ISISONGELO: Izisongelo ezinjengokonakala nenkcaso aziyitshabalalisanga iBhayibhile. Sekunjalo, abanye abakhupheli nabaguquleli baye bazama ukutshintsha oko kubhalwe eBhayibhileni. Ngamaxesha athile, baye bazama ukutshintsha iimfundiso zeBhayibhile ukuze zilungele ezabo kunokuba iimfundiso zabo zisekelwe eBhayibhileni. Masithethe ngemizekelo embalwa:

• Indawo yokunqula: Phakathi kwenkulungwane yesine neyesibini ngaphambi kwexesha likaYesu, emva kwe-Eksodus 20:17 ababhali bePentatiki yamaSamariya bafakela amazwi athi “eAargaareezem. Apho uya kwakha isibingelelo khona.” AmaSamariya ayefuna iZibhalo zixhase ukwakha kwawo itempile “eAargaareezem,” okanye iNtaba yaseGerizim.

• Imfundiso yothixo oneziqu ezithathu: Kungaphelanga neminyaka eyi-300 iBhayibhile igqityiwe, kweyoku-1 kaYohane 5:7 umbhali okholelwa kwimfundiso yothixo oneziqu ezithathu wafakela amazwi athi, “emazulwini, uYise, noLizwi, noMoya oyiNgcwele: abo bathathu banye.” Loo mazwi ayengekho kwiZibhalo zokuqala. UBruce Metzger, umphandi weBhayibhile wathi, “ukususela kwiminyaka yoo-500 ukubheka phambili, loo mazwi aya evela kaninzi kwimibhalo-ngqangi yesiLatini Samandulo nakwiVulgate yesiLatini.”

• Igama likaThixo: Belandela inkolo yamaYuda, abaguquleli beBhayibhile abaninzi balisusa igama likaThixo eZibhalweni. Endaweni yalo bafaka izibizo ezithi “Thixo” okanye “Nkosi,” zibizo ezo iBhayibhile ezisebenzisa kungekuphela nje kuMdali kodwa naxa ibhekisela kubantu, izithixo, nkqu noMtyholi.—Yohane 10:34, 35; 1 Korinte 8:5, 6; 2 Korinte 4:4. *

INDLELA EYASINDA NGAYO IBHAYIBHILE: Okokuqala, nangona abanye abakhupheli babengakhathali yaye benganyanisekanga, abanye abaninzi babengamachule yaye becoselela. AmaMasorete akhuphela  iZibhalo zesiHebhere phakathi kweminyaka yoo-500 neyoo-900 esenza oko kwaziwa namhlanje ngokuba yimibhalo yamaMasorete. Kuthiwa ayebala amagama nonoobumba ukuze aqiniseke ukuba akukho zimpazamo. Apho ayekrokrela khona impazamo kumbhalo awayekhuphela ngokusuka kuwo, ayeyibhala ecaleni. AmaMasorete ala ukuyitshintsha iBhayibhile. UProfesa Moshe Goshen-Gottstein wathi: “Kuwo ukutshintsha oko kubhaliweyo kwakulityala elikhulu.”

Okwesibini, ubuninzi bemibhalo-ngqangi namhlanje bunceda abaphandi beBhayibhile babone iimpazamo. Ngokomzekelo, kangangamakhulu eminyaka iinkokeli zonqulo zazifundisa ukuba iinguqulelo zazo zeBhayibhile yesiLatini zazichanile. Ngoko, kweyoku-1 kaYohane 5:7 zafakela amazwi angachananga akhankanywe ngaphambilana kweli nqaku. Le mpazamo yangena nakwiKing James Version yesiNgesi edumileyo! Kodwa yintoni eyabhaqwayo xa kwafunyanwa eminye imibhalo-ngqangi? UBruce Metzger wathi: “La mazwi [akweyoku-1 kaYohane 5:7] awekho kweminye imibhalo-ngqangi (owolwimi lwaseSiriya, owesiCoptic, owesiArmenia, owesiTiyopiya, owesiArabhu, noweSlavonic), ngaphandle kweyesiLatini.” Ngenxa yeso sizathu, inguqulelo ehlaziyiweyo yeKing James Version nezinye iiBhayibhile ziwasusile la mazwi.

Ngaba imibhalo-ngqangi emidala ingqina ukuba oko kuthethwa yiBhayibhile kuye kwagcinwa? Xa kwafunyanwa imiSongo yoLwandle Olufileyo ngo-1947, abaphandi batsho bakwazi ukuthelekisa iZibhalo zesiHebhere zamaMasorete nemisongo yeBhayibhile eyayibhalwe kwiminyaka engaphezu kwewaka ngaphambili. Omnye wabaphandi ababehlola imiSongo yoLwandle Olufileyo wathi, umsongo nje omnye “unobungqina obungenakuphikiswa bokuba abakhupheli abangamaYuda ababekhuphele iBhayibhile kwixesha elingaphezu kweminyaka eliwaka babenyanisekile yaye becoselela ngeyona ndlela.”

KwiChester Beatty Library eseDublin, eIreland kukho ingqokelela yemipapiri phantse yazo zonke iincwadi zeZibhalo ZamaKristu ZesiGrike, kuquka nemibhalo-ngqangi yenkulungwane yesibini—kwiminyaka eyi-100 igqityiwe iBhayibhile. IThe Anchor Bible Dictionary ithi: “Nangona le mipapiri isikrobisa kulwazi olutsha ngoko kubhalwe kuyo, ikwasibonisa indlela ebekuthembeke ngayo ukukhutshelwa kweBhayibhile.”

UMPHUMO: Kunokuba ingxenge oko kuthethwa yiBhayibhile, imibhalo-ngqangi emininzi yakudala iye yayiphucula. UMhlekazi uFrederic Kenyon wabhala wathi ngeZibhalo ZamaKristu ZesiGrike: “Ayikho enye incwadi yamandulo enobungqina bakudala obuninzi kangaka ibe akukho mphandi unyanisekileyo onokuyiphika into yokuba iZibhalo esinazo zichanile.” Umphandi uWilliam Henry Green yena wathetha wenjenje ngeZibhalo zesiHebhere: “Ndicinga ukuba umntu angalikhupha litsole elokuba ayikho enye incwadi yamandulo eye yakhutshelwa ngokuchane kangaka.”