Ukugqumisa Isidumbu—Ingabe Kuyafaneleka KumaKristu?

Lapho isizokufa, inzalamizi ethembekile uJakobe yenza lesi sicelo sokugcina: “Ngimbeleni kobaba emhumeni osensimini ka-Efroni umHeti, umhume osensimini yaseMakaphela eliphambi kweMamre ezweni laseKhanani.”—Genesise 49:29-31.

UJOSEFA wasihlonipha isicelo sikayise ngokuthi asebenzise inkambiso eyayivamile eGibithe ngaleso sikhathi. Wayala “izinceku zakhe izinyanga ukuba zimgqumise uyise.” Ngokokulandisa okukuGenesise isahluko 50, odokotela basebenzisa izinsuku ezingu-40 njengokuvamile ukulungisa isidumbu. Ukugqunyiswa kukaJakobe kwavumela udwendwe olukhulu, olwaluhamba kancane, lwamalungu omkhaya nezikhulu zaseGibithe ukuba luhambe amakhilomitha angaba ngu-400 luyisa isidumbu sikaJakobe eHebroni siyongcwatshwa.—Genesise 50:1-14.

Kungenzeka yini ukuba isidumbu sikaJakobe esigqunyisiwe sitholakale ngolunye usuku? Mancane kakhulu amathuba alokho. Elakwa-Israyeli laliyindawo enamanzi amaningi, okwenza zilinganiselwe izinhlobo zezinto zakudala ezitholwa abavubukuli lapho. (Eksodusi 3:8) Ziningi izinto zakudala zetshe nezensimbi ezitholakele, kodwa iningi lezinto ezonakala kalula, njengendwangu, isikhumba, nezidumbu ezigqunyisiwe, alizange likwazi ukumelana nomswakama nokuwohlozwa ukuhamba kwesikhathi.

Kuyini ngempela ukugqumisa? Kwakwenziwelwani? Kuyafaneleka yini kumaKristu?

Yaqalaphi Le Nkambiso?

Ukugqumisa kungachazwa kahle ngokuthi ukulondoloza isidumbu somuntu noma sesilwane. Izazi-mlando zibonakala zivuma ukuthi ukugqumisa kwaqala eGibithe kodwa kwakwenziwa nangabantu basendulo abangama-Asiriya, amaPheresiya namaSkithe. Mhlawumbe isithakazelo nemizamo yokuqala yokugqumisa kwabangelwa ukutholakala kwezidumbu ezazingcwatshwe esihlabathini sasogwadule futhi zalondolozeka ngokwemvelo. Ukungcwaba kanjalo kwakuyokwenza umswakama nomoya kungafiki esidunjini, kanjalo singaboli ukuyaphi. Abanye bathi ukugqumisa kwaqala lapho kutholakala izidumbu zigcinwe kusoda (i-sodium carbonate), okuyi-alikhali eyinala eGibithe namaphethelo.

Umgomo womgqumisi umane uwukunqanda umsebenzi ongokwemvelo wama-bacteria wokudla isidumbu oqala emahoreni athile  ngemva kokufa, owenza isidumbu sibole. Uma le nqubo ingase ivinjelwe, ukubola kungama noma okungenani kubambezeleke isikhathi eside ngokuphawulekayo. Kunezinto ezintathu ezihlosiwe: ukulondoloza isidumbu sibe njengokungathi siyaphila, ukuvimbela ukuvunda, nokwenza isidumbu simelane nokuhlaselwa yizilokazane.

AbaseGibithe basendulo ngokuyinhloko babegqumisa abafileyo babo ngenxa yezizathu ezingokwenkolo. Umqondo wabo wokuphila kwangemva kokufa wawuhlobene nesifiso sokuhlala uhilelekile kokwenzeka ezweni labaphilayo. Babekholelwa ukuthi izidumbu zabo ziyosetshenziswa phakade futhi ziyofakwa ukuphila zivuselelwe. Nakuba kwakuvamile ukugqumisa, kodwa kuze kube manje akukatholakali kulandisa kwabaseGibithe okuveza indlela okwakwenziwa ngayo. Ukulandisa okungcono kunakho konke okwesazi-mlando esingumGreki sekhulu lesihlanu B.C.E., uHerodotus. Nokho, kuthiwa ukulinga ukukwenza ngokusebenzisa iziqondiso ezinikezwa nguHerodotus akuzange kube nampumelelo etheni.

Kuyafaneleka Yini KumaKristu?

UJakobe wagqunyiswa abantu ababenezinkolelo ezingokwenkolo ezingafani nezakhe. Kodwa asinakukucabanga ukuthi uJosefa lapho enika odokotela isidumbu sikayise, wacela ukuba kwenziwe imithandazo nemikhuba okungenzeka yayihambisana nokugqumisa okuningi okwakwenziwa eGibithe ngaleso sikhathi. UJakobe noJosefa bobabili babengamadoda anokholo. (Heberu 11:21, 22) Nakuba ngokusobala kwakungayalezwanga nguJehova, ukulondolozwa kwesidumbu sikaJakobe akukhulunywa kabi ngakho emiBhalweni. Ukugqunyiswa kukaJakobe kwakungahloselwe ukuba kube yisibonelo sokulandelwa yisizwe sakwa-Israyeli noma ibandla lobuKristu. Empeleni, akukho ziyalezo eziqondile mayelana nale ndaba eZwini likaNkulunkulu. Ngemva kokuba naye uJosefa egqunyisiwe eGibithe, imiBhalo ayibe isawuphatha lo mkhuba.—Genesise 50:26.

Ukutholakala kwezidumbu ezibolile emathuneni asePalestina kubonisa ukuthi ukugqumisa abafileyo kwakungeyona inkambiso yamaHeberu, okungenani ayengakwenzeli ukusilondoloza isikhathi eside. Ngokwesibonelo, uLazaru akagqunyiswanga. Nakuba ayesongwe ngendwangu, kwaba nokukhathazeka lapho sekufanele kugingqwe itshe elalivale ithuna lakhe. Njengoba zase zizine izinsuku uLazaru efile, udadewabo wayeqiniseka ukuthi kwakuyoba nephunga lapho kuvulwa ithuna.—Johane 11:38-44.

Ingabe uJesu Kristu yena wagqunyiswa? Ukulandisa kwamaVangeli akusisekeli lesi siphetho. Ngaleso sikhathi, kwakuyinkambiso yamaJuda ukulungisa isidumbu ngezithako namafutha anamakha ngaphambi kokusingcwaba. Ngokwesibonelo, ukuze kulungiswe isidumbu sikaJesu, uNikodemu waletha izithako eziningi zokwenza lokhu. (Johane 19:38-42) Kungani aletha izithako eziningi kangaka? Kungenzeka ukuthi uthando olusuka enhliziyweni nenhlonipho ngoJesu yikhona okwamshukumisela ukuba alethe okuningi kangaka. Akudingeki siphethe ngokuthi ukusebenzisa izithako ngaleyo ndlela kwakuhloselwe ukulondoloza isidumbu.

Ingabe umKristu angayenqaba le nqubo yokugqumisa? Uma sibhekana namaqiniso, ukugqumisa kumane nje kuwukuhlehlisa into engenakugwenywa. Savela othulini, futhi sibuyela othulini lapho sifa. (Genesise 3:19) Kodwa kuyothatha isikhathi esingakanani ukuba kungcwatshwe ngemva kokushona komufi? Uma amalungu omndeni nabangane besuka kude futhi bethanda ukubona isidumbu, akungabazeki ukuthi isidumbu leso kuyodingeka sigqunyiswe ngezinga elithile.

 Ngakho-ke, ngokomBhalo asikho isidingo sokukhathazeka uma izimfuneko zendawo zikwenza umthetho ukuba isidumbu sigqunyiswe noma uma amalungu omndeni ethanda kanjalo. Abafileyo “abazi lutho.” (UmShumayeli 9:5) Uma besenkumbulweni kaNkulunkulu, bayovuselwa ekuphileni ezweni lakhe elithenjisiwe.—Jobe 14:13-15; IzEnzo 24:15; 2 Petru 3:13.

[Ibhokisi/Isithombe ekhasini 31]

UKUGQUMISA IZIDUMBU—KUDALA NAMANJE

EGibithe lasendulo, indlela isidumbu esasigqunyiswa ngayo yayixhomeka esimweni somkhaya. Umkhaya ocebile cishe wawuyokhetha le nqubo elandelayo:

Ubuchopho babukhishwa ngamakhala ngethuluzi elithile lensimbi. Ngemva kwalokho, ugebhezi lwalulungiswa ngemithi efanele. Isinyathelo esilandelayo sasihilela ukukhishwa kwezitho zangaphakathi ngaphandle kwenhliziyo nezinso. Ukuze kufinyelelwe esiswini, kwakudingeka isidumbu siqhumbuzwe, kodwa lokhu kwakubhekwa njengokuyisono. Ukuze kugwenywe le nkinga, abagqumisi baseGibithe babeqoka umuntu okuthiwa ngumsiki ukuba kube nguye osiqhumbuzayo. Wayethi angaqeda abaleke, ngoba isijeziso salesi senzo esasibhekwa njengecala sasiba yiziqalekiso nokukhandwa ngamatshe.

Ngemva kokuba sezikhishiwe izibilini, ingaphakathi lalihlanzisiswa. Isazi-mlando uHerodotus sabhala: “Bagcwalisa isikhala ngemure elicoleke kunalo lonke, ngekhasiya, nangazo zonke ezinye izinhlobo zezithako ngaphandle kwenhlaka yempepho, bese bethunga bevala.”

Isidumbu sasibe sesomiswa ngokusifaka kusoda izinsuku ezingu-70. Ngemva kwalokho sasigezwa bese sigoqwa ngelineni ngobuciko. Ilineni leyo yayibe isihuqwa ngenhlaka eyayiba njengengcina, bese lesi sidumbu esomisiwe (mummy) sibekwa ebhokisini lokhuni elihlotshiswe ladela, elibazwe laba samuntu.

Namuhla, ukugqumisa sekuyinto ethatha amahora ambalwa. Ngokuvamile kwenziwa ngokufaka isilinganiso esifanele soketshezi lokugqumisa emithanjeni yegazi, esiswini nasesifubeni. Phakathi neminyaka, kuye kwakhiwa futhi kwasetshenziswa izingxube ezihlukahlukene zoketshezi. Nokho, ngenxa yezindleko nokuphepha, kuvame kakhulu ukuba kusetshenziswe i-formaldehyde.

[Isithombe]

Ibhokisi lomngcwabo legolide leNkosi uTutankhamen