Ngaba “ITestamente Endala” Isasebenza?
NGOWE-1786 ugqirha ongumFrentshi washicilela incwadi ethi Traité d’anatomie et de physiologie (Ingxubusho ngeAnatomy nePhysiology). Le ncwadi yayigqalwa njengeyona ichanileyo kumbandela weneuroanatonomy ngexesha lokubhalwa kwayo, yaye namhlanje ezimbalwa zazo ezisaseleyo zithengiswa ngexabiso elingaphezu kwe-195 lamawaka eerandi! Noko ke, kule mihla zimbalwa izigulana ezinokuthemba ugqirha wezotyando osebenzisa incwadi yezamayeza eyayisetyenziswa kwiinkulungwane ezadlulayo. Ngenxa yobudala bayo, loo ncwadi ayiseloncedo kumntu ogulayo kweli xesha lethu.
Abantu abaninzi bavakalelwa ngendlela efanayo nangeTestamente Endala. Bayayixabisa ingxelo yayo engembali yamaSirayeli neendinyana zayo ezivakala kamnandi. Sekunjalo, bacinga ukuba akukho ngqiqweni ukukhangela kulwalathiso lwayo oluneminyaka engaphezu kwama-2 400 lukho. Ulwazi lwezenzululwazi, ezorhwebo, kwanobomi bentsapho, zonke ezi zinto zahluke ngokupheleleyo kwinto ezaziyiyo kumaxesha okubhalwa kweBhayibhile. UPhilip Yancey, umhleli wamandulo wencwadi ethi Christianity Today, kwincwadi yakhe ethi The Bible Jesus Read wabhala wenjenje: “ITestamente Endala ayisoloko ithetha izinto ezisengqiqweni, yaye loo nxalenye yayo isengqiqweni iyabacaphukisa abantu abaphila kweli xesha. Ngenxa yesi sizathu nezinye, iTestamente Endala, eziinxalenye ezintathu kwezine zeBhayibhile, ayifundwa rhoqo ngabantu.” Asinto intsha ke leyo.
Kwiminyaka engaphantsi kwengama-50 emva kokufa kukampostile uYohane malunga nowe-100 C.E., omnye umfana osisityebi ogama linguMarcion wafundisa ukuba amaKristu afanele angayisi so iTestamente Endala. Ngokutsho kombhali-mbali oliNgesi uRobin Lane Fox, uMarcion wathi “‘uThixo’ weTestamente Endala ‘akaphucukanga’ yaye uthanda izihange kunye nabanqolobi abafana noKumkani uDavide wakwaSirayeli. Noko ke, uKristu wathetha ngoThixo ophakamileyo nowahluke ngokupheleleyo kulowo.” Lo kaFox wathi ‘phantse kuyo yonke inkulungwane yesine ezi nkolelo zaba “zezobuMarcion” zaza zaqhubeka zilandelwa ngabantu abaninzi, ingakumbi abaseMpuma abathetha isiSiriya.’ Abanye abantu basabambelele kwezi nkolelo. Ngenxa yoko, kwiminyaka engaphezu kweli-1 600 kamva, uPhilip Yancey wabhala wenjenje, “iTestamente Endala iya ifiphala ezingqondweni zamanye amaKristu yaye iphume ngokupheleleyo ezingqondweni zabantu banamhlanje.”
Ngaba iTestamente Endala iye yathatyathelw’ indawo yentsha? Sinokuyivisisanisa njani indlela esimqonda ngayo ‘uYehova wemikhosi’ ekuthethwa ngaye kwiTestamente Endala kunye ‘noThixo wothando noxolo’ okwiTestamente Entsha? (Isaya 13:13; 2 Korinte 13:11) Ngaba iTestamente Endala inokuba luncedo kweli xesha siphila kulo?