By Do we have the right books in our Bibles?
I-aercheology– ukufunda ngomlando wabantu ngokuthi kumbiwe kuleyondawo ababehlala kuyo besekucutshungulwa izinto ezinjengama thuluzi, izitsha nokunye okutholakala kuyo ukuthola ukuthi babephila kanjani.lezizinto zicutshungulwa kulandelwa imigomo yesayensi.
Apocrypha– imibhalo ethandabuzekayo noma okukhona ukungabaza uma kuziwa kulokho ekuqukethe.
Canon of Scripture– Imibhalo ephuma emlonyeni kaMoya Ongcwele
Wake wazibuza ukuthi ngakube iBhayibheli liqukethe ngempela zonke izincwadi, futhi kuphela izincwadi, ezivela emlonyeni kaMoya Oyingcwele kaNkulunkulu? Kungenzeka ukuthi mhlawumbe uGenesisi awuphimiselwangwa nguMoya, noma mhlampe iGospel of Thomas ne the book of Bel the Dragon kufanele kufakwe nako kumaBhayibheli ethu. Singasho kanjani ukuthi iZwi likaNkulunkulu alinaphutha, uma singenaso ngisho nesiqiniseko sokuthi sinezincwadi okuyizona?
Impendulo kulowo mbuzo ilula: nguNkulunkulu onqumayo, futhi uNkulunkulu ukwenze kwacaca bha kithina. Thina sidinga nje ukubona ukuthi yiziphi izincwadi lezo eziyingxenye yeMibhalo evela emlonyeni kaMoya Oyingcwele nokuthi yiziphi ezingaveli khona. Akukhonzima ngendlela abacubunguli beBhayibheli abangakholwa abakwenza kubukeke ngayo.
Ezinye zezincwadi okuthiwa zisezingeni elilinganayo neMibhalo, ngeshwa azikho kulona—ziwumkokotelo, futhi zidaluliwe kanjalo ngaphandle kokufaka amandla amakhulu. I-The Da Vinci Code yenza izaba ezithize zokuthi iwungqo, kodwa iwumkokotelo, ne The Gnostic Bible enezincwadi ezifana ne the Gospel of Peter, i-The Gospel of Mary, neThe Gospel of Thomas, zenza imizamo ethile yokuba yiqiniso maqondana nokuba nomlando wokoqobo. Izigameko zeVangeli elingokweBhayibheli ziqukethe imininigwane eminingi ephathelene nezindawo zokuhlala nephathelene nezemilando, okuyinto le engekho nhlobo kulemibhalo ye-apocrypha (izincwadi eziqukethe izinto ezithandabuzekayo).
I-Bhayibheli alifani nezinye izincwadi. Ezinye izincwadi ukuma nokuwa kwazo kuncike kwi-archaeology, umlando, nesayensi;kodwa Imibhalo, imi ngaphezulu kwazo zonke lezizinto. Kufakazeliwe ngokuphinda phindiwe, ukuthi uma Umbhalo nesayensi ethize, isibonelo i-archaeology, kungavumelani, lapho-ke qhubeka nokumba. Uma kuvela okusha kade kumbiwa abacubunguli beMibhalo abangakholwa bayaphoqeleka ukushintsha ulwazi abebenalo, ngaleyondlela iBhayibheli liyafakazeleka liphume phambili kulona lonke ucwaningo olwenziwa ngabantu.
Esinye isizathu kungani singaqiniseka ukuthi sinezincwadi ezifanele kwiBhayibheli, kungenxa yamaphutha asobala kwizincwadi ezingaveli kuNkulunkulu. Isibonelo, iGospel of the Egyptians iphakamisa ukushaya indiva izinto nezifanele zempilo yasemhlabeni kugxilwe kwezikamoya (ascetism) nokungashadi ukuze ungeke uye ocansini njengesibopho sezenkolo (celibacy). Zombili lezizimfundiso ziyachithwa Imibhalo. I-Gospel of Peter ifundisa ukuthi uJesu wayengenawo umzimba wenyama (Docetism).
uBruce Metzger uphetha inkulumo yakhe engezincwadi zeTestamente Elisha ezivela emlonyeni kaMoya Oyingcwele ngalamagama:
… esikhundleni sokuba nombono wokuthi izincwadi ezithize zafakwa ngephutha ezinye zasala ngephutha kwizincwadi zeTestamente Elisha eziphefumulelwe uMoya Oyingcwele kuyindlela ebeka kahle kakhulu ukuthi ezinye izincwadi zizikhiphe zona qobo kulezo zeBhayibheli.
– Bruce M. Metzger, The Canon of the New Testament, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1987, 1997. 286.
Izincwadi zeBhayibheli zingaphezulu ngamalengiso kunezinye uma kuziwa kubuqiniso bemininingwane yomlando, ubufakazi bezincwadi ezibhalwe ngesandla (manuscripts), kanye nokungaguqugquki kwesifundiso seZwi. U-William Barclay wabeka kahle uma ebhala,
Yiqiniso elisobala ukuthi izincwadi zeTestamente Elisha zibe ngezeZwi ngoba akekho obengazivimba ukuba zibe kanjalo.
– William Barclay, The Making of the Bible, London and New York, 1961. 78
Akekho umuntu owanquma ukuthi yiziphi izincwadi ekumele zifakwe noma zikhishwe eMbhalweni. NguNkulunkulu owanquma; Thina nje sibona isinqumo Sakhe. U-Nkulunkulu ufake eSakhe yedwa, okulula ukusibona, isigxivizo sobuqiniso lokuba wungqo kweZwi Lakhe; asikho esidlula leso. Njengamakholwa abambelele kumaqiniso awumgogodla enkolo yoBukhrestu, siyakuvuma ukungabi namaphutha koMbhalo ngokwazi ukuthi ‘sinezincwadi ezifanele’.
Wonke amazwi kaNkulunkulu acwebile
Izaga 30:5