ITel Arad Inikeza Ubufakazi Buthule

Umuzi omdala. Ithempeli eliyimfihlakalo. Indawo egcwele imibhalo yasendulo. Lokhu kungase kuzwakale njengesethulo sebhayisikobho enezigemegeme. Empeleni, konke lokhu nokunye okuningi kwakufihleke ngaphansi kongqimba lwesihlabathi sasogwadule eTel Arad, kwa-Israyeli, amakhulu eminyaka, kwaze kwaba yilapho abavubukuli beqala ukumba.

NAMUHLA, ezivakashini eziningi i-Aradi ifana nomuzi wakwa-Israyeli. Yayinezakhamuzi ezingu-27 000, futhi isehlane laseJudiya ngasentshonalanga yoLwandle Olufile. Kodwa i-Aradi, umuzi wasendulo wakwa-Israyeli yayisebangeni elingamakhilomitha angu-8 ngasentshonalanga. Yilapho-ke abavubukuli basusa khona ngokucophelela izingqimba zenhlabathi, bathola imibhalo eqoshiwe namanxiwa.

Le mibhalo eqoshiwe yatholakala ezinsaleleni zezindengezi zobumba ezazisetshenziswa njengezibhebhe zokubhala. Leyo ndlela yokubhala yayivamile ngezikhathi zeBhayibheli. Okwavubukulwa eTel Arad kuthiwa kungamagugu amakhulu kunawo wonke ezindengezi ezake zatholakala kwa-Israyeli. Kodwa, ibaluleke ngani le mivubukulo?

Imivubukulo eyatholakala eTel Arad inomlando omude weBhayibheli, kusukela ezinsukwini zabaHluleli bakwa-Israyeli kuze kube sekuhlaselweni kukaJuda abaseBhabhiloni ngo-607 B.C.E. Ngakho lezi zinto ezatholakala ziqinisekisa ukunemba kweBhayibheli. Zinikeza nezibonelo ezikhanyisa indlela abantu bakwa-Israyeli wasendulo ababelibheka ngayo igama likaNkulunkulu.

I-Aradi NeBhayibheli

Yiqiniso ukuthi akukuningi iBhayibheli elikushoyo nge-Aradi. Kodwa lo muzi osendaweni ekahle wake walawula umzila obalulekile wezohwebo. Ngakho-ke, akumangalisi ukuthi umlando nokwatholakala ngemivubukulo kubonisa ukuthi le ndawo yasendulo yanqotshwa, yabhujiswa futhi yavuselelwa kaningi phakathi nomlando wayo omuhle nomubi. Ukuvuselelwa njalo kwabangela i-tell enkulu, noma umuzi osegqumeni.

IBhayibheli likhuluma okokuqala nge-Aradi lapho likhuluma ngengxenye yokugcina yohambo lwama-Israyeli lweminyaka engu-40 ehlane. Ngokushesha ngemva kokufa komfowabo kaMose, u-Aroni, abantu bakaNkulunkulu badabula eduze komngcele oseningizimu yeZwe Lesithembiso. Kungenzeka ukuthi inkosi engumKhanani yase-Aradi yabona le mihambima yasogwadule njengezisulu engazinqoba kalula. Yayihlasela. Ngosizo lukaJehova uNkulunkulu, ama-Israyeli alwa ngesibindi, futhi anqoba ngokuphelele, acekela phansi i-Aradi, nakuba abantu abathile basinda.—Numeri 21:1-3.

AmaKhanani ashesha ukuvuselela umuzi wawo obalulekile; lapho uJoshuwa efika kule ndawo eminyakeni embalwa kamuva, ehlasela eqhamuka ngasenyakatho futhi eqothula amaKhanani ngokuhlakanipha kusukela ‘esifundeni sezintaba neNegebhi,’ esinye isitha ayebhekene naso ‘kwakuyinkosi yase-Aradi.’ (Joshuwa 10:40; 12:14) Kamuva, inzalo kaHobabi umKheni, owayezihlanganise namabutho akwa-Israyeli phakathi nohambo lwasehlane, yahlala kule ndawo yaseNegebhi.—AbaHluleli 1:16.

Okwatholwa Abavubukuli

Uma kuziwa ezenzakalweni ezenzeka kamuva emlandweni weBhayibheli, amanxiwa ase-Tel Arad embula ubufakazi obusekelayo futhi obuthakazelisayo. Ngokwesibonelo, abavubukuli bathole izindonga eziningi zezinqaba. Ezinye zazo kungenzeka zakhiwa ngesikhathi sokubusa kweNkosi uSolomoni, eyayaziwa ngokwakha imizi emikhulu. (1 AmaKhosi 9:15-19) Olunye ungqimba okwambiwa kulo lunikeza ubufakazi bokuthi le ndawo yabhujiswa ngokuphelele ngomlilo futhi kuthiwa lokho kwenzeka ekuqaleni kwekhulu leshumi B.C.E. Lezi zinto ezatholakala zihambisana nesikhathi sokuhlasela kweNkosi uShishaki yaseGibhithe, eminyakeni emihlanu nje ngemva kokufa kukaSolomoni. EKarnak eseningizimu yeGibhithe, kunodonga oluyisikhumbuzo salokho kunqoba futhi kulona kubalwa i-Aradi phakathi kwemizi eminingi eyanqotshwa.—2 IziKronike 12:1-4.

Kuthakazelisa kakhulu ukuthi eziningi zezindengezi ezingaba ngu-200 ezatholakala zinamagama esiHebheru atholakala naseBhayibhelini, njengoPhashuri, uMeremoti namadodana kaKora. Eminye yale mibhalo yomlando ithakazelisa nakakhulu ngoba iqukethe negama likaNkulunkulu. Leli gama elinezinhlamvu ezine zesiHebheru ezithi יהוה (YHWH)—ngokuvamile okuthiwa i-Tetragrammaton—liyigama likaNkulunkulu uMninimandla onke kuphela. Kamuva, inkolelo-ze yenza abaningi bakholelwa ukuthi ukuphimisela noma ukubhala igama likaNkulunkulu kuwukuhlambalaza. Kodwa, izinto ezatholakala e-Tel Arad, njengezinye eziningi, zifakazela ukuthi ezikhathini zeBhayibheli igama likaNkulunkulu lalisetshenziswa ngokukhululekile ekuphileni kwansuku zonke, lapho kubingelelwa nalapho abantu befiselwa izibusiso. Ngokwesibonelo, omunye umbhalo ufundeka kanje: “Enkosini yami u-Elyashib. Kwangathi uYahweh [uJehova] anganakekela inhlalakahle yakho. . . . Uhlala ethempelini likaYahweh.”

Kodwa kuthiwani ngethempeli eliyimfihlakalo okukhulunywe ngalo ekuqaleni? Inxiwa eliseTel Arad eliye lenza abantu baba nemibono eminingi yokuqagela yithempeli eliyinkimbinkimbi, eline-altare, elakhiwa enkathini yamakhosi akwaJuda. Nakuba lilincane kakhulu kunethempeli likaSolomoni eliseJerusalema, linezinto eziningi ezifana nezalelo thempeli elingcwele. Kungani lakhiwa ithempeli lase-Aradi, futhi lakhiwa nini? Lalisetshenziswa kanjani? Abavubukuli nezazi-mlando bayaqagela.

UJehova wayala ngokucacile ukuthi ithempeli eliseJerusalema laliwukuphela kwesikhungo ayesamukela sokugubha imikhosi yaminyaka yonke nokunikela imihlatshelo. (Duteronomi 12:5; 2 IziKronike 7:12) Ngakho ithempeli lase-Aradi lakhiwa futhi lasetshenziswa ngokuphambene noMthetho KaMose, mhlawumbe phakathi nenkathi lapho amanye ama-altare namasiko kwakuphazamisa abaningi ekukhulekeleni okumsulwa. (Hezekeli 6:13) Uma kunjalo, lesi sikhungo sokukhulekela okungahlanzekile cishe sabhujiswa phakathi nenkathi yezinguquko ezinkulu ezenziwa uHezekiya noma uJosiya ekhulwini lesi-8 nelesi-7 B.C.E.—2 IziKronike 31:1; 34:3-5, 33.

Ngokusobala, ukwaziswa okuncane kwesikhathi esidlule okuphathelene ne-Aradi kusiphathele izifundo ezibalulekile. Ngemva kwamakhulu eminyaka, kuye kwatholakala izinto eziye zaqinisekisa ukunemba kweBhayibheli, ezifakazela ukuvelela nokuwa kokukhulekela okonakele okwakuzenza okweqiniso nezinikeza izibonelo zokusetshenziswa kwansuku zonke ngenhlonipho kwegama likaJehova.

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(Ukuze ubone ukuthi indaba ihlelwe kanjani, bheka encwadini)

IJERUSALEMA

ULwandle Olufile

I-Aradi

ITel Arad

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Pictorial Archive (Near Eastern History) Est.

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Imininingwane esodongeni oluyisikhumbuzo eKarnak, eGibhithe

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Pictorial Archive (Near Eastern History) Est.

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Ngokwengxenye lo mbhalo uthi: “Kwangathi uYahweh [uJehova] anganakekela inhlalakahle yakho”

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Photograph © Israel Museum, Jerusalem; courtesy of Israel Antiquities Authority

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Ingxenye yethempeli laseTel Arad

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Inqaba yaseTel Arad uma ungasempumalanga

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Todd Bolen/BiblePlaces.com