Kumboongorora Upfumi hwaChester Beatty

“INE upfumi hwakawanda chaizvo hwezvinhu zvekare kare zvakatoparara, . . . ine mifananidzo miduku nemimwe inokwezva yakaisvonaka zvinokanga mate mukanwa.” Uku ndiko kurondedzerwa muchidimbu kwakaitwa Chester Beatty Library iri muDublin, kuIreland neaimbova mutarisiri wayo, R. J. Hayes. Ndiyo inochengeterwa zvinhu zvinokosha zvakawanda zvekare kare, ine mabhuku ounyanzvi, uye mabhuku anokosha asingachawaniki kwose kwose nemanyoro anokosha zvikuru. Chester Beatty aimbova ani? Upfumi hworudzii hwaakaunganidza?

Alfred Chester Beatty, akaberekwa muna 1875 muNew York, U.S.A., aiva nemadzitateguru okuScotland, Ireland, nokuEngland. Nenguva yaakazenge ava nemakore 32, akanga ava nepfuma yakawanda chaizvo sezvo aishanda sainjiniya uye somukuru mukuru wemigodhi yakawanda. Muupenyu hwake hwose, akashandisa pfuma yake yakati wandei kuunganidza zvinhu zvakaisvonaka uye zvinokosha zvikuru. Paakafa muna 1968 ava nemakore 92, Beatty akasiyira vanhu vokuIreland zvinhu zvake zvose zvaakanga aunganidza.

Akaunganidzei?

Zvinhu zvakaunganidzwa naBeatty zvakawanda uye zvakasiyana-siyana. Chinenge chikamu chimwe muzana ndicho chete chinogona kuratidzwa panguva imwe chete. Akaunganidza zvinhu zvisingachanyanyi kuwanika uye zvinokosha zvomunguva zhinji dzakasiyana-siyana uye tsika zvakavapo mukati mezviuru zvemakore—zvinobvira muMiddle Ages uye munguva yeRenaissance yomuEurope nezvimwewo zvaibva kunyika dzakawanda dzokuAsia neAfrica. Somuenzaniso, muunganidzwa wake wemifananidzo yakanaka kwazvo yokuJapan yakanyorwa pamatanda ndomumwe wakanakisisa munyika yose.

Zvimwe zvinhu zvaakaunganidza zvakasiyana zvachose nezvimwe zvigadzirwa zvounyanzvi muunganidzwa unoshamisa wemahwendefa evhu anodarika zana okuBhabhironi nokuSumer akanyorwa nechicuneiform chekare. Vanhu vaigara muMesopotamia makore anodarika 4 000 apfuura vainyora vachidonongodza nhoroondo dzoupenyu hwavo pamahwendefa manyoro evhu, avaizopisa. Mahwendefa akawanda akadaro achiripo kusvikira kuzuva redu, anotipa uchapupu hwakajeka hwemanyorerwe aiitwa kare.

Kufarira Mabhuku

Zvinoratidzika sokuti Chester Beatty aikwezvwa nounyanzvi hwaiva mukunyora mabhuku akaisvonaka. Akaunganidza zviuru zvemabhuku enyika neechitendero, kusanganisira makopi akatsvindiswa zvakaoma kunzwisisa eKoran. Mumwe munyori anotaura kuti ai“kwezvwa nezvikamu zvemasvomhu zvemagwaro echiArabic, . . . uye kuyemura kwaaiita ruvara kwakawedzerwa nokutsvindiswa kwakaitwa mabhii akanga akanyorwa pahwendefa rendarama nesirivha nezvimwe zvicherwa zvinopenya.”

Chester Beatty aifarira dombo rejade, sezvaingoita mamwe madzimambo omuChina mumazana emakore okutanga. Vaiona dombo rejade rakaisvonaka seraikosha kwazvo kupfuura zvicherwa zvose, seraikosha nokure kudarika ndarama. Vatongi ava vaipa varume vaiva nyanzvi basa rokuchinja matombo ejade kuva tumahwendefa tunotsvedzerera. Nyanzvi dzacho dzaizozadza mapeji ejade aya nemabhii uye mifananidzo yakanyorwa nendarama, zvichiita kuti pave nemabhuku anoshamisa zvikuru ati ambogadzirwa. Mabhuku aya akaunganidzwa naBeatty anozivikanwa munyika yose.

Manyoro eBhaibheri Anokosha Zvikuru

Kune vaya vanoda Bhaibheri, upfumi hwaChester Beatty hunokosha kupfuura hwose ndohuya  hwaakaunganidza hwemanyoro eBhaibheri mazhinji ekare uye omuMiddle Ages. Manyoro akaisvonaka akanyorwa zvinoyevedza anoratidza kushivirira uye unyanzvi hwevanyori vakaakopa nemaoko. Mabhuku akadhindwa anoratidza unyanzvi uye umhizha hwevanhu vaigadzira nokudhinda mabhuku kare. Somuenzaniso, Biblia Latina yakadhindwa muNuremberg muna 1479 naAnton Koberger, uyo akararama inenge nguva imwe chete naJohannes Gutenberg uye anorondedzerwa so“mumwe wevadhindi vekare aikosha uye aishanda zvikuru.”

Chimwe chinhu chounyanzvi chiri muChester Beatty Library runyoro rwedehwe rwakanyorwa pakutanga kwezana remakore rechina rwenyanzvi yokuSiriya yainzi Ephraem. Mashoko akawanda aEphraem anobva mubhuku romuzana remakore rechipiri rinonzi Diatessaron. Imomo munyori anonzi Tatian akabatanidza nhoroondo ina dzeEvhangeri youpenyu hwaJesu Kristu kudziita nhoroondo imwe chete inopindirana. Vanyori vakazotevera vaitaurawo nezveDiatessaron, asi makopi aro haasisipo. Dzimwe nyanzvi dzomuzana remakore rechi19 dzakanga dzisina chokwadi kana raivapo. Zvisinei, muna 1956, Beatty akaona bhuku raEphraem rinotaura nezveDiatessaron yaTatian—chimwe chinhu chakawanika chinowedzera umwe uchapupu huripo hwokuti Bhaibheri nderechokwadi uye rakavimbika.

Muunganidzwa Unokosha Wemanyoro Enhokwe

Beatty akaunganidzawo manyoro akawanda enhokwe, echitendero uye enyika. Makodhekisi enhokwe anodarika 50 ndeekare zana remakore rechina C.E. risati rasvika. Mamwe manyoro iwaya akatorwa pamirwi yenhokwe—zvikurukuru pamirwi yairasirwa mapepa—yakanga isina kuonekwa kwemazana emakore murenje reIjipiti. Magwaro akawanda enhokwe aizongotengeswa angova zvidimbu zvidimbu. Vatengesi vaiuya nemabhokisi azere nezvidimbu zvenhokwe. “Vaya vaifarira kuzvitenga vaingopinza ruoko rwavo mubhokisi votora chidimbu chakakura chaiva chakanyorwa zvakawanda,” anodaro Charles Horton, mutarisiri weWestern Collections of the Chester Beatty Library.

Horton anoti “chimwe chinhu chinoshamisa zvikuru chakawanikwa” naBeatty, aiva makodhekisi anokosha eBhaibheri ai“sanganisira mamwe emakopi ekare kare anozivikanwa eTestamende Yekare neTestamende Itsva dzechiKristu.” Vatengesi vaiziva kukosha kwemakodhekisi aya vangadai vakaabvarura kuitira kuti vatengese ari zvidimbu zvidimbu kuvatengi vakasiyana-siyana. Zvisinei, Beatty akakwanisa kutenga makodhekisi mazhinji aakawana. Makodhekisi aya anombokosha zvakadini? Sir Frederic Kenyon anorondedzera kuti kuwanikwa kwawo ndiko “kunokosha zvikuru kupfuura kumwe kwose” kubvira apo Tischendorf akawana Codex Sinaiticus muna 1844.

Makodhekisi aya anonzi ndeemunguva iri pakati pezana remakore rechipiri nerechina C.E. Pamabhuku eMagwaro echiHebheru mushanduro yeGreek Septuagint mune makopi maviri aGenesi. Iwaya anokosha kwazvo, Kenyon anodaro, “nokuti rinenge bhuku rose [raGenesi] hariwaniki muVaticanus neSinaiticus,” manyoro akanyorwa pamatehwe muzana remakore rechina. Makodhekisi matatu ane mabhuku eMagwaro echiKristu echiGiriki. Imwe yacho ine zvizhinji zvomuEvhangeri ina uye zvizhinji zvomubhuku raMabasa. Kodhekisi yechipiri, ine mamwe mapeji ayo Beatty akawana gare gare, ine kopi yetsamba dzinenge dzose dzomuapostora Pauro, kusanganisira tsamba yake yaakanyorera vaHebheru. Kodhekisi yechitatu ine chikamu chinenge chimwe chete muzvitatu chebhuku raZvakazarurwa. Maererano naKenyon, makodhekisi enhokwe aya “akasimbisa chaizvo uchapupu hunooneka —hwakanga hwakasimba nechekare—hwokuvimba kwedu nemagwaro eTestamende Itsva atinawo nhasi.”

Manyoro enhokwe eBhaibheri aChester Beatty anoratidza kuti vaKristu vakatanga kushandisa kare zvikuru kodhekisi, kana kuti bhuku remapeji, panzvimbo pemipumburu yaiva yakaoma kubata, pamwe zana remakore rokutanga C.E. risati rapera. Manyoro enhokwe anoratidzawo kuti sezvo zvokushandisa pakunyora zvaiva zvishoma, vainyora vaiwanzoshandisa mapepa akamboshandiswa kare enhokwe. Somuenzaniso, rumwe runyoro rweCoptic rwechikamu cheEvhangeri yaJohani rwakanyorwa “mubhuku raiita seraishandiswa kuchikoro, raiva nesvomhu dzechiGiriki.”

Magwaro aya enhokwe haambokwezvi zvachose, asi anokosha kwazvo. Anotibatanidza zvakasimba nemavambo echiKristu chaiwo. “Pane iwaya, auri kuona nemaziso ako,” anodaro Charles Horton, “unogona kuona rudzi rwemabhuku aishandiswa nedzimwe nzanga dzokutangatanga dzechiKristu—mabhuku avaikoshesa.” (Zvirevo 2:4, 5) Kana ukazowanawo mukana wokuongorora pfuma iyi iri muChester Beatty Library, hauzomboori mwoyo.

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Mufananidzo wokuJapan wakanyorwa padanda naKatsushika Hokusai

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“Biblia Latina” yaivapowo pamakopi okutangatanga akadhindwa eBhaibheri

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Bhuku raEphraem rinotaura nezve“Diatessaron” raTatian rinosimbisa kuti Bhaibheri nderechokwadi

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Chester Beatty P45, kodhekisi yekare zvikuru pane ari munyika yose, ine zvizhinji zvomuEvhangeri ina uye zvizhinji zvomubhuku raMabasa mubhuku rimwe

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Wakabudiswa nemvumo yeThe Trustees of the Chester Beatty Library, muDublin

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Mifananidzo yose: Yakabudiswa nemvumo yeThe Trustees of the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin