OFata BeSonto—Ingabe Babengabameleli Beqiniso LeBhayibheli?

Kungakhathaliseki ukuthi uzibiza ngomKristu noma cha, umbono wakho ngoNkulunkulu waseBhayibhelini, ngoJesu nangobuKristu kungenzeka kakhulu ukuthi uthonywe yibo. Omunye wabo wayebizwa ngokuthi Onomlomo Wegolide, omunye ngokuthi Omkhulu. Ndawonye, baye bachazwa ngokuthi “yizibonelo ezivelele zokuphila kukaKristu.” Obani laba? Ongqondongqondo benkolo bakudala, abalobi, izazi zemfundiso yenkolo nezefilosofi eziye zayithonya kakhulu indlela yanamuhla yokucabanga “yobuKristu”—oFata beSonto.

UPROFESA wezifundo zenkolo wesonto lamaGreki Lobu-Orthodox uDemetrios J. Constantelos uthi: “IBhayibheli alisona isiqalo nesigcino sezwi likaNkulunkulu. UMoya Ongcwele owambula izwi likaNkulunkulu awunakuphelela emakhasini encwadi ethile.” Yini-ke okungenzeka nayo iwumthombo onokwethenjelwa wezambulo zaphezulu? Encwadini yakhe ethi Understanding the Greek Orthodox Church, uConstantelos uyagomela: “AmaSiko Angcwele nemiBhalo Engcwele [kubhekwa] njengezici ezimbili zento eyodwa.”

Isisekelo salawo “maSiko Angcwele” sihlanganisa izimfundiso nemibhalo yoFata beSonto. Babeyizazi ezivelele zemfundiso yenkolo nezefilosofi “ezingamaKristu” ezaziphila phakathi nekhulu lesibili nelesihlanu C.E. Baye bayithonya kangakanani indlela yokucabanga “yobuKristu” yanamuhla? Ingabe izimfundiso zabo zanamathela eBhayibhelini? Yini okufanele ibe yisisekelo esiqinile seqiniso lobuKristu kumlandeli kaJesu Kristu?

Isizinda Esingokomlando

Phakathi nekhulu lesibili C.E., ababezibiza ngamaKristu babevikela ukholo lwabo kubashushisi abangamaRoma nasemambukeni. Nokho, ngalesi sikhathi kwakukhona nemibono eminingi kakhulu yezimfundiso zenkolo. Izinkulumo-mpikiswano mayelana nokuthi uJesu “ungowaphezulu” yini neziphathelene nesimo nokusebenza komoya ongcwele zabangela okungaphezu nje kokuhlukana endleleni yokucabanga. Izingxabano ezishisayo noqhekeko olwalungenakulungiseka ngenxa yemfundiso “yobuKristu” zasakazekela kwezombangazwe namasiko, ngezinye izikhathi kubangele udlame, ukuvukela, imibango yomphakathi, ngisho nempi. Isazi-mlando uPaul Johnson siyabhala: “UbuKristu [bezihlubuki] baqala bugcwele ukudideka, ukuphikisana noqhekeko baqhubeka bunjalo. . . . IMedithera emaphakathi nesempumalanga ekhulwini lokuqala nelesibili AD yayigcwele inqwaba yemibono engokwenkolo, eyayizama kanzima ukwanda. . . .  Ngakho, kusukela ekuqaleni kwakunezinhlobo eziningi zobuKristu ezazingafani neze.”

Phakathi naleso sikhathi, abalobi nóngqondongqondo ababenomuzwa wokuthi kwakudingeka bachaze izimfundiso “zobuKristu” ngemiqondo yefilosofi baqala ukwanda. Ukuze banelise amaqaba afundile ayesanda kuphendukela “ebuKristwini,” labo balobi benkolo basebenzisa kakhulu izincwadi zamaGreki namaJuda zangaphambili. Kusukela kuJustin Martyr (wango-100 kuya ku-165 C.E.), owayebhala ngesiGreki, ababezibiza ngamaKristu baba mandla nakakhulu ekwamukeleni amasiko efilosofi yamaGreki.

Lokhu kuthambekela kwaba nomphumela ophawulekayo emibhalweni ka-Origen (wango-185 kuya ku-254 C.E.), umlobi ongumGreki wase-Alexandria. Indatshana ka-Origen kwethi On First Principles yayiwumzamo wokuqala ohlelekile wokuchaza izimfundiso eziyinhloko “zobuKristu” ngefilosofi yamaGreki. UMkhandlu WaseNicaea (wango-325 C.E.), nomzamo wawo wokuchaza nokuqinisekisa ukuthi uKristu “ungowaphezulu,” waba yingqopha-mlando eyakufakela ugqozi kabusha ukuchazwa kwemfundiso “yobuKristu.” Lowo mkhandlu waqala inkathi lapho imikhandlu-jikelele yesonto yayilokhu ifuna ukuchaza imfundiso yesonto ngokunembe kakhudlwana.

Abalobi Nezikhulumi Ezingamagagu

U-Eusebius waseCaesarea, owabhala ngesikhathi kunoMkhandlu wokuqala WaseNicaea, wazihlanganisa noMbusi uConstantine. Iminyaka engaphezudlwana kweyikhulu ngemva kweNicaea, izazi zemfundiso yenkolo, iningi lazo elalibhala ngesiGreki, ngempikiswano ende neshubile zakha lokho okwakuzoba yimfundiso evelele yeLobukholwa, uZiqu-zintathu. Ababephambili kuzo kwakungu-Athanasius, umbhishobhi wase-Alexandria owayezethemba ngokweqile, nabaholi besonto abathathu baseCappadocia, e-Asia Minor—uBasil the Great, umfowabo uGregory waseNyssa nomngane wabo uGregory waseNazianzus.

Abalobi nabashumayeli bangaleso sikhathi babefinyelela izinga eliphakeme lokuqephuza. UGregory waseNazianzus noJohn Chrysostom (okusho ukuthi “Onomlomo Wegolide”) besebenzisa isiGreki, no-Ambrose waseMilan beno-Augustine waseHippo besebenzisa isiLatini babeyizikhulumi ezingamagagu kakhulu, beyizingcweti ohlotsheni lobuciko olwaluhlonishwa futhi luthandwa kakhulu ngesikhathi sabo. Umlobi owayenethonya kunabo bonke ngaleso sikhathi kwakungu-Augustine. Izindatshana azibhala mayelana nezimfundiso zenkolo ziye zathonya indlela yokucabanga “yobuKristu” kuyo yonke indawo namuhla. UJerome, indoda eyayifunde yagogoda ukudlula wonke umuntu ngaleso sikhathi, waba nesandla ngokuyinhloko ekwenzeni inguqulo yeBhayibheli yesiLatini i-Vulgate esusela ezilimini zokuqala.

Nokho, imibuzo ebalulekile iwukuthi: Ingabe labo Fata beSonto banamathela eduze eBhayibhelini? Ezimfundisweni zabo, ingabe banamathela emiBhalweni ephefumulelwe? Ingabe imibhalo yabo iyisiqondiso esiphephile sokuthola ulwazi olunembile ngoNkulunkulu?

Yizimfundiso ZikaNkulunkulu Noma Ezabantu?

Muva nje, uMetropolitan Methodius wasePisidia wesonto lamaGreki Lobu-Orthodox ubhale incwadi ethi The Hellenic Pedestal of Christianity ukuze abonise ukuthi amasiko namafilosofi obuGreki aba yisisekelo sendlela yokucabanga  “yobuKristu” yanamuhla. Kuleyo ncwadi, uvuma ngokunganqikazi ukuthi: “Cishe bonke oFata beSonto abavelele babebheka izici zobuGreki njengeziwusizo olukhulu, futhi bazithatha ezinkambisweni zasendulo zamaGreki, bazisebenzisa njengethuluzi lokuqonda nokuchaza ngokunembile amaqiniso obuKristu.”

Ngokwesibonelo, cabanga ngomqondo wokuthi uYise, iNdodana nomoya ongcwele bakha uZiqu-zintathu. Ngemva koMkhandlu WaseNicaea oFata abaningi beSonto baba ngabasekeli abaqinile bakaZiqu-zintathu. Imibhalo nezindatshana zabo zazisemqoka ekwenzeni uZiqu-zintathu abe yimfundiso ebalulekile yeLobukholwa. Nokho, ingabe uZiqu-zintathu uyatholakala eBhayibhelini? Cha. Pho bamthathaphi oFata beSonto? I-Dictionary of Religious Knowledge ithi abaningi bathi uZiqu-zintathu “uyimfundiso enhlanhlathayo eyathathwa ezinkolweni zabahedeni, yaxhunyelelwa enkolweni yobuKristu.” Futhi ethi The Paganism in Our Christianity iyakuqinisekisa lokho: “Umsuka [kaZiqu-zintathu] ungowobuqaba ngokuphelele.” *—Johane 3:16; 14:28.

Noma, cabanga ngemfundiso yokungafi komphefumulo, inkolelo yokuthi ingxenye ethile yomuntu iyaqhubeka iphila ngemva kokufa komzimba. Nalapha, oFata beSonto baba nendima enkulu ekufakeni lo mqondo enkolweni eyayingenamfundiso yomphefumulo osindayo ekufeni. IBhayibheli libonisa ngokucacile ukuthi umphefumulo ungafa: “Umphefumulo owonayo uyakufa.” (Hezekeli 18:4) Sasiyini isisekelo senkolelo yoFata beSonto yomphefumulo ongafi? I-New Catholic Encyclopedia ithi: “Umqondo wobuKristu womphefumulo ongumoya owadalwa nguNkulunkulu wawusufakwa emzimbeni lapho edalwa ukuze umuntu abe yisidalwa esiphelele esiphilayo  uwumphumela wenqubo eyathatha isikhathi eside kuyifilosofi yobuKristu. Kwaze kwaba yilapho sekuno-Origen eMpumalanga no-St. Augustine eNtshonalanga, kwaba yimá kwamukelwa ukuthi umphefumulo ungumoya futhi kwakhiwa umqondo oyifilosofi mayelana nokuthi uyini. . . . [Imfundiso ka-Augustine] . . . yathola okuningi (kuhlanganise nokushiyeka okuthile) emfundisweni kaPlato yakamuva.” Futhi umagazini i-Presbyterian Life uthi: “Ukungafi komphefumulo kuwumqondo wamaGreki owavela emahlelweni ayimfihlo asendulo wawusucaciswa yisazi sefilosofi uPlato.” *

Isisekelo Esiqinile Seqiniso LobuKristu

Ngemva kwalokhu kuhlolwa kwesizinda esingokomlando soFata beSonto nemisuka yezimfundiso zabo, yize kukufushane, kuyafaneleka ukubuza, Ingabe umKristu oqotho kufanele asekele izinkolelo zakhe ezimfundisweni zoFata beSonto? Vumela iBhayibheli liphendule.

Nakhu okuqinisekile, uJesu Kristu ngokwakhe wakulahla ukusetshenziswa kwesiqu esingokwenkolo esithi “Fata” lapho ethi: “Ningabizi muntu emhlabeni ngokuthi uyihlo, ngoba munye onguYihlo, yiLowo osezulwini.” (Mathewu 23:9) Ukusebenzisa igama elithi “Fata” kunoma ubani enkolweni kungqubuzana nobuKristu nemiBhalo. IZwi likaNkulunkulu elilotshiwe laqedwa cishe ngo-98 C.E. ngemva kwemibhalo yomphostoli uJohane. Ngakho, amaKristu eqiniso akudingeki abheke kumuntu othile njengowumthombo wezambulo eziphefumulelwe. Ayaqaphela ukuba ‘angalenzi ize izwi likaNkulunkulu’ ngenxa yamasiko abantu. Ukuvumela amasiko abantu athathe indawo yeZwi likaNkulunkuklu kuyabulala ngokomoya. UJesu waxwayisa: “Uma umuntu oyimpumputhe eqondisa umuntu oyimpumputhe, bobabili bayowela emgodini.”—Mathewu 15:6, 14.

Ingabe umKristu uyazidinga ezinye izambulo ngaphezu kwezwi likaNkulunkulu eliseBhayibhelini? Cha. Incwadi yesAmbulo iyaxwayisa ngokunezela noma yini embhalweni ophefumulelwe: “Uma noma ubani enza isinezelo kulezizinto, uNkulunkulu uyonezela kuye izinhlupho ezilotshwe kulomqulu.”—IsAmbulo 22:18.

Iqiniso lobuKristu liseZwini likaNkulunkulu, iBhayibheli. (Johane 17:17; 2 Thimothewu 3:16; 2 Johane 1-4) Ukuliqonda ngokunembile akuxhomekile kuyifilosofi yezwe. Ngokuqondene nabantu abazama ukusebenzisa ukuhlakanipha komuntu ukuze bachaze izambulo zaphezulu, kuyafaneleka ukuphinda imibuzo yomphostoli uPawulu: “Uphi umuntu ohlakaniphileyo? Uphi umbhali? Uphi umphikisi wakulesisimiso sezinto? UNkulunkulu akazange yini akwenze ubuwula ukuhlakanipha kwezwe?”—1 Korinte 1:20.

Ngaphezu kwalokho, ibandla lobuKristu ‘liyinsika nozime lweqiniso.’ (1 Thimothewu 3:15) Ababonisi balo bagcina ukufundisa kwabo kumsulwa ebandleni, bavimbe noma yini engcolisa izimfundiso ingangeni kulo. (2 Thimothewu 2:15-18, 25) Ababangenisi ebandleni ‘abaprofethi bamanga, abafundisi bamanga namahlelo abhubhisayo.’ (2 Petru 2:1) Ngemva kokufa kwabaphostoli, oFata beSonto bavumela “amazwi aphefumulelwe adukisayo nezimfundiso zamademoni” ukuba kugxile ebandleni lobuKristu.—1 Thimothewu 4:1.

Imiphumela yalokhu kuhlubuka iyabonakala kweLobukholwa namuhla. Izinkolelo nemikhuba yalo kuhluke kakhulu eqinisweni leBhayibheli.

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OFATA BASECAPPADOCIA

“ISonto Lobu-Orthodox . . . libahlonipha ngokukhethekile abalobi bekhulu lesine, ikakhulu labo elibabiza ngokuthi ‘iziKhulu Ezintathu,’ uGregory waseNazianzus, uBasil the Great noJohn Chrysostom,” kusho umlobi uKallistos, oyindela. Ingabe lab’ oFata beSonto bazisekela emiBhalweni ephefumulelwe izimfundiso zabo? Mayelana noBasil the Great, incwadi ethi The Fathers of the Greek Church ithi: “Imibhalo yakhe ibonisa ukuthi wayenamathele njalo kuPlato, uHomer nezinye izazi-mlando nezikhulumi ezivelele, futhi ngokuqinisekile zayithonya indlela yakhe [yokubhala]. . . . UBasil wahlala ‘engumGreki.’” Kwakunjalo nangoGregory waseNazianzus. “Ngokubona kwakhe ukunqoba nokuphakama kweSonto kwakungaboniswa kangcono kakhulu ngokuba lamukele ngokuphelele amasiko amaGreki asendulo.”

Mayelana nabo bobathathu, uProfesa Panagiotis K. Christou uyabhala: “Nakuba ngezinye izikhathi bexwayisa ‘ngefilosofi nenkohliso eyize’ [Kolose 2:8]—ukuze bavumelane nomyalo weTestamente Elisha—ngesikhathi esifanayo, bayitadisha ngokuzimisela ifilosofi nemikhakha efuze lowo baze batuse ngisho nakwabanye ukuba bayitadishe.” Ngokusobala, abafundisi abanjalo besonto babecabanga ukuthi iBhayibheli alanele ukusekela imibono yabo. Kungenzeka yini ukuthi ukufuna kwabo ezinye izinsika zegunya kubonisa ukuthi izimfundiso zabo zazingahambisani neBhayibheli? Umphostoli uPawulu waxwayisa amaKristu angamaHeberu: “Ningathatheki yizimfundiso ezihlukahlukene nezingaziwa.”—Heberu 13:9.

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© Archivo Iconografico, S.A./CORBIS

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UCYRIL WASE-ALEXANDRIA UFATA WESONTO OWABANGELA IMPIKISWANO

Omunye wabantu okuphikiswana kakhulu ngabo koFata beSonto nguCyril wase-Alexandria (wango-375 kuya ku-444 C.E.). Isazi-mlando sesonto uHans von Campenhausen simchaza ngokuthi “wayenenkani, enobudlova nobuqili, ebuswa ukuphakama kobizo lwakhe nesithunzi sesikhundla sakhe,” sinezele ukuthi “wayengabheki lutho njengolulungile uma lungamsizi ekukhuliseni ithonya negunya lakhe . . . Unya nokukhohlakala kwezindlela zakhe kwakungamhluphi neze.” Nakuba ayengumbhishobhi wase-Alexandria, uCyril wasebenzisa ukufumbathisa nokunyundela ukuze asuse umbhishobhi waseConstantinople esikhundleni. Ubhekwa njengowabangela ukubulawa ngesihluku kwesazi sefilosofi esidumile okuthiwa uHypatia ngo-415 C.E. Ngokuphathelene nemibhalo kaCyril yezimfundiso zenkolo, uCampenhausen uthi: “Waqala umkhuba wokungasebenzisi iBhayibheli kuphela ekunqumeni izindaba zezinkolelo kodwa kusetshenziswe nezingcaphuno ezifanelekayo ezivela emithonjeni ethembekile.”

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UJerome

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Garo Nalbandian