IBhayibhile Eyaguqulelwa NguWilliam Tyndale Ukuze Ancede Abantu
KWAKUNGOMEYI ngonyaka we-1530.a Intendelezo yecawa iSt. Paul eLondon yayiphuphuma ngabantu. Endaweni yokuba singqonge indawo ekuthengiselwa kuyo iincwadi yaye sincokole ngeendaba ezintsha size sihlebe njengesiqhelo, esi sihlwele sasibonakala sicaphukile. Umlilo wawuvutha ngamandla embindini wale ndawo. Kodwa lo yayingengomlilo nje uqhelekileyo. Kwakukho amadoda athile awayephosela kulo mlilo iincwadi ezazizalise iibhaskiti. Kwakutshiswa iincwadi!
Nazo ezo yayingezoncwadi ziqhelekileyo. YayiziiBhayibhile—‘yayiyiTestamente Entsha’ nePentateuch kaWilliam Tyndale—eyayizezokuqala ngqa ukubhalwa ngesiNgesi. Okumangalisayo kukuba, ezo Bhayibhile zatshiswa ngokomyalelo kaBhishophu waseLondon, uCuthbert Tunstall. Eneneni, wayechithe imali eninzi ethenga yonke imibhalo awayenokuyifumana. Yintoni esenokuba yayiphosakele ngezi Bhayibhile? Kwakutheni aze uTyndale azenze? Yaye kungani amagunya athi agabadelela ekubeni azitshabalalise?
IBhayibhile—Incwadi Engaziwayo
Kwiindawo ezininzi zehlabathi namhlanje, ngokwentelekiso kuyinto elula ukuthenga iBhayibhile. Oko bekungasoloko kunjalo. Kwanangenkulungwane ye-15 nasekuqaleni kweye-16 eNgilani, iBhayibhile yayijongwa njengento yecawa, incwadi eyayifanele ifundwe kuphela kwiinkonzo zasesidlangalaleni ize icaciswe ngabefundisi kuphela. Phofu ke, oko kwakufundwa ngokuqhelekileyo kwakuvela kwiBhayibhile yesiLatini, leyo abantu nje babengayiqondi yaye bengenakuyithenga. Ngaloo ndlela, ababekwazi ngeBhayibhile yayingamabali nezifundo zokuziphatha ezivela kubefundisi.
Kodwa abantu nje babengengabo kuphela abangayaziyo iBhayibhile. Ngokwengxelo, ebudeni bokulawula kukaKumkani Edward VI (1547-53) ubhishophu waseGloucester wafumanisa ukuba phakathi kwabefundisi abangama-311, i-168 labo lalingakwazi ukucengceleza iMithetho Elishumi ibe abangama-31 babengayazi apho ifumaneka khona eBhayibhileni. Abangamashumi amane babengakwazi ukucengceleza uMthandazo weNkosi yaye abamalunga nama-40 babengamazi umsunguli wawo. Kuyinyaniso ukuba, uJohn Wycliffe wayevelise iBhayibhile ngesiNgesi ngowe-1384, nezishwankathelo zeenxalenye ezahlukahlukeneyo zeZibhalo, njengeeVangeli neeNdumiso, ezazikho ngolo lwimi. Sekunjalo, enyanisweni iBhayibhile yayiyincwadi engaziwayo.
Iimeko ezinjengezi zenza ukuba uTyndale azimisele ukwenza ukuba iBhayibhile ifumaneke kubantu abathetha isiNgesi. Wabhala wathi, “Ndiyayiqonda indlela ekwakungenakwenzeka ngayo ukwenza abantu abangamalungu nje ecawa bafumane nayiphi na inyaniso, ngaphandle kokuba iZibhalo zazinokuthi zenziwe zicace bezifundela ngawabo amehlo ngoIwimi abaluncanca koonina.”
Kodwa ngokuguqulela iBhayibhile kwisiNgesi, uTyndale waxhokonxa umsindo wamagunya. Ngoba? Ngenxa yokuba kwakude kudala ngowe-1408 ibhunga labefundisi ladibana eOxford, eNgilani, ukuza kwenza isigqibo mayela nokuba abantu nje bafanele bavunyelwe babe nemibhalo yeBhayibhile ngolwimi lwabo ukuze bazifundele ngokwabo okanye bangavunyelwa kusini na. Ngokuyinxenye, isigqibo sabo sasifundeka ngolu hlobo: “Ngoko ke, esikuyalelayo nesikumiselayo, kukuba ukususela ngoku kuse phambili akukho mntu ungagunyaziswanga uya kuguqulela nayiphi na inxalenye yeZibhalo ezingcwele ayise kwisiNgesi okanye nakuluphi na olunye ulwimi . . . ngenxa yesohlwayo esiqatha sokusikwa ecaweni, de loo nguqulelo iyalelwe sithi igunyaziswe ngubhishophu wesithili, okanye libhunga lenqila ngokuvuma kweemeko.”
Kwithuba elingaphezu kwenkulungwane kamva, uBhishophu Tunstall wawusebenzisa lo myalelo ekutshiseni iBhayibhile kaTyndale, kwanakuba uTyndale wayethe ngaphambili wacela imvume kuTunstal.b Ngokwembono kaTunstall, inguqulelo kaTyndale yayinezinto ezingama-2 000 ezingachananga ibe ke ngoko “yayilahlekisa, ikhubekisa, yaye iyehenda abantu abaneengqondo ezingaqhuqhekanga.” Kodwa ngaba esi yayisisizathu sokuba lo bhishophu athethelele ukuyitshisa kwakhe? Ngaba ngenene uTyndale wayengumguquleli ongaphucukanga, engenayo imfundo eyimfuneko yesiHebhere, yesiGrike nesiNgesi? UTyndale wayengumguquleli olichule kangakanani?
UTyndale—Ngaba Wayengakwazi Ukuguqulela?
Nangona ukuqondwa kwesiHebhere nesiGrike ngelo xesha kwakungafani nokwanamhlanje, ukuziqonda kukaTyndale ezi lwimi kwakufana kakuhle noko kwabaphengululi bexesha lakhe. Okwenza ukuba umsebenzi kaTyndale ube ngobalaseleyo kukuba akazange nje afumane uncedo kwiVulgate yesiLatini nakwinguqulelo yesiJaman kaLuther. Wabuyela emva kwimibhalo yesiGrike santlandlolo eyaqala ukupapashwa ngowe-1516 nguErasmus. UTyndale kwakhona akazange ayilibale injongo yakhe: yokwenza ukuba iZibhalo zibe lula ngokwaneleyo ukuba zingafundwa ngumntu nje, ukuhla kuse “kwinkwenkwe elima intsimi.” Ngoko indlela yakhe yokubhala nomgaqontetho awawusebenzisayo zazilula yaye zicacile, kanti zinamandla. Yaye ukulungelelaniswa kwezivakalisi zakhe kubonisa uvuyo awaba nalo ekwenzeni lo msebenzi.
Ngoko kuyinyaniso ukuthi “uTyndale wayengumguquleli owayenobuchule obuhle ngendlela engaqhelekanga. Esebenzela phantsi kweemeko ezimaxongo, kwimilinganiselo yolwazi lolwimi lweBhayibhile lomhla wakhe, wavelisa iinguqulelo ezathi zamisela umzekelo kubo bonke abagquleli besiNgesi abalandelayo.”—The Making of the English Bible, nguGerald Hammond, iphepha 42, 43.
Inguqulelo Echanileyo
Kumbandela wokuchana uTyndale wakwamisela umgangatho oxhomileyo. Ngokomzekelo, ekuguquleleni ukusuka kwisiHebhere, wazama ukuguqulela ngokoqobo kangangoko kunokwenzeka ngoxa elondoloze isimbo sesiNgesi esilula nesityibilikayo. Wayekuphaphele kwanokuvelisa ingcaciso epheleleyo yesiHebhere ngokuphindaphinda ngokufuthi isihlanganisi sesiNgesi esithi “and” esihlanganisa amabinzana ngamabinzana kwisivakalisi. (Bona iGenesis isahluko 33 esilondoloze phantse onke amazwi awayebhalwe nguTyndale.) Wawunyamekela gqitha umongo yaye ekuphepha ukongeza okanye ukushiya okuthile kwimibhalo aguqulela ngokusuka kuyo, kwanakuba ukushwankathela kwakuyinto eyenziwayo ngaloo mihla ngabaguquleli abaninzi belo xesha.
Kwakhona uTyndale wayewakhetha ngenyameko nangokuchanileyo amagama. Ngokomzekelo, wasebenzisa “uthando” endaweni “yesisa,” “ibandla” endaweni “yecawa” “nomdala” endaweni “yomfundisi” apho kufanelekileyo. Oko kwabacaphukisa abahlalutyi abanjengoMhlekazi Thomas More kuba oko kwaye kwaguqula amagama awayesele ehlonelwa ngokwesithethe. Xa umbhalo ekwakuguqulelwa kuwo wawufuna ukuphindaphindwa kwegama, uTyndale wayekuphaphele ukuliphindaphinda. Ngokomzekelo: KwiGenesis 3:15, inguqulelo yakhe kangangezihlandlo ezibini ithetha ‘ngokutyumza’ okwenziwa yimbewu yomfazi nayinyoka.c
Kwakhona uTyndale nguye owasebenzisa igama likaThixo, uYehova, kwiBhayibhile yesiNgesi. Kunjengokuba umbhali uJ. F. Mozley esitsho, uTyndale walisebenzisa “ngaphezu kwezihlandlo ezingamashumi amabini [kwiinguqulelo] zakhe zeTestamente Endala”.
Xa sikhangela emva kwimiphumo yemigudu kaTyndale neempawu zomsebenzi wakhe ezingaphelelwa xesha, la mazwi anamhla awushwankathela kakuhle umsebenzi wakhe: “Ukuthembeka kukaTindale, ukunyaniseka kwakhe, nengqibelelo yakhe ekunyamekeleni iinkcukacha, ukungqala kwakhe okulula, ubulula obumangalisayo bamabinzana akhe, umsebenzi wakhe wokuthozama, kuye kwagunyazisa awakubhalayo ukuba kusetyenziswe kuzo zonke iinguqulelo zamva. . . . Iinxalenye ezisithoba kwezilishumi zeTestamente Entsha Egunyazisiweyo [King James Version] zisezezo zabhalwa nguTindale, ibe ezona zibalaseleyo isezezakhe.”—The Bible in Its Ancient and English Versions, iphepha 160.
Umsebenzi KaTyndale Awulolize
Ukuze asabe kwintshutshiso yamagunya, uTyndale wabhacela kwindawo eyintloko yaseYurophu ukuze aqhubeke nomsebenzi wakhe. Kodwa ekugqibeleni wabanjwa. Watyholwa ngokuba ngumqhekeki, wakrwitshwa waza watshiselwa esibondeni ngo-Oktobha we-1536. Umthandazo wakhe wokugqibela wawusithi: “Nkosi, khawuvule amehlo oKumkani waseNgilani.” Wayengazi ukuba kungekudala imeko yayiza kuguquka. NgoAgasti we-1537, ungekapheli unyaka emva kokufa kukaTyndale, uKumkani uHenry VIII wagunyazisa iBhayibhile eyayisaziwa ngokubanzi njengeMatthew’s Bible. Wamisela ukuba ifanele ithengiswe ngokukhululekileyo ize ifundwe kummandla wakhe.
Yayiyintoni le Matthew’s Bible? UnjingaIwazi uF. F. Bruce uyacacisa: “Xa ihlolwa ngokomongo ibonakala iyiPentateuch kaTyndale, iincwadi zembali zeTestamente Endala zenguqulelo kaTyndale ukuya kutsho kweyesi-2 yeziKronike . . . inguqulelo kaCoverdale yezinye iincwadi zeTestamente Endala neApocrypha, neTestamente Entsha ka Tyndale yowe-1535.” Ngaloo ndlela, umbhali uyaqhubeka, “yaba sisenzo esisesikweni esingumqondiso . . . into yokuba iBhayibhile yokuqala yesiNgesi eyathi yapapashwa ngokwemvume kakumkani ibe yiBhayibhile kaTyndale (ngokomkhamo awathi wafikelela kuwo umsebenzi kaTyndale wokuguqulela), kwanokuba kwakungekacebiseki ukuyithiya ngokuphandle ngegama likaTyndale.”
Kwiminyaka eliqela kamva, izinto zaziza kucaca. Xa uhlelo lwenguqulelo olwaziwa ngokuba yiGreat Bible—iMatthew’s Bible ehlaziyiweyo—lwakhutshwa ngowe-1541 kwaza kwaphuma nomyalelo wokuba ibekwe kwicawa nganye eNgilani, iphepha lomxholo lalinala mazwi: “Yonganyelwe yaza yaphononongwa phantsi komyalelo wegunya likakumkani, ngumfundisi uCuthbert ongubhishophu waseDuresme noNicholas ongubhishophu waseRochester.” Ewe, lo ‘Bhishophu waseDurham’ wayenguCuthbert Tunstall ngokwakhe, owayesakuba nguBhishophu waseLondon. Lo wayewuchase gqitha umsebenzi kaTyndale kungokunje wayenikela imvume yokukhutshwa kweGreat Bible, incwadi ngokusisiseko eyayiseyileya kaTyndale.
Ukuvunywa Kokugqibela
Namhlanje kusenokumangalisa ukufunda ngeempikiswano ezinjalo ngenxa yeBhayibhile nangokuthiywa kwabaguquleli bayo. Kodwa mhlawumbi okona kuphawulekayo sisibakala sokuba, phezu kwayo nje imigudu yabo, abachasi abakhange babe nako ukuthintela iLizwi likaThixo ekubeni lifikelele kubantu abangabalulekanga. Umprofeti uIsaya wathi, “Buyoma utyani, iyabuna intyatyambo; ke lona ilizwi likaThixo wethu liya kuma ngonaphakade.”—Isaya 40:8.
UTyndale nabanye basebenza ngoxa babesongelwa ngokufa. Kodwa ngokwenza ukuba iBhayibhile ifumaneke kubantu abaninzi ngolwimi lwabo lomthonyama, babenza banento abayilindeleyo, kungekhona ukufa, kodwa ubomi obungunaphakade. Kunjengokuba uYesu Kristu watshoyo: “Bubo ke obu ubomi obungunaphakade, ukuba mabakwazi, wena ukuphela koThixo oyinyaniso, naye uYesu Kristu omthumileyo.” (Yohane 17:3) Ngoko ke, ngamana singalixabisa size silifundisise ngenkuthalo iLizwi likaThixo.
[Imibhalo esemazantsi]
a Iziganeko ezifanayo nezi zichazwe apha zenzeka ngowe-1526 nangamanye amaxesha.
b Ukuze ufumane iinkcukacha ezongezelelekileyo ngobomi nomsebenzi kaTyndale, bona IMboniselo kaMeyi 15, 1982, iphepha 10-15.
c Abaguquleli abaninzi bezi mini abakugqali ukuphindaphindwa kwesenzi sesiHebhere apha nentsingiselo yaso efanayo. Ngoko endaweni yokuthi “ukugruzula . . . ukugruzula” (New World Translation; Revised Standard Version), basebenzisa “tyumza . . . betha” (The Jerusalem Bible; New International Version), “tyumza . . . luma” (Today’s English Version), “tyumza . . . betha” (Lamsa), okanye “tyumza . . . lalela” (Knox).
[Inkcazelo Ngomfanekiso okwiphepha 21]
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