YINTONI ethi qatha kuwe xa ucinga ngenkunkuma? Mhlawumbi usenokucinga ngovobe kunye nevumba elibi. Ubungenakulindela ukuba ufumane into exabisekileyo apho, singasathethi ke ngobutyebi.

Kwiminyaka nje elikhulu edlulileyo, kwabhaqwa ubuncwane enkunkumeni. Nangona yayingebobuncwane bokwenene obu, babuyinto exabiseke kakhulu. Yayiyintoni le ixabiseke kangaka? Ibe ibaluleke ngantoni kuthi?

Ekuqaleni kweminyaka yoo-1900, uBernard P. Grenfell noArthur S. Hunt abangabaphengululi kwiYunivesithi yaseOxford, batyelela eYiputa. Kufutshane noMlambo umNayile, kwimfumba yenkunkuma eyayilapho bafumana iziqwenga zemibhalo yakudala. Kamva ngo-1920, ngoxa babesaxakeke kukudibanisa ezi ziqwenga, uGrenfell wafumana ezinye ezazembiwe eYiputa. Ezi ziqwenga wazifumana kwiJohn Rylands Layibrari eseManchester, eNgilani. Noko ke, omabini la madoda anabel’ uqaqaqa engekazidibanisi ngokupheleleyo ezi ziqwenga.

UColin H. Roberts, okwangumphengululi kwiYunivesithi yaseOxford wawugqibezela ngokwakhe lo msebenzi. Xa wayedibanisa ezi ziqwenga, wabona esinye isiqwengana sephepha elenziwe ngomthi wompapiri. Wathi xa esifunda, waphawula ukuba la magama esiGrike akaqali ukuwabona. Kwelinye icala sasinamazwi akuYohane 18:31-33, ngoxa kwelinye kukho iinxalenye zevesi 37 no-38. URoberts waqonda ukuba ubhaqe ubuncwane obuxabiseke gqitha!

URoberts wakrokrela ukuba esi siqwenga sidala kakhulu. Ukuze azi ukuba sidala kangakanani, kwafuneka asihlole ngokusithelekisa neminye imibhalo-ngqangi yamandulo esele isaziwa ukuba yabhalwa nini. Emva kolu hlolisiso, wayenokukwazi ukuqikelela ubudala baso. Kodwa ke, kuba wayefuna ukuqiniseka, wasifota, wathumela imifanekiso yaso kwabanye abaphengululi abathathu ukuze bakhangele ukuba sidala kangakanani na. Bagqiba kwelithini?

Emva kokuhlolisisa esi siqwenga nendlela ababhalwe ngayo oonobumba baso, aba baphengululi bagqiba kwelokuba sabhalwa malunga nonyaka ka-125 kwixesha lethu, emva kwamashumi nje ambalwa eminyaka uYohane efile. Noko ke, asinakuqiniseka ncam ukuba olu hlolisiso luchane ngokupheleleyo, kodwa ke omnye umphengululi uthi kusenokwenzeka ukuba esi siqwenga sabhalwa kwinkulungwane yesibini. Okwangoku, esi siqwenga sephepha elenziwe ngompapiri sisengowona mbhalo-ngqangi mdala weZibhalo ZamaKristu ZesiGrike kwezakhe zafunyanwa.

Kutheni nje esi siqwenga seVangeli kaYohane sibalulekile kubathandi beBhayibhile namhlanje? Singabalula nje izizathu ezibini. Okokuqala, indlela esasenziwe ngayo esi siqwenga isibonisa indlela amaKristu okuqala ayezixabise ngayo iZibhalo.

Kwinkulungwane yesibini, imibhalo yayidla ngokwenziwa ibe yimisongo okanye uhlobo lwencwadi  ekuthiwa yicodex. Xa kusenziwa umsongo, kwakuthathwa iziqwenga ezenziwe ngompapiri okanye ngesikhumba, zidityaniswe ukuze zenze iphepha elinye elide. Eli phepha lalisongwa lize livulwe xa kuyimfuneko. Kwizihlandlo ezininzi, kwakubhalwa nje kwicala elinye lawo.

Noko ke, isiqwenga esafunyanwa nguRoberts sasibhalwe macala omabini. Oku kuthetha ukuba sisuka kwicodex kungekhona kumsongo. Xa kusenziwa icodex, kwakuthathwa iziqwenga ezenziwe ngompapiri okanye ezenziwe ngesikhumba, zithungwe zibe ngathi yincwadi.

Kutheni nje ukusebenzisa icodex kwakungcono kunokusebenzisa umsongo? Kaloku amaKristu okuqala ayengabashumayeli bevangeli. (Mateyu 24:14; 28:19, 20) Ayeshumayela isigidimi seBhayibhile naphi na apho abantu babefumaneka khona—emakhayeni, emarikeni nasezitratweni. (IZenzo 5:42; 17:17; 20:20) Kwakulula ukufunda iZibhalo encwadini kunakumsongo omde.

Kwakhona icodex yenza kwalula ukuba umntu ngamnye ebandleni azikhuphelele iZibhalo. Ngenxa yoko, baninzi abantu abazikhuphelayo iZibhalo zeVangeli, ibe oko kumel’ ukuba kwaba negalelo kulwando lwamaKristu.

Isizathu sesibini sokuba isiqwenga saseRylands sibaluleke kuthi namhlanje kukuba sibonisa ukuba iBhayibhile iye yakhutshelwa ngokuchanileyo. Nangona esi siqwenga sineevesi ezimbalwa zeVangeli kaYohane, siyangqinelana noko sikufunda kwiiBhayibhile zethu namhlanje. Esi siqwenga saseRylands sibonisa ukuba amazwi eBhayibhile awatshintshanga nakubeni iye yakhutshelwa kaninzi-ninzi.

Ewe kona, isiqwenga saseRylands seVangeli kaYohane songeza kumawaka-waka ezinye iziqwenga kunye nemibhalo-ngqangi engqina ukuba iBhayibhile iye yakhutshelwa ngokuchanileyo. Kwincwadi yakhe ethi The Bible as History, uWerner Keller wagqiba kwelithi: “Le [mibhalo-ngqangi] yamandulo iwasusa tu amathandabuzo anokubakho okuba sinokuyithemba kusini na iBhayibhile esinayo namhlanje.”

Enyanisweni, ukholo lwamaKristu aluxhomekekanga kwizinto zakudala ezembiweyo kuba akholelwa ukuba “sonke iSibhalo siphefumlelwe nguThixo.” (2 Timoti 3:16) Nangona kunjalo, kuyasivuyisa ukufumana ubuncwane bakudala obungqina la mazwi abhalwa mandulo eBhayibhileni: “Ilizwi likaYehova lihlala likho ngonaphakade.”—1 Petros 1:25.