Ingabe AmaKristu Akuqala Alisebenzisa Igama LikaNkulunkulu?
IGAMA likaNkulunkulu livela izikhathi eziyizinkulungwane emiBhalweni yesiHeberu, lapho limelelwe khona ongwaqa abane יהוה (YHWH, i-Tetragrammaton). Okwatholwa emivubukulweni kusikisela ukuthi kwa-Israyeli ngaphambi kokudingiswa, ngaphambi kuka-607 B.C.E., leligama lalisetshenziswa kakhulu, futhi ezincwadini zeBhayibheli zangemva kokudingiswa zika-Ezra, uNehemiya, uDaniyeli, noMalaki, livela izikhathi eziningi. Nokho, kancane kancane njengoba isikhathi sokubonakala kukaMesiya sasisondela, ngenxa yokukholelwa ezeni amaJuda anqikaza ukusebenzisa leligama.
Ingabe abafundi bakaJesu balisebenzisa igama likaNkulunkulu (ngokuvamile elihunyushwa ngokuthi “Jehova” ngesiZulu, noma “Yahweh”)? Ubufakazi buyavuma. UJesu wafundisa abalandeli bakhe ukuba bathandaze kuNkulunkulu: “Malingcweliswe igama lakho.” (Mathewu 6:9) Futhi ekupheleni kwenkonzo yakhe yasemhlabeni, yena uqobo wathandaza kuYise wasezulwini: “Ngibonakalisile igama lakho kubantu ongiphé bona kwabasezweni.” (Johane 17:6) Ngaphandle kwalokho, amakhophi angaphambili e-Septuagint, inguqulo yesiGreki yemiBhalo YesiHeberu eyayisetshenziswa abafundi bakaJesu, yayinegama likaNkulunkulu libhalwe nge-Tetragrammaton yesiHeberu.
Kuthiwani ngamaVangeli nayo yonke imiBhalo YamaKristu YesiGreki (“iTestamente Elisha”)? Kuye kwacatshangwa ukuthi njengoba igama likaNkulunkulu lavela kuyi-Septuagint, kumelwe ukuba lalikhona nakumakhophi akudala alemiBhalo—okungenani lapho i-Septuagint yayicashunwe khona. Ngakho, igama elithi Jehova livela izikhathi ezingaphezu kuka-200 kuyi-New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures. Abanye bagxeka lokhu njengokungenasisekelo. Nokho, i-New World Translation ibonakala isekelwa umthombo okungalindelekile ukuba uyisekele: iTalmud yaseBabiloni.
Ingxenye yokuqala yalencwadi yamaJuda yenkolo ibizwa ngokuthi i-Shabbath (iSabatha) futhi iqukethe imithetho eminingi ebusa ukuziphatha kwangeSabatha. Kwenye ingxenye, kunengxoxo ekhuluma ngokuthi kufanelekile yini ukuyeka imiBhalo yeBhayibheli yesandla ishiswe ngeSabatha noma cha, futhi indima elandelayo ithi: “Embhalweni kwathiwa: Izikhala ezingenalutho [gil·yoh·nimʹ] neziNcwadi zama-Minim, singaziyeka zishe. UR. Jose wathi: Phakathi nesonto umuntu kumelwe asike amaGama Aphezulu aqukethwe yilemibhalo, awathukuse, abese eshisa konke okusele. UR. Tarfon wathi: Kwangathi ngingaqalekiswa ngokufelwa indodana yami uma ngingashisi imibhalo yesandla kanye namaGama ayo aphezulu uma kufika kimi.”—Yahunyushwa nguDkt. H. Freedman.
Ayengobani ama-mi·nimʹ? Leligama lisho “abagqugquzeli bamahlelo” futhi lingabhekisela kubaSadusi noma amaSamariya. Kodwa ngokukaDkt. Freedman, kulesigaba cishe libhekisela kumaKristu angamaJuda. Ngakho, ayeyini ama-gil·yoh·nimʹ, ngokukaDkt. Freedman ahunyushwe ngokuthi “izikhala ezingenalutho”? Kunezincazelo ezimbili ezingaba yiqiniso. Angaba izinhlangothi zamakhasi ezingenalutho zomqulu noma ngisho imiqulu engenalutho. Noma—ngokusetshenziswa kokubhuqa kwaleligama—angaba imibhalo yama-mi·nimʹ, njengokungathi kuthiwa lemibhalo iyize njengemiqulu engenalutho. Kuzichazamazwi lencazelo yesibili kuthiwa “amaVangeli.” Ngokuvumelana nalokhu, umusho ovela kuyi-Talmud ngaphambi kwalengxenye ecashunwe ngenhla ufundeka kanje: “IziNcwadi zama-Minim zinjengezikhala ezingenalutho [gil·yoh·nimʹ].”
Ngokufanelekile, encwadini ethi Who Was a Jew? kaLawrence H. Schiffman, ingxenye ye-Talmud ecashunwe ngenhla ihunyushwe ngalendlela: “Siyawayeka (ngeSabatha) amaVangeli nezincwadi zama-minim (‘izihlubuki’) ukuba zishiswe umlilo. Kunalokho, zishiswa endaweni yazo, zona nama-Tetragrammaton azo. URabi Yose Ha-Gelili uthi: Phakathi nesonto, umuntu kufanele asike wonke ama-Tetragrammaton futhi awathukuse bese eshisa konke okusele. URabi Tarfon wathi: Sengathi ngingangcwaba amadodana ami! Uma (lezizincwadi) zingafika kimi, bengiyozishisa kanye nama-Tetragrammaton azo.” UDkt. Schiffman uqhubeka eveza iphuzu lokuthi ama-mi·nimʹ lapha amaKristu angamaJuda.
Ingabe lengxenye ye-Talmud ikhuluma ngamaKristu angamaJuda ngempela? Uma kunjalo, khona-ke iwubufakazi obunamandla bokuthi amaKristu alifaka igama likaNkulunkulu, i-Tetragrammaton, emaVangelini nasemibhalweni yawo. Futhi kungenzeka ukuthi ngempela i-Talmud ikhuluma ngamaKristu angamaJuda lapha. Umbono onjalo usekelwa yizazi, futhi umongo kuyi-Talmud ubonakala ukusekela ngokwengeziwe. Ingxenye elandela ingcaphuno engenhla evela kuyi-Shabbath ilandisa indaba ehilela uGamaliyeli nomahluleli ongumKristu okukhulunyelwa kuyo ezinye izingxenye zeNtshumayelo yaseNtabeni.
Kwakuseminyakeni yamuva, lapho ubuKristu bokuhlubuka buphambuka ezimfundisweni zikaJesu ezilula, lapho igama likaNkulunkulu layekwa khona ukusetshenziswa amaKristu okuzisholo futhi laze lasuswa ngisho nakumakhophi e-Septuagint nasemaVangelini nakwezinye izincwadi zeBhayibheli.
[Isithombe ekhasini 31]
Osukwini lukaJesu, igama likaNkulunkulu lavela kuyi-“Septuagint”
[Umthombo]
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