Nyanja Yapadera Koma Yakufa

YOLEMBEDWA KU ISRAEL

NYANJA imeneyi ndi yamchere kwambiri, ili pa malo otsika kwambiri ndiponso yakufa. Anthu ena amati madzi a m’nyanjayi ndi mankhwala. Kwa zaka zambiri anthu akhala akuipatsa maina monga Nyanja Yonunkha, Nyanja Yoipa ndiponso Nyanja ya Phula. M’Baibulo nyanjayi imatchedwa Nyanja ya Mchere ndiponso nyanja ya Araba. (Genesis 14:3; Yoswa 3:16) Anthu ambiri ophunzira, amavomereza nkhani yakuti pansi pa nyanja imeneyi pali mabwinja a Sodomu ndi Gomora. Choncho, imatchedwanso Nyanja ya Sodomu kapena Nyanja ya Loti, yemwe ndi munthu wodziwika kwambiri m’Baibulo, pankhani yokhudza mizinda iwiri imeneyi.—2 Petulo 2:6, 7.

Mayina amenewa amapangitsa anthu kuganiza kuti amenewa si malo abwino kupitako. Ngakhale zili choncho, chaka chilichonse anthu ambirimbiri amapita kukaona nyanja imeneyi, yomwe imadziwika ndi mayina akuti Nyanja Yakufa kapena Nyanja Yamchere. N’chifukwa chiyani ili ndi mchere wambiri? Kodi nyanjayi ndi yakufadi? Ndipo kodi madzi ake amachiritsadi?

Ili Pamalo Otsika Kwambiri Ndiponso Yamchere Kwambiri

Nyanja Yakufa ili kumpoto kwa Chigwa Chachikulu chimene chimafika kum’mwera cha kummawa kwa Africa. Mtsinje wa Yorodano umayenda kuchokera kumpoto ndipo umalowera ku malo otsika kwambiri padziko lonse. Kumeneko n’kumene kuli nyanjayi ndipo malowa ndi otsika mamita 418 kuchokera pamene madzi a m’nyanja amalekezera, ndipo ili pakati pa mapiri. Kumadzulo kwa nyanjayi kuli mapiri a Yudeya ndipo cha kummawa kwa Yorodano kuli mapiri a Moabu.

N’chifukwa chiyani Nyanja Yakufa ili yamchere kwambiri? Mchere wa mitundu yosiyanasiyana umabwera m’nyanjayi kudzera mumtsinje wa Yorodano, mitsinje ina ing’onoing’ono ndiponso akasupe. Zikuoneka kuti chaka chilichonse mtsinje wa Yorodano wokha umabweretsa mchere wokwana matani 850,000 m’nyanjayi. Popeza kuti nyanjayi ili pamalo otsika kwambiri, madzi ake satulukamo ndipo njira yokha imene madzi amachokera m’nyanjayi ndi yakuti amasanduka nthunzi. Kukamatentha kwambiri, madzi okwana matani 7000,000 amasanduka nthunzi pa tsiku limodzi, ndipo chimenechi n’chifukwa chake m’nyanjayi mumakhala madzi ochepa. Ngakhale kuti madzi amachoka, mchere umatsala. Zimenezi zimachititsa kuti nyanjayi ikhale yamchere kwambiri kuposa nyanja zina zonse zamchere.

Kuyambira kale, anthu akhala akuchita chidwi ndi Nyanja Yakufa imeneyi. Katswiri wina wofufuza nzeru zapamwamba wa ku Greece dzina lake Aristotle, anamva zakuti madzi a m’Nyanjayi ndi “owawa kwambiri ndiponso ali ndi mchere kwambiri moti nsomba sizikhalamo.” Nyanjayi ili ndi mchere wochuluka kwambiri ndipo madzi ake ndi olemera kwambiri motero kuti ngakhale munthu wosadziwa kusambira sangamire. Wolemba mbiri wachiyuda, dzina lake Flavius  Josephus amafotokoza kuti, mkulu wa nkhondo wachiroma dzina lake Vespasian anaponya akaidi ake m’nyanjayi, pofuna kutsimikiza zoti anthu amayandama.

Tsopano mungadabwe kuti kodi zingatheke bwanji kuti nyanja yotereyi ikhale yakufa komanso madzi ake akhale mankhwala.

Kodi Madzi a M’nyanjayi ndi Mankhwaladi?

Kalelo, anthu a paulendo ankanena kuti nyanjayi ndi yakufa ndipo mulibe nsomba komanso m’dera lozungulira nyanjayi mulibe mbalame ngakhale zomera. Anthu anali kunenanso kuti fungo lochokera m’nyanjayi linali lakupha. Izi ndi zimene zinachititsa kuti anthu afalitse mphekesera yakuti nyanjayi inali yonunkha ndiponso yakufa. Popeza kuti madzi a m’nyanjayi ndi amchere kwambiri mumangokhala tizilombo ting’onoting’ono tokha basi. Nsomba zina zikakokoloka kufika m’nyanjayi zimafa nthawi yomweyo.

N’zoona kuti, m’nyanjayi simungakhale nyama, nsomba kapena zomera, koma sizili choncho ndi madera ozungulira nyanjayi. Ngakhale kuti m’madera ena simumera chilichonse, madera ena ndi a nthaka yabwino, mitsinje yokhala ndi mathithi ndiponso kuli zomera. Anthu amati nyama zambiri zimasangalala m’dera limeneli. M’derali muli mitundu 24 ya nyama zakuthengo monga mitundu ina ya amphaka, ankhandwe ndi zinkhoma. M’madzi abwino a m’derali mumakhala zamoyo zambiri  monga achule, ng’anzi ndi nsomba. Chifukwa chakuti nyanja yakufa ili pamalo amene mbalame zimadutsa, anthu apeza mitundu yoposa 90 ya mbalame m’dera limeneli. Ina mwa mitundu imeneyi ndi mbalame zotchedwa chumba ndi miimba.

Kodi n’chifukwa chiyani anthu amati madzi a m’Nyanja Yakufa ndi mankhwala? Zikuoneka kuti kalelo anthu ankamwa madzi a m’nyanjayi pokhulupirira kuti amachiritsa. Koma masiku ano, anthu sangayerekeze kuchita zimenezi. N’zoonadi, madzi amchere amachotsa matenda pakhungu lamunthu. Anthu amanena kuti munthu akangofika m’derali amasangalala ndi moyo. Popeza malowa ndi otsika kwambiri, kumapezeka mpweya wabwino. Mu mpweya umenewu muli zinthu zimene zimachititsa munthu kuupeza mtima. Ndiponso m’matope a mchere ndi akasupe a madzi okhala ndi sulufule amene amapezeka mphepete mwa nyanjayi amachiza matenda osiyanasiyana a pakhungu ndiponso nyamakazi. Kuwonjezera pamenepo, mitengo ya mvunguti yomwe inali kupezeka m’derali inkagwiritsidwa ntchito popanga zodzoladzola ndi mankhwala osiyanasiyana.

Phula la M’nyanja

Nyanja Yakufa ndi yodabwitsa kwambiri chifukwa pamwamba pa madzi ake pamayandama mibulu ya phula. * Mu 1905 magazini ina (yotchedwa The Biblical World) inanena kuti m’chaka cha 1834, phula lolemera makilogalamu 2,700 linayandama mphepete mwa nyanjayi. Magazini ya kampani ina yopanga mafuta inati: “Phula ndi zinthu zoyambirira zopangidwa kuchokera ku mafuta zimene anthu akhala akugwiritsa ntchito kuyambira kale.” (Saudi Aramco World November/December 1984). Anthu ena ankaganiza kuti zivomezi ndi zimene zinkachititsa kuti mibulu ya phula imeneyi izisweka pansi pa nyanjayi n’kumayandama. Zikuoneka kuti phula limadutsa m’ming’alu ya miyala n’kukakhazikika pansi pa nyanjayi pamodzi ndi miyala yamchere. Kenako miyala ya mchereyo ikasungunuka, mibulu ya phulalo imayandama.

Phula lakhala likugwiritsidwa ntchito m’njira zambiri monga kumatira mabwato, kumangira zinthu ndiponso ngati mankhwala othamangitsira tizilombo. Anthu akukhulupirira kuti cha m’ma 350 B.C.E, Aiguputo anayamba kuumitsa mitembo pogwiritsa ntchito phula ngakhale kuti akatswiri ena amatsutsa nkhani imeneyi. Panthawi imeneyo gulu la anthu ongoyendayenda lotchedwa Anebayoti linakhazikika m’dera la Nyanja Yakufa ndipo gululi ndi limene linali kuchita kwambiri malonda a phula. Iwo ankatenga mibulu ikuluikulu ya phula m’nyanjayi, n’kuiduladula kenako kupita nayo ku Iguputo.

Nyanja Yakufa ndi yapaderadi. Ndipo sitikukokomeza zinthu tikanena kuti nyanjayi ndi yamchere kwambiri, ili pamalo otsika kwambiri, yakufa ndiponso kuti madzi ake ndi mankhwala. Ndithudi, iyi ndi imodzi mwa nyanja zochititsa chidwi kwambiri pa dziko lonse.

[Mawu a M’munsi]

[Bokosi/Chithunzi patsamba 27]

ZINASUNGIKA M’MADZI A MCHERE

Olemba mbiri amati kalelo Nyanja Yakufa inali malo a zamalonda. Anangula a mitengo amene apezeka posachedwapa m’nyanjayi ndi umboni wotsimikizira mfundo imeneyi.

Anangula amenewa anapezeka m’magombe a Nyanja Yakufa pafupi ndi malo amene kunali doko la Engedi. Anthu akuganiza kuti nangula wina wakhala zaka pafupifupi 2,500 ndipo ndi wakale kwambiri kuposa anangula onse amene apezeka m’nyanjayi. Zikuoneka kuti nangula wina wakhala zaka 2,000 ndipo anthu akukhulupirira kuti nangulayu anapangidwa motsatira luso la zopangapanga la Aroma panthawiyo.

Nthawi zambiri anangula a mitengo amaola m’madzi opanda mchere koma achitsulo amakhala nthawi yaitali. Anangula a mitengowa ndiponso zingwe zake sizinawonongeke chifukwa m’Nyanja Yakufayi mulibe mpweya umene timapuma ndiponso madzi ake ndi a mchere kwambiri.

[Chithunzi]

Nangula wamtengo wa zaka za m’ma 600 ndi 400 B.C.E.

[Mawu a Chithunzi]

Photograph © Israel Museum, Courtesy of Israel Antiquities Authority

[Chithunzi patsamba 26]

Mathithi a madzi otentha

[Chithunzi patsamba 26]

Chinkhoma champhongo

[Chithunzi patsamba 26]

Anthu akuwerenga nyuzipepala akuyandama