Bibiliya n’Inyandiko za kera zikoresha ibimenyetso bimeze nk’udusumari

NYUMA y’aho i Babeli habereye ihinduka ry’ururimi abantu bavugaga hakabaho nyinshi, hahimbwe uburyo butandukanye bwo kwandika. Abantu babaga muri Mezopotamiya, urugero nk’Abasumeri n’Abanyababuloni, bari bafite uburyo bwo kwandika bukoresha ibimenyetso bimeze nk’udusumari. Ijambo ry’Ikilatini risobanura ubwo buryo bwo kwandika, ryumvikanisha ikintu “gifite inguni” kandi ryerekeza ku kimenyetso cya mpandeshatu cyasigaraga ku kibumbano kitaruma iyo umuntu yacyandikagaho akoresheje ikaramu yabigenewe.

Abahanga mu bushakashatsi bw’ibyataburuwe mu matongo bataburuye inyandiko zikoresha ibimenyetso bimeze nk’udusumari, zivuga ibirebana n’abantu bavugwa mu Byanditswe ndetse n’ibintu byabayeho bivugwamo. Ni iki tuzi ku birebana n’ubwo buryo bwa kera bwo kwandika? Kandi se izo nyandiko zihamya zite ko Bibiliya ari iyo kwiringirwa?

Inyandiko zamaze igihe kirekire

Intiti zemera ko mu mizo ya mbere, abantu bo muri Mezopotamiya bandikaga bashushanya, buri kimenyetso cyangwa igishushanyo kikaba gifite ijambo cyangwa igitekerezo gishaka kumvikanisha. Urugero, mu mizo ya mbere, ikimenyetso cyagaragazaga ikimasa cyabaga gisa n’umutwe w’ikimasa. Uko kubika inyandiko byagendaga birushaho gukenerwa, haje kubaho uburyo bwo kwandika bukoresha ibimenyetso bimeze nk’udusumari. Hari igitabo cyavuze kiti “noneho ibimenyetso ntibyari guhagararira amagambo gusa, ahubwo nanone byari guhagararira imigemo, ku buryo ibimenyetso byinshi byashoboraga gushyirwa hamwe bigahagararira imigemo yose y’ijambo” (NIV Archaeological Study Bible). Amaherezo, ibimenyetso binyuranye bigera kuri 200 byatumye uburyo bwo kwandika bukoresha ibimenyetso bimeze nk’udusumari, bugera ubwo “mu by’ukuri bukoreshwa mu kwandika ibyo abantu bavugaga, kabone n’iyo amagambo yabaga yakoreshejwe yaba akomeye ndetse n’uburyo yabaga yatondekanyijwemo bayavuga bukaba butoroshye.”

Mu gihe cya Aburahamu, ahagana mu mwaka wa 2.000 Mbere ya Yesu, uburyo bwo kwandika bukoresha ibimenyetso bimeze nk’udusumari bwari bwaramaze gutera imbere. Mu gihe cy’ibinyejana 20 byakurikiyeho, indimi zigera kuri 15 zahisemo gukoresha ubwo buryo bwo kwandika. Inyandiko zavumbuwe zikoresha ibimenyetso bimeze nk’udusumari zirenga 99 ku ijana, zari zanditswe ku tuntu tw’ibumba tumeze nk’utubaho. Mu myaka isaga 150 ishize, habonetse umubare munini w’utwo tuntu muri Uri, Ourouk, Babuloni, Nimrud, Nippour, Ashuri, Nineve, Mari, Ebla, Ugariti, no muri el-Amarna. Hari igitabo kigira kiti “abahanga bavuga ko bacishirije, hirya no hino hari utuntu tw’ibumba bandikagaho tumeze nk’utubaho twataburuwe tubarirwa hagati ya miriyoni imwe na miriyoni ebyiri, kandi utundi tugera ku 25.000 cyangwa turenga tukaba dutabururwa buri mwaka” (Archaeology Odyssey).

Intiti mu birebana n’inyandiko zikoresha ibimenyetso bimeze nk’udusumari zifite akazi kenshi kandi katoroshye ko guhindura izo nyandiko. Bavuga ko ugereranyije, “umubare ungana na kimwe cya cumi cy’inyandiko zikoresha ibimenyetso bimeze nk’udusumari ziriho, ari wo wonyine wasomwe incuro nibura imwe mu bihe bya vuba aha.”

Kuba haravumbuwe inyandiko zikoresha ibimenyetso bimeze nk’udusumari zanditswe mu ndimi ebyiri cyangwa eshatu byagize uruhare rw’ingenzi mu kuzisobanura. Intiti zabonye ko ibintu iyo nyandiko yabaga yanditseho byabaga biriho umwandiko umwe mu ndimi zitandukanye, ariko izo ndimi zose zikaba zanditse muri ubwo buryo bwo kwandika bukoresha ibimenyetso bimeze nk’udusumari. Icyafashije izo ntiti kubimenya ni uko zabonye ko amazina bwite, amazina y’icyubahiro, ibisekuru by’abategetsi ndetse n’amagambo yo kwihimbaza, byagendaga bigaruka kenshi muri uwo mwandiko.

Byageze mu myaka ya 1850, intiti zishobora gusoma inyandiko ikoresha ibimenyetso bimeze nk’udusumari yo mu rurimi rwahuzaga abantu bo mu bihugu bya kera byo mu Burasirazuba bwo Hagati n’urw’Abakadi. Hari igitabo kimwe cyagize kiti “igihe ururimi rw’Abakadi rwasobanukaga, ibanga ryo gusobanura iyo nyandiko ryaramenyekanye, maze haboneka uburyo bw’icyitegererezo bwo guhindura inyandiko zikoresha ibimenyetso bimeze nk’udusumari zo mu zindi ndimi” (Encyclopædia Britannica). Izo nyandiko se zaba zihuriye he n’Ibyanditswe?

Zihuza na Bibiliya

Bibiliya igaragaza ko Yerusalemu yayoborwaga n’abami b’Abanyakanani kugeza igihe Dawidi yafatiye uwo mugi, ahagana mu mwaka wa 1070 Mbere ya Yesu (Yos 10:1; 2 Sam 5:4-9). Ariko hari intiti zimwe zabishidikanyagaho. Icyakora mu mwaka wa 1887, ahitwa el-Amarna mu Misiri, umugore wo mu giturage yabonye akantu k’ibumba bandikagaho kameze nk’akabaho. Byaje kugaragara ko inyandiko zigera kuri 380 amaherezo zaje kuboneka aho hantu, zari iz’abategetsi bo mu Misiri (Aménophis  III na Akhenaton) bandikiranaga n’ubwami bw’Abanyakanani. Amabaruwa atandatu yari aya ‘Abdi-Heba wari umutware wa Yerusalemu.

Hari ikinyamakuru cyagize kiti “kuba utuntu tw’ibumba bandikagaho tumeze nk’utubaho two muri el-Amarna twerekeza neza kuri Yerusalemu tuvuga ko ari umugi aho kuba leta, kandi tukavuga ko ‘Abdi-Heba yari . . . guverineri wari uhatuye, kandi ko abasirikare 50 bo mu Misiri bakoreraga i Yerusalemu, byumvikanisha ko Yerusalemu yari ubwami bw’agahugu k’imisozi” (Biblical Archaeology Review). Hanyuma icyo kinyamakuru cyagize kiti “dufatiye ku mabaruwa y’i el-Amarna, dushobora kwizera ko uwo mugi wari ukomeye icyo gihe, wabayeho.”

Amazina aboneka mu nyandiko z’Abashuri n’Abanyakanani

Abashuri, ndetse n’Abanyababuloni nyuma yaho, bandikaga amateka yabo ku tuntu tw’ibumba tumeze nk’utubaho, hamwe no ku myiburungushure, kuri purisimi, no ku mashusho. Ku bw’ibyo, igihe intiti zasobanuraga inyandiko z’Abakadi zikoresha ibimenyetso bimeze nk’udusumari, zabonye ko izo nyandiko zarimo amazina y’abantu aboneka no muri Bibiliya.

Hari igitabo cyagize kiti “mu mwaka 1870, ubwo dogiteri Samuel Birch yagezaga ijambo ku Muryango wari umaze gushyirwaho, ukaba wari ushinzwe ibyataburuwe mu matongo bifitanye isano na Bibiliya (Society of Biblical Archaeology), yashoboye kubona [mu nyandiko zikoresha ibimenyetso bimeze nk’udusumari amazina y’] abami b’Abaheburayo ari bo Omuri, Ahabu, Yehu, Azariya . . . , Menahemu, Peka, Hoseya, Hezekiya na Manase, hamwe n’abami b’Abashuri ari bo Tigulatipileseri . . . [III], Sarigoni, Senakeribu, Esarihadoni na Ashurubanipali, . . . n’abami b’Abasiriya ari bo Benihadadi, Hazayeli na Resini.”—The Bible in the British Museum.

Hari igitabo cyagereranyije amateka ya Isirayeli n’u Buyuda avugwa muri Bibiliya n’inyandiko za kera zikoresha ibimenyetso bimeze nk’udusumari, maze kigera ku mwanzuro w’uko “muri rusange abami 15 cyangwa 16 bo mu Buyuda no muri Isirayeli bagaragara mu nyandiko z’icyo gihe zo mu bindi bihugu, kandi amazina yabo n’igihe babereyeho bihuza neza n’ibivugwa [mu gitabo cya Bibiliya] cy’Abami ba mbere n’icy’aba kabiri. Nta n’umwe muri abo bami utavugwa muri izo nyandiko, kandi nta mwami izo nyandiko zivuga tudasanga mu bitabo bya Bibiliya by’Abami.”—The Bible and Radiocarbon Dating.

Inyandiko imwe ikoresha ibimenyetso bimeze nk’udusumari izwi cyane yabonetse mu mwaka wa 1879, ikaba izwi ku izina ry’Umwiburungushure wa Kuro, ivuga ko nyuma y’aho Kuro afatiye Babuloni mu mwaka wa 539 Mbere ya Yesu, yashyize mu bikorwa politiki ye yo gusubiza abanyagano mu bihugu byabo. Abayahudi ni bamwe mu bo iyo politiki yagiriye akamaro (Ezira 1:1-4). Intiti nyinshi zo mu kinyejana cya 19 ntizemeraga neza ko itegeko riboneka muri Bibiliya ryo gusubiza Abayahudi iwabo ryatanzwe koko. Icyakora, inyandiko zikoresha ibimenyetso bimeze nk’udusumari zo mu gihe cy’Abaperesi, harimo n’iyanditse ku Mwiburungushure wa Kuro, zitanga ibimenyetso byemeza ko ibyo Bibiliya yavuze ari ukuri.

Mu mwaka wa 1883, i Nippour hafi y’i Babuloni, habonetse ububiko bw’inyandiko zikoresha ibimenyetso bimeze nk’udusumari zisaga 700. Umuntu ashobora kwibonera ko mu mazina 2.500 yanditswemo, agera kuri 70 ari ay’Abayahudi. Umuhanga mu by’amateka witwa Edwin Yamauchi avuga ko byagaragaye ko ba nyir’ayo mazina bari “abari baragiranye amasezerano n’abandi, abakozi, abahamya, abakoresha b’ikoro, n’abategetsi bakuru i bwami.” Birashishikaje kuba hari ibintu bigaragaza ko muri icyo gihe, Abayahudi bakomeje gukorera imirimo nk’iyo hafi y’i Babuloni. Ibyo bishimangira ukuri k’ubuhanuzi bwa Bibiliya bwavuze ko igihe “abarokotse” bo mu Bisirayeli basubiraga i Yudaya bavuye mu bunyage muri Ashuri n’i Babuloni, abenshi batasubiyeyo.—Yes 10:21, 22.

Mu kinyagihumbi cya mbere Mbere ya Yesu, uburyo bwo kwandika bukoresha ibimenyetso bimeze nk’udusumari n’ubwo kwandika bukoresha inyuguti, bwose bwariho. Ariko amaherezo, Abashuri n’Abanyababuloni baretse gukoresha uburyo bwo kwandika bukoresha ibimenyetso bimeze nk’udusumari babusimbuza ubukoresha inyuguti.

Hari utuntu tw’ibumba bandikagaho tumeze nk’utubaho tubarirwa mu bihumbi amagana tubitswe mu mazu ndangamurage tutari twigwa. Utwo abahanga bamaze gusobanura ibyanditseho, duhamya mu buryo budasubirwaho ko Bibiliya ari iyo kwiringirwa. None se, ni nde wamenya uko ibimenyetso by’inyongera bizagaragazwa n’utwo tundi tutarigwa bizaba bingana?

[Aho ifoto yo ku ipaji ya 21 yavuye]

Photograph taken by courtesy of the British Museum