IBhayibheli LesiGothic—Umsebenzi Ophawulekayo
AMAGOTH ayeyinhlanganisela yezizwe zamaJalimane, ngokunokwenzeka ezadabuka eScandinavia. Emakhulwini okuqala eminyaka eSikhathi sethu Esivamile, afudukela eningizimu aze ayofika eBlack Sea nasemfuleni iDanube, khona kanye emngceleni woMbuso WamaRoma.
Incwadi yokuqala eyakhishwa ngolimi lwesiJalimane kwakuyiBhayibheli lesiGothic. Namuhla lenguqulo isitholakala ngezingcezu ezihlukahlukene. Nokho, ilokhu iyinguqulo eyingqayizivele neyigugu yemiBhalo Engcwele. Ngani?
U-Ulfilas—Isithunywa Sevangeli Nomhumushi WeBhayibheli
Umhumushi waleliBhayibheli kwakungu-Ulfilas, obuye aziwe ngegama lakhe lesiGothic elithi Wulfila. Ngokwesazimlando uPhilostorgius, u-Ulfilas wayengowozalo lwabathunjwa abatholakala ekuhlaseleni kwamaGoth elaseCappadocia, manje esiyingxenye yempumalanga Turkey. Njengoba azalwa cishe ngo-311 C.E., wagcotshwa ngu-Eusebius waseNicomedia eminyakeni engaba ngu-30 kamuva futhi waqeqeshelwa ukusebenza njengesithunywa sevangeli phakathi kwamaGoth.
“Ukuze afundise futhi andise labo asebaguqulile,” kusho isazimlando uWill Durant, “wahumusha ngesineke lonke iBhayibheli, elisusa esiGrekini eliyisa olimini lwesiGothic, ngaphandle kweziNcwadi ZamaKhosi.” (The Age of Faith) Namuhla, ngaphandle kwengxenye ethile yencwadi kaNehemiya, ukuphela kwemibhalo yesandla yeBhayibheli lesiGothic esekhona yizingxenye ezithile zemiBhalo YamaKristu YesiGreki.
IsiGothic sasingelona ulimi olubhalwayo. Ngakho-ke u-Ulfilas wabhekana nenselele yokuhumusha eyayidinga ikhono elingaphezu kwelivamile. Izazimlando zesonto zasendulo zithi nguye owaqamba uhla lwezinhlamvu zesiGothic olunezimpawu ezingu-27, olusekelwe ngokuyinhloko ezinhlamvwini zesiGreki nesiLatini. Ngaphezu kwalokho, i-New Encyclopædia Britannica iphawula ukuthi “waqamba inkulumo yamaKristu akhuluma isiJalimane, enye yayo esasetshenziswa namanje.”
Umlando Wasendulo WeBhayibheli LesiGothic
U-Ulfilas waqeda ukuhumusha kwakhe ngaphambi kuka-381 C.E. futhi wafa eminyakeni emibili noma emithathu kamuva. Ukuthandwa kwezincwadi zakhe kufakazelwa i-Encyclopedia Americana, ethi “lenguqulo yasetshenziswa kabanzi amaGoth afudukela eSpain nase-Italy.” Ngempela, uma kubhekwa inani lezingcezu ezisasele, kuyabonakala ukuthi kwakwenziwe amakhophi amaningi aleliBhayibheli lesiGothic. Ngokunokwenzeka, imibhalo yesandla eminingana yayenziwe ezindlini zokukopisha zaseRavenna naseVerona, endaweni amaGoth ayemise kuyo umbuso wawo. Lezizindlu zokukopisha zaziyizindlu zamakhaya ezindela lapho kwakulotshwa futhi kukopishwe khona imibhalo yesandla.
AmaGoth agcina ukuba yisizwe cishe ngo-555 C.E., ngemva kokuba umbusi waseByzantium uJustinian I enqobe i-Italy. Ngemva kokuthunjwa kwawo, njengoba kusho uTönnes Kleberg, “ulimi lwesiGothic namasiko amaGoth anyamalala e-Italy, kwangasala mkhondo. Imibhalo yesandla yesiGothic yayingasathakazelisi. . . . Ngezinga elikhulu yadatshulwa futhi yahlikihlwa ukuze kucinywe lokho okubhaliwe. Khona-ke isikhumba sakhona esibizayo sabuye sasetshenziselwa ukubhala izinto ezintsha.”
ImiBhalo Yesandla Esekhona
Kweminye yalemibhalo yesandla, lokhu kucima akwenzekanga kahle, kwashiya imibhalo yokuqala isabonakala kancane. Ama-palimpsest amaningana, njengoba ayebizwa kanjalo, aye atholakala futhi kwahlolisiswa lokho okubhalwe kuwo. Ngokuphawulekayo, iCodex Argenteus, eyayiqukethe amaVangeli amane ngokulandelana kwawo uMathewu, uJohane, uLuka, noMarku, yasala ingathintiwe.
Kucatshangwa ukuthi le-codex enhle kakhulu yavela endlini yokukopisha yaseRavenna ekuqaleni kwekhulu lesithupha C.E. Ibizwa ngokuthi iCodex Argenteus, okusho kuthi “Incwadi Yesiliva,” ngenxa yokuthi ibhalwe ngoyinki wesiliva. Amakhasi ayo esikhumba anombala obukhwebezane, okubonisa ukuthi yayenzelwe umuntu wasebukhosini. Izinhlamvu zegolide zihlobise imigqa emithathu yokuqala yeVangeli ngalinye kanye nezingeniso zezingxenye ezithile. Amagama abalobi bamaVangeli nawo abhalwe ngegolide ngenhla “kwezinhlu” ezine eziqondene eziphansi kohlu ngalunye lombhalo. Lokhu kunikeza izikhombo zezindima ezihambelanayo emaVangelini.
Ukubuyisela ImiBhalo eBhayibheli LesiGothic
Ngemva kokuphela kwesizwe samaGoth, iCodex Argenteus eyigugu yanyamalala. Ayibange isabonakala kwaze kwaba yilapho itholakala phakathi nekhulu le-16 esigodlweni sezindela saseWerden, eduze naseCologne, eJalimane.
Ngonyaka ka-1569, kwakhishwa inguqulo yesiGothic yoMthandazo WeNkosi, idonsela ukunakekela eBhayibhelini eyayithathwe kulo. Igama elithi Codex Argenteus lavela okokuqala emibhalweni ngo-1597. Lombhalo owawutholwe eWerden waba iqoqo lobuciko lombusi ePrague. Nokho, ekupheleni kweMpi Yeminyaka Engamashumi Amathathu ngo-1648, abaseSweden ababenqobile bawuthatha bahamba nawo kanye namanye amagugu. Kusukela ngo-1669 le-codex iye yahlala ngokuphelele eMtatsheni Wezincwadi WaseYunivesithi yase-Uppsala, eSweden.
Ekuqaleni iCodex Argenteus yayinamakhasi angu-336, angu-187 awo ase-Uppsala. Elinye ikhasi elilodwa—elingelokugcina eVangelini likaMarku—latholakala ngo-1970 eSpeyer, eJalimane.
Kusukela ngesikhathi le-codex eyaphinde yabonakala ngaso, izazi zaqala ukuhlola umbhalo wayo ukuze zembule ukubaluleka kolimi lwesiGothic oselwafa. Zisebenzisa yonke imibhalo yesandla ezingayithola nemizamo yangesikhathi esidlule yokuvuselela amagama, isazi esingumJalimane uWilhelm Streitberg ngo-1908 sahlanganisa futhi sanyathelisa i-“Die gotische Bibel” (IBhayibheli LesiGothic), eyayinemibhalo yesiGreki neyesiGothic emakhasini abhekene.
Namuhla, leliBhayibheli lesiGothic lithandwa kakhulu izazi. Nokho, iqiniso lokuthi lenziwa futhi laziswa ezikhathini zakudala zokuhunyushwa kweBhayibheli, lifakazela isifiso nokuzimisela kuka-Ulfilas ukuhumushela iZwi likaNkulunkulu kulokho okwakuwulimi lwangalesosikhathi. Waqaphela ngokufanelekile ukuthi kungalendlela kuphela abantu abangamaGoth ababengaqonda ngayo iqiniso lobuKristu.
[Umthombo Wesithombe ekhasini 9]
Courtesy of the Uppsala University Library, Sweden