ASE uticabange ungumKhristu ekhulwini lekucala leminyaka. Libandla lokulo litfole incwadzi lebuya kumphostoli Pawula. Uselalele njengobe ifundvwa, unaka kutsi Pawula uhle acaphuna ‘emibhalweni lengcwele,’ lephindze ibitwe ngekutsi yimiBhalo yesiHebheru. (2 Thimothi 3:15) Utsi ngenhlitiyo: ‘Ngiyafisa kuyibona lencwadzi lacaphuna kuyo.’ Kepha loko bekutawuba lukhunyana. Leni?

Ase ubuke kutsi beyinjani leminye ‘yalemibhalo lengcwele’ yakadzeni lebeyikhona ngesikhatsi saPawula. Nayi lenye la, incenyana yencwadzi ya-Isaya leyatfolakala emiCulwini yeLwandle Lolufile. Ubonani? Emagama nje lamanyenti. Kute ngisho netimphawu tenkhulumo. Netinombolo tetehluko netemavesi lesinato lamuhla atikho.

Babhali beliBhayibheli abazange bawehlukanise lomlayeto ngetehluko nangemavesi. Babhala umlayeto Nkulunkulu labanika wona kute umfundzi atfole umlayeto njengobe unjalo, hhayi tincenyana letitsite tawo. Akusiko yini loko lokufunako nawutfola incwadzi lebuya kumuntfu lomtsandzako? Uyifundza yonkhe leyoncwadzi, hhayi nje tincenyana tayo kuphela.

Kodvwa kungabi netehluko kanye nemavesi kwaba netinkinga letitsite. Pawula abekhombisa loko lakucaphunile ngekutsi atsi: “njengobe nje kubhaliwe,” nobe atsi: “Isaya wabiketela watsi.” (Roma 3:10; 9:29) Bekutawuba matima kakhulu kutfola lawo mavi lacashuniwe ngaphandle nangabe bewuyetayele yonkhe “imibhalo lengcwele.”

Ngetulu kwaloko, ‘lemibhalo lengcwele’ beyingasiwo nje umlayeto munye lovela kuNkulunkulu. Ngasekupheleni kwelikhulu lekucala leminyaka C.E., lemibhalo beseyitincwadzi letingu-66 letehlukehlukene. Kungaleso sizatfu bantfu labanyenti labafundza liBhayibheli lamuhla bakujabulela kubona tehluko nemavesi labasita kutsi bakhone kutfola imininingwane letsite, njengemavi lamanyenti lacashunwa nguPawula kuletinye tetincwadzi takhe.

Mhlawumbe utatibuta kutsi: ‘Ngubani lona lowafaka tinombolo tetehluko netemavesi eBhayibhelini?’

Umfundisi loliNgisi, Stephen Langton, kamuva lowaba ngumbhishobhi lomkhulu waseCanterbury, wanconywa kakhulu ngekufaka tehluko eBhayibhelini. Loko wakwenta ekucaleni kwelikhulu lesi-13 leminyaka, ngalesikhatsi afundzisa eNyuvesi yaseParis, eFulansi.

Ngaphambi kwekuba khona kwaLangton, labanye bafundzi betama kwehlukanisa liBhayibheli ngetincenyana letincane nome ngetehluko basebentisa tindlela letehlukehlukene lokungenteka kutsi bebakwentela kutsi kube melula kutfola umbhalo labawufunako eBhayibhelini. Ungacabanga-ke kutsi bekungaba melula kangakanani kubo kutfola indzinyana yinye yembhalo kunekufuna encwadzini yonkhe yeliBhayibheli, njengencwadzi ya-Isaya lenetehluko letingu-66.

Kepha loko kwabanga inkinga. Labafundzi, bakha tinhlelo letinyenti letehlukene kepha letingahlanganiseki. Kulolunye lwato, liVangeli laMakho balehlukanisa laba tehluko leticishe tibe ngu-50, hhayi leti lesinato nyalo letingu-16. Ngesikhatsi Langton aseseParis bekunebafundzi labachamuka emaveni lehlukene  futsi beta nemaBhayibheli asemaveni akubo. Kodvwa bothishela nebafundzi bebangakhoni kutjelana kutsi loko labakushoko bakufundza kuphi eBhayibhelini. Bekwentiwa yini loko? Beyingafani indlela letehluko betehlukaniswe ngayo emaBhayibhelini abo.

Ngako-ke, Langton wacala indlela lensha yekwehlukanisa tehluko. Incwadzi letsi The Book​—A History of the Bible itsi lendlela yakhe “babhali nebafundzi bayitsandza futsi masinyane yase igcwala kuyo yonkhe iYurophu.” Tafakwa nguye letinombolo tetehluko letisemaBhayibhelini lamanyenti lamuhla.

Ngemuva kweminyaka lengu-300 emkhatsini welikhulu lesi-16 leminyaka, umFulentji longumshicileli nemfundzi lodvumile, Robert Estienne, wenta tintfo taba melula kakhulu. Umgomo wakhe bewukutsi liBhayibheli lifundzeke melula. Wabona kutsi bekutawuba kuhle kakhulu kutsi tehluko tehlukaniseke ngetinombolo, nemavesi ehlukaniseke ngetinombolo.

Akusiye Estienne loweta nembono wekutsi liBhayibheli lehlukaniswe ngemavesi. Bakhona lebesebavele bakwentile loko. Eminyakeni leminyenti asengakabi khona yena, babhali labangemaJuda besebavele bayehlukanise yaba nemavesi yonkhe imiBhalo yesiHebheru nome incenye yeliBhayibheli levame kubitwa ngekutsi liThestamente lelidzala. Tehluko betisengakentiwa. Beyingafani indlela labehlukanisa ngayo lamavesi, njengobe kwakunjalo nangetehluko.

Estienne wabese wehlukanisa imiBhalo yesiGriki lephindze ibitwe ngekutsi liThestamente lelisha laba nendlela lensha yekwehlukanisa emavesi, wase uhlanganisa nemiBhalo yesiHebheru lebeyivele ikhona. Nga-1553 washicilela liBhayibheli lekucala leliphelele (lesiFulentji) lelinetehluko nemavesi, lelifana nemaBhayibheli lesiwasebentisa lamuhla. Labanye bantfu bamelana naloko, batsi lamavesi ehlukanisa tindzinyana teliBhayibheli atente tibe tincenyana nje letibonakala tiluchungechunge lwemishwana lengahlangani. Kodvwa labanye bashicileli bayitsatsa ngekushesha lendlela yakhe.

Kwabonakala ngatsi ngumbono lomuhle kakhulu lowo, kuba netinombolo tetehluko kanye netemavesi. Loku kwaba shengatsi kunika livesi ngalinye leliBhayibheli “likheli” lalo. Kuliciniso kutsi kwehlukanisa imiBhalo ngetehluko nangemavesi akukaphufumulelwa nguNkulunkulu futsi ngalesinye sikhatsi kwehlukanisa letindzinyana ngendlela lengakalindzeleki. Kodvwa yenta kuba melula kutsi sikhone kubona loko lokucashunwako nome sikhulume ngemavesi latsite lalusito kitsi, njengobe sikwati nekudvwebela imishwana letsite lesifuna kuyikhumbula encwadzini.

Nanobe kulusito kuba netehluko nemavesi eBhayibhelini, sifuna kukhumbula kutsi lokumcoka kutfola umlayeto longiwo nalovela kuNkulunkulu. Tifundzise kutsi nawufundza liBhayibheli ungamane nje ufundze emavesi kepha utfole umcondvo wendzaba. Kwenta njalo kutakusita wetayelane nayo yonkhe “imibhalo lengcwele, leyo lengakwenta uhlakaniphe kuze usindziswe.”​—2 Thimothi 3:15.