Isiqinisekiso Sakudala Sohlu Lwezincwadi ZeBhayibheli

“KUBONAKALA sengathi umugqa ngamunye wabhalelwa ukuvusa ilukuluku kulabo abanesithakazelo emlandweni wobuKristu bakudala.” Yachazwa kanjalo incwadi ethile yasendulo. Uyazi ukuthi iyiphi leyo ncwadi?

Yincwadi okungenzeka wake wezwela ngayo noma okungenzeka awukaze—uCezu LukaMuratori (Muratorian Fragment). Kungakhathaliseki ukuthi uyalwazi noma cha, ungase uzibuze, ‘Yini eyenza uCezu LukaMuratori lukhetheke kangaka?’ Luwuhlu oludala kakhulu lwezincwadi zemiBhalo YamaKristu YesiGreki.

Ungase ukuthathe kalula ukuthi izincwadi ezithile ziyingxenye yeBhayibheli. Nokho, kungakumangaza yini ukwazi ukuthi kwake kwaba nesikhathi lapho abathile babengabaza ukuthi kahle-hle iziphi izincwadi okufanele zibe seBhayibhelini? UCezu LukaMuratori lunohlu lwemibhalo ebhekwa njengephefumulelwe. Njengoba ungacabanga, kubaluleke kakhulu ukuthi yiziphi ngempela izincwadi eziyingxenye yeBhayibheli. Ngakho, lolu Cezu lwembulani ngezincwadi manje ezakha imiBhalo YamaKristu YesiGreki? Okokuqala, ake ucabangele okuthile ngesizinda salo.

Ukutholakala Kwalo

UCezu LukaMuratori luyingxenye ye-codex ewumbhalo wesandla enamakhasi angu-76 esikhumba esiqinile. Ngalinye lalawo makhasi lingamasentimitha angu-27 ubude nangu-17 ububanzi. ULudovico Antonio Muratori (1672-1750), isazi-mlando esidumile esingumNtaliyane, wathola lolu Cezu eMtatsheni Wezincwadi Wase-Ambrose, eMilan, e-Italy. UMuratori walunyathelisa ngo-1740, futhi yingakho-ke lubizwa ngokuthi uCezu LukaMuratori. Kubonakala sengathi i-codex yenziwa ngekhulu leminyaka lesi-8 esigodlweni sezindela sasendulo saseBobbio, eduze kwasePiacenza, enyakatho ye-Italy. Yayiswa eMtatsheni Wezincwadi Wase-Ambrose ekuqaleni kwekhulu leminyaka le-17.

UCezu LukaMuratori lunemigqa ebhaliwe engu-85 emakhasini 10 no-11 e-codex. Lubhalwe ngesiLatini, futhi kusobala ukuthi lwakopishwa umbhali owayenganaki kangako. Nokho, amanye amaphutha enziwa yilo mbhali aye  atholakala ngokuqhathanisa umbhalo wakhe nemibhalo yesandla emine efanayo yangekhulu leminyaka le-11 nele-12.

Lwabhalwa Nini?

Nokho, ungase uzibuze ukuthi kwabhalwa nini okokuqala ukwaziswa okukulolu Cezu LukaMuratori. Kubonakala sengathi umbhalo walo wokuqala wabhalwa ngesiGreki emakhulwini amaningi eminyaka ngaphambi kombhalo woCezu, wona obhalwe ngesiLatini ususelwa olimini lwesiGreki. Naku okusisiza sibone ukuthi umbhalo wokuqala wabhalwa nini. Lolu Cezu lukhuluma ngencwadi engekho eBhayibhelini ebizwa ngokuthi i-Shepherd, bese luthi indoda ethile egama layo linguHermas iyibhale “muva nje, esikhathini sethu, edolobheni laseRoma.” Izazi zithi uHermas wabhala imibhalo yokugcina yencwadi yakhe ethi Shepherd phakathi kuka-140 no-155 C.E. Ngakho, ungabona ukuthi kungani umbhalo wokuqala wesiGreki woCezu LukaMuratori oluyisiLatini kuthiwa lwabhalwa phakathi kuka-170 no-200 C.E.

Ukukhuluma ngokuqondile ngeRoma noma ukugudlisela kulo kusikisela ukuthi kungenzeka lwabhalelwa kuleli dolobha. Kodwa kusaphikisanwa ngokuthi ubani owalubhala. Kuye kwasikiselwa ukuthi kungenzeka lwabhalwa uClement wase-Aleksandriya, uMelito waseSardesi, noPolycrates wase-Efesu. Nokho, izazi eziningi zikhomba uHippolytus, umbhali owabhala izincwadi eziningi zesiGreki futhi owayehlala eRoma cishe ngesikhathi kubhalwa uCezu LukaMuratori. Nakuba ungase ucabange ukuthi lokhu akusho lutho ngempela, cishe ungathanda ukwazi okwengeziwe ngokuqukethwe yilolu Cezu okwenza lube yigugu kangaka.

Olukuqukethe

Le ncwadi ayiqukethe nje uhlu lwezincwadi zemiBhalo YamaKristu YesiGreki. Ibuye izikhulumele lezi zincwadi nababhali bazo. Uma ufunda le ncwadi, uzothola ukuthi imigqa yokuqala ayikho nokuthi iphela esithubeni nje. Iqala ngokukhuluma ngeVangeli likaLuka, futhi ithi umbhali wale ncwadi yeBhayibheli wayengudokotela. (Kolose 4:14) Ithi incwadi kaLuka iyiVangeli lesithathu, ngakho uyabona ukuthi ingxenye yokuqala engekho cishe ikhuluma ngeVangeli likaMathewu nelikaMarku. Uma nawe uphetha ngalokho, uCezu LukaMuratori luyakuvumela ngoba luthi incwadi kaJohane iyiVangeli lesine.

Lolu Cezu luqinisekisa ukuthi incwadi yezEnzo Zabaphostoli yabhalwa uLuka eyibhalela ‘uTheyofilu ohlonipheka kakhulu.’  (Luka 1:3; IzEnzo 1:1) Ngemva kwalokho lube selusho uhlu lwezincwadi (ezimbili) zomphostoli uPawulu kwabaseKorinte, kwabase-Efesu, kwabaseFilipi, kwabaseKolose, kwabaseGalathiya, (ezimbili) kwabaseThesalonika, kwabaseRoma, kuFilemoni, kuThithu (nezimbili) kuThimothewu. Incwadi kaJude nezincwadi zikaJohane ezimbili nazo zibalwa njengezincwadi eziphefumulelwe. Kwase kuke kwabhekiselwa encwadini yokuqala yomphostoli uJohane, kuhlanganise neVangeli lakhe. I-Apocalypse, noma isAmbulo, ingeyokugcina ohlwini lwezincwadi ezibhekwa njengeziphefumulelwe.

Kuyinto ephawulekayo ukuthi uCezu lukhuluma ngesAmbulo sikaPetru kodwa luthi abanye bába nomuzwa wokuthi akufanele sifundwe amaKristu. Lo mbhali uxwayisa ngokuthi imibhalo-mbumbulu yayisikhona kakade ngosuku lwakhe. UCezu LukaMuratori luchaza ukuthi le mibhalo-mbumbulu akufanele ifundwe, “ngoba akufanele inyongo ixutshwe noju.” Le ncwadi ikhuluma nangeminye imibhalo okwakungafanele ifakwe emibhalweni engcwele. Kungenzeka ukuthi kwakungenxa yokuthi yabhalwa ngemva kwenkathi yabaphostoli, njengencwadi kaHermas i-Shepherd, noma ngenxa yokuthi yabhalelwa ukusekela izihlubuki.

Kungenzeka ukuthi usuphawulile ukuthi incwadi eya kumaHebheru, izincwadi zikaPetru ezimbili nencwadi kaJakobe azithintwa kulolu hlu lwezincwadi zeBhayibheli eziyiqiniso. Nokho, ekhuluma ngomsebenzi wombhali owakopisha umbhalo wesandla, uDkt. Geoffrey Mark Hahneman wathi “kunengqondo ukuphetha ngokuthi kungenzeka uCezu lwalunezinye izincwadi ezingasekho manje, nokuthi incwadi kaJakobe neyamaHebheru (neyoku-1 Petru) zaziphakathi kwalezo” ezalahleka.—The Muratorian Fragment and the Development of the Canon.

Ngakho-ke, uCezu LukaMuratori luqinisekisa ukuthi eziningi zezincwadi ezisemiBhalweni YamaKristu YesiGreki zase zibhekwa njengeziyiqiniso ekhulwini lesibili C.E. Yebo, ukuba yiqiniso kwezincwadi zeBhayibheli—okungukuthi, ukufaneleka kwazo ukuba seZwini likaNkulunkulu—akuxhomekile ekutheni kukhulunywa ngazo ohlwini oluthile lwasendulo. Lokho okuqukethwe izincwadi zeBhayibheli kuwubufakazi bokuthi ziphefumulelwe umoya ongcwele. Zonke ziyavuma ukuthi zabhalwa uJehova uNkulunkulu futhi zonke ziyavumelana. Ukuvumelana okusezincwadini zeBhayibheli ezingu-66 eziyiqiniso kufakazela ukuphelela nobunye bazo. Ngakho wenza kahle ngokuzamukela njengoba zinjalo ngempela, ziyiZwi likaJehova lamaqiniso aphefumulelwe alondolozwe kwaze kwaba sosukwini lwethu.—1 Thesalonika 2:13; 2 Thimothewu 3:16, 17.

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ULudovico Antonio Muratori

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Umtapo Wezincwadi Wase-Ambrose

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UCezu LukaMuratori

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Diritti Biblioteca Ambrosiana. Vietata la riproduzione. Aut. No. F 157 / 05

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Fragments: Proprietà della Biblioteca Ambrosiana; Muratori, based on line art: © 2005 Brown Brothers