Umzamo Wesibindi Wokukhuthaza Ukufundwa KweBhayibheli

Washonela emathafeni abandayo empumalanga yeSiberia, enyundelwe futhi ethunaziwe. Bambalwa abakhumbulayo ukuthi wayengomunye wabantu abavelele entuthukweni engokomoya yamaGreki akubo. Le ngqalabutho eseyalitshalwa nguSeraphim. Umzamo wakhe wesibindi wokukhuthaza ukufundwa kweBhayibheli waba nomthelela ekufeni kwakhe.

USERAPHIM wayephila ngesikhathi iGrisi iyingxenye yoMbuso WaseTurkey. Ngokwesazi seSonto LamaGreki Lobu-Orthodox, uGeorge Metallinos, into eyayiphawuleka ngaleyo nkathi “kwakuwukuntuleka kwezikole ezifanelekayo” nokuthi “iningi labantu lalingafundile,” kuhlanganise nabefundisi imbala.

Kwakunomahluko omkhulu phakathi kwesiGreki sesiKoine (esivamile) naleso esasisetshenziswa, kwasona esasihluke kakhulu ngokwezigodi. Lowo mahluko waya ngokukhula kangangokuthi abaningi ababengafundile babengasasiqondi isiKoine, ulimi imiBhalo YamaKristu YesiGreki eyayilotshwe ngalo. Empikiswaneni eyalandela, isonto lakhetha ukuba kusetshenziswe sona isiGreki sesiKoine esasingaqondakali.

Kulowo mnyama kwazalwa uStephanos Ioannis Pogonatus ezalelwa emkhayeni owaziwayo esiqhingini saseLesbos, eGrisi, cishe ngo-1670. Kwakwande ubumpofu nokungafundi kulesi siqhingi. Ukuntuleka kwezikole kwaphoqa uStephanos ukuba ayofunda amabanga okuqala esigodlweni sezindela sangakubo. Esemncane impela, wamiswa njengediyakoni leSonto LamaGreki Lobu-Orthodox futhi wethiwa ngokuthi uSeraphim.

Cishe ngo-1693, isifiso sikaSeraphim sokuba nolwazi senza ukuba aye eConstantinople (manje eyi-Istanbul, eTurkey). Ngokuhamba kwesikhathi amakhono akhe amenza wahlonishwa abantu abavelele kumaGreki. Kungakabiphi, inhlangano ethile yesizwe samaGreki eyimfihlo yamthuma njengommeleli wayo kuPeter Omkhulu owayeyiNkosi YaseRussia. Uhambo lokuya nokubuya eMoscow lwenza uSeraphim wadabula ingxenye enkulu yeYurophu, lapho ahabula khona umoya owawubhenguza wezinguquko ezingokwenkolo nendlela yokucabanga. Ngo-1698, uSeraphim waya eNgilandi futhi wabonana nabantu abathile ababalulekile eLondon nase-Oxford. Wethulwa kuMbhishobhi Omkhulu WaseCanterbury, ophethe iSonto LaseSheshi, ukubonana okwakuzosheshe kuzibonakalise kuwusizo kuSeraphim.

Unyathelisa IBhayibheli

EseNgilandi, uSeraphim wafinyelela esiphethweni sokuthi kwakunesidingo esiphuthumayo sokuba amaGreki abe nenguqulo entsha, eqondakala kalula ‘yeTestamente Elisha’ (ImiBhalo YamaKristu YesiGreki). Esebenzisa inguqulo eyayikhishwe yindela uMaximus eminyakeni engaphezu kwengamashumi amahlanu ngaphambili, uSeraphim waqala umsebenzi wokwenza inguqulo entsha eyayingenamaphutha futhi eyayiqondakala kalula. Wawuqala ngentshiseko umsebenzi wakhe, kodwa kungakabiphi waphelelwa imali. Izinto zabonakala zithembisa ngesikhathi uMbhishobhi Omkhulu WaseCanterbury  ethembisa ukumxhasa ngezimali ayezidinga. Egqugquzelwe yilowo mxhaso, uSeraphim wathenga iphepha lokunyathelisa futhi wakhuluma nomnyathelisi othile.

Nokho, ukunyathelisa kwaqhubeka kwaze kwaba maphakathi neVangeli likaLuka kuphela. Kwabe sekuba nezinguquko zezombangazwe eNgilandi ezenza uMbhishobhi Omkhulu WaseCanterbury wahoxa ekumxhaseni. USeraphim akadikibalanga, wathola abanye abaxhasi abacebile futhi wakwazi ukuyinyathelisa ngo-1703 le nguqulo ayeyibukezile. Ezinye izindleko zakhokhwa yiNhlangano Yokumenyezelwa Kwevangeli Kwamanye Amazwe.

Inguqulo endala kaMaximus eyayiyimiqulu emibili yayinanombhalo wokuqala wesiGreki. Yayinkulu futhi isinda. Inguqulo ebukeziwe kaSeraphim yayibhalwe ngezinhlamvu ezincane, inesiGreki sanamuhla kuphela, incane futhi ingabizi.

Ubhebhethekisa Udweshu

Isazi uGeorge Metallinos sithi: “Ngokuqinisekile, le nguqulo ebukeziwe yayanelisa isidingo sangempela sabantu. Nokho, uSeraphim wabamba lelo thuba ukuba ahlasele iqembu labefundisi elalimelene nokuhunyushwa [kweBhayibheli].” Abefundisi bawoth’ ubomvu lapho uSeraphim esanduleleni sakhe ethi le nguqulo wayeyenzele ‘ngokukhethekile abapristi nezikhulu ezithile zesonto ezazingasiqondi isiGreki sesiKoine, ukuze ngosizo loMoya Ongcwelengcwele bakwazi ukufunda futhi kube khona abakuqondayo embhalweni wokuqala, bese bekudlulisela kumaKristu avamile.’ (The Translation of the Bible Into Modern Greek—During the 19th Century) Wazithela kanjalo engxabanweni eshubile mayelana nokuhunyushwa kweBhayibheli eyayiphakathi kwezikhulu zeSonto LamaGreki Lobu-Orthodox.

Abanye babeqaphela ukuthi ukuthuthuka kwabantu ngokomoya nasekuziphatheni kwakuxhomeke ekufundeni iBhayibheli. Babenanomuzwa wokuthi kwakunesidingo sokuba abanye abefundisi bathuthukise ulwazi lwabo ngemiBhalo. Ngaphezu kwalokho, ababesekela ukuhunyushwa kweBhayibheli babekholelwa ukuthi amaqiniso asemiBhalweni angavezwa nganoma iluphi ulimi.—IsAmbulo 7:9.

Ababephikisana nokuhunyushwa kweBhayibheli basebenzisa izaba zokuthi noma ikuphi ukuhunyushwa kweBhayibheli kwakuyokonalisa elikuqukethe futhi kuqede igunya lesonto ngokuphathelene nokuchazwa kweBhayibheli nangezimfundiso ezingenakuphikiswa. Kodwa empeleni babesaba ukuthi amaProthestani ayesebenzisa ukuhunyushwa kweBhayibheli ngezindlela eziphansi ukuze ahlasele iSonto LamaGreki Lobu-Orthodox. Abefundisi abaningi bacabanga ukuthi babebophekile ukuba baphikisane nanoma yini eyayingase ivune amaProthestani, kuhlanganise nemizamo yokwenza iBhayibheli liqondwe abantu abavamile. Ngakho, ukuhunyushwa kweBhayibheli kwaba isilonda esizwelayo empikiswaneni eyayiphakathi kwamaProthestani nabeSonto Lobu-Orthodox.

Nakuba ayengahlosile ukulishiya iSonto Lobu-Orthodox, uSeraphim wakudalula ukungazi nobandlululo lwabefundisi ababephikisana naye. Esanduleleni ‘seTestamente lakhe Elisha,’ wabhala: “Wonke umKristu owesaba uNkulunkulu kudingeka alifunde iBhayibheli Elingcwele,” ukuze “abe umlingisi kaKristu futhi alalele imfundiso [yakhe].” USeraphim wagomela ngokuthi ukwenqabela ukufundwa kwemiBhalo kwakuvela kuDeveli.

Ukuphikiswa Okukhulu

Lapho inguqulo kaSeraphim ifika eGrisi, yavusa ulaka lwezikhulu zeSonto Lobu-Orthodox. Le nguqulo yenqatshelwa. Amakhophi ayo ashiswa, futhi noma ubani owayenayo noma owayeyifunda wayesongelwa ngokunqunywa esontweni. Umfundisi omkhulu wesonto uGabriel III wakuvimbela ukusatshalaliswa kwenguqulo kaSeraphim, ethi ayidingeki futhi ayinalusizo.

Nakuba uSeraphim engazange alilahle ithemba, waqaphela ukuthi kwakumelwe agawule ebheka. Naphezu komthetho wesonto owawuvimbela le nguqulo, abefundisi abaningana nabantu abavamile bayamukela. USeraphim waphumelela kakhulu ekusabalaliseni le nguqulo. Noma kunjalo, lwaluselude ukhalo ayesazoluhamba nalaba baphikisi bakhe abanamandla.

 Okwaholela Ekufeni Kwakhe

Ngaphandle kokukhuthaza ukusakazwa kweBhayibheli, uSeraphim wahileleka ezinhlanganweni zezinguquko nezobuzwe. Ukuze akwazi ukuphishekela lokhu, wabuyela eMoscow ehlobo lika-1704. Waba isethenjwa sikaPeter Omkhulu futhi isikhathi esithile waba uprofesa e-Russian Royal Academy. Nokho, ekhathazekile ngalokho okwakungase kwenzeke ngenguqulo yakhe, wabuyela eConstantinople ngo-1705.

Lapho inguqulo yakhe iphinda inyatheliswa ngawo lowo nyaka, wasisusa isandulela esasinohlalwane esasisemaBhayibhelini okuqala. Wafaka esilula esasikhuthaza ukufundwa kweBhayibheli. Le nguqulo yamukeleka kabanzi, futhi akukho lutho olwabikwa mayelana nokungamukeleki kwayo esigungwini sabefundisi abakhulu.

Noma kunjalo, u-Alexander Helladius, umhambi wamazwe ongumGreki futhi owayephikisana nokuhunyushwa kweBhayibheli, waba negalelo elibhubhisayo ngo-1714. Encwadini yakhe ethi Status Præsens Ecclesiæ Græcæ (Isimo Esikhona NgeSonto LamaGreki), wabahlasela ngamandla abahumushi beBhayibheli kanye nezindlela elalihunyushwa ngazo. UHelladius wabhala isahluko sonke ngoSeraphim, emchaza njengesela, iqili nomphambi ongafundile futhi oziphethe kabi. Ingabe lalikhona iqiniso kula macala ayemmangalela ngawo? Umlobi uStylianos Bairaktaris waveza umbono ocatshangelwe kahle wezazi eziningi ngoSeraphim lapho embiza ngokuthi ‘isisebenzi nengqalabutho ekhanyiselwe’ eyahlaselwa ngoba yayiphambili kunabantu besikhathi sayo. Noma kunjalo, incwadi kaHelladius yaholela esiphethweni esibuhlungu uSeraphim abhekana naso.

Uyadlinzekelwa

Lapho uSeraphim ebuyela eRussia ngo-1731, uPeter Omkhulu wayesashona. Ngakho, asikho isivikelo esisemthethweni leli diyakoni elingumGreki elasithola. Indlovukazi eyayibusa, u-Anna Ivanovna, yayiqaphe noma yini engase idale udweshu embusweni wayo. Ngo-January 1732, kwaba namahemuhemu eSt. Petersburg athi kwakunenhloli engumGreki eyayihlinzela umbuso ezibini. USeraphim owasolwa ngalokhu. Waboshwa futhi wathunyelwa esigodlweni sezindela saseNevsky ukuba ayophenywa. Lapho, wathola kunekhophi yencwadi kaHelladius eyayimmangalela ngamacala ahlukahlukene. Leli diyakoni lazama ukuzihlangula kula macala ezitatimendeni ezintathu elazibhala. Ukuphenywa kukaSeraphim kwathatha cishe izinyanga ezinhlanu, kodwa izinsolo ezazikhona ngaye kwakunzima ukuzichitha

Njengoba bungazange buvezwe ubufakazi obuphathekayo obumlahlayo, akazange anikezwe isigwebo sokufa. Nokho, ngenxa yalezi zinsolo uHelladius ambheca ngazo, iziphathimandla azithandanga ukumdedela. Leli diyakoni elingumGreki lagwetshelwa ukudingiselwa eSiberia ukuphila kwalo konke. Isinqumo esakhishwa sathi laligwetshwa ngenxa yamacala ayequkethwe “indaba enyatheliswe umlobi ongumGreki uHelladius.” Ngo-July 1732, uSeraphim wafika empumalanga yeSiberia eboshwe ngamaketanga futhi wagqunywa ejele elesatshwayo lase-Okhotsk.

USeraphim wafa cishe eminyakeni emithathu kamuva, elahliwe futhi elitshelwe. Ngezinye izikhathi wayenza iphutha ezinqumweni zakhe, esebenzisa nezindlela ezingafanele, kodwa inguqulo yakhe iphakathi kwezinguqulo zeBhayibheli eziningi ezitholakalayo ngesiGreki sanamuhla. * Phakathi kwazo kunane-Nguqulo Yezwe Elisha YemiBhalo Engcwele eqondakala kalula etholakala nangezinye izilimi eziningi. Yeka ukuthi simbonga kangakanani uJehova uNkulunkulu ngokuthi uye walondoloza iZwi lakhe ukuze abantu kuyo yonke indawo bathole ithuba ‘lokufinyelela olwazini olunembile lweqiniso’!—1 Thimothewu 2:3, 4.

[Umbhalo waphansi]

[Isithombe ekhasini 12]

UPeter Omkhulu

[Umthombo Wesithombe ekhasini 10]

Photos: Courtesy American Bible Society