Imifanekiso Yenkolo—Umsuka Wayo Wasendulo

“Imifanekiso iyindlela yokusihlanganisa nobuhle nobungcwele bukaNkulunkulu kanye noSanta baKhe.”—UMBHISHOBHI OMKHULU WESIFUNDA WESONTO LAMAGREKI LOBU-ORTHODOX WASE-AUSTRALIA.

NGU-AUGUST, ilanga libalele sáka, imisebe yalo ibenyezelisa izitebhisi eziqonde esigodlweni sezindela ‘sikaNina KaNkulunkulu Ongcwele,’ esiqhingini saseTínos, e-Aegean Sea. Leli langa elishisa bhé aliwadikibalisi ama-Orthodox angamaGreki azinikele angaphezu kuka-25 000 eze endaweni engcwele njengoba eshuduza ephokophele emfanekisweni kanina kaJesu ohlotshiswe wayikizela.

Intombazanyana ekhubazekile, okusobala ukuthi isezinhlungwini futhi ebonakala inexhala, igaqa ngamadolo agxaza igazi. Budebuduze nayo, isalukazi esesiyingcuba, sivela ekugcineni kwaleli zwe, sesiyazihudula. Indoda esiqinile seyijuluke yamanzi té izabalaza izama ukudabula esixukwini esidudulanayo. Bonke baphokophele ukuyokwanga umfanekiso kaMariya, bakhothame kuwo.

Akungatshazwa ukuthi laba bantu abakhonze inkolo banesifiso esiqotho sokukhulekela uNkulunkulu. Kodwa bangaki abaziyo ukuthi lokhu kuzinikela emifanekisweni yenkolo kwaqala emikhubeni eyayenziwa kusasele amakhulu eminyaka kufike ubuKristu?

Ukwanda Kwemifanekiso

Emazweni obu-Orthodox, imifanekiso igcwele yonke indawo. Ezakhiweni zesonto, imifanekiso kaJesu, kaMariya, ‘neyosanta’ abaningi ibekwe ezindaweni ezibalulekile. Amakholwa avame ukuyihlonipha ngokuyanga, ngokuyishisela impepho nangokuyikhanyisela amakhandlela. Ngaphezu kwalokho, cishe zonke izindlu zama-Orthodox zinegumbi lazo lomfanekiso, okuthandazelwa kulo. Akuyona into engavamile ngamaKristu obu-Orthodox ukuba athi lapho ekhulekela imifanekiso axhumana noNkulunkulu. Amaningi akholelwa ukuthi imifanekiso igcwele umusa kaNkulunkulu namandla ayisimangaliso.

Cishe kungawamangaza lawo makholwa ukuthola ukuthi amaKristu ekhulu lokuqala ayengahambisani nokusebenzisa imifanekiso ekukhulekeleni. Incwadi ethi Byzantium ithi: “Njengoba ayekuthathe ebuJudeni ukwenyanya ukukhulekelwa kwezithombe, amaKristu okuqala ayengakwamukeli ukuhlonishwa kwemifanekiso yabantu abangcwele.” Yona futhi le ncwadi ithi: “Kusukela ngeKhulu Lesihlanu Leminyaka kuqhubeke, imifanekiso noma izithombe . . . kwaqala ukwanda kakhulu ekukhulekeleni kwasobala  nokwabantu ngabanye.” Uma ukusetshenziswa kwemifanekiso yenkolo kungaqalanga ebuKristwini bekhulu lokuqala, kwaqalaphi-ke?

Ukulandela Umsuka Wayo

Umcwaningi uVitalij Ivanovich Petrenko wabhala: “Ukusetshenziswa kwezithombe nesiko lako kwaqala ngaphambili kakhulu kwenkathi yobuKristu futhi ‘kwasuka ebuqabeni.’” Izazi-mlando eziningi ziyavuma, zithi ukukhulekelwa kwemifanekiso kwaqala ezinkolweni zaseBabiloni, eGibithe naseGrisi lasendulo. EGrisi lasendulo nje ngokwesibonelo, izithombe zenkolo kwakungezibaziwe. Kwakunenkolelo yokuthi zinamandla anjengakaNkulunkulu. Abantu babecabanga ukuthi ezinye zalezi zithombe azenziwanga ngezandla, kodwa ziqathake ezulwini. Emikhosini ekhethekile, lezo zithombe zokukhulekela kwakuhanjwa nazo odwendweni oluzungeza umuzi, zenzelwe nemihlatshelo. “Abantu abakholwayo babebheka isithombe sokukhulekelwa njengesiwunkulunkulu uqobo, yize kuye kwazanywa . . . ukuhlukanisa phakathi kukankulunkulu nesithombe sakhe,” kusho uPetrenko.

Yangena kanjani ebuKristwini imiqondo nemikhuba enjalo? Lo mcwaningi wathi emakhulwini eminyaka ngemva kokufa kwabaphostoli bakaKristu, ikakhulu eGibithe, “izinkolelo zobuKristu zaxubana ‘nengxubevange yobuqaba’—eyayihlanganisa izinkolelo nemikhuba yabaseGibithe, amaGreki, amaJuda, abaseMpumalanga namaRoma eyayenziwa kanye nenkolo yobuKristu.” Ngenxa yalokho-ke, “ababazi abangamaKristu bashintsha inqubo [yokuxuba izinkolo] basebenzisa imifanekiso yamaqaba ngendlela entsha, nakuba bengawasusanga ngokuphelele amathonya obuqaba.”

Kungakabiphi imifanekiso yayisisetshenziswa kakhulu ekukhulekeleni kwabantu ngabanye nokwasobala. Encwadini ethi The Age of Faith, isazi-mlando uWill Durant sichaza indlela lokhu okwenzeka ngayo, sithi: “Njengoba inani losanta ababekhulekelwa lalanda, kwavela isidingo sokubahlukanisa nokubakhumbula; kwenziwa imifanekiso eminingi yabo nekaMariya; mayelana noKristu akuzange kuhlonishwe kuphela indlela okwakucatshangwa ukuthi wayebukeka ngayo kodwa kwahlonishwa nesiphambano sakhe—kubantu abathatheka kalula kwaba nayizinto ezinomlingo  imbala. Ukuziqambela kwabantu izinto ngokwemvelo kwenza izinsalela, izithombe ezidwetshiwe nezibaziwe ezingcwele zakhonzwa; abantu babekhothama phambi kwazo, bazange, bakhanyise amakhandlela, bashise nempepho phambi kwazo, bazithwese imiqhele yezimbali balindele nezimangaliso ngenxa yamandla azo angavamile. . . . OFata nemikhandlu yeSonto babechaza bephindelela ukuthi lezi zithombe azibona onkulunkulu, ziyizikhumbuzo zabo; abantu babengazimisele ukuhlukanisa kanjalo.”

Namuhla, abaningi abasebenzisa imifanekiso yenkolo bangaphika ngendlela efanayo bathi izithombe zimane nje ziyahlonishwa—azikhulekelwa. Bangase bathi imidwebo yenkolo iyizinsiza ezifanelekayo—ngisho nezisemqoka—ekukhulekeleni uNkulunkulu. Mhlawumbe nawe uzizwa kanjalo. Kodwa umbuzo uwukuthi, UNkulunkulu yena uzizwa kanjani ngalokhu? Kungenzeka yini ukuthi ukuhlonipha isithombe empeleni kuyinto eyodwa nokusikhulekela? Ingabe imikhuba enjalo ingaba nezingozi ezicashile?

[Ibhokisi/Isithombe ekhasini 4]

Uyini Umfanekiso?

Ngokungafani nezithixo ezisetshenziswa kakhulu ekukhulekeleni kwamaRoma Katolika, imifanekiso (icons) yona iyimidwebo kaKristu, uMariya, “osanta,” izingelosi, abantu nezenzakalo zaseBhayibhelini, noma izenzakalo zomlando weSonto Lobu-Orthodox. Ngokuvamile, idwetshwa ezingqwembeni zokhuni eziphathekayo.

NgokweSonto Lobu-Orthodox, “eMifanekisweni yoSanta, izithombe azifani nezabantu abavamile.” Futhi emifanekisweni (icons) isithombe asimi ngendlela evamile, “siba banzi ezindaweni zaso eziqhele kakhulu.” Ngokuvamile “akubi namathunzi, noma izindlela zokubonisa imini nobusuku.” Futhi kunenkolelo yokuthi ukhuni noyinki womfanekiso “kungagcwala ukuba khona kukaNkulunkulu.”

[Isithombe ekhasini 4]

Ukusetshenziswa kwezithombe kwasuka emikhubeni yobuqaba

[Umthombo Wesithombe ekhasini 3]

© AFP/CORBIS