Zolemba Zakale Zimatsimikizira Kuti Baibulo N’lolondola

YEHOVA atasokoneza chinenero cha anthu pa Babele, anthuwo anapeza njira zosiyanasiyana za kalembedwe. Anthu a ku Mesopotamiya monga Asumeriya ndi Ababulo, ankagwiritsa ntchito zilembo zinazake zamakona atatu ndipo ankakonda kuzilemba padongo losauma.

Akatswiri a mbiri ya zinthu zakale zokumbidwa pansi apeza mapale a zilembo zoterezi amene ali ndi mayina komanso nkhani zotchulidwa m’Malemba. Kodi tikudziwapo zotani zokhudza kalembedwe kameneka? Kodi zolemba zimenezi zimapereka umboni wotani wosonyeza kuti Baibulo n’lodalirika?

Zolemba Zimene Zakhalapo Nthawi Yaitali

Akatswiri amakhulupirira kuti, poyamba anthu a ku Mesopotamiya ankalemba pogwiritsa ntchito zizindikiro kapena zithunzi, zimene zinkaimira mawu. Mwachitsanzo, kalekalelo mutu wa ng’ombe unali chizindikiro cha ng’ombe. M’kupita kwanthawi, chifukwa cha kuchuluka kwa zinthu zofunika kulembedwa, iwo anayambitsa kalembedwe katsopano ka zilembo zokhala ndi makona atatu. Buku lina limati: “Atayamba kalembedwe katsopanoka, iwo anayamba kugwiritsa ntchito zizindikiro zingapo pofuna kulemba mawu enaake.” (NIV Archaeological Study Bible) Kenako anthuwo anayamba kugwiritsa ntchito zizindikiro 200 m’kalembedwe kameneka, ndipo malinga ndi zimene bukuli limanena, zizindikirozi “zinali zokwanira kufotokoza mfundo iliyonse m’chinenero chawocho motsatira malamulo ake.”

Pofika mu nthawi ya Abulahamu, zaka pafupifupi 4,000 zapitazo, anthu ambiri anali akugwiritsa ntchito kalembedwe kameneka. Mmene pankatha zaka 2,000 kuchokera m’nthawi imeneyo, zinenero zina pafupifupi 15 zinali zikugwiritsa ntchito kalembedweka. Pafupifupi zinthu zonse zolembedwa mwanjira imeneyi zimene zapezedwa, zinalembedwa pa mapale. Kwa zaka zoposa 150 zapitazi, mapale otere ambiri akhala akupezeka ku Uri, Uruk, Babulo, Nimrud, Nippur, Ashur, Nineve, Mari, Ebla, Ugarit ndi ku Amarna. Buku lina limati: “Akatswiri amanena kuti panopa anapeza mapale oterewa pakati pa 1 miliyoni ndi 2 miliyoni, ndipo chaka chilichonse amapeza mapale ena pafupifupi 25,000 kapena kuposerapo.”​—Archaeology Odyssey.

Padziko lonse, akatswiri ofufuza za kalembedweka ali ndi ntchito yaikulu yomasulira mapale a zilembo zimenezi. Malinga ndi kafukufuku wina, “pakali pano, akatswiriwa angokwanitsa kuwerenga phale limodzi pamapale 10 alionse amene anapezeka kale.”

Kupezeka kwa mapale okhala ndi zilembo za m’zinenero ziwiri kapena zitatu, n’kumene kunathandiza akatswiriwa kumvetsa kalembedwe kameneka. Iwo anazindikira kuti mapalewa anali ndi uthenga wofanana, umene unalembedwa m’zinenero zosiyanasiyana. Chimene chinawathandiza kumvetsa n’chakuti anazindikira kuti mayina, mndandanda wa olamulira ndiponso mawu odzitamandira analembedwa mobwerezabwereza m’mapale ambiri.

Pofika m’ma 1850, akatswiri anayamba kuwerenga chinenero chinachake chotchedwa Chiakadi. Anthu a zinenero zosiyanasiyana a ku Middle East ankalankhula chinenerochi pochita malonda, ndipo chinalembedwa m’zilembo zoterezi. Ponena za nkhani imeneyi, buku lina limati: “Akatswiriwa atazindikira Chiakadi, zinali zosavuta kumvetsa kalembedwe ka zilembozi ndipo zimenezi zinawathandiza kuti azitha kuziwerenganso m’zinenero zina.” (Encyclopædia Britannica) Kodi mapale amene analembedwa m’zilembo zimenezi akugwirizana bwanji ndi Malemba?

Umboni Womwe Umagwirizana ndi Baibulo

Baibulo limafotokoza kuti Yerusalemu ankalamulidwa ndi mafumu achikanani mpaka pamene  mafumuwo anagonjetsedwa ndi Davide cha m’ma 1070 B.C.E. (Yos. 10:1; 2 Sam. 5:4-9) Koma akatswiri ena ankakayikira zimenezi. Komabe mu 1887, mayi wina anapeza phale linalake ku Amarna, m’dziko la Egypt. Ndipo mapale ena 380 amene anapezeka kumeneko amasonyeza kuti anali makalata amene olamulira a ku Egypt (Amenhotep Wachitatu ndi Akhenaton) ankalemberana ndi mafumu a ku Kanani. Makalata 6 anali ochokera kwa ‘Abdi-Heba, yemwe ankalamulira Yerusalemu.

Buku lina limati: “Mapale amene anapezeka ku Amarna amasonyeza kuti Yerusalemu unali ufumu waung’ono umene unali pamwamba pa phiri. Mapalewo amatchula kuti Yerusalemu unali mzinda osati munda, ndipo amatchulanso kuti ‘Abdi-Heba anali . . . wolamulira mzindawo ndipo anali ndi nyumba yake komanso asilikali 50 ochokera ku Egypt omwe anatumizidwa kukathandiza ku Yerusalemu.” Bukuli limanenanso kuti: “Malinga ndi makalata amene anapezeka ku Amarna, tili ndi chikhulupiriro kuti Yerusalemu, yemwe anali wodziwika panthawiyo, analipo ndithu.”​—Biblical Archaeology Review.

Mayina Opezeka M’zolemba za Asuri ndi Ababulo

Asuri, ndipo kenako Ababulo, ankalemba mbiri yawo pamapale, miyala ndi zipilala. Choncho akatswiri atazindikira zolembedwa za m’Chiakadi, anapeza kuti zolembedwazo zimatchulanso anthu ena otchulidwa m’Baibulo.

Buku lina limati: “Mu 1870, Dr Samuel Birch analankhula kwa anthu a m’bungwe lomwe linali litangokhazikitsidwa kumene, la akatswiri a mbiri ya zinthu zakale zokumbidwa pansi za m’nthawi ya m’Baibulo (Society of Biblical Archaeology). Polankhula kwa anthuwo, iye anasonyeza mayina a mafumu achiheberi monga Omri, Ahabu, Yehu, Azariya . . . , Menahemu, Peka, Hoseya, Hezekiya ndi Manase. Anasonyezanso mafumu a Asuri monga Tigilati Pilesere . . . [Wachitatu], Sarigoni, Sanakeribu, Esarihadoni ndi Ashabanipalu, . . . ndiponso mafumu achiaramu monga Benihadadi, Hazaeli ndi Rezini, [omwe analembedwa m’zilembozi pamapale].”​—The Bible in the British Museum.

Pambuyo poyerekezera mbiri yotchulidwa m’Baibulo ya Isiraeli komanso Yuda ndi zolembedwa zakale za pamapale, buku lina limati: “Mbiri yolembedwa ndi anthu a mitundu ina imatchula mafumu mwina 15 kapena 16 a Yuda ndi Isiraeli ndipo sitsutsana ndi mayina ndiponso nthawi zotchulidwa mu [mabuku a m’Baibulo a] Mafumu. Zonse zimagwirizana bwinobwino ndi zimene zili m’Baibulo ndipo mapalewo sanatchulepo mfumu ina iliyonse imene sinatchulidwepo m’mabuku a Mafumu.”​—The Bible and Radiocarbon Dating.

Mu 1879, akatswiri anapeza mwala winawake wotchuka wolembedwa zilembozi wonena za Koresi. Mwalawu umatchedwa Cyrus Cylinder ndipo umafotokoza kuti Koresi atalanda Babulo mu 539 B.C.E., mwachizolowezi chake analamula kuti akapolo onse abwerere kwawo. Ena mwa akapolowo anali Ayuda. (Ezara 1:1-4) Akatswiri ochuluka a mbiri yakale a m’zaka za m’ma 1800 ankakayikira za lamulo lotchulidwa m’Baibulo limeneli. Komabe, mapale ndiponso miyala ya zilembozi ya m’nthawi ya ulamuliro wa Aperisi, kuphatikizapo mwala wa Cyrus Cylinder, zimapereka umboni wosatsutsika wakuti nkhani za m’Baibulo n’zolondola.

Mu 1883, ku Nippur, kufupi ndi mzinda wa Babulo kunapezeka mapale a zilembozi oposa 700. Pamayina 2,500 a anthu otchulidwa m’mapalemo, 70 anali a Ayuda. Katswiri wina wa mbiri yakale dzina lake Edwin Yamauchi ananena kuti, mayinawa anali a anthu “ochita zamalonda, ochitira umboni pankhani zosiyanasiyana, okhometsa misonkho ndiponso akuluakulu a boma.” N’zochititsa chidwi kuti nthawi imeneyi Ayuda ankachita zinthu zimenezi pafupi ndi mzinda wa Babulo. Zimenezi zikugwirizana ndi ulosi wa m’Baibulo wakuti pamene Aisiraeli “otsala” ankabwerera ku Yudeya kuchoka ku ukapolo wa ku Asuri ndi Babulo, ambiri anatsala.​—Yes. 10:21, 22.

Zaka pafupifupi 3,000 zapitazo, anthu anayamba kulemba zilembo za pachokhapachokha kuwonjezera pa zilembozi. Koma m’kupita kwanthawi, Asuri ndi Ababulo anasiya kugwiritsa ntchito zilembozi n’kuyamba zilembo za pachokhapachokha.

M’nyumba zambiri zosungiramo zinthu zochititsa chidwi muli mapale ambiri a zilembozi amene sanawawerengebe mpaka pano. Mapale amene anawerengedwa kale amapereka umboni wosatsutsika wosonyeza kuti Baibulo n’lodalirika. Mwina mapale enawo akadzawerengedwa, padzapezeka umboni winanso wosonyeza kuti Baibulo n’lodalirika.

[Mawu a Chithunzi patsamba 21]

Photograph taken by courtesy of the British Museum