Ngaba Nyhani UYesu Wafela Emnqamlezweni?

ENYE intyila-lwazi ithi: “Umnqamlezo yeyona nto obaziwa ngayo ubuKristu.” Imizobo emininzi yonqulo ibonisa uYesu ebethelelwe emnqamlezweni. Kutheni uxhaphake kangaka ezicaweni? Ngaba nyhani uYesu wafela emnqamlezweni?

Abantu abaninzi badla ngokuthi impendulo ifumaneka eBhayibhileni. Ngokomzekelo, ngokutsho kweKing James Version, ngexesha lokubulawa kukaYesu, abantu babemgculela besithi “makehle emnqamlezweni.” (Mateyu 27:40, 42) Nezinye iinguqulelo zeBhayibhile zifundeka ngolu hlobo. IToday’s English Version ithi ngoSimon waseKirene: “Amajoni amnyanzela ukuba athwale umnqamlezo kaYesu.” (Marko 15:21) Kwezi vesi, igama elithi “umnqamlezo” liguqulelwe kwigama lesiGrike elithi staurosʹ. Ngaba kufanelekile ukuliguqulela ngale ndlela? Lalithetha ntoni eli gama?

Ngaba Yayingumnqamlezo?

Umphengululi wesiGrike uW. E. Vine, uthi ustaurosʹ “ubhekisela kwisibonda esimi nkqo. Izaphuli mthetho zazixhonywa kuzo. Isibizo nesenzo istauroō, elithetha ukubophelela esibondeni, ntlandlolo zazohlukile kumnqamlezo onezibonda ezibini ezinqamlezileyo.”

IThe Imperial Bible-Dictionary ithi igama ustaurosʹ “lalithetha isibonda, ekunokuxhonywa nantoni na kuso, ekunokugrunjwa ngaso umhlaba.” Esi sichazi magama sihlabela mgama sisithi: “Nkqu nakumaRoma, icrux (igama lesiLatin elithathwe kulo igama elithi umnqamlezo) kubonakala ngathi lalifudula libhekisela kwisibonda esimi nkqo.” Ngaloo ndlela akumangalisi ukuba iThe Catholic Encyclopedia isithi: “Enoba kuyintoni, kucacile ukuba ekuqaleni umnqamlezo wawusisibonda esimi nkqo esibaziweyo kwelinye icala.”

Kukho elinye igama lesiGrike elinguxyʹlon, ababhali beBhayibhile abadla ngokulisebenzisa xa bethetha ngokubulawa kukaYesu. IA Critical Lexicon and Concordance to the English and Greek New Testament ithi ixyʹlon “liplanga okanye isibonda.” Iqhubeka isithi njengestaurosʹ, ixyʹlon “yayisisibonda esimi nkqo amaRoma awayexhoma kuso izaphuli mthetho.”

Ngokuvisisana noku, sifunda oku kwiZenzo 5:30 ngokutsho kweKing James Version: “UThixo wookhokho bethu wamvusa uYesu, enambulalayo naza namxhoma emthini [xyʹlon].” Ezinye iinguqulelo nangona xa ziguqulela ustaurosʹ zisithi “ngumnqamlezo,” uxyʹlon zimguqulela ngokuthi “ngumthi.” KwiZenzo 13:29, iThe Jerusalem Bible ithi ngoYesu: “Besakwenza yonke into eyayixelwe kwangaphambili  yiBhayibhile ngaye, bamothula emthini [xyʹlon] baza bamngcwaba.”

Xa ithetha ngala magama esiGrike ustaurosʹ noxyʹlon, iCritical Lexicon and Concordance ekuthethwe ngayo ngaphambili ithi: “Omabini la magama awavumelani negama elisetyenziswa namhlanje, umnqamlezo, esiye saqhelana nalo ngokulibona kwimifanekiso.” Ngamanye amazwi, istaurosʹ ababethetha ngaso abavangeli sasingengomnqamlezo. Ngenxa yoko, Inguqulelo Yehlabathi Elitsha YeZibhalo Ezingcwele isebenzisa ibinzana elithi “isibonda sentuthumbo” kuMateyu 27:40-42 nakwezinye iindawo elivela kuzo igama elithi staurosʹ. Okubangel’ umdla kukuba, iComplete Jewish Bible isebenzisa ibinzana elithi “isibonda sokubulala.”

Imvelaphi Yomnqamlezo

Ukuba iBhayibhile ayitsho ngokungqalileyo ukuba uYesu wafela emnqamlezweni, kutheni zonke iicawa ezithi zifundisa yaye zilandela iBhayibhile—amaKatolika, amaProtestanti namaOthodoki—zihombisa izakhiwo zazo ngomnqamlezo yaye uyimbasa yeenkolelo zazo? Kwenzeka njani ukuba umnqamlezo ubalasele kangaka?

Impendulo kukuba umnqamlezo awuhlonelwa ngabantu abahamba icawa abathi balandela iBhayibhile kuphela, kodwa uhlonelwa nangabahedeni unqulo lwabo olwalukho ngaphambi kweecawa “zamaKristu.” Iincwadi ezininzi zonqulo ziyavuma ukuba iminqamlezo eyahlukahlukeneyo yayikho kwamandulo. Ngokomzekelo, kwimibhalo nakwimizobo yamandulo yamaYiputa, oothixo noothixokazi babo babedla ngokuboniswa benomfanekiso womnqamlezo ofana nonobumba u“T” onesazinge ngaphezulu. Lo mnqamlezo unesiphatho wawufuzisela ubomi. Ekuhambeni kwexesha olu hlobo lomnqamlezo lwasetyenziswa yicawa yamaCoptic nazezinye iicawa.

Ngokutsho kweThe Catholic Encyclopedia, “kubonakala ngathi umnqamlezo wamandulo wawubizwa ngokuba ngumnqamlezo ‘wegamma’ (okanye icrux gammata), abantu baseMpuma nabaphengululi bezinto zamandulo bayazi ngegama layo lesiSanskrit, iswastika.” Olu phawu lwalusetyenziswa kakhulu ngamaHindu eIndiya namaBhuda aseAsia yaye kusahonjiswa ngalo nanamhlanje.

Alaziwa ixesha eyamkelwa ngalo “ngamaKristu.” IVine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words ithi: “Embindini wenkulungwane ye-3 Yexesha Eliqhelekileyo, iicawa zaziyeka ezinye iimfundiso zobuKristu okanye zazigqwetha. Ukuze icawa yamkeleke, isifundisi esingabawexuki samkela  abahedeni nangona babengakholelwa kwiimfundiso zamaKristu yaye bavunyelwa ukuba bazigcine iinkolelo nezacholo zabo zonqulo” kuquka umnqamlezo.

Abanye ababhali balatha kwisiganeko esenzeka ngowe-312 C.E. xa umnquli wothixo welanga uConstantine, kwelinye lamadabi akhe wathi ubone umnqamlezo elangeni namagama esiLatini athi “in hoc vince” (ngalo moyisi). Emva kwexesha elithile, olo phawu “lobuKristu” lwakrolwa kumakhaka nakwizixhobo zomkhosi. (Ngasekhohlo.) UConstantine waguquka waba ngumKristu, nangona engazange abhaptizwe kwada kwasemva kweminyaka engama-25 sele esekhukweni lokufa. Abanye abazange bamthembe. Incwadi ethi The Non-Christian Cross ithi: “Ubhaptizo lwakhe lwaba ngathi wayeguqulela ubuKristu kwinto eyayiza kuthandwa ngabalandeli bakhe, unqulo oluza kwamkeleka kuye wonk’ ubani, kunokuba aguqukele kwiimfundiso zikaYesu ongumNazarete.”

Ukususela ngelo xesha, kuye kwasetyenziswa iindidi ezahlukahlukeneyo zeminqamlezo. Ngokomzekelo, iThe Illustrated Bible Dictionary isixelela ukuba umnqamlezo owawusetyenziswa nguSt. Anthony wawufana nonobumba omkhulu u“T,” abanye babecinga ukuba wayemela uthixo [waseBhabhiloni] uTammuz, unobumba ongutau.” Kwakuphinda kubekho umnqamlezo ofana nonobumba u“X,” onezibonda ezinqamlezileyo size esinye sithotywe kancinci. Lo mnqamlezo wokugqibela obizwa ngokuba ngumnqamlezo wesiLatin, “abantu abaninzi bathi ufana nomnqamlezo eyafela kuwo iNkosi yethu.”

Into Awayeyikholelwa AmaKristu Enkulungwane Yokuqala

IBhayibhile ibonisa ukuba ngenkulungwane yokuqala, abantu abaninzi ababephulaphule uYesu baba ngamakholwa baza balamkela ixabiso lokufa kwakhe okulidini. Emva kokuba umpostile uPawulos eshumayele kumaYuda eKorinte, ebonisa ukuba uYesu unguKristu, iBhayibhile ithi: “UKrispo igosa elongamelayo kwindlu yesikhungu waba likholwa eNkosini, ngokunjalo nabo bonke abendlu yakhe. Kwaye abaninzi eKorinte abevayo bakholwa baza babhaptizwa.” (IZenzo 18:5-8) Endaweni yokuba abanike imifanekiso eqingqiweyo ukuze anqule yona, uPawulos wayalela amanye amaKristu ukuba ‘asabe kulo unqulo-zithixo’ nakuyo nayiphi na into ethatyathwe kunqulo lwabahedeni.—1 Korinte 10:14.

Ababhali-mbali nabaphandi abakhange bafumane bungqina obubonisa ukusetyenziswa komnqamlezo ngamaKristu enkulungwane yokuqala. Okubangel’ umdla kukuba incwadi ethi History of the Cross icaphula omnye umbhali wenkulungwane ye-17 owabuza wathi: “Ngaba kuyamkholisa uYesu ukubona abafundi bakhe bezukisa umfanekiso wento [ekuthiwa] wabulawelwa kuyo emsulwa?” Ubuya kuphendula uthini?

Akuyomfuneko ukusebenzisa imifanekiso ukuze sinqule uThixo. UPawulos wabuza: “Inakuvisisana kuni na itempile kaThixo nezithixo?” (2 Korinte 6:14-16) Akukho ndawo eZibhalweni ebonisa ukuba unqulo lomKristu lumele luquke ukusetyenziswa kwento efana naleyo abethelelwa kuyo uYesu.–-Thelekisa uMateyu 15:3; uMarko 7:13.

Luluphi uphawu olubonisa amaKristu okwenyaniso? Asingomnqamlezo okanye nawuphi umfanekiso, kodwa luthando. UYesu wathi kubalandeli bakhe: “Ndininika umyalelo omtsha, wokuba nithandane; kanye njengoko ndinithandileyo mna, ukuba nani nithandane. Ngako oko bonke baya kwazi ukuba ningabafundi bam, ukuba ninothando phakathi kwenu.”—Yohane 13:34, 35.

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Ngamanye amazwi, into ababethetha ngayo abavangeli yayingengomnqamlezo.

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Umzobo wenkulungwane ye-17 wokubulawa komntu kwistaurosʹ, kwi-“De Cruce” kaLipsius

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Umzobo okudonga lwaseYiputa (malunga nenkulungwane ye-14 B.C.E.) onomnqamlezo onesiphatho, ofuzisela ubomi

[Inkcazelo]

© DeA Picture Library/Art Resource, NY

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Umnqamlezo wegamma kwiTempile yamaHindu kaLaxmi Narayan

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Kwincwadi ethi The Cross in Tradition, History, and Art (yowe-1897)