UTertiyu—Unobhala KaPawulu Okholekile
UTERTIYU wayebhekene nenselele. Umphostoli uPawulu wayefuna ukumsebenzisa njengonobhala wakhe lapho ebhala incwadi ende eyayiya kumaKristu ayekanye naye eRoma. Lona kwakuyoba umsebenzi onzima.
Kungani kwakunzima kangaka ukuba unobhala ekhulwini lokuqala C.E.? Wawenziwa kanjani lowo msebenzi? Iziphi izinto zokubhala ezazisetshenziswa ngaleso sikhathi?
Onobhala Basendulo
Emphakathini wasendulo wamaGreki namaRoma, kwakunezinhlobo ezihlukahlukene zonobhala. Amanye amadoda ayesebenza njengonobhala bakahulumeni—izikhulu zikahulumeni ezisebenzelana nomphakathi emahhovisi kahulumeni. Kwakukhona nonobhala bomphakathi ababekhonza izakhamuzi emakethe. Izigwili zaziba nonobhala bazo siqu (ngokuvamile izigqila). Futhi kwakukhona nabangane ababekujabulela ukubhalela abanye izincwadi ngokuzithandela. Ngokwesazi u-E. Randolph Richards, ikhono lalabonobhala abangebona abakahulumeni “lalingasuka olwazini oluncane lolimi noma indlela yokubhala luye ekhonweni eliphakeme kakhulu lokubhala ngokushesha incwadi engenamaphutha, efanelekayo nenhle.”
Obani ababengasebenzisa onobhala? Okokuqala, yilabo ababengakwazi ukufunda nokubhala. Izincwadi eziningi zasendulo zesivumelwano nezamabhizinisi zaziphethwa ngamazwi kanobhala afakazela ukuthi wabhala leyo ncwadi ngenxa yokuthi owayemnike lowo msebenzi wayengakwazi ukubhala. Isizathu sesibili sokuqasha unobhala siboniswe incwadi yasendulo evela eThebes, eGibithe. Njengoba yayilotshelwe othile okuthiwa u-Asklepiades, yathi esiphethweni: “Uyibhalelwe u-Eumelus, indodana kaHerma . . . ngoba ngandlela-thile akasheshi lapho ebhala.”
Nokho, kubonakala sengathi ukukwazi ukufunda nokubhala kwakungekhona okunqumayo ngokuphathelene nokusetshenziswa kukanobhala. Ngokomkhulumeli weBhayibheli uJohn L. McKenzie, “cishe kwakungekhona ngisho nokukhathazeka ngokufundeka kwayo, kodwa kunalokho kwakuwukukhathazeka ngobuhle, noma okungenani ukubhalwa kwayo ngobunono” okwakubangela ukuba abantu bakhethe izinkonzo zikanobhala. Ukubhala kwakukhathaza ngisho nabantu abafundile, ikakhulukazi lapho kuzobhalwa indaba ende neningilizayo. Isazi uJ. A. Eschlimann sithi noma ubani owayengenza kanjalo “wayewugwema ngenjabulo lomsebenzi, awuphathise izigqila, ababhali abanekhono.” Ngaphezu kwalokho, kulula ukuqonda ukuthi kungani abantu babengakuthandi ukubhala izincwadi zabo siqu uma kucatshangelwa izinto zokubhala ezazisetshenziswa nezimo okwakusetshenzwa ngaphansi kwazo.
Into yokubhala eyayivame ukusetshenziswa ekhulwini lokuqala C.E. kwakuyi-papyrus. Kulesi sitshalo, kwakutholakala imicu emincane ngokusika ingxenye ethambile engaphakathi eziqwini zaso kulandelwa ubude besiqu. Lemicu yayindlalwa phansi. Kwakwelekwa eminye imicu igamanxe phezu kweyokuqala. Lemicu emibili eyendlaliwe yayicindezelwa ukuze inamathelane, ibe ikhasi “lephepha.”
Kwakungelula ukubhalela kulendawo. Yayimaholo futhi izwakala izintanjana ezazingaphakathi. Ngokwesazi u-Angelo Penna, “izintanjana ezinezimbobo ze-papyrus zazinengxenye ekusakazekeni kukayinki, ikakhulukazi ezikhaleni eziphakathi kwemicu emincane.” Unobhala angase asebenze ehlezi phansi ephambanise imilenze futhi abambe ikhasi eliphezu kwepulangwe ngesandla esisodwa. Uma ayengenakho okuhlangenwe nakho noma izinto zokubhala zingezinhle, ipeni lakhe losiba noma lomhlanga, lalingabambeka kuyi-papyrus, lidabule ikhasi, noma umbhalo ungafundeki.
Uyinki wawenziwa ngenhlanganisela yomsizi nenhlaka. Njengoba wawuthengiswa uyizigaxa, kwakudingeka uxutshwe namanzi esitsheni sikayinki ngaphambi kokuba usetshenziselwe ukubhala. Phakathi kwezinye izinto unobhala onjengoTertiyu okungenzeka wayenazo kwakungummese wokulola ipeni lomhlanga nesiponji esimanzana sokucima amaphutha akhe. Uhlamvu ngalunye kwakudingeka lubhalwe ngokucophelela. Ngakho-ke ukubhala kwakungasheshi futhi kunezinkinga ezithile.
‘Mina, Tertiyu, Ngiyakhonza Kini’
Phakathi kwemikhonzo ehlanganiswe esiphethweni sencwadi eya kwabaseRoma kunokanobhala kaPawulu, owabhala: “Mina, Tertiyu, olobe lencwadi ngiyakhonza kini eNkosini.” (Roma 16:22) Lena ukuphela kwendawo emibhalweni kaPawulu lapho kubhekiselwa ngokuqondile komunye wonobhala bakhe.
Kuncane esikwaziyo ngoTertiyu. Ngomkhonzo wakhe othi “eNkosini,” singase siphethe ngokuthi wayengumKristu okholekile. Cishe wayeyilungu lebandla laseKorinte futhi kungenzeka wayazi amaKristu amaningi eRoma. Isazi seBhayibheli uGiuseppe Barbaglio sisikisela ukuthi uTertiyu wayeyisigqila noma okhululiwe. Ngani? Okokuqala, ngoba “ababhali ngokuvamile babengabalesi sigaba; nangenxa yokuthi igama lakhe lesiLatini . . . lalivame kakhulu ezigqileni nakwabakhululiwe.” “Ngakho-ke,” kusho uBarbaglio, “wayengeyena umbhali oqeqeshiwe ‘ongathathi hlangothi,’ wayeyisisebenzi esikanye noPawulu, esamsiza ekubhaleni umbhalo wakhe omude kunayo yonke nofundeka kahle kakhulu: inkonzo eyigugu, eyenza uPawulu wakwazi ukonga isikhathi nokukhathala kwengqondo.”
Lomsebenzi kaTertiyu uyigugu ngempela. UBaruki wenzela uJeremiya umsebenzi ofanayo, njengoba noSilvanu enzela uPetru. (Jeremiya 36:4; 1 Petru 5:12) Yeka ilungelo lezi zisebenzi ezikanye nalaba ezaba nalo!
Ukubhalela AbaseRoma
Incwadi yabaseRoma yabhalwa lapho uPawulu ayevakashele kwaGayu, cishe eKorinte. Kwakungaba ngu-56 C.E., phakathi nohambo lwesithathu lwalomphostoli lwezithunywa zevangeli. (Roma 16:23) Nakuba siqiniseka ukuthi uPawulu wasebenzisa uTertiyu njengonobhala wakhe ekubhaleni lencwadi, asazi ngokuqondile ukuthi wamsebenzisa kanjani. Kungakhathaliseki ukuthi kwasetshenziswa yiphi indlela, lowo msebenzi wawungenakwenziwa kalula. Kodwa singaqiniseka ngalokhu: Njengayo yonke enye ingxenye yeBhayibheli, incwadi kaPawulu kwabaseRoma ‘yaphefumulelwa uNkulunkulu.’—2 Thimothewu 3:16, 17.
Lapho lencwadi iqedwa, uTertiyu noPawulu base bebhale izinkulungwane zamagama, besebenzisa amakhasi amaningana e-papyrus. Ngemva kokuba ehlanganiswe ndawonye emachosheni, lamakhasi aba umqulu, cishe onobude obungamamitha amathathu kuya kwamane. Lencwadi yasongwa ngokucophelela futhi yananyatheliswa. Ngemva kwalokho kubonakala sengathi uPawulu wayiphathisa uFebe, udade waseKenikreya, owayesezothatha uhambo oluya eRoma.—Roma 16:1, 2.
Kusukela ekhulwini lokuqala, izindlela ezisetshenziswayo ekwenzeni imibhalo ziye zashintsha ngokuphawulekayo. Kodwa kuwo wonke amakhulu eminyaka, incwadi eya kumaKristu aseRoma iye yalondolozwa uNkulunkulu. Yeka ukuthi singabonga kanjani ngalengxenye yeZwi likaJehova, eyalotshwa ngosizo lukanobhala kaPawulu okholekile nokhuthele uTertiyu!