Ngaba uLizwi ‘WayenguThixo’ okanye ‘uthixo’?

XA ABAGUQULELI beBhayibhile babeguqulela indinyana yokuqala yeVangeli kaYohane kwafuneka bacingisise ngalo mbuzo. KwiNguqulelo Yehlabathi Elitsha le ndinyana ithi: “Ekuqaleni wayekho uLizwi, uLizwi wayekunye noThixo, yaye uLizwi wayenguthixo.” (Yohane 1:1) Xa ziguqulela inxalenye yokugqibela yale ndinyana ezinye iinguqulelo zidlulisela ingcamango yokuba uLizwi ‘wayengokobuthixo,’ okanye enye ingcamango efanayo. (A New Translation of the Bible, by James Moffatt; The New English Bible) Noko ke, iinguqulelo ezininzi, ziyiguqulela ngolu hlobo inxalenye yokugqibela kaYohane 1:1: “Yaye uLizwi wayenguThixo.”—The Holy Bible—New International Version; The Jerusalem Bible.

Igrama yesiGrike nomongo wayo ibonisa ukuba iNguqulelo Yehlabathi Elitsha ichanile yaye “uLizwi” akafanele afaniswe ‘noThixo’ ekuthethwe ngaye ekuqaleni kwale ndinyana.

 ISahidic sisiyelelana solwimi lwamaCopt. IsiCopt sasithethwa eYiputa kwiinkulungwane zasemva kwexesha lobulungiseleli bukaYesu emhlabeni, yaye kwakusetyenziswa esi siyelelane xa kubhalwa ulwimi lwantlandlolo. Ngokuphathelele iinguqulelo zeBhayibhile zesiCopt, iThe Anchor Bible Dictionary ithi: “Ekubeni [iSeptuagint] [nemibhalo yamaKristu yesiGrike] zaziguqulelwa kwisiCopt ngenkulungwane yesithathu yeXesha Eliqhelekileyo, le nguqulelo isekelwe kweyona [mibhalo-ngqangi yesiGrike] emidala kuleyo isetyenziswayo ngoku.”

Umbhalo weSahidic yesiCopt ubangel’ umdla ngenxa yezizathu ezibini. Okokuqala, njengokuba kuchazwe ngasentla, icacisa iSibhalo sangaphambi kwenkulungwane yesine, esasisetyenziswa xa imfundiso kaBathathu Emnye yayisamkelwa ngokusemthethweni. Okwesibini, igrama yesiCopt iyelelene kwigrama yesiNgesi ngenkalo enye ebalulekileyo. IiNguqulelo ZeZibhalo ZamaKristu ZesiGrike zazibhalwe ngesiSiriya, isiLatin nesiCopt. Ngokufanayo nesiGrike saloo maxesha, isiSiriya nesiLatin azinayo i-indefinite article. Ukanti sona isiCopt sinayo. Ngaphezu koko, kwincwadi yakhe ethi Introduction to Sahidic Coptic, umphengululi uThomas O. Lambdin uthi: “Ukusetyenziswa kwedefinite neindefinite articles kuyavisisana nokusetyenziswa kwazo kwisiNgesi.”

Ngenxa yoko inguqulelo yesiCopt inobungqina obubangel’ umdla obubonisa indlela uYohane 1:1 awayeqondwa ngayo ngaloo maxesha. Bubuphi obo bungqina? Kwinxalenye yokugqibela kaYohane 1:1, inguqulelo yeSahidic yolwimi lwesiCopt isebenzisa i-indefinite article negama “uthixo.” Ngoko xa eguqulelwa kwisiNgesi sanamhlanje ufundeka ngolu hlobo: “ULizwi wayenguthixo.” Oku kubonisa ukuba abaguquleli bamandulo babeqonda ukuba amazwi kaYohane akuYohane 1:1 ayengathethi ukuba uYesu unguThixo uSomandla. ULizwi wayenguthixo, kungekhona uThixo uSomandla.

[Umzobo/Imifanekiso ekwiphepha 24]

(Ukuba ufuna inkcazelo ehlahlelwe kakuhle, yiya kwimpapasho)

YOHANE 1:1. ISAHIDIC COPTIC TEXT; P. CHESTER BEATTY-813; NENGUQULELO YEINTERLINEAR

(Isangqa sokuqala esikumgca wesithathu sibonisa idefinite article, ngoxa esesibini sona sibonisa i-indefinite article.)

Ekuqaleni wayekho uLizwi

yaye uLizwi wayekho kunye

noThixo yaye uthixo waye-

nguLizwi

[Inkcazelo]

Reproduced by Permission of the Chester Beatty Library