Imfihlakalo Yamasango

ABANTU abaningi bakhangwa imfihlakalo—indaba ephicayo, enemikhondo engalandelwa ngezindlela ezihlukahlukene, futhi enesiphetho esimangalisayo, mhlawumbe ukutholakala kwengcebo. Uma unjalo, uzoyijabulela imfihlakalo Yamasango.’

Lemfihlakalo yaqala ukuvela eMegido, umuzi obalulekile owawulawula imikhondo yempi neyohwebo eMpumalanga ePhakathi yasendulo. Abavubukuli bavubukula izinsalela zesango elikhulu eliyisivikelo, lelo ubufakazi obabaqinisekisa ngokuthi elangesikhathi seNkosi uSolomoni. Lalinjani? Imikhondo yaqala.

Bheka ngakwesokudla emfanekisweni weMegido yasendulo, futhi ikakhulukazi endaweni yesango ephawuliwe. Isihambi sasendulo noma ibutho elihlaselayo elalikhuphuka ngomgwaqo liya emzini obiyelwe lalingena esangweni elingaphambili kuqala. Ngaphakathi kwakunegceke. Kulo abahlaseli babevela obala njengoba beqhubeka futhi bejikela ngakwesobunxele beya esangweni eliyisivikelo eliyinhloko, elisemongweni wemfihlakalo yethu.

Izinqaba eziqinile zazenza izinhlangothi ezingaphambili zesango. Sonke isakhiwo sesango elingaphakathi sasingakhiwe ngamatshe nje noma ngezitini, kodwa ngamatshe asikwe ngokucophelela, ayevamile esikhathini sikaSolomoni. Kodwa kwakunesimo esingenakufaniswa esasingaphakathi kwesango. Ezinhlangothini zomhubhe obanzi kwakunezinsika ezinkulu noma izinsika zamatshe abaziweyo, ezazenza amakamelo ayisithupha lapho abalindi babekanisa khona. (Qhathanisa noHezekeli 40:6, 10, 20, 21, 28, 29.) Ngezikhathi ezivamile, inqola noma iqembu labathengisi lalidlula kalula, kodwa kwakuba indaba ehlukile ngabahlaseli ababekwazile ukungena eminyango eqinile eyinhloko. Izinsika ezakhiwe ngamatshe abaziwe zaziphoqelela abahlaseli ukuba bangene emhubheni owumcingo, badlule emadodeni ahlomile ayibutho laseMegido lekhethelo, elisemakamelweni angakwesokudla nangakwesobunxele.

Manje imfihlakalo iyasuka enyakatho yoLwandle lwaseGalile iya egqumeni laseHasori yasendulo, lapho uProfesa uJohn Garstang avubukula khona ngo-1928. Umvubukuli wakwaIsrayeli uYigael Yadin waya kuleligquma elikhulu ngo-1955. Wayenamazwi angokweBhayibheli engqondweni, afundeka kanje: “Indaba yezisebenzi ezabizwa yiNkosi uSolomoni ukwakha indlu kaJehova . . . nogange lwaseJerusalema, neHasori, neMegido, neGezeri.” (1 AmaKhosi 9:15) Kwabonakala kunengqondo ukuthi onjiniyela bakaSolomoni babelandela ipulani eyinhloko ukuze bakhe ukubiyela okuqinile okufanayo kweminye imizi ababeyakha kabusha. Ingabe amasango anjalo kaSolomoni aba khona eHasori?

Njengoba izisebenzi zikaYadin zaziqhubeka nokuvubukula kwazo, zathola izindonga ezimbili ezinamakamelo phakathi. Khona-ke, isakhiwo esikhulu esixhunywe ezindongeni saqala ukuvela. UYadin uthi: “Ngokushesha saphawula ukuthi sasilitholile isango . . . Ngokwengeziwe, kwashesha kwabonakala ukuthi ipulani yesango—ehlanganisa amakamelo ayisithupha nezinqaba ezimbili—kanye nobukhulu balo kwakufana nokwesango elatholwa [eminyakeni eminingi] ngaphambili eMegido . . . Injabulo ekamu lethu yakhula . . . Sadweba ipulani lesango laseMegido enhlabathini, siliphawula ngezikhonkwane ukuze sibonise amagumbi nezindonga, futhi sayaleza izisebenzi zethu ukuba zivubukule ngokwezimpawu, sithembisa ukuthi: ‘lapha nizothola udonga,’ noma ‘laphaya nizothola ikamelo.’ Lapho ‘iziprofetho’ zethu zibonakala ziyiqiniso, udumo lwethu lwakhula kakhulu . . . Lapho sibafundela ivesi elingokweBhayibheli ngemisebenzi kaSolomoni eHasori, eMegido naseGezeri, udumo lwethu lwehla, kodwa olweBhayibheli lwaphakama kakhulu!”—Hazor: The Rediscovery of a Great Citadel of the Bible.

Kwabonakala sengathi imfihlakalo yamasango yayixazululwa njengoba nje kwakulindelwe ngokwemininingwane eseBhayibhelini. Kodwa, kuthiwani ngeGezeri, eningizimu? UYadin wayazi ukuthi umvubukuli waseIreland uR. A. S. Macalister, owayevubukule lapho phakathi kuka-1902 no-1909, wayengatholanga lutho lukaSolomoni. Kungenzeka yini ukuthi imikhondo ebalulekile ayinakwanga ngisho nakulokho uYadin akubiza ngokuthi “Imfihlakalo YaseGezeri”?

Uyalandisa: “Okwatholakala eHasori nendaba edumile eku-1 AmaKhosi kwangiholela ekubeni ngiwuhlole kabusha umbiko kaMacalister ngethemba lokuthola isango. Umuntu angakucabanga ukumangala kwami nokujabula okungenamingcele lapho . . . ngihlangana nepulani edwetshiwe . . . enesihloko esithi ÌPulani Yenqaba KaMaccabea YaseGezeri.’” UMacalister waphawula ukuthi izinsalela ‘zaleyonqaba’ ezesikhathi sokuhlubuka kwamaMaccabea angamaJuda (ngekhulu lesibili leminyaka B.C.E.). Kodwa uYadin wacabanga ukuthi wayebona kulomdwebo wakudala ‘izindonga ezimbili, isango lendlu langaphandle, futhi okubaluleke ngisho nangokwengeziwe, lokho okwakubukeka njengengxenye yesango lomuzi, kufana ncimishi nalokho okwatholakala eMegido naseHasori.’ UYadin wakhipha isihloko ngalemikhondo. Kamuva, uDkt. William G. Dever wavubukula eGezeri. Waba yini umphumela? UDever wabhala ngenjabulo ukuthi: “Ngempela uSolomoni wayakha kabusha iGezeri!” Noma njengoba uYadin ekubeka: “Ngokuqinisekile, iqembu likaDever alitholanga enye ingxenye yesango kuphela, kodwa ukuhleleka kwangaphansi komhlaba nezinto ezenziwe ngobumba zabonisa ngokuphelele ukuthi isakhiwo sasakhiwe ezikhathini zikaSolomoni.”

Ngakho imfihlakalo yaxazululwa. UYadin waphawula encwadini iThe Biblical Archaeologist (Umqulu XXXIII, 1970, 3) ukuthi: “Ngosizo lwendatshana engokweBhayibheli ekumaKhosi, ukubiyela okuqinile kukaSolomoni, okufanayo nokusepulaneni esemizini emithathu kwatholakala futhi kwaphawulwa isikhathi okwenzeka ngaso.” “Ngempela, kubonakala sengathi asikho isibonelo emlandweni wokuvubukula lapho indatshana yasiza kangaka ekuphawuleni nasekunikezeni isikhathi sokwakhiwa kwezakhiwo ezindundumeni eziningi ezibaluleke kakhulu . . . njengoba kuye kwenza ama-1 AmaKhosi 9:15.

[Izithombe ekhasini 25]

Ngokusekelwe ku-1 AmaKhosi 9:15, abavubukuli bathola eHasori isango elinesilinganiso nesimo esifanayo nalelo eliseMegido

[Izithombe ekhasini 26]

Ukubonakala kwasemoyeni kwesango eliseGezeri. Umdwebo ubonisa okwavubukulwa okokuqala (okugqamile) nalokho okwatholakala eminyakeni engama-60 kamuva (okunamachashaza)

[Umthombo]

Pictorial Archive (Near Eastern History) Est.

[Umthombo Wesithombe ekhasini 24]

Pictorial Archive (Near Eastern History) Est.