ICodex YaseVatican—Kungani Iyigugu?

IVATICAN inezinto eziningi eziyigugu. Abantu bayayithanda imifanekiso yakhona emihle edwetshwe odongeni, izithombe eziqoshwe ngobuciko nezakhiwo ezinhle ngendlela eyisimanga. Nokho, amakhulu ngamakhulu eminyaka abantu babengavunyelwe ukuyobona elinye lamagugu amakhulu aseVatican. Kunombhalo wesandla oyigugu ogcinwe eVatican Library onezingxenye zeZwi likaNkulunkulu ezabhalwa eminyakeni eyizinkulungwane eyedlule. Lo mbhalo ubizwa ngokuthi iCodex yaseVatican. *

ICodex yase-Alexandria neyaseSinayi, eyimibhalo yesandla emibili yakudala yeBhayibheli ethandwa kakhulu yizazi, iyathakazelisa indlela eyatholakala futhi yalondolozwa ngayo. Ngakolunye uhlangothi, akukuningi esikwaziyo ngemvelaphi yeCodex yaseVatican.

Igugu Elifihliweyo

Yavelaphi iCodex yaseVatican? Kwakhulunywa ngayo okokuqala ephephabhukwini laseVatican Library ngekhulu le-15. Izazi ziye zasikisela ukuthi kungenzeka yenziwa eGibhithe, eKhesariya noma eRoma. Nokho, ngemva kokuhlaziya lokhu kusikisela, uProfesa J. Neville Birdsall wase-University of Birmingham, eNgilandi, waphetha ngokuthi: “Naphezu kwemizamo yezazi, ngeke saqiniseka ngosuku nendawo enembile yokuthi iCodex yaseVatican yavelaphi, futhi umlando wayo wangaphambi kwekhulu le-15 awutholakali.” Noma kunjalo, iCodex yaseVatican iye yabizwa ngokuthi ingomunye wemibhalo yesandla obaluleke kakhulu. Kungani?

Phakathi namakhulu eminyaka, abanye abakopishi bafaka amaphutha emibhalweni yeBhayibheli. Ngakho-ke, inselele ebhekene nabahumushi abafuna ukunemba iwukuba bathole umbhalo onembile odlulisela lokho okwakubhalwe ekuqaleni. Cabanga-ke ukuthi izazi zazinelukuluku kanjani lokuhlola iCodex yaseVatican, umbhalo wesandla wesiGreki wangekhulu lesine C.E., ingakapheli ngisho neminyaka engu-300 kuqedwe iBhayibheli! Le codex iqukethe umbhalo ophelele wesiHebheru nemiBhalo yamaKristu yesiGreki, ngaphandle kwezingxenyana ezimbalwa ezalahleka phakathi naleyo minyaka.

Kwadlula iminyaka eminingi izikhulu zaseVatican zinqikaza ukuyinikeza izazi zeBhayibheli le codex. Isazi semibhalo esihlonishwayo uSir Frederic Kenyon sathi: ‘Ngemva kokulinda izinyanga eziningana, uKonstantin von Tischendorf, oyisazi seBhayibheli, wavunyelwa ukuwubona amahora ayisithupha ngo-1843. Ngo-1845, isazi seBhayibheli esidumile esiyiNgisi uTregelles savunyelwa ukuwubona, kodwa asivunyelwanga ngisho nokuba sikopishe igama elilodwa.’ UTischendorf wafaka isicelo sokuyibona futhi le codex kodwa wenqatshelwa ngemva kokukopisha amakhasi angu-20. Noma kunjalo, uKenyon wathi, “ngemva kokuncenga ngokuzithoba, uTischendorf wavunyelwa ukutadisha le codex izinsuku ezingu-14, eyifunda amahora amathathu ngosuku; ngokusisebenzisa ngokunenzuzo leso sikhathi,  ngo-1867 wakwazi ukunyathelisa uhlelo oluhle kakhulu lombhalo wesandla kweyayitholakala ngaleso sikhathi.” Kamuva iVatican yenza ikhophi engcono yale codex futhi abantu baba nethuba lokuyifunda.

‘Ukulondolozwa Kwayo Ngokucophelela’

ICodex yaseVatican ibhalwe kanjani? I-Oxford Illustrated History of the Bible ithi “amagama abhalwe ngendlela efanayo, ikopishwe ngendlela enembile, futhi iwumsebenzi osezingeni eliphezulu owakopishwa ngokukhulu ukucophelela.” Yona le ncwadi iphinde ithi: “Ngakho singaphetha ngokuthi lo mbhalo wawungumkhiqizo wezazi ezingomakad’ ebona.”

Izazi ezimbili ezidumile ezahlabeka umxhwele ngenxa yobuhle bale codex kwakunguB. F. Westcott noF. J. A. Hort. Inguqulo yabo ethi The New Testament in the Original Greek, eyakhululwa ngo-1881 futhi esekelwe emibhalweni yesandla yaseVatican neyaseSinayi, isalokhu ingumbhalo oyinhloko osetshenziswa lapho kuhunyushwa izinguqulo eziningana zanamuhla zemiBhalo YamaKristu YesiGreki, ezihlanganisa i-Emphasised Bible kaJ. B. Rotherham ne-Nguqulo Yezwe Elisha.

Nokho, abanye abagxeki babecabanga ukuthi kuyiphutha ukuthembela kukaWestcott noHort kuyiCodex yaseVatican. Ingabe le codex yayiwudlulisela njengoba unjalo umbhalo wokuqala? Ukunyatheliswa kwama-papyrus kaBodmer phakathi kuka-1956 no-1961 kwajabulisa izazi ngoba la ma-papyrus ayenezingxenye zencwadi kaLuka nekaJohane ezatholakala kusukela ngasekuqaleni kwekhulu lesithathu C.E. Ingabe la ma-papyrus ayeyosekela lokho okwavela kamuva kuyiCodex yaseVatican?

UPhillip B. Payne noPaul Canart babhala kuyi-Novum Testamentum: “Kukhona ukufana okukhulu phakathi kombhalo weCodex yaseVatican nombhalo osekhona wama-papyrus kaBodmer. Uma sicabanga ngalokhu kufana, kunengqondo ukuphetha ngokuthi umbhali wokuqala weCodex yaseVatican wakopisha umbhalo wesandla ocishe ufane nama-papyrus kaBodmer. Ngakho, kungenzeka ukuthi umbhali wakopisha umbhalo wesandla wakudala noma omunye owathathelwa embhalweni wesandla omdala kakhulu.” UProfesa Birdsall wathi: “Yomibili le mibhalo yesandla iyefana kakhulu. . . . [ICodex] iwumbhalo okopishwe ngokucophelela: ababeyihlela bayilondoloza ngokucophelela imibhalo yokuqala.”

Iwusizo Kubahumushi

Ukuthi lo mbhalo wesandla mdala kakhulu akusho ngaso sonke isikhathi ukuthi yiwona ocishe ufane nombhalo wokuqala. Nokho, ukuqhathanisa iCodex yaseVatican kanye neminye imibhalo yesandla kuye kwabasiza kakhulu abafundi ekutholeni kahle ukuthi kwakubhalweni embhalweni wokuqala. Ngokwesibonelo, engxenyeni yoMbhalo Wesandla waseSinayi esekhona, nawo owabhalwa ngekhulu lesine C.E., kunezincwadi eziningi zomlando ezingekho ezisukela kuGenesise kuya kweyoku-1 IziKronike. Kodwa ukuvela kwazo kuyiCodex yaseVatican kuqinisekisa ukuthi ngempela kufanele zibe sohlwini lwezincwadi zeBhayibheli.

I-Oxford Illustrated History of the Bible, ithi indaba ngokuyinhloko izazi ezazingavumelani ngayo “kwakungamavesi akhuluma ngoZiqu-zintathu nangokuthi wayengubani uKristu.” ICodex yaseVatican iye yasiza kanjani ekucaciseni lezi zindima?

Cabangela lesi sibonelo. Encwadini kaJohane 3:13, uJesu wathi: “Akekho umuntu oye wanyukela ezulwini ngaphandle kwalowo owehla evela ezulwini, iNdodana yomuntu.” Abanye abahumushi baye banezela elithi “esezulwini.” Leli gama elinezelwe lisikisela ukuthi uJesu wayesezulwini futhi esemhlabeni ngesikhathi esifanayo—umqondo osekela imfundiso kaZiqu-zintathu. Lelo gama elinezelwe livela emibhalweni yesandla embalwa yangekhulu lesihlanu kuya kweyangekhulu leshumi C.E. Noma kunjalo, iqiniso lokuthi alikho emibhalweni yesandla yokuqala yaseVatican neyaseSinayi, liye lenza ukuba abahumushi abaningi banamuhla balikhiphe. Lokhu kuqeda ukudideka ngokuthi  wayengubani uKristu futhi kuvumelana nayo yonke imiBhalo. Kunokuba sezindaweni ezimbili ngesikhathi esisodwa, uJesu wavela ezulwini futhi ngokushesha wayezobuyela khona, ‘anyukele’ kuYise.—Johane 20:17.

ICodex yaseVatican iyasisiza futhi ukuba siwaqonde kangcono amavesi akhuluma ngenjongo kaNkulunkulu ngomhlaba. Phawula lesi sibonelo. NgokweBhayibheli lesiZulu elivamile, umphostoli uPetru waprofetha wathi: ‘Umhlaba nemisebenzi yawo kuyakusha.’ (2 Petru 3:10) Ezinye izinguqulo zifundeka ngendlela efanayo, zisusela kuyiCodex yase-Alexandria yangekhulu lesihlanu nasemibhalweni yesandla yamuva. Yingakho iningi labafundi beBhayibheli abaqotho liye laphetha ngokuthi uNkulunkulu uzobhubhisa iplanethi ewumhlaba.

Nokho, cishe ngekhulu leminyaka ngaphambi kokukhishwa kweCodex yase-Alexandria, kuyiCodex yaseVatican (nasemBhalweni Wesandla WaseSinayi) lesi siprofetho sikaPetru sahunyushwa ngokuthi “umhlaba nemisebenzi ekuwo kuyokwambulwa.” Ingabe lokhu kuyavumelana nalo lonke iBhayibheli? Ngokuqinisekile! Umhlaba ongokoqobo ngeke “untengantengiswe kuze kube nini nanini, noma kuze kube phakade.” (IHubo 104:5) Manje-ke, umhlaba “uyokwambulwa” kanjani? Eminye imiBhalo ibonisa ukuthi igama elithi “umhlaba” lingasetshenziswa ngomqondo ongomfanekiso. “Umhlaba” ungakhuluma ulimi uphinde ucule izingoma. (Genesise 11:1; IHubo 96:1) Ngakho “umhlaba” ungabhekisela emphakathini wabantu. Akududuzi yini ukwazi ukuthi uNkulunkulu ngeke ayibhubhise imbulunga yethu ewumhlaba kodwa uzoqeda ububi nalabo ababugqugquzelayo?

“Liyokuma Kuze Kube Nini Nanini”

Okubuhlungu ukuthi kwadlula amakhulu eminyaka abantu benqatshelwe ukuthola iCodex yaseVatican, futhi ngokuvamile abafundi beBhayibheli babedukiswa uma befuna ukuthola incazelo enembile yemiBhalo ethile yeBhayibheli. Nokho, kusukela yanyatheliswa, iCodex yaseVatican nezinye izinguqulo zanamuhla ezithembekile zeBhayibheli ziye zasiza abantu abafuna iqiniso ukuba bafunde ukuthi lifundisani ngempela iBhayibheli.

Abakopishi bakudala babevame ukubhala la mazwi emibhalweni yabo yesandla: “Isandla esibhale [lokhu] siyabola ethuneni kodwa lokho okubhaliwe kuhlala phakade.” Namuhla siyayazisa imizamo yalabo bakopishi esingabazi. Kodwa lonke udumo lokulondolozwa kweBhayibheli siluyisa kuMlobi walo, owaphefumulela umprofethi wakhe endulo ukuba abhale: “Utshani obuluhlaza bomile, imbali ibunile; kodwa izwi likaNkulunkulu wethu lona, liyokuma kuze kube nini nanini.”—Isaya 40:8.

[Umbhalo waphansi]

[Ibhokisi ekhasini 20]

Yabhalwa Nini Imibhalo Yesandla Yasendulo?

Nakuba abanye abakopishi balubhala usuku abaqeda ngalo umsebenzi wabo, imibhalo yesandla yesiGreki eminingi ayinakho lokhu kwaziswa. Khona-ke, izazi zithola kanjani ukuthi umbhalo wesandla weBhayibheli wabhalwa nini? Njengoba nje ulimi nezithombe kuhluka isizukulwane ngesizukulwane, nendlela yokubhala iyahluka. Ngokwesibonelo, izinhlamvu ezingofeleba, ezingogwinci nezilinganayo, zazisetshenziswa ngekhulu lesine futhi zaqhubeka zisetshenziswa amakhulu ngamakhulu eminyaka. Izazi eziqikelelayo eziqhathanisa imibhalo yesandla ebhalwe ngofeleba engaziwa ukuthi eyanini zingakwazi ukuthola ngokunembile ukuthi imibhalo yesandla yokuqala eyanini ngokuyiqhathanisa naleyo eyaziwayo ukuthi eyanini.

Yiqiniso, le ndlela ilinganiselwe. UProfesa Bruce Metzger wasePrinceton Theological Seminary waphawula: “Njengoba indlela yomuntu yokubhala ingahlala ifana ukuphila kwakhe konke, kuyinto engenangqondo ukufuna ukubeka usuku oluqondile uma sekwadlula iminyaka engu-50.” Ngokwalolu cwaningo olwenziwa ngokucophelela, izazi ziyavumelana ngokuthi iCodex yaseVatican yabhalwa ngekhulu lesine C.E.