Igama LikaThixo Nabaguquleli BeBhayibhile
NGOWE-1952, iThe Bible Translator yapapasha ingxubusho ‘engengxaki’ yokuvelisa kwakhona igama likaThixo kwiinguqulelo zeBhayibhile ukuze lisetyenziswe kubuvangeli bemimandla yeNgqobhoko. Ababhaleli bakuqonda ukubaluleka kweli gama eBhayibhileni—gama elo elibonakala kwiZibhalo zesiHebhere phantse izihlandlo ezingama-7 000. Kodwa abazange babe nokuvumelana ngendlela elimele liguqulelwe ngayo kwiilwimi zanamhlanje. Bambi bathanda ibinzana elifana nokuthi “Sonini-nanini.” Abanye bakhetha isibizo esithi “Nkosi.” Akukho namnye owancomela inguqulelo ethi “Yehova” okanye “Yahweh.” Kutheni bengazange benjenjalo nje?
Umbhaleli uH. Rosin wakhankanya izizathu ezibini. Esokuqala, wayekholelwa kukuba xa iBhayibhile yesiHebhere yathi ntlandlolo yaguqulelwa kwisiGrike (inguqulelo yeSeptuagint yangaphambi kobuKristu) abaguquli baliguqulela igama likaThixo kwigama lesiGrike elithetha ukuthi “Nkosi.” Esesibini, woyika ukuba ukuvelisa igama elithi Yehova kwiinguqulelo “kwakhona kwakusenokuyiqhekeza icawa.” Kuba wongeza esithi, “andithi ‘amaNgqina kaYehova’ awamkholelwa uBathathu Emnye?”
Malunga nengongoma yokuqala kaRosin, izinto ezifunyanwe ngabembi bezinto zakudala zamngqina engachananga. Enyanisweni, abaguquleli beSeptuagint abazange balivelise iGama likaThixo ngegama lesiGrike elithetha ukuthi “Nkosi.” Kunoko, balibhala ngoonobumba baie bantlandlolo besiHebhere kanye kwimibhalo yesiGrike, ukuze imibhalo yenguqulelo yeSeptuagint eyayisetyenziswa ngamaKristu okuqala ibe naja igama likaThixo.
Okubangel’ umdla kukuba, xa amaKristu okuqala acaphula kwiSeptuagint akubonakali kunokwenzeka ukuba abe alisusa eli gama kule ngcaphulo. Ngaloo ndlela, phantse singaqiniseka ukuba imibhalo-ngqangi yantlandlolo yeZibhalo zamaKristu zesiGrike (‘iTestamente Entsha’) yayinalo igama likaThixo. Un jingalwazi uGeorge Howard, kwinqaku elibonakala kwiBiblical Archaeology Review, kaMatshi 1978, wanikela izizathu ezibambekayo zokuba kufikelelwe kwesi sigqibo. Ngokomzekelo, ukhankanya “isicatshulwa sabefundisi esaziwa gqitha (Talmud Shabbat 13.5)” ‘esixubusha ngengxaki yokubhangiswa kwemibhalo echasene nokholo olwamkelekileyo (ekusenokuba yayiquka iincwadi zamaKristu angamaYuda).’ Yayiyintoni ingxaki? “Le mibhalo ichaseneyo nokholo olwamkelekileyo inegama likaThixo, yaye ukutshatyalaliswa kwenxalenye enkulu yayo kwakuya kuquka ukutshatyalaliswa kwegama likaThixo.”
Kodwa kuthekani ngesizathu sesibini sokuzingxengxezela kukaRosin? Ngaba ukusetyenziswa kwegama likaThixo kwakuya kubangela iingxaki kwiNgqobhoko? Qwalasela into eyenzekayo xa lathi eli gama lasuswa. Emva kwenkulungwane yokuqala, abakhupheli “abangamaKristu” balisusa igama likaThixo laza lathatyathelwa indawo ngamagama afana nelithi “Thixo” nelithi “Nkosi” kuzo zombini iSeptuagint nakwiZibhalo zamaKristu zesiGrike. NgokukaNjingalwazi uHoward, oku kusenokuba kwafak’ isandla kwisiphithiphithi esabakho kwiNgqobhoko kwiminyaka yamva: “Kusenokuba ukususwa kweTetragrammaton [igama likaThixo ngesiHebhere] kwafak’ isandla ngokucacileyo kwiingxoxo zamva zokutolikwa kweZibhalo nemfundiso kaBathathu Emnye eyangcolisa ibandla lamaKristu eenkulungwane zokuqala.”
Ngokuqinisekileyo, ukususwa kwegama likaThixo eBhayibhileni kwenza kwalula gqitha ngeNgqobhoko ukwamkela imfundiso kaBathathu Emnye. Kanti, ukuba iNgqobhoko ibiya kulibuyisela eli gama kwiBhayibhile iphela nakunqulo, beliya kubangela iingxaki. UYehova, njengoko ebonakalisiwe kwiZibhalo zesiHebhere nakwezamaKristu zesiGrike, wahluke ngokucacileyo kuYesu Kristu yaye akayonxalenye kaBathathu Emnye.
Ukongezelela uNjingalwazi Howard wathi: “Ukususwa kweTetragrammaton mhlawumbi kwabangela imeko yezonqulo ekhoyo eyahlukileyo kuleyo yayikho ebudeni bexesha leTestamente Entsha yenkulungwane yokuqala. UThixo wamaYuda owayesoloko ngobulumko esahlulwa kubo bonke abanye ngokusetyenziswa kwegama lakhe lesiHebhere walahlekelwa yinxalenye yokwahluka kwakhe ngenxa yokubhujiswa kweTetragrammaton.” AmaNgqina kaYehova aye alibuyisela igama likaThixo kungekuphela nje kwiBhayibhile epheleleyo kodwa kwakhona nakunqulo lwawo lwemihla ngemihla. Ngale ndlela, abonisa ‘umahluko ocacileyo’ phakathi koThixo oyinyaniso noothixo bobuxoki beli hlabathi. Ngaloo ndlela enziwe akwazi ukubuyisela “imeko ekhoyo yonqulo” eyayikho kwibandla lamaKristu enkulungwane yokuqala.