no-14 kuya ku-20, eyabhalwa ngekhulu lesithathu leminyaka C.E. ngezinhlamvu ezingamauncial (onobumbakazi). Yayizoqanjwa ngokuthi iP⁠¹, eyokuqala ohlwini lwemibhalo yepapyrus evela ezindaweni ezihlukahlukene, manje elinganiselwa cishe emibhalweni yesandla eyikhulu noma izingxenye zemibhalo yesandla yemiBhalo YamaKristu YesiGreki. Ayezuzisa ngani amavesi ambalwa atholwa uHunt? Indlela yokubhala yabonisa ngokusobala ukuthi lombhalo ungowekhulu lesithathu leminyaka C.E., futhi ukuhlolwa kwendlela ofundeka ngayo kwabonisa ukuthi wawuvumelana nombhalo ngalesosikhathi owawusanda kukhishwa kaWestcott noHort. LeP⁠¹ manje iseMnyuziyamu WaseYunivesithi yasePhiladelphia, ePennsylvania, eU.S.A.

Iphepha lepapyrus lenye icodex, noma incwadi, ekhasini elingakwesokhohlo linezingxenye zikaJohane isahluko 1 bese kuthi ekhasini elingakwesokudla libe nezingxenye zikaJohane isahluko 20. Ukwakhiwa kabusha kwezingxenye ezingekho kusikisela ukuthi ekuqaleni kwakunamakhasi angu-25 alo lonke iVangeli, futhi kusukela esikhathini sakudala, lawa kumelwe ukuba ayehlanganisa nesahluko 21. Laqanjwa ngokuthi iP⁠⁵, lingelekhulu lesithathu leminyaka C.E., futhi manje liseMtatsheni Wezincwadi WaseBrithani eLondon, eNgilandi.

Ucezu oluqukethe eyabaseRoma 1:1-7 lulotshwe ngezinhlamvu ezinkulu nezimaxikixiki kangangokuba ezinye izazi ziye zacabanga ukuthi mhlawumbe kwakuyincwadi yokubhalela yomfana wesikole. Manje luqanjwe ngokuthi iP⁠¹⁰ futhi lungelekhulu lesine leminyaka C.E.

Okunye okwatholwa okukhudlwana kuqukethe cishe ingxenye eyodwa kwezintathu yencwadi eyayiya kumaHeberu. Yayikopishelwe ngemuva komqulu onemibhalo ewubuciko yesazi-mlando esingumRoma uLivy eyayibhalwe ngaphambili. Kungani kunokwaziswa okuhluke kanjalo ngaphambili nangemuva? Ngalezozinsuku ukuntuleka nokubiza kwezinto zokubhala kwakusho ukuba amapapyrus amadala angasaphazwa. Manje njengoba iqanjwe ngokuthi iP⁠¹³, kuthiwa ingeyekhulu lesithathu noma lesine leminyaka C.E.

Ikhasi lepapyrus eliqukethe izingxenye zeyabaseRoma izahluko 8 no-9, ezibhalwe ngezinhlamvu ezincane kakhulu, laphuma encwadini eyayicishe ibe ngamasentimitha angu-11,5 ubude futhi ingamasentimitha amahlanu kuphela ububanzi. Khona-ke, kubonakala sengathi izinhlelo zemiBhalo ezingangena ephaketheni zazikhona ngekhulu lesithathu leminyaka C.E. Leli kwathiwa iP⁠²⁷ futhi ngokuvamile liyavumelana neCodex iVaticanus.

Izingxenye zamakhasi amane avela kuyicodex yeSeptuagint yesiGreki zinezingxenye zezahluko eziyisithupha zikaGenesise. Lecodex ibalulekile ngenxa yokuthi ingeyekhulu lesibili noma lesithathu leminyaka C.E. nangenxa yokuthi lezizahluko azikho kuyiCodex iVaticanus futhi zinamaphutha kuyiCodex iSinaiticus. Njengoba eqanjwe ngokuthi iPapyrus 656, lamakhasi manje aseMtatsheni Wezincwadi WaseBodleian, eOxford, eNgilandi.

Zonke lezingcezu azibonisi mehluko omkhulu emibhalweni yethu yesandla yakudala ekhona, ngakho ziqinisekisa ukuthi umbhalo weBhayibheli wawukhona ngalesosikhathi sakudala phakathi kwabantu abavamile engxenyeni ekude yeGibithe. Futhi ziqinisa ukholo lwethu ekubeni kweZwi LikaNkulunkulu elinokwethenjelwa nelinembile.

[Isithombe ekhasini 27]

Ama“papyrus” avela eFaiyūm aqukethe izingxenye zikaJohane, isahluko 1

[Umthombo]

By permission of the British Library

[Umthombo Wesithombe ekhasini 26]

Pictorial Archive (Near Eastern History) Est.