INtaba I-Athos—Ingabe ‘Iyintaba Engcwele’?

EMALUNGWINI angaphezu kwezigidi ezingu-220 eSonto Lobu-Orthodox, iNtaba i-Athos, ithafa elimagoxigoxi elisemaphethelweni enyakatho yeGreece, ‘iyintaba engcwele kunazo zonke kumaKristu obu-Orthodox.’ Kwabaningi bawo, uhambo lokuya ‘entabeni engcwele’ yase-Athos iphupho eliyigugu. Iyini le “ntaba engcwele”? Kwenzeka kanjani ukuba ibaluleke kangaka? Futhi ingabe ‘iyintaba’ abantu abesaba uNkulunkulu okumelwe babheke kuyo ukuze bathole isiqondiso esingokomoya nokukhulekela kweqiniso?

Amazwi athi ‘intaba engcwele’ akhona eBhayibhelini. Ahlobene nokukhulekela okungcwele, okumsulwa nokuphakeme kukaNkulunkulu weqiniso, uJehova. EJerusalema lasendulo iNtaba iSiyoni yaba ‘intaba engcwele’ lapho iNkosi uDavide iletha umphongolo wesivumelwano khona. (IHubo 15:1; 43:3; 2 Samuweli 6:12, 17) Ngemva kokuba kwakhiwe ithempeli likaSolomoni eNtabeni iMoriya, igama elithi “Siyoni” lahlanganisa indawo okwakwakhiwe kuyo ithempeli; ngakho iSiyoni yaqhubeka ‘iyintaba engcwele’ kaNkulunkulu. (IHubo 2:6; Joweli 3:17) Njengoba ithempeli likaNkulunkulu laliseJerusalema, ngezinye izikhathi lelo dolobha nalo lalibizwa ngokuthi ‘intaba engcwele’ kaNkulunkulu.—Isaya 66:20; Daniyeli 9:16, 20.

Kuthiwani namuhla? Ingabe iNtaba i-Athos—noma iyiphi enye intaba—‘iyintaba engcwele’ lapho abantu kumelwe bagobhozele khona ukuze bakhulekele uNkulunkulu ngendlela eyamukelekayo?

‘Intaba Engcwele’ Yezindela

INtaba i-Athos isemaphethelweni asempumalanga yeChalcidice Peninsula echosheni lesiqeshana sezwe elingenela e-Aegean Sea ngasempumalanga yeThessaloníki yanamuhla. Iyintaba ehlaba umxhwele, enetshe lemabula nenamawa, ephakeme ngamamitha angu-2 032 ukusuka olwandle.

Sekuyisikhathi eside i-Athos ibhekwa njengendawo engcwele. Ezinganekwaneni zamaGreki yayiyikhaya lawonkulunkulu ngaphambi kokuba iNtaba i-Olympus ibe ikhaya labo. Esikhathini esithile ngemva kukaConstantine Omkhulu (wangekhulu lesine C.E.), i-Athos yaba indawo engcwele emasontweni obuKristu. Ngokwendaba ethile yasendulo, “incasakazi” uMariya, ihamba nomVangeli uJohane beya eKhupro beyovakashela uLazaru, yamisa e-Athos ngenxa yesiphepho esinamandla esasingalindelekile. Ehlatshwe umxhwele ubuhle bale ntaba, uMariya wayicela kuJesu. Ngakho, i-Athos yaziwa nangokuthi “iNsimu Yencasakazi Engcwele.” Phakathi nenkathi yombuso waseByzantium, yonke indawo enamatshe yaziwa ngokuthi iNtaba Engcwele. Lesi siqu samukelwa ngokomthetho futhi saqinisekiswa isimemezelo esenziwa nguMbusi uConstantine IX Monomachus phakathi nekhulu le-11 leminyaka.

Ngenxa yokuba kwayo mahholo nokuma kwayo yodwa, i-Athos iyindawo evumelana nomkhuba wokuphila ngokuzila. Phakathi namakhulu eminyaka, yakhanga abesilisa abathanda inkolo abavela kuwo wonke amazwe obu-Orthodox—amaGreki, abaseSerbia, abaseRomania, abaseBulgaria, abaseRussia nabanye—abakha amakhaya amaningi ezindela namasonto nemiphakathi yabo. Kusenezindawo ezingaba ngu-20 zalezi ezisekhona.

INtaba I-Athos Namuhla

Namuhla, i-Athos iyisifunda esinozibuse, esinomthetho-sisekelo owagunyazwa ngo-1926. Ngemva kweminyaka ethile yokuncipha kwezakhamuzi eziyizindela, inani lazo liye landa lafinyelela kwezingaphezu kuka-2 000.

Ngalinye lala makhaya ezindela linamapulazi, amasonto nezindawo zalo zokuhlala. Indawo engcwele eyinhloko yabazihlukanisile itholakala eKaroúlia, ephezulu emaweni asabekayo asemaphethelweni eNtaba i-Athos. Lapha amaqhugwana abantu ngabanye angafinyelelwa ngoxhaxha lwezindledlana zezinyawo, ngokuhamba ematsheni noma emaketangeni. E-Athos, izindela zisalandela inkambiso yansuku zonke yemicikilisho yasendulo, zisebenzisa iwashi laseByzantium (elinosuku oluqala ekushoneni kwelanga) nekhalenda likaJulius (elisemuva ngezinsuku ezingu-13 kwelikaGregory).

Nakuba le ndawo engokwenkolo kuthiwa ibhekwa ‘njengengcwele’ ngenxa yowesifazane, sekuphele iminyaka eyinkulungwane izindela nabazihlukanisile bakhona bethi zonke izinhlobo zezinto eziphilayo ezingezesifazane zingangeni kuleyo nhlonhlo—abantu nezilwane—kanye nanoma yimuphi umthenwa noma indoda engenayo intshebe. Muva nje, uye waqedwa umthetho ophathelene nabangenantshebe nezilwane ezithile zensikazi, kodwa abesifazane basanqatshelwe ngokuphelele ukuba babe sebangeni lamamitha angu-500 ukusuka ogwini lwe-Athos.

‘INtaba Engcwele’ Yabo Bonke

Ingabe i-Athos ‘iyintaba engcwele’ okufanele amaKristu esaba uNkulunkulu akhulekele kuyo? Ekhuluma nowesifazane ongumSamariya owayekholelwa ukuthi uNkulunkulu kufanele akhulekelwe eNtabeni iGerizimu, uJesu wakwenza kwacaca ukuthi akukho ntaba engokoqobo eyayisazobhekwa njengendawo yokukhulekela uNkulunkulu. UJesu wathi: “Ihora liyeza lapho ningayikukhulekela uBaba kulentaba [iGerizimu] noma eJerusalema.” Ngani? “UNkulunkulu uwuMoya, futhi labo abamkhulekelayo kumelwe bakhulekele ngomoya nangeqiniso.”—Johane 4:21, 24.

Ekhomba esikhathini sethu, umprofethi u-Isaya wabikezela ukuthi ‘intaba yendlu kaJehova’ engokomfanekiso ‘yayiyoqiniswa esiqongweni sezintaba, iphakame kunamagquma,’ futhi abantu bazo zonke izizwe babeyogobhozela kuyo ngendlela engokomfanekiso.—Isaya 2:2, 3.

Abesilisa kanye nabesifazane abafuna ukuba nobuhlobo obamukelekayo noNkulunkulu bamenywa ukuba bakhulekele uJehova “ngomoya nangeqiniso.” Izigidi emhlabeni wonke ziye zaya ‘entabeni kaJehova.’ Nazo zinomuzwa onjengowommeli ongumGreki owathi ngokuphathelene ne-Athos: “Ngiyangabaza ukuthi ingokomoya livalelwe ezindongeni noma ezindlini zezindela.”—Qhathanisa nezEnzo 17:24.

[Ibhokisi ekhasini 31]

Izinto Eziyigugu Osekunesikhathi Eside Zifihliwe

Phakathi namakhulu eminyaka adlule, izindela ezingama-Athonite ziye zaqongelela izinto eziyigugu ezihlanganisa nemibhalo yesandla elinganiselwa ku-15 000, eminye okuthiwa eyasemuva ekhulwini lesine, okuyenza ibe ezinye zezinto eziyigugu kakhulu emhlabeni. Kunemiqulu esongwayo, imiqulu ephelele namakhasi amaVangeli, amahubo nezihlabelelo, ngaphandle kwemidwebo yakudala kakhulu, izithombe, imifanekiso ebaziwe kanye nezinto ezenziwe ngokusansimbi. INtaba i-Athos kulinganiselwa ukuthi inengxenye eyodwa kwezine zemibhalo yesandla yesiGreki yomhlaba wonke, nakuba eminingi kusadingeka ifakwe ezigabeni ezifanele. Ngo-1997, izindela zavuma okokuqala ngqá ukuba kukhangiswe ngezinye zezinto zazo eziyigugu eThessaloníki.

[Umthombo Wesithombe ekhasini 31]

Telis/Greek National Tourist Organization