Ayengoobani Ama-Anabaptist?

ABANTU abaqalayo ukutyelela kumbindi wesixeko saseMünster eWestphalia, eJamani, phantse bonke bayema baze baqwalasele kwizindlwana ezintathu zentsimbi ezixhonywe kwincochoyi yecawa yalapho. Ngaphandle nje kwezihlandlo ezimbalwa ezifutshane, ezi zindlwana bezisoloko zilapho phantse iminyaka engama-500. Ekuqaleni kuzo kwakukho izidumbu zamadoda amathathu awangcungcuthekiswa aza abulawa esidlangalaleni. Loo madoda ayengama-Anabaptist, yaye ezo zindlwana zizinto ezashiyeka kwisixeko sawo.

Ayengoobani ama-Anabaptist? Lo mbutho waqala njani? Yayiziziphi iimfundiso zawo eziphambili? Kwakutheni ukuze la madoda abulawe? Yaye ezi zindlwana zintathu zinakuthanani nesixeko esithile?

Ukuzisa Iinguqulelo ECaweni—Kodwa Njani?

Ekupheleni kwenkulungwane ye-15 nasekuqaleni kweye-16 iCawa yamaRoma Katolika nabefundisi bayo yagxekwa kanobom. Ubuqhetseba nokuziphatha okubi kwanda kule cawa; kangangokuba abaninzi bavakalelwa kukuba kufanele kwenziwe iinguqulelo ezithile. Ngowe-1517, uMar­tin Luther wayibhengeza ngokuphandle imfuneko yokuba kwenziwe inguqulelo, yaye abantu bavumelana naye, kwaza kwangoko kwaqalisa uHlaziyo lwamaProtestanti.

Kodwa abantu ababesenza iinguqulelo babengavisisani ngendlela yokwenziwa kweenguqulelo nobungakanani bazo. Abaninzi babeyibona imfuneko yokubambelela eBhayibhileni kwimibandela yonqulo. Ukanti, abo babesenza iinguqulelo babengavumelani nangendlela eqhelekileyo yokutolika iimfundiso zeBhayibhile. Bambi kubo babecinga ukuba uHlaziyo luhamba kancinane. Yaye umbutho wama-Anabaptist waphuma phakathi kwabo babesenza iinguqulelo.

Kwincwadi yakhe ethi Die Täufer—Geschichte und Deutung uHans-Jürgen Goertz uthi: “Inyaniso ikukuba wawungekho mnye umbutho wamabhaptizi; yayiliqela.” Ngokomzekelo, ngowe-1521 amadoda amane aziwa njengabaprofeti baseZwickau babangela udushe ngokushumayela iimfundiso zama-Anabaptist eWittenberg. Yaye ngowe-1525 kwayilwa elinye iqela lama-Anabaptist eZurich, eSwitzerland. Kwakhona eMoravia—ngoku eyiCzech Republic—naseNetherlands kwaqalisa amaqela ama-Anabaptist.

Ngaba Ngabantwana Okanye Abantu Abadala Abafanele Babhaptizwe?

Inkoliso yamaqela ama-Anabaptist ayemancinane, yaye ngokuqhelekileyo ayengabantu abathand’ uxolo. Amalungu awo ayengazifihli iinkolelo zawo; kunoko, ayezishumayela kwabanye. Ngowe-1527, iinkolelo ezisisiseko zama-Anabaptist zabhalwa kwiSivumo Sokholo sa­se­Schleit­heim. Phakathi kwezinye izinto, ayengavumi ukuya emfazweni, azigcina ehlukile ehlabathini, yaye abenzi bobubi babegxothwa. Kodwa eyona nto eyayiphambili kukholo lwawo, into eyayisenza ama-Anabaptist ahluke ngokupheleleyo kwezi­nye iicawa, yinkolelo yawo yokuba iintsana azifanele zibhaptizwe kodwa kubhaptizwa abantu abadala.a

Ukubhaptizwa kwabantu abadala yayingeyombambano nje yemfundiso esisiseko yonqulo; yayingumbandela wegunya. Xa ubani engabhaptizwa ade abe mdala—nto leyo emvumela ukuba enze isigqibo esisekelwe kukholo—abanye basenokungabhaptizwa. Yaye kubantu abangabhaptizwanga, icawa ayibi nagunya kubo, ubuncinane ngomlinganiselo othile. Kwiicawa ezithile, ukubhaptizwa kwabantu abadala kwakuthetha ukulahlekelwa ligunya.

Ngenxa yoko, amaKatolika namaLuthere ayengakukhuthazi ukubhaptizwa kwabantu abadala. Emva kowe-1529, ubuncinane kweminye imimandla, abo babebhaptiza abantu abadala okanye ababhaptizwa sebebadala babenokugwetyelwa ukufa. Intatheli uThomas Seifert ucacisa esithi ama-Anabaptist “atshutshiswa ngokukrakra kubo bonke uBukhosi beRoma Engcwele bohlanga lwamaJamani.” Intshutshiso yayifikelele incopho yayo eMünster.

Ukuguqulwa Kwezinto EMünster Yamandulo

EMünster yamandulo kwakuhlala abantu abanokuba ngama-10 000 yaye esi sixeko sasibiyelwe ngothango olwaluziimitha ezingama-90 ububanzi nomjikelo oziikhilomitha ezi-5. Noko ke, iimeko phakathi kwesi sixeko zazingabonakali zizinze ngendlela olwalungayo uthango lokuyikhusela. IThe Kingdom of the Anabaptists, eyayipapashwe yiMyuziyam yesiXeko saseMünster, ikhankanya “iingxwabangxwaba zobupolitika ezazikho phakathi kweZibonda noMbutho Wabahlali.” Ukongezelela koko, abahlali babengayithandi indlela abaziphatha ngayo abefundisi. UHlaziyo lwamkelwa eMünster yaye ngowe-1533 esi sixeko sayeka ukuba sesamaKatolika kodwa saba sesamaLuthere.

Omnye wabashumayeli ababephambili benguqulelo eMünster yayinguBernhard Rothmann, indoda eyayisisingxami. UFriedrich Oehninger ucacisa esithi uRothmann “wayengumAnabaptist nozwane; yena namanye amaqabane akhe abazange bavume ukuphehlelela iintsana.” Waxhaswa gqitha eMünster, nangona iimbono zakhe zazingqongqo gqitha kwabanye abantu. “Abantu abangakumbi ababeyithanda inkqubo yangaphambili basishiya esi sixeko, benomrhano wokuba kungase kwenzeke into embi apha. Ama-Anabaptist athontelana ukuya eMünster evela kwiindawo ngendawo, enethemba lokuba iinkolelo zawo ziza kuzaliseka.” Ukuthontelana kwama-Anabaptist eMünster kwakhokelela kwintlekele.

Ukungqingwa KweYerusalem Entsha

Abafudukeli ababini abangamaDatshi abeza eMünster—uJan Mathys, umbhaki owayesuka eHaarlem, noJan Beuckelson, owayesaziwa ngokuba nguJohn waseLeiden—babeza kuba nendima ebalulekileyo kwimbali yalapho. UMathys wayesithi ungumprofeti yaye wavakalisa ukuba uKristu wayeza kubuya okwesibini ngoAprili 1534. Eso sixeko sabizwa ngokuba yiYerusalem Entsha ekuthethwe ngayo eBhayibhileni, yaye kubo bonke ababelapho ihlabathi lalifikelwe sisiphelo. URothmann wagqiba kwelokuba wonke umhlaba nezinto zalapho zibe zezomntu wonke. Abantu abadala abahlala apho kwakufuneka benze isigqibo: Babhaptizwe okanye baphume baphele apho. Ihlokondiba labantu ababhaptizwayo laliquka abo babhaptizwa kuba nje bengafuni ukushiya amakhaya abo nezinto zabo.

Amanye amaqela ayekuthiyile ukubona iMün­ster isisixeko sokuqala apho ama-Anabaptist ayelelona qela linamandla kwezonqulo nakwezobupolitika. Ngokutsho kwencwadi ethi Die Täufer zu Münster, kwayibangela “iMünster yalutshaba kubo bonke uBukhosi beRoma Engcwele bohlanga lwamaJamani.” INkosana enguBhishophu neSidwangube uFranz von Waldeck indedeba yalapho, wahlanganisa umkhosi waza wayingqinga iMünster. Loo mkhosi wawuyilwe ngamaLuthere namaKatolika. Ezi cawa zimbini, ezaziphikisana kumbandela woHlaziyo nezaziza kulwa kungekudala kwiMfazwe Yeminyaka Engamashumi Amathathu, zamanyana ekulweni nama-Anabaptist.

Ukutshatyalaliswa Kobukhosi Bama-Anabaptist

Abo babekhuselekile ngaphakathi kwiindonga zesixeko abazange boyokiswe yimikhosi eyayibarhangqile. NgoAprili 1534, xa uKristu wayefanele abuye okwesibini, uMathys waphuma kweso sixeko ekhwele ihashe elimhlophe, elindele ukuba uThixo uza kumkhusela. Usenokuzicingela indlela abothuka ngayo abalandeli bakaMathys xa bathi bekroba ngaphaya kodonga lwesixeko babona imikhosi imxhaxhe waziziqwenga uMathys yaza yayixhoma intloko yakhe esibondeni.

UJohn waseLeiden wangena ezihlangwini zikaMathys waza wabizwa ngokuba nguKumkani uJan wama-Anabaptist eMünster. Wazama ukuyilungisa iingxaki eyayikho apho—kaloku kwesi sixeko kwakukho amabhinqa amaninzi gqitha kunamadoda—yaye wakhuthaza amadoda ukuba azithabathele abafazi abaninzi kangangoko efuna. Yaye kwesi sixeko sama-Anabaptist, iMünster, kwakukho imithetho engqongqo, umntu okrexezayo nohenyuzayo wayegwetyelwa ukufa, kanti ukuba nesithembu kwakusamkelwa, kude kukhuthazwe. UKumkani uJan yena wayenabafazi abali-16. Xa omnye wabo uElisabeth Wandscherer, wacela imvume yokuba ahambe kwesi sixeko, wanqunyulw’ intloko abantu bejongile.

Esi sixeko sangqingwa kangangeenyanga ezili-14, yaye ngoJuni 1535 ekugqibeleni sathinjwa. IMünster yatshatyalaliswa ngokumasikizi kangangokuba okwenzeka apho akuzange kuphinde kwenzeke de kwayiMfazwe Yehlabathi II. URoth­mann wasinda, kodwa uKumkani uJan nezinye iinkokeli ezimbini zama-Anabaptist zabanjwa, zathuthunjiswa, zaza zabulawa. Imizimba yazo yafakwa kwizindlwana zentsimbi zaza zaxhonywa kwincochoyi yeCawa iSt. Lambert. USeifert ucacisa esithi “oku kwaba sisilumkiso kwabo babengase baqhway’ udushe.” Ewe, ukungenelela kwezobupolitika kwaphumela kwintlekele.

Kwenzeka ntoni kwamanye amaqela ama-Anabaptist? Intshutshiso yaqhubeka kangangeminyaka eliqela kulo lonke elaseYurophu. Inkoliso yama-Anabaptist yabambelela kwiinkolelo zayo zokungabi nanxaxheba kwimfazwe, nangona iqaqobana lawo lalinobundlobongela. Ekuhambeni kwexesha, uMenno Simons owayesakuba ngumfundisi waba yinkokeli yama-Anabaptist, yaye ekugqibeleni eli qela laziwa ngokuba nga­ma­Men­no­nite okanye ngamanye amagama.

Izindlwana Ezintathu

Ama-Anabaptist ngokusisiseko ayengabantu abazinikele kunqulo ababezama ukubambelela kwimigaqo yeBhayibhile. Kodwa lawo ayenenzondelelo yempambano eMünster abangela ukuba ama-Anabaptist akuyeke oko aze abe nenxaxheba kwimicimbi yezobupolitika. Kwathi kwakwenzeka oko, lo mbutho waguquka wangumkhosi wokulwa. Oku kwathetha intlekele kumbutho wama-Anabaptist nakwisixeko samandulo saseMünster.

Iindwendwe kumbindi wesi sixeko zisakhunjuzwa ngeziganeko ezimasikizi ezenzeka phantse kwiminyaka enokuba ngama-500 eyadlulayo. Njani? Ngezindlwana zentsimbi ezintathu ezijinga kwincochoyi yecawa yalapho.

[Umbhalo osemazantsi]

[Imifanekiso ekwiphepha 13]

UKumkani uJan wangcungcuthekiswa, wabulawa waza waxhonywa kwincochoyi yeCawa iSt. Lambert