Ukuchazwa KweBhayibheli—Ngethonya Likabani?
ENYE incazelo yegama elithi “chaza” ithi “ukuqonda ngokwenkolelo, ukwahlulela noma izimo zomuntu.” (Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary) Ngakho, indlela umuntu achaza ngayo noma yini, ngokuvamile ithonywa isizinda sakhe, imfundo nendlela akhuliswe ngayo.
Kuthiwani-ke ngokuchazwa kweBhayibheli? Ingabe sikhululekile ukuchaza izindinyana zeBhayibheli “ngokwenkolelo, ukwahlulela noma izimo” zethu? Ngokulindelekile, izazi nabahumushi abaningi beBhayibheli bathi abenzi kanjalo, kodwa baqondiswa uNkulunkulu.
Isibonelo salokhu yilokho okushiwo embhalweni waphansi kaJohane 1:1 kuyi-New Version of the Four Gospels, eyakhishwa uJohn Lingard ngo-1836 ngaphansi kwegama-mbumbulu elithi “UmKatolika.” Uthi: “Abantu bazo zonke izinkolelo bathola ukuqinisekiswa kwemibono yabo siqu emiqulwini engcwele: ngoba, eqinisweni akuwona umBhalo obatshelayo, kodwa yibo abafaka eyabo incazelo olimini lomBhalo.”
Nakuba leli phuzu lizwakala kahle, yayiyini injongo yomlobi? Ukuphawula kwakhe kwakusekela incazelo yakhe yalelo vesi, alihumusha ngokuthi: “Ekuqaleni wayekhona ‘ulizwi;’ futhi ‘ulizwi’ wayenoNkulunkulu; futhi ‘ulizwi’ wayenguNkulunkulu,” indlela yokuhumusha evamile kwabasekela uZiqu-zintathu.
Yini eyaphoqa umlobi ukuba ahumushe uJohane 1:1 ngendlela esekela imfundiso kaZiqu-zintathu? Ingabe ‘utshelwa umBhalo’ ukuba enze kanjalo? Akunakwenzeka, ngoba akukho ndawo eBhayibhelini lapho kutholakala khona imfundiso kaZiqu-zintathu. Phawula okushiwo i-New Encyclopædia Britannica ngalokhu: “Igama elithi Ziqu-zintathu noma imfundiso ngokwayo, akukho eTestamenteni Elisha.” Ngaphezu kwalokho, uprofesa wase-Yale University u-E. Washburn Hopkins waphawula: “Kusobala ukuthi uJesu noPawulu babengayazi imfundiso kaziqu-zintathu; . . . abasho lutho ngayo.”
Khona-ke, yini esingaphetha ngayo ngokuphathelene nalabo abasekela ukuchazwa kukaJohane 1:1 nanoma yiliphi elinye ivesi leBhayibheli njengokusekela uZiqu-zintathu? NgokukaMnu. Lingard, “akuwona umBhalo obatshelayo, kodwa yibo abafaka eyabo incazelo olimini lomBhalo.”
Ngokujabulisayo, sineZwi likaNkulunkulu uqobo elisiqondisayo kulokhu. Umphostoli uPetru wathi: “Okokuqala niyakwazi lokhu, ukuthi asikho isiprofetho semiBhalo esivela kunoma iyiphi incazelo yomuntu ngokwakhe. Ngoba isiprofetho asikaze silethwe ngentando yomuntu, kodwa abantu bakhuluma okuvela kuNkulunkulu njengoba babeqhutshwa umoya ongcwele.”—2 Petru 1:20, 21.