Isiganeko SaseMasada—Kwakutheni Ukuze Senzeke?
“KWAKUDALA-DALA, maqabane am akhaliphileyo, sasizimisele ukuba asisayi kuze siwakhonze amaRoma naye nabani na ongomnye ngaphandle koThixo . . . Yizani, ngoxa izandla zethu zisakukhululekele ukubamba ikrele . . . Masife ngaphambi kokuba sibe ngamakhoboka eentshaba zethu, size sibushiye obu bomi kunye njengamadoda akhululekileyo nabantwana nabafazi bethu!”
Esi sibongozo sokuphelelwa lithemba kuthiwa senziwa nguEleazar, unyana kaJair (okanye uBen Ya’ir), kwabo babekhusela iMasada. Sabhalwa ngumbhali-mbali wenkulungwane yokuqala uJosephus kwincwadi yakhe ethi The Jewish War. Kwakutheni ukuze le nkokeli yamaYuda ibongoze amaqabane ayo ukuba abulale abantu abaninzi aze azibulale, nto leyo echaseneyo nomthetho kaThixo? (Eksodus 20:13) Okubaluleke ngakumbi kukuba, ulwazi lwezo meko lunokukunceda njani usinde kwihlabathi lanamhlanje elinogonyamelo?
Amadoda Azizigebenga AseMasada
Ngaphambi kokuqhambuka kwemvukelo yamaYuda ngowama-66 C.E., umkhosi wamaRoma wawumi eMasada, incopho yenduli enqatyisiweyo kufutshane noLwandle Olufileyo. Nangona iMasada yayikwindawo ezimele yodwa, uHerode Omkhulu wayakhe apho ibhotwe elihle awayehlala kulo ebusika. Wakhelwa ijelo lamanzi nto leyo eyenza wanako nokuzuza amanzi ashushu okuhlamba. Noko ke, okwakuxhomis’ amehlo ngakumbi kukuba, ngexesha lokuthinjwa kwayo ngamaRoma le nqaba yayigcine izixhobo ezininzi ezifihliweyo. Xa iimvakalelo zokuchasa ubukho bamaRoma ePalestina zazigquba, ezo zixhobo zazisengozini yokuwela kwizandla zabavukeli abangamaYuda. Elinye iqela elinjalo laliziiSicarii, okuthetha ukuthi ‘amadoda azizigebenga,’ elikhankanywe eBhayibhileni njengelalibandakanyekile kwimvukelo.—IZenzo 21:38.
Ngowama-66 C.E. amadoda azizigebenga ayithimba iMasada. Ngezixhobo zawo asandul’ ukuzifumana, enza umngcelele ukuya eYerusalem ukuya kuxhasa ukuvukelwa kolawulo lweRoma. Ngokubulala imikhosi yamaRoma eMasada naseYerusalem aba bavukeli bangamaYuda bezisa ingqumbo yoBukhosi beRoma phezu kwabemi belakwaYuda. Ngaphambi kokuphela kowama-66 C.E., uMkhosi Weshumi Elinambini wamaRoma ngaphantsi koCestius Gallus wenza umngcelele ukuya kwelakwaYuda waza wamisa iintente ngaphandle kweYerusalem. AmaRoma asihlasela esi sixeko macala onke ada adiliza neziseko ezingasentla zetempile. Ngequbuliso uGallus wayirhoxisa imikhosi yakhe waza ngaphandle kwesizathu esicacileyo walishiya elakwaYuda. Ingqina lokuzibonela uJosephus wabhala esithi, “Ukuba nje wayeqhubekile nongqingo lwakhe ithuba elidana, ngewayesithimbile eso siXeko ngasihlandlo sinye.”
Kodwa amaRoma ayengagqibanga. Kwiminyaka emine kamva injengele yamaRoma uTitus wenza umngcelele ukuya eYerusalem enemikhosi emine.a Ngesi sihlandlo isixeko siphela satshatyalaliswa, laza elakwaYuda labuyiselwa phantsi kolawulo olungqwabalala lweRoma. Lonke ngaphandle kweMasada.
Ezimisele ukuphelisa amandla okugqibela okuxhathisa, amaRoma ayirhangqa le nqaba ngodonga olomeleleyo lwamatye neenkampu ezisibhozo ezibiyelwe ngodonga lwamatye. Ekugqibeleni akha ngomhlaba amanqwanqwa okunyukela phezulu—ithambeka elenziwe ngezandla eliziimitha ezili-197 ubude neliziimitha ezingama-55 ukuphakama! Kulo bakha inqaba baza bamisa intonga enkulu enentloko yentsimbi ababeza kuthi ngayo baqhekeze udonga lweMasada. Akuzange kube thuba lide ngaphambi kokuba imikhosi yamaRoma igqobhoze ize iyithimbe le nqaba yokugqibela yakwaYuda!
Namhlanje umda ocacileyo weenkampu zamaRoma, udonga olurhangqileyo longqingo, nethambeka elikhulu zinikela ubungqina bendlela imvukelo yamaYuda eyaphela ngayo. Ukwembiwa okunzulu kwezinto zakudala eMasada kwagqitywa ngowe-1965. Igqabaza ngezinto ezafunyanwayo, iThe New Encyclopœdia Britannica (1987) ithi: “Inkcazelo yombhali-mbali owayengummi waseRoma ongumYuda uJosephus, ngoko eyayikuphela komthombo wembali eneenkcukacha yaseMasada, yafunyaniswa ichane ngokwenene.”
Kodwa ekubeni amaRoma ayesele eza kugqobhoza ngokuqhekeza iindonga, amadoda azizigebenga asabela njani kwintetho yokuzibulala kaEleazar, unyana kaJair? UJosephus ubhala oku: “Onke abulala iintsapho zawo; . . . aza emva kokuba ekhethe amadoda alishumi ngamaqashiso ukuba abulale aseleyo, nganye yawo yalala phantsi ecaleni kwenkosikazi nabantwana bayo, aza, ebagonile, avelisa imiqala yawo, kulawo ayeza kwenza lo msebenzi ubuhlungu.b Aza lawo ayekhethiwe ngokungenalusini awabulala onke, aza enza okufanayo omnye komnye, . . . kodwa ixhegwazana elithile, kwakunye nomnye . . . basinda . . . Amaxhoba ayebalelwa kumakhulu asithoba anamashumi amathandathu, kuquka abafazi nabantwana.”
Kwakutheni ukuze imvukelo yamaYuda iphele kalusizi kangaka? Ngaba yayinento yokwenza nobomi nokufa kukaYesu waseNazarete?
[Imibhalo esemazantsi]
a EMasada, abembi bezinto zakudala bafumana amakhulu eemali eziziingqekembe ezinemibhalo yesiHebhere yokubhiyozela loo mvukelo, enjengethi “Kwinkululeko yeZiyon” nethi “Yerusalem Engcwele.” UGqr. Yigael Yadin kwincwadi yakhe ethi Masada uyacacisa: “Iimali eziziingqekembe esinazo zimela yonke iminyaka yemvukelo, ukususela kweyonyaka wokuqala ukuya kwezona zinqabileyo zonyaka wesihlanu, kunyaka wokugqibela kwenziwa imali eyingqekembe, eyayihambisana nonyaka wama-70 AD xa iTempile yaseYerusalem yatshatyalaliswayo.” Phawula ingqekembe yemali engasentla.
b Kwindawo ekhuselekileyo kufutshane nelinye lamasango aseMasada, kwafunyanwa iingceba ezili-11 zeengqayi zodongwe, kubhalwe igama elifutshane lesiHebhere kuyo nganye. Abaphengululi abaliqela bathi ezi zisenokuba ngamaqashiso uJosephus abhekisela kuwo. Kwelinye kubhalwe “Ben Ya’ir,” okuthetha ukuthi “unyana kaJairus.” ULouis Feldman kwincwadi ethi Josephus and Modern Scholarship uthi, “Ukufumana kukaYadin la maqashiso, kuquka elo linegama elithi Ben Jair, kukuqinisekiswa okungenakuphikiswa kwengxelo kaJosephus.”
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha lokuqala]
Isiganeko saseMasada—Ngaba Sibubungqina Bokuba Kwakufinke UMesiya?
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 4]
Imali eyingqekembe yamaYuda yango-67 C.E., ekhankanya “uNyaka wesi-2” wemfazwe neRoma
[Inkcazelo]
Pictorial Archive (Near Eastern History) Est.
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