Liyini Iqiniso NgemiQulu YasoLwandle Olufile?

Eminyakeni engaphezu kwengu-50 edlule, itshe elaphonswa umalusi ongumBedouin emgedeni laholela kulokho abanye abaye bakubiza ngokuthi yinto enkulu kunazo zonke eye yatholakala kwezemivubukulo ekhulwini lama-20. UmBedouin wezwa itshe liphula imbiza yobumba. Lapho eyohlola, wathola umqulu wokuqala kulokho okwabizwa ngokuthi imiQulu YasoLwandle Olufile.

KUYE kwagxilwa kakhulu kule miqulu futhi kwaphikiswana ngayo, kokubili phakathi kwezazi nasemithonjeni yezindaba. Umphakathi wona ugcwele ukudideka nokukhohliswa. Kuye kwasakazwa amahemuhemu omshoshaphansi omkhulu, obangelwa ukwesaba ukuthi le miqulu iveza amaqiniso angakhinyabeza ukholo lwamaKristu namaJuda. Kodwa ibaluleke ngani ngempela le miqulu? Njengoba sekudlule iminyaka engaphezu kwengu-50, ingabe angatholakala amaqiniso?

Iyini ImiQulu YasoLwandle Olufile?

ImiQulu YasoLwandle Olufile iyimibhalo yesandla yamaJuda yasendulo, eminingi yayo ebhalwe ngesiHeberu, eminye ngesi-Aramu nembalwa ngesiGreki. Eminingi yale miqulu nezingcezwana ineminyaka engaphezu kwengu-2 000 ubudala, okuyisikhathi esingaphambi kokuzalwa kukaJesu. Phakathi kwemiqulu yokuqala eyatholakala kumaBedouin kwakunemibhalo yesandla eyisikhombisa emide, eguge ngamazinga ashiyanayo. Lapho kuhlolwa imigede eyengeziwe, kwatholakala neminye imiqulu nezinkulungwane zezingcezwana zemiqulu. Phakathi no-1947 kuya ku-1956, yaba ngu-11 isiyonke imigede eyatholakala inemiqulu eduze neQumran ngasoLwandle Olufile.

Lapho yonke le miqulu nezingcezwana kuhlelwa kahle, kwakha imibhalo yesandla engaba ngu-800.  Engaba yingxenye yesine kule mibhalo yesandla, noma engaphezudlwana kuka-200, ingamakhophi ezingxenye ezithile zombhalo weBhayibheli lesiHeberu. Eminye yale mibhalo yesandla iyimibhalo yamaJuda yasendulo engeyona eyeBhayibheli, kodwa eyi-Apocrypha neyiPseudepigrapha. *

Eminye yemiqulu eyabangela isasasa kakhulu phakathi kwezazi yayiyimibhalo eyayingaziwa ngaphambili. Lena ihlanganisa ukuchazwa komthetho wamaJuda, imithetho eqondile yomphakathi wehlelo elalihlala eQumran, imilolozelo nemithandazo eyimidanti yokukhulekela, kanye nezindaba ezikhuluma ngokuphela kwezwe ezembula imibono ephathelene nokugcwaliseka kweziprofetho zeBhayibheli nezinsuku zokugcina. Kukhona nemibhalo engavamile ehlaziya iBhayibheli, emidala kakhulu kuneyanamuhla yevesi ngalinye leBhayibheli.

Yabhalwa Ubani ImiQulu YasoLwandle Olufile?

Izindlela ezihlukahlukene zokuthola unyaka wemibhalo yasendulo zibonisa ukuthi le miqulu yakopishwa noma yabhalwa phakathi kwekhulu lesithathu B.C.E. nelokuqala C.E. Ezinye izazi zithi le miqulu kungenzeka yafihlwa amaJuda aseJerusalema emigedeni ngaphambi kokubhujiswa kwethempeli ngo-70 C.E. Nokho, iningi lezazi ezicwaninga le miqulu libheka lo mbono njengongahambisani nalokho okulotshwe kule miqulu. Imiqulu eminingi iveza imibono namasiko okwakuphikisana neziphathimandla zenkolo zaseJerusalema. Le miqulu yembula umphakathi owawukholelwa ukuthi uNkulunkulu wayebalahlile abapristi nenkonzo yasethempelini eJerusalema nokuthi wayebheka ukukhulekela kwaleli qembu ogwadule njengokuthatha isikhundla senkonzo yasethempelini. Kubonakala kungenakwenzeka ukuthi iziphathimandla zasethempelini laseJerusalema zazingafihla iqoqo elinemiqulu enjalo.

Nakuba kungenzeka lalikhona iqembu labakopishi eQumran, cishe eminingi yemiqulu yaqoqwa kwezinye izindawo yalethwa khona amakholwa. Ngomqondo othile, imiQulu YasoLwandle Olufile iwumtapo wolwazi obanzi. Njenganoma yimuphi umtapo wolwazi, okukuwo kunganikeza izinkolelo-mbono eziningi ezihlukahlukene, kungabi yizo zonke ngempela ezihambisana nemibono engokwenkolo yabazifundayo. Nokho, leyo mibhalo enamakhophi amaningana kungenzeka kakhulu ukuthi ibonisa isithakazelo esikhethekile salelo qembu nezinkolelo zalo.

Ingabe EQumran Kwakuhlala Ama-Essene?

Uma le miqulu yayiwumtapo wolwazi waseQumran, obani ababakhé khona? UProfesa Eleazor Sukenik, owatholela iHebrew University yaseJerusalem imiqulu emithathu ngo-1947, waba ngowokuqala ukuvela nokuthi le miqulu kungenzeka kwakungeyomphakathi wama-Essene.

Ama-Essene ayeyihlelo lamaJuda elishiwo abalobi bekhulu lokuqala uJosephus, uPhilo wase-Alexandria noPliny Omdala. Ukuthi ayedabukaphi ngempela ama-Essene kuyacatshangelwa nje, kodwa kubonakala sengathi adlondlobala ngenkathi yeziyaluyalu ngemva kokuvukela kwamaMaccabee ngekhulu lesibili B.C.E. * UJosephus wakhuluma ngokuba khona kwawo ngaleyo nkathi, wanikeza iminingwane mayelana nezindlela imibono yawo engokwenkolo eyayihluke ngazo kweyabaFarasi neyabaSadusi. UPliny wakhuluma ngendawo eyayinomphakathi wama-Essene ngasoLwandle Olufile phakathi kweJeriko ne-Eni-gedi.

UProfesa James VanderKam, oyisazi semiQulu YasoLwandle Olufile, uthi kungenzeka “ama-Essene aseQumran ayemane eyingxenye encane yeqembu elikhulu lama-Essene,” uJosephus alilinganisela ezinkulungwaneni ezingaba zine. Nakuba kunezici ezithile ezingahambisani, incazelo esemibhalweni yaseQumran kubonakala sengathi ifanelana neyama-Essene ngaphezu kwanoma yiliphi elinye iqembu lamaJuda elaziwayo langaleso sikhathi.

 Abanye bayé bathi ubuKristu baqala eQumran. Nokho, kunezici eziningi ezihlukene kakhulu ezibonakala emibonweni engokwenkolo yehlelo laseQumran neyamaKristu okuqala. Imibhalo yaseQumran ibonisa imithetho yeSabatha eqine ngokweqile kanye nokukhathalela ukuhlanzeka okungokwesiko ngendlela eyeqisayo. (Mathewu 15:1-20; Luka 6:1-11) Kungashiwo okufanayo nangokuzihlukanisa kwama-Essene emphakathini, inkolelo yawo yokudalelwa neyokungafi komphefumulo, ukugcizelela kwawo ukungashadi nezinkolelo-mbono ezingaqondakali eziphathelene nokuhlanganyela nezingelosi ekukhulekeleni kwawo. Lokhu kubonisa ukuthi ayengahambisani nezimfundiso zikaJesu nezamaKristu okuqala.—Mathewu 5:14-16; Johane 11:23, 24; Kolose 2:18; 1 Thimothewu 4:1-3.

Akukho Mshoshaphansi, Akukho Miqulu Eyafihlwa

Eminyakeni yangemva kokutholakala kwemiQulu YasoLwandle Olufile, kwashicilelwa izincwadi ezihlukahlukene ezenza ukuba izazi emhlabeni wonke zikuthole kalula okwakutholakele emigedeni. Kodwa izinkulungwane zezingcezwana zakomunye umgede, okuthiwa uMgede 4, zaziyinkinga kakhulu. Lezi zaziphethwe yiqenjana lezazi zomhlaba wonke elaliseMpumalanga Jerusalem (eyayiyingxenye yeJordan ngaleso sikhathi) ePalestine Archaeological Museum. Kwakungekho zazi ezingamaJuda noma ezingama-Israyeli ezazifakwe kuleli qembu.

Leli qembu lazisungulela isimiso sokungavumeli muntu ayibone le miqulu kuze kube yilapho lishicilela imiphumela esemthethweni yocwaningo lwalo. Izazi ezakha leli qembu zagcinwa ziyinani elingashintshi. Lapho kufa ilungu elithile, kwakufakwa isazi esisodwa kuphela esikhundleni salo. Ubukhulu bomsebenzi babenza kudingeke iqembu elikhulu kakhulu, futhi kwezinye izimo, kudingeke namakhono engeziwe esiHeberu nesi-Aramu sasendulo. UJames VanderKam wakubeka kanje: “[Ukuhlaziya] amashumi ezinkulungwane zezingcezwana kwakungaphezu kwamandla ochwepheshe abayisishiyagalombili, kungakhathaliseki ukuthi banamakhono kangakanani.”

Lapho kufika iMpi Yezinsuku Eziyisithupha ngo-1967, iMpumalanga Jerusalem nemiqulu yayo kwaba ngaphansi kwe-Israel, kodwa isimiso seqembu elicwaninga ngemiqulu asishintshwanga. Njengoba ukuphuza kokushicilelwa kwemiqulu yoMgede 4 kungazange kusaba yiminyaka kodwa kwaba amashumi eminyaka, izazi eziningana zakhalaza. Ngo-1977, uProfesa Geza Vermes wase-Oxford University wabiza lokhu ngokuthi yisicecelegwana sezazi esizidlula zonke ekhulwini lama-20. Aqala ukwanda amahemuhemu okuthi iSonto LamaKatolika lalifihla ngamabomu ukwaziswa okusemiqulwini okungabukhinyabeza kakhulu ubuKristu.

Ngawo-1980, leli qembu lagcina landisiwe laba nezazi ezingu-20. Kwabe sekuthi ngo-1990, ngaphansi kokuqondisa komhleli oyinhloko owayesanda kubekwa, u-Emanuel Tov, waseHebrew University eJerusalem, leli qembu laphinda landiswa laba nezazi ezingaphezu kwezingu-50. Kwenziwa isimiso esiqinile sokushicilela zonke izinhlelo zezazi zemiqulu eyayisasele.

Impumelelo yangempela yafinyelelwa kungazelelwe ngo-1991. Kwaqale kwashicilelwa i-Preliminary Edition of the Unpublished Dead Sea Scrolls. Yayihlanganiswe ngosizo lwama-computer ngokusekelwe kuyikhophi yekhonkodensi yaleli qembu. IHuntington Library yaseSan Marino, eCalifornia, yabe isimemezela ukuthi noma yisiphi isazi sasizokwazi ukuthola kuyo isethi ephelele yezithombe zemiqulu. Kungakabiphi, lapho kunyatheliswa i-Facsimile Edition of the Dead Sea Scrolls kwaba lula ukuthola izithombe zemiqulu eyayingakaze ishicilelwe ngaphambili.

Ngakho phakathi neshumi leminyaka elidlule, yonke imiQulu YasoLwandle Olufile iye yakwazi ukutholakala ukuze ihlolwe. Ukucwaninga kwembula ukuthi kwakungekho mshoshaphansi; kwakungekho miqulu efihlwayo. Njengoba kushicilelwa izinhlelo zokugcina zemiqulu, yimá kungaqala ukuhlaziya okugcwele. Kuye kwavela isizukulwane esisha sezazi zemiqulu. Kodwa lolu cwaningo lubaluleke ngani kubafundi beBhayibheli?

[Imibhalo yaphansi]

[Isithombe ekhasini 3]

Lena ngeminye yemigede eseduze noLwandle Olufile okwatholakala kuyo imiqulu yasendulo

[Umthombo Wesithombe ekhasini 3]

Scroll fragment: Pages 3, 4, and 6: Courtesy of Israel Antiquities Authority

[Umthombo Wesithombe ekhasini 5]

Courtesy of Shrine of the Book, Israel Museum, Jerusalem