MASITHI ubungumKristu owayephila ngemihla yabapostile. Ibandla lakho lisandul’ ukufumana incwadi evela kumpostile uPawulos. Njengoko umamele ifundwa, uphawula ukuba uPawulos ucaphula kaliqela ‘kwimibhalo engcwele,’ ngamany’ amazwi, iZibhalo ZesiHebhere. (2 Timoti 3:15) Ngaphakathi kuwe uthi, ‘Ndingathanda ukubona la mazwi awacaphulayo.’ Kodwa bekungayi kuba lula. Ngoba?

Cinga ukuba yayinjani imibhalo-ngqangi ‘yemibhalo engcwele’ eyayifumaneka ngexesha likaPawulos. Omnye oboniswe apha—uyinxalenye yencwadi kaIsaya ekwimiSongo Yolwandle Olufileyo. Ubona ntoni xa uwujongile? Amagama nje adibeneyo! Akukho ziphumlisi. Kwaye awakho la manani ezahluko neevesi esiwasebenzisa namhlanje.

Ababhali beBhayibhile babengazahluli iincwadi ngokwezahluko okanye iivesi. Babebhala wonke umyalezo ababewunikwa nguThixo ukuze abafundi bawufunde unjengokuba unjalo, bengawahluli ube ziinxalenye ezincinane. Ngaba wena awenzi ngolo hlobo xa ufumene ileta ebalulekileyo esuka kwisihlobo okanye kwisizalwana sakho? Uyifunda yonke, awufundi iinxalenye ezithile zayo kuphela.

Kodwa ke, ukungabikho kwezahluko neevesi kwabangela ingxaki. Ekuphela kwendlela uPawulos awayenokuzichaza ngayo iingcaphulo zakhe yayikukuthi “njengoko kubhaliwe kwathiwa” okanye athi “kunjengokuba uIsaya wayetshilo kwixesha langaphambili.” (Roma 3:10; 9:29) Ngenxa yoko kwakuza kuba nzima ukufumana ezo ngcaphulo ngaphandle kokuba uqhelene ‘nemibhalo engcwele.’

Ngaphezu koko, le “mibhalo engcwele” yayingengomyalezo nje omnye olula osuka kuThixo. Yathi iphela inkulungwane yokuqala, yabe sele iyingqokelela yeencwadi ezahlukahlukeneyo eziyi-66! Kungenxa yoko abafundi beBhayibhile abaninzi namhlanje bekuvuyela ukuba namanani ezahluko naweevesi abancedayo ukufumana loo nkcazelo bayifunayo, njengeengcaphulo ezininzi zikaPawulos ezikwiincwadi zakhe.

Mhlawumbi uyazibuza: ‘Ngubani ofake amanani ezahluko naweevesi eBhayibhileni?’

Kuthiwa ngumfundisi oliNgesi uStephen Langton, owathi kamva waba nguBhishopu waseCanterbury, owahlulahlula iBhayibhile yaba zizahluko. Wakwenza oku ebutsheni benkulungwane ye-13 C.E., xa wayengutitshala kwiYunivesithi YaseParis eFransi.

Ngaphambi kwexesha likaLangton, abaphengululi babekhe bazama iindlela ezahlukahlukeneyo zokwahlula iBhayibhile ibe ngamacandelo amancinane okanye izahluko, ekubonakala ukuba ngokuyintloko babesenzela ukuba kube lula ukufumana iimbekiselo. Unokuthelekelela indlela ekwakuya kuba lula ngayo ukukhangela isicatshulwa ukuba babesikhangela kwisahluko esinye kuphela kunokuba bakhangele kwincwadi yonke, njengencwadi kaIsaya enezahluko eziyi-66.

Kodwa ke, yonke loo nto yabangela ingxaki. Abaphengululi beza neendlela ezininzi ezahlukahlukeneyo nezingadibaniyo. Kwenye yezi ndlela, incwadi yeVangeli kaMarko yahlulwa phantse yazizahluko eziyi-50, ngokungafaniyo neziyi-16 esinazo ngoku. Ngemihla kaLangton, eParis kwakukho abafundi abasuka kumazwe  amaninzi, kwaye babeze neeBhayibhile zamazwe abo. Kodwa abahlohli nabafundi babengakwazi ukuchazelana ukuba ziphi kwimibhalo-ngqangi izinto ababethetha ngazo. Ngoba? Kuba indlela ababezahlule ngayo izahluko kwimibhalo-ngqangi yabo yayingadibani.

Ngoko uLangton weza nendlela entsha yokwahlula izahluko. Ngokutsho kwencwadi ethi The Book—A History of the Bible, indlela yakhe “yathandwa ngabafundi nababhali,” kwaye “yasasazeka ngokukhawuleza eYurophu.” Nguye oweza nale ndlela esiyifumana phantse kuzo zonke iiBhayibhile namhlanje yokubhala izahluko zibe ngamanani.

Kwiminyaka eyi-300 kamva, phakathi nenkulungwane ye-16, umshicileli owayekwangumphengululi uRobert Estienne wazenza lula izinto. Injongo yakhe yayikukukhuthaza abantu ukuba bafunde iBhayibhile. Wabona indlela ekubaluleke ngayo ukuba nendlela efanayo yokubhala amanani ezahluko kunye naweevesi.

UEstienne akazange eze necebo lokwahlula iBhayibhile ngokweevesi. Bakho ababesele beyenzile loo nto. Ngokomzekelo, kumakhulu eminyaka ngaphambili, abakhupheli abangamaYuda babesele beyahlule yonke iBhayibhile yesiHebhere, okanye inxalenye yeBhayibhile eyaziwa ngokuba yiTestamente Endala, ngokweevesi kodwa kungekhona ngokwezahluko. Kwakhona, njengakwizahluko, abantu babengasebenzisi indlela efanayo.

UEstienne wahlula iZibhalo ZamaKristu ZesiGrike, okanye oko kubizwa ngokuba yiTestamente Entsha, zaziivesi ezinamanani waza wazidibanisa nezo zazisele zikwiBhayibhile yesiHebhere. Ngo-1553, wapapasha iBhayibhile yokuqala epheleleyo (yesiFrentshi) enezahluko neevesi ezifanayo nezeeBhayibhile ezininzi esizisebenzisayo namhlanje. Abanye abantu bayigxeka le nto besithi iivesi zaziyenza ibe ziziqwenga iBhayibhile, ziyenza ibonakale ithetha izinto ezingadibaniyo. Kodwa indlela yakhe yakhawuleza yasetyenziswa ngabanye abashicileli.

Ibonakala ilicebo elihle eli lezahluko neevesi ezinamanani. Iba ngathi ivesi nganye eseBhayibhileni “ineadresi” eyahlukileyo, enjengekhowudi yeposi. Kuyinyaniso ukuba, indlela ezahlulwe ngayo izahluko neevesi ayiphefumlelwanga nguThixo, kwaye ngamanye amaxesha zahlulwa nje esithubeni. Kodwa zenza kube lula ukufumana iingcaphulo nokugxininisa okanye ukuchaza iivesi ezibalulekileyo kuthi—kanye njengokuba siwakrwelela amabinzana namagama esifuna ukuwakhumbula kuxwebhu okanye kwincwadi.

Nangona kunceda kona ukwahlulwa ngokwezahluko neevesi, masingayilibali eyona nto ibalulekileyo—ukuwuqonda wonke umyalezo owadluliselwa nguThixo. Ziqhelise ukufunda umongo kunokuba ufunde ivesi ezimeleyo. Ukwenza oko kuya kukunceda uqhelane ngakumbi nayo yonke “imibhalo engcwele, enako ukukunika ubulumko obusa elusindisweni.”—2 Timoti 3:15.