UBheleshatsare—Ngaba Ngumthetheli Othweswe Isithsaba Okanye Ngukumkani?
ABAPHENGULULI beBhayibhile kudala bephikisana ngoBheleshatsare. Ngokwencwadi yeBhayibhile kaDaniyeli, “uBheleshatsare ukumkani” wayengumlawuli waseBhabhiloni, yaye wayenesidlo esikhulu ngobo busuku bentlekele ngowama-539 B.C.E. xa uKoreshi umPersi wathi wasibhukuqa eso sixeko. (Daniyeli 5:1) Ingxaki kukuba yiBhayibhile kuphela ekhankanya igama likaBheleshatsare. Ezinye iimbali zakuqala ziyalishiya zize zibonise ukuba umlawuli waseBhabhiloni ngelo xesha yayinguNabonidus. Oku kwakujongwa ngabaninzi njengobungqina bokuba incwadi kaDaniyeli yayingaxabisekanga embalini yaye mhlawumbi yabhalwa kwiinkulungwane ezithile emva kokuwa kweBhabhiloni.
Noko ke, esi sigwebo sasingafanelekanga. Ngokwenqaku lika-Alan Millard kwiBiblical Archaeology Review (kaMeyi/Juni 1985), ngowe-1854 kwabhaqwa umbhalo othile elraq oqulethe ukuthandazelwa kukaNabonidus nonyana wakhe omkhulu ukuba baphile ubomi obude yaye babe nempilo entle. Lalingubani igama lalo nyana? NguBheleshatsare! Ngoko wayekho uBheleshatsare eBhabhiloni! Ukususela ngowe-1854, kuye kwafunyanwa eminye imibhalo ukungqinela oku. Noko ke, akukho namnye umbhalo kule mibhalo ombiza uBheleshatsare ngokuthi ngukumkani. Ibhekisela kuye njengonyana wokumkani okanye umthetheli othweswe isithsaba. Ngenxa yoko, abagxeki bavakalisa ukuba umbhali wencwadl kaDaniyeli waphazama ngokusebenzisa ibinzana elithi “uBheleshatsare ukumkani.”
Phofu ke, kwanakoku baphosisile. Sikwazi njani oko? Phakathi kwezinye izinto, ngokutsho kuka-Alan Millard, ubungqina basemthethweni buye babhaqwa ukususela ngelo xesha apho abantu babefunga kubo ngoNabonidus noBheleshatsare. Kutheni oku kubalulekile nje? Kuba uqheliselo olumiselweyo yayilolokuba abantu bafunge izifungo koothixo nakukumkani. Ukufunga uBheleshatsare yinto eyahlukileyo koku, ngoko ngokucacileyo uBheleshatsare wayenesikhundla esithile esikhethekileyo. Enyanisweni, kuyabonakala ukuba uBheleshatsare walawula eyedwa eBhabhiloni kangangeminyaka emininzi ngoxa uyise wayehlala kwingxondorha yakwaTeima emntla welakwa-Arabhi. Ebudeni beli xesha, ngokwecwecwe ngoku elilondolozwe kwiMuziyam yaseBritani, uNabonidus “wanikela ubukumkani” kuBheleshatsare.
Kutheni ngoko le nto imibhalo egunyazisiweyo imbiza ngokuthi “ngumthetheli othweswe isithsaba” ngoxa incwadi kaDaniyeli isebenzisa igama elithi “ukumkani”? Ukumbiwa kwezinto zakudala emntla Siriya kunikela impendulo. Ngowe-1979 umfanekiso otyhidiweyo onobukhulu obulingeneyo kakumkani weGozan yamandulo wafunyanwa apho. Kumbhinqo wawo kwakukho imibhalo emibini, omnye ungesiAsiriya nomnye ngesiAramiki. Le mibhalo mibini, ngoxa iphantse ifane, ubuncinane yayinomahluko omnye obangel’ umdla. Umbhalo obhalwe ngolwimi lwabalawuli abakhulu baseAsiriya wawusithi umlawuli owayemelwa nguloo mfanekiso utyhidiweyo “yayilibamba laseGozan.” Umbhalo obhalwe ngesiAramiki, ulwimi lwabantu basekuhlaleni, uwuchaza ‘njengokumkani.’
Ethelekisa oku, uAlan Millard ufikelela kwisigqibo sokuba ngoxa imibhalo yasemthethweni ibhekisela kuBheleshatsare njengomthetheli othweswe isithsaba, “kusenokuba kwagqalwa kufaneleke gqitha ngeengxelo ezingezozehlabathi njengeNcwadi kaDaniyeli ukubiza uBheleshatsare ngokuthi ‘ngukumkani.’ Wayesebenza njengokumkani, umthunywa kayise, nangona kusenokuba wayengengokumkani umiselwe ngokusemthethweni. Umahluko ochanileyo ubuya kuba ngongafanelekanga nodidayo embalini xa unxulunyaniswa noDanlyeli.”
Konke oku kuphakamisa lo mbuzo: Ukuba okunene incwadi kaDaniyeli yabhalwa kwiinkulungwane emva kokuwa kweBhabhiloni, umbhali wayo wamazi njani uBheleshatsare, oye walityalwa ngabanye ababhali-mbali? Yaye kutheni le nto wambiza ngokuthi “ukumkani,” elandela isiko elalisaziwa ngexesha uBheleshatsare awayesadla amazimba ngalo kodwa lalibaleka kwiinkulungwane kamva? Ngokuqinisekileyo, ukubhekisela kwencwadi kaDaniyeli ‘kuBheleshatsare ukumkani’ bubungqina obuqinileyo bokuba le ncwadi ngenene yabhalwa nguthile owayephila eBhabhiloni kwinkulungwane yesithandathu Ngaphambi kweXesha lethu Eliqhelekileyo.