Ama-Anabaptist ‘Nomzekelo Wamazwi Aphilileyo’

UMPOSTILE uPawulos walumkisa ngokuba emva kokufa kwakhe, amaKristu awexukileyo, ‘njengeengcuka ezibawayo,’ ayeya kungena phakathi komhlambi kaThixo yaye ayeya kufuna ‘ukurhola abafundi emva kwawo.’ Ayeya kukwenza njani oku? Ngokungenisa ngaphakathi izithethe neemfundiso ezibubuxoki zokugxobhagxobha inyaniso yeZibhalo.—IZenzo 20:29, 30; 1 Timoti 4:1.

Ngenxa yesi sizathu, uPawulos wabongoza uTimoti oselula esithi: “Umzekelo wamazwi aphilileyo owawevayo kum, wubambe elukholweni naseluthandweni olukuKristu Yesu. Loo nto intle uyiphathisiweyo, yigcine ngoMoya oyiNgcwele ohleliyo ngaphakathi kwethu.” Wawuyintoni lo “mzekelo wamazwi aphilileyo”?—2 Timoti 1:13, 14.

“Umzekelo” Owamiselwayo

Zonke iZibhalo zamaKristu zencwadi zesiGrike zagqitywa kwinkulungwane yokuqala yeXesha lethu Eliqhelekileyo. Nangona zabhalwa ngababhali abahlukahlukeneyo, umoya oyingcwele kaThixo, okanye amandla asebenzayo, waqinisekisa ukuba zazivisisana kungekhona nje zona zizodwa kodwa zikwavisisana neZibhalo zamandulo zesiHebhere. Ngale ndlela, “umzekelo” wemfundiso ephilileyo yeZibhalo wamiselwa yaye amaKristu kwafuneka ebambelele kuwo, nanjengokuba uYesu Kristu waba ‘ngumzekelo’ wokuba bawulandele.—1 Petros 2:21; Yohane 16:12, 13.

Ebudeni beenkulungwane ekwakungaziwa nto ngezinto zokomoya emva kokufa kwabapostile, kwenzeka ntoni ‘kumzekelo wamazwi aphilileyo’? Abantu abaninzi abanyanisekileyo bazama ukuwafumana kwakhona, nangona ukubuyiselwa kwawo ngokupheleleyo kwakuya kulinda de kube “lixesha lokuphela.” (Daniyeli 12:4) Ngamanye amaxesha yayiba ngumntu omnye, yaye ngamanye amaxesha ibe libathwana labantu elaliphanda ngalo “mzekelo.”

Abalandeli bakaWaldo kubonakala ukuba babelibathwana nje elinjalo.a Babehlala eFransi, eItali nakweminye imimandla yaseYurophu ebudeni benkulungwane ye-12 ukusa kweye-14. Kamva kulo mbutho kwavela ama-Anabaptist. Ayengoobani, yaye ayekholelwa entwenini?

Iimfundiso Ezisisiseko

Ama-Anabaptist aqala ukubalasela malunga nonyaka we-1525, eZurich eSwitzerland. Ukusuka kuloo dolophu iinkolelo zawo zanwenwa okomlilo wedobo kwiindawo ezininzi zaseYurophu. UHlaziyo lwasebutsheni benkulungwane ye-16 lwabangela iinguqulelo ezithile, kodwa emehlweni ama-Anabaptist, lwalungahambele phambili ngokwaneleyo.

Kumnqweno wawo wokubuyela emva kwiimfundiso zamaKristu zenkulungwane yokuqala, azichasa ngakumbi iimfundiso ezingasekelwe eBhayibhileni zamaRoma Katolika kunokuba wenzayo uMartin Luther nezinye iinkokeli zohlaziyo. Ngokomzekelo, ama-Anabaptist axhasa ingcamango yokuba yayinokuba ngabantu abadala kuphela abanokuzahlulela kuKristu. Ngenxa yoqheliselo lwawo lokubhaptiza abantu abadala, kwanalowo wabhaptizwa eselusana, anikwa igama elithi, “Anabaptists,” elithetha “abaphinda babhaptizwe.”—Mateyu 28:19; IZenzo 2:41; 8:12; 10:44-48.

UGqr. R. J. Smithson kwincwadi yakhe ethi The Anabaptists—Their Contribution to Our Protestant Heritage ubhala esithi: “Kuma-Anabaptist iCawa yokwenene yayilibutho labantu abakholwayo. Ekubeni ayenjalo, azijonga elibutho labantu abakholwayo ekuhlaleni jikelele yaye ayengaqeqeshwa ngokukhethekileyo okanye ahlawulwe ngenxa yobulungiseleli. Njengabafundi bakaYesu, ayengabashumayeli abahambahambayo ababetyelela iidolophu needolophana, bethetha nabantu kwiindawo zentengiso, kwizindlu zokusebenzela nakumakhaya abo.—Mateyu 9:35; 10:5-7, 11-13; Luka 10:1-3.

Mntu ngamnye kuma-Anabaptist wayejongwa njengoya kuphendula kuThixo, enandipha inkululeko yokuzilawula yaye ebonisa ukholo lwakhe ngemisebenzi, ukanti eqonda ukuba usindiso alubangakho ngemisebenzi kuphela. Ukuba ubani wayesenza izinto ezichaseneyo nokholo, wayenokugxothwa ebandleni. Wayebuyiselwa kuphela xa kukho ubungqina bokuba uguquke ngokunyanisekileyo.—1 Korinte 5:11-13; thelekisa 1 Korinte 12:21

Imbono Yawo Ngehlabathi

Ama-Anabaptist ayeqonda ukuba ayengenakuliphucula ihlabathi. Nangona iCawa yathi yamanyana noRhulumente ukususela ngexesha lomlawuli waseRome uConstantine kwinkulungwane yesine yeXesha Eliqhelekileyo, kuwo oku kwakungathethi ukuba uRhulumente ungowobuKristu. Ngokusuka kumazwi kaYesu, ayesazi ukuba umKristu umele ‘angabi ngowehlabathi,’ kwanokuba oku kwakunokuphumela kwintshutshiso.—Yohane 17:15, 16; 18:36.

Xa kwakungekho kungqubana phakathi kwesazela somKristu nezilangazelelo zehlabathi, ama-Anabaptist ayekuvuma ukuba uRhulumente wayemele ahlonitshwe yaye athotyelwe. Kodwa um-Anabaptist wayengenakuzibandakanya kwiipolitiki, wayengenakuba ligosa likarhulumente, wayengenakuba ngumantyi okanye enze izifungo. Echasene nazo zonke iintlobo zogonyamelo nokulwa, wayengenakuba nanxaxheba emfazweni okanye emkhosini.—Marko 12:17; IZenzo 5:29; Roma 13:1-7; 2 Korinte 10:3, 4.

Ama-Anabaptist ayegcine umlinganiselo ophakamileyo wokuziphatha yaye engaphili bomi butofotofo, ngokusisiseko engenabutyebi yaye engabunqweneli. Nangona amaninzi awo ayekuphepha ukuhlala ndawonye ewodwa njengendlela yokuphila, ngokufuthi ayedla ngokufudukela kwiindawo ezintsha zokuhlala ngenxa yokuthandana kwawo. Phofu ke, ayekulungele ukwabela amahlwempu ngezinto awayenazo ngenxa yokuba ayesithi yonke into yekaThixo.—IZenzo 2:42-45.

Ngokuphuma kufundisiso olunzulu lweBhayibhile, ingakumbi olweZibhalo zamaKristu zesiGrike, wambi ama-Anabaptist ala ukuyamkela imfundiso kaBathathu Emnye, njengokuba eminye yemibhalo yawo ikungqina oko. Ngokuqhelekileyo indlela awayenqula ngayo yayilula, iSidlo seNkosi Sangokuhlwa isesona sibalulekileyo. Ebhebhetha iingcamango zesithethe samaRoma Katolika, samaLuthere nezabalandeli bakaCalvin, esi senzo sokukhumbula asijonga njengesikhumbuzo sokufa kukaYesu. UR. J. Smithson ubhala oku: “Kuwo, esi yayisisenzo esinzulu umKristu awayenokuba nenxaxheba kuso, kuquka nokuhlaziywa komnqophiso walowo ukholwayo wokuba ubomi bakhe wobunikela ngokupheleleyo kwinkonzo kaKristu.”

Intshutshiso—Nasemva Kwayo

Ama-Anabaptist ayengaqondwa kakuhle, njengokuba kwakunjalo ngamaKristu okuqala. Njengaloo maKristu, ayejongwa njengaphazamisa ucwangco lwasekuhlaleni, ‘ebhukuqa elimiweyo.’ (IZenzo 17:6) EZurich kwelaseSwitzerland, abasemagunyeni ababemanyene nenkokeli yoHlaziyo enguHuldrych Zwingli, baxambulisana gqitha nama-Anabaptist ngenxa yokuba engafuni ukubhaptiza iintsana. Ngowe-1527 ngenkohlakalo bameyelisela emanzini uFelix Manz, owayengomnye weenkokeli zama-Anabaptist baza batshutshisa ngokukrakra ama-Anabaptist aseSwitzerland kangangokuba aphantse acinyw’ igama.

EJamani ama-Anabaptist atshutshiswa ngokukrakra ngamaKatolika nangamaProtestanti. Umyalelo wabasemagunyeni, owadluliselwa ngonyaka we-1528, wawisa isigwebo sokuba axhonywe nawuphi na owaye waba lilungu lama-Anabaptist—yaye oko kwakusenziwa ngaphandle kokuthethwa kwetyala. Intshutshiso eAustria yabangela ama-Anabaptist amaninzi abhacela eMoravia, eBohemia nasePoland, yaye ekuhambeni kwexesha abhacela eHungary naseRashiya.

Ekubeni iinkokeli zokuqala ezininzi gqitha zazifile, kwakuyinto engenakuphepheka ukuba kuvele abantu ababenezimvo ezigabadeleyo. Bafika nokungalungelelani okwakhokelela kukudideka okukhulu okwalandelwa kukutyeshelwa kwemilinganiselo eyayibalulekile kwimihla yangaphambili. Oku kwacaca ngesihelegu esenzeka ngonyaka we-1534, xa abo bantu banezimvo ezigabadeleyo bathi ngezigalo babhukuqa urhulumente wedolophu yaseMünster, eWestphalia. Kunyaka olandelayo esi sixeko sathinjwa kwakhona phakathi kobutyadidi begazi nokuthuthunjiswa kwabantu. Eli shwangusha lembali lalingavisisani nemfundiso yama-Anabaptist yaye lawahlaza gqitha. Bambi abalandeli bafuna ukungabizwa ngokuthi bangama-Anabaptist baza bakhetha ukubizwa ngokuba “bangamaBaptist.” Kodwa kungakhathaliseki ukuba bakhetha liphi na igama, bahlala bengamaxhoba enkcaso nawabaThuthumbisi BamaKatolika.

Ekugqibeleni, amaqela ama-Anabaptist afudukela kwamanye amazwe ngenjongo yokufumana inkululeko noxolo. Namhlanje, siwafumana eMntla naseMzantsi Merika kwanaseYurophu. limvaba ezininzi ziye zaphenjelelwa ziimfundiso zawo zangaphambili, kuquka iiQuakers, amaBaptist anamhlanje naBazalwana basePlymouth. IiQuakers ziyafana nama-Anabaptist ngokuthiya imfazwe nengcamango yokukhokelwa ‘kukukhanya okungaphakathi.’

Ubukho bama-Anabaptist bubonakala ngokucacileyo namhlanje kumaqela amabini akhethekileyo. Elokuqala lelabalandeli bakaHutter abathiywa ngenkokeli yabo eyayiphila ngenkulungwane ye-16, uJacob Hutter. Bafumana iindawo ezintsha zokuba bahlale bodwa eNgilani, eNtshona Khanada, eParaguay naseMzantsi Dakota kwelaseUnited States. AmaMennonite afunyanwa elelinye iqela elikhoyo. Azithiye ngoMenno Simons owaba negalelo elikhulu ekucimeni ihlazo elasala eNetherlands emva kwesiganeko saseMunster. USimons wafa ngowe-1561. Namhlanje, amaMennonite afunyanwa eYurophu nakuMntla Merika, ndawonye neqela elithile lamaMennonite elibizwa ngokuba ngamaAmish.

“Umzekelo” Namhlanje

Nangona ama-Anabaptist esenokuba awufuna “umzekelo wamazwi aphilileyo,” akazange aphumelele ukuwufumana. Ngaphezu koko, kwincwadi yakhe ethi A History of Christianity, uK. S. Latourette uthi: “Nanjengokuba ayebathumela ngamandla abantu kwiindawo ngeendawo ukuba babe ngabavangeli, intshutshiso yawabangela ukuba ayeke ukubathumela yaye ayandisa iCawa yawo ngenzala yawo kunokuguqula abantu.” Oku kusenjalo nangoku kumaqela amancinane asafumanekayo ama-Anabaptist. Umnqweno wawo wokungabi ngabehlabathi nokungalandeli iindlela zalo uye wawakhokelela ekubeni avathe ngendlela eyahlukileyo, edla ngokuphenjelelwa kukuphila kwawo ubomi bokuzikhetha.

Ngoko ke, ngaba “umzekelo wamazwi aphilileyo” ngokwenene unokufunyanwa namhlanje? Ewe, kodwa kufuna ixesha nothando ngenyaniso ukuze uwufumane. Kungani ungahlolisisi ukuze ubone ukuba okukholelwayo kuyavisisana na nomlinganiselo ‘womzekelo’ otyhilwa ngokobuthixo? Akunto inzima ukwahlula phakathi kwesithethe esenziwe ngumntu nenyaniso ekwiZibhalo. AmaNgqina kaYehova akwindawo ohlala kuyo aya kukuvuyela ukukunceda, kuba nawo ayayixabisa indlela ancedwa ngayo ukuze aqonde “umzekelo wamazwi aphilileyo.”

[Umbhalo osemazantsi]

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AmaNgiqina kaYehova anceda abaninzi ukuba baqonde “umzekelo wamazwi aphilileyo”