Izithunywa Zevangeli Amanxusa Okukhanya Noma Obumnyama?— Ingxenye 3
Izithunywa Zevangeli ZeLobukholwa Ziphindela Lapho Konke Kwaqala Khona
I-ASIA iyikhaya lokuqala lesintu. Kulapho uMdali aqala khona ukukhulekela okuhlanzekile. Nakuba ngokushesha ngemva kwalokho ngobuwula abantu babeka inkolo yamanga esikhundleni sokukhulekela kweqiniso, ekugcineni kwavuselelwa e-Asia ku-Israyeli wasendulo futhi kamuva ebuKristwini. Ngakho lapho izithunywa zevangeli zeLobukholwa zaseYurophu ziyisa isigijimi sazo e-Asia, zaya ezwekazini lapho kwakuqale khona ukuphila kwabantu nenkolo yeqiniso. Ingabe zaziyoba amanxusa okukhanya noma esigayegaye sobumnyama?—Genesise 2:10-17.
Unkulunkulu Oyedwa Angaba Yini Ngempela?
Akunakwenzeka ukuthola ngokuqinisekile ukuthi ukholo lobuKristu lwafika nini futhi kanjani eNdiya. Isazimlando sezinkolo sekhulu lesine u-Eusebius sithi umphostoli ongumKristu uTomase waluyisa lapho ekhulwini lokuqala. Abanye bathi “ubuKristu” balethwa lapho phakathi nekhulu lesibili nelesine leminyaka. Lapho abahloli bamazwe basePortugal befika lapho ekupheleni kwekhulu le-15, bathola “amaKristu eyingxenye eyamukelekayo nehlonishwayo emphakathini wamaNdiya.”—The Encyclopedia of Religion.
Umpristi waseSpain uFrancis Xavier wafika ezweni laseNdiya ngo-1542. Wayesebenzelana no-Ignatius waseLoyola, umsunguli wehlelo lenkolo i-Society of Jesus, ngokuvamile elaziwa ngokuthi amaJesuit. I-New Encyclopædia Britannica ithi uXavier “uyisithunywa sevangeli esingumRoma Katolika esivelele kunazo zonke ezikhathini zanamuhla,” ithi “wasetshenziswa ekumisweni kobuKristu eNdiya, eMalay Archipelago, naseJapane.”
Nakuba ukuphila kukaXavier kwakukufushane—wafa ngo-1552 eneminyaka engu-46—wayematasa kakhulu eminyakeni eyishumi ekhonza njengesithunywa sevangeli. Kubikwa ukuthi wakhuthaza izithunywa zevangeli ukuba zamukele amasiko nolimi lwabantu ezibakhonzayo.
Izithunywa zevangeli zokuqala ezingamaProthestani ezathunyelwa eNdiya zafika ngo-1706, cishe eminyakeni engu-85 ngaphambi kokuba uWilliam Carey anyathelise incwadi ethi An Enquiry Into the Obligations of Christians to Use Means for the Conversion of the Heathens. Ukunyatheliswa kwalencwadi kuye kwabizwa ngokuthi “ingqophamlando emlandweni wamaKristu.” Ngemva kokuyiloba, uCarey wakhonza iminyaka engu-40 eNdiya eyisithunywa sevangeli.
Ngokuhamba kwesikhathi, izithunywa zevangeli zeLobukholwa zadlulela kuzo zonke izingxenye zalelizwe. Izigaba eziphansi ezicindezelwe, ikakhulukazi ezazingahambisani namasiko, njengoba zazingalitholi ithemba lekusasa elingcono enkolweni yobuHindu, zaqala ukuphendukela ezinkolweni zeLobukholwa. Nokho, i-Encyclopedia of Religion iphawula ukuthi lesisinyathelo “salahlwa izithunywa zevangeli eziningi kanye neningi labaholi abafundile bamaKristu angamaNdiya.”
Sidalula ukungaphumeleli kweLobukholwa, isazimlando uWill Durant siyabhala: “INdiya ikholelwa ngokuqinile namuhla kunanini ngaphambili konkulunkulu osekuyisikhathi eside bebubukela phansi ngokulinganisela ubumpofu nesimo sayo esiyincithakalo. . . . Lapho izihlubuki noma onkulunkulu abangaziwa beqala ukuba nedumela elisongelayo [oBrahman] bababekezelela, base bebamukela enkolweni ebanzi yobuHindu; unkulunkulu oyedwa nje wayengenakwenza mehluko eNdiya.” Encwadini yakhe ethi The Jesuits, eyanyatheliswa ngo-1984, uManfred Barthel uthi: “Ekugcineni amaNdiya anamathela ezinkolelweni zawo ezingcwele; ubuHindu badlula kokubili amaJesuit namaMogul, futhi namuhla bubonakala buthumela onkulunkulu babo abaningi eNtshonalanga yobuKristu.”
Ukuhluleka Ukushiya Ithonya Elihlala Njalo
ELobukholwa ekuqaleni, elase lihlukene laba isonto laseNtshonalanga nelaseMpumalanga, laba nolunye uqhekeko ekhulwini lesihlanu leminyaka. UNestorius, umbhishobhi waseConstantinople, wahileleka empikiswaneni eyamholela ekwakheni iqembu elahlubuka esontweni laseMpumalanga, iSonto LikaNestorius.
Abalandeli bakaNestorius bagcizelela umsebenzi wobuthunywa bevangeli. Omunye wezithunywa zabo zevangeli, u-Alopen, kubonakala sengathi wayisa izinkolelo zikaNestorius eChina ngo-635 C.E. Ngakolunye uhlangothi, isonto laseNtshonalanga alizange lifinyelele eChina kwaze kwaba ngo-1294, lapho indela engumlandeli kaSt. Francis, uJohn waseMonte Corvino, imisa imishini lapho.
Nokho, cishe umsebenzi wobuthunywa bevangeli eChina awuzange uqale kwaze kwaba sekufikeni kukaMatteo Ricci, umJesuit wase-Italy, ngawo-1580. Lapho ubuProthestani bulwela ukuzinza eYurophu ngemva kweNkathi Yenguquko, ubuKatolika babumatasa bufuna abangaguquka ngaphandle kwaseYurophu. Imikhankaso yokuhlola iPortugal neSpain, amazwe angaphansi kobuKatolika ngokuphelele, yasiza imizamo yesonto yokwenza kanjalo.
Izithunywa zevangeli zekhulu le-17 nele-18 leminyaka zaphumelela ngandlela-thile cishe ngenxa yokuthi, njengoba kuphawula i-Cambridge History of China, “iningi [lazo] (ikakhulukazi amaJesuit) lahlakulela isimo sengqondo sokubekezela okukhulu.” Uprofesa womlando waseChina uHans H. A. Bielenstein uyenaba: “[AmaJesuit] agcizelela izici ezifanayo phakathi kobuKristu nobuConfucian, elinganisa uNkulunkulu wamaKristu neZulu lamaShayina, futhi engaphikisani nokukhulekelwa kokhokho. Lokhu kuchaza lokho okwenza ukuba amaJesuit aguqule abantu kwezinye izindawo, kodwa futhi nokuthi kungani engazange ashiye ithonya elihlala njalo.”
Ngo-1724 umbusi waseChina walahla izinkolo zeLobukholwa futhi waxosha iningi lezithunywa zevangeli zakwamanye amazwe. Njengoba amathuba ayevela, izithunywa zevangeli ezingamaKatolika zabuya. Izithunywa zevangeli ezingamaProthestani zenza okufanayo, uRobert Morrison we-London Missionary Society waba phakathi kwabokuqala abafika, ngo-1807. Wamisa ikolishi elalingaklanyelwe kuphela ukusakaza izinkolelo zakhe kodwa nokujwayelanisa abaseChina namasiko aseNtshonalanga nokujwayeza abafundi baseNtshonalanga amasiko aseMpumalanga. Ngo-1819, esizwa uWilliam Milne, uMorrison wayeseqedile ukuhumusha lonke iBhayibheli.
Ezinye izithunywa zevangeli zazizinikezele ekuletheni ukukhanya okuhlukile. UDkt. Peter Parker waba isithunywa sevangeli sokuqala sezokwelapha esafika eChina, wasiza ekuhleleni i-Medical Missionary Society eyasungulwa eCanton ngo-1838. Ezinye izithunywa zevangeli zazinikezela ekuphishekeleni ezemfundo, ekusekeleni imikhankaso yokusiza umphakathi, noma ekuxazululeni izinkinga zomphakathi. Ngokwe-Cambridge History of China, omunye umsebenzi wokuhumusha owenziwa izithunywa zevangeli “wawufaneleka kangcono ekuthuthukiseni ukuzwana kweYurophu neChina kunasekukhuliseni ukwamukeleka kobuKristu eChina.”
Izithunywa zevangeli zeLobukholwa zehluleka futhi ukunikeza amaShayina isibonelo sobunye nobuzalwane bobuKristu. AmaProthestani ayehlukene nakakhulu. Eminyakeni engamashumi amane inani lezithunywa zawo zevangeli lakhula kusukela ku-189 kuya ku-3 445. Ngo-1905 inhlangano ngayinye kwezingu-60 nangaphezulu yayisakaza uhlobo lwayo siqu lwemfundiso yobuKristu. Izithunywa zevangeli ezingamaKatolika nazo zaletha umbono ongathandeki walokho ubuKristu okufanele bube yikho. I-Cambridge History of China ikhuluma “ngomkhuba owandile wokugxambukela ezindabeni zendawo zezombangazwe nezokwahlulela ukuze zizuze abangase baguquke.”
Ukuguqula Abantu Kwezinye Izindawo
Esikhathini esingaphansi kweminyaka eyikhulu ngemva kokuba umhloli wamazwe wasePortugal uFerdinand Magellan efike eziQhingini zasePhilippines ngo-1521, izithunywa zevangeli ezingamaKatolika lapho zase zibhapathize abantu abangaba izigidi ezimbili. Namuhla, amaphesenti angu-84 omphakathi angamaRoma Katolika. Ngokungangabazeki isimiso semfundo esamiswa ilelisonto sabangela lempumelelo. Kodwa omunye umlobi uthi esinye isici okungafanele sishaywe indiva ukuthi lezizithunywa zevangeli “zavumela abaguqukayo ukuba balondoloze izinkolelo nemikhuba yabo eminingi engokwenkolo.”
Lelisonto alizange liphumelele kwezinye izindawo. Ngokwesibonelo, inani lamaKatolika eJapane lingamaphesenti angu-0,3 kuphela abantu baseJapane. ERepublic of Korea lelinani lisondela kumaphesenti angu-6.
AbaseYurophu baqala ukufika eJapane ngo-1542. Ngo-1549, isithunywa sevangeli esingumJesuit uFrancis Xavier, ekanye nabangane bakhe abambalwa, bamukelwa ngobungane. Ngokushesha lokhu kwesasa kokuqala kwaphela njengoba abaholi baseJapane “babeqala ukusola ukuthi umsebenzi wezithunywa zevangeli zaseYurophu wawungaba isandulela sokunqotshwa kwezombangazwe inkosi yaseSpain (njengoba babazi ukuthi kwakwenzekile ePhilippines),” kubhala uprofesa wezomlando uJ. Mason Gentzler.
Ngo-1614 “izithunywa zevangeli zalahlwa njengezitha zikahulumeni futhi umbusi wakhipha isinqumo sokuthi ubuKristu babungasenakubekezelelwa embusweni wakhe. . . . Amashumi ezinkulungwane zabantu abaguqulwa ababenqaba ukulahla lenkolo entsha abethelwa . . . , kuyilapho izenzo ezihlasimulisa umzimba ngempela zazigcinelwe izithunywa zevangeli . . . ezashiswa noma zathoswa ziphila, zahlukaniswa izitho zomzimba, zaphonswa emiphandwini egcwele izinyoka ezinobuthi,” phakathi kwezinye izenzo zonya.—The Jesuits.
UbuKatolika balethwa eKorea ngo-1784, kanti ubuProthestani eminyakeni eyikhulu kamuva. Umagazini i-Time uchaza ukuthi ubuProthestani “banda ngokushesha okukhulu ngoba izithunywa zevangeli zaseMelika azizange zilethe iVangeli kuphela kodwa zaletha nemfundo, imithi nobuchwepheshe.” Lomkhuba wokuguqula abantu ngezinye izindlela ngaphandle kwemfundiso yenkolo kuphela ngokusobala usasetshenziswa. Uprofesa wefilosofi uSon Bong Ho waseSeoul National University ucashunwa ethi: “Lawomasonto aye agcizelela izibusiso zezinto ezibonakalayo aye anda ngokushesha kunezinkolo eziyinhloko.”
Okuyokwembulwa Isikhathi Esizayo
Kufanele sizibheke kanjani izithunywa zevangeli zeLobukholwa zesikhathi esidlule? Ezazikumelela kwakungekhona ukukhulekela okuhlanzekile okwaqalwa uJesu. Nokho, ngokungangabazeki eziningi zazo zaziqotho. Ngaphandle kwalokho, zahumushela iBhayibheli ezilimini eziningi zabomdabu futhi zafundisa okungenani eminye imibono yeBhayibheli.
Kuthiwani ngezithunywa zevangeli zeLobukholwa e-Afrika, eye yabizwa ngokuthi iZwekazi Elimnyama? Funda ngalokhu kumagazini wethu olandelayo esihlokweni esithi “Ukukhanya Okungokomoya ‘EZwekazini Elimnyama.’”
[Ibhokisi ekhasini 23]
Elithi “Jehova” EBhayibhelini LesiShayina
UJohn W. Davis, isithunywa sevangeli nomhumushi wekhulu le-19 wathi: “Uma uMoya Ongcwele uthi Jehova kunoma iyiphi indawo ngesiHeberu, kungani umhumushi engathi Jehova ngesiNgisi noma ngesiShayina? Unaliphi ilungelo lokuthi, Ngizosebenzisa elithi Jehova kulendawo kodwa ngilikhiphe laphaya? . . . Uma kungalungile ukusebenzisa elithi Jehova kunoma isiphi isimo ekuhumusheni kungani-ke umlobi ophefumlelwe alisebenzisa embhalweni wokuqala?”