YINI efika engqondweni yakho lapho ucabanga ngendawo okulahlwa kuyo udoti? Cishe le ndawo uyihlobanisa nokungcola nephunga elibi. Ngakho ngeke ulindele ukuthola umcebo oyigugu endaweni enjalo.

Nokho, eminyakeni eyikhulu edlule kwatholakala umcebo onjalo endaweni okulahlwa kuyo udoti. Lo mcebo wawungelona itshe eliyigugu elingokoqobo kodwa wawuyinto ethile eyigugu kakhulu. Umcebo onjani lo owatholakala? Kungani ukutholwa kwawo kubalulekile kithi namuhla?

Ekuqaleni kwawo-1900, uBernard P. Grenfell no-Arthur S. Hunt, izazi zasenyuvesi yase-Oxford, zavakashela e-Egypt. Zilapho, zathola izingcezwana zama-Papyrus endaweni okulahlwa kuyo udoti eseduze neSigodi saseNayile. Kamuva, ngo-1920, ngesikhathi lezi zazi ezimbili zihlanganisa lokho ezazikutholile, uGrenfell wathola ezinye izingcezu ezazivubukulwe e-Egypt. Izingcezu azithola waziyisa e-John Rylands Library eseManchester, eNgilandi. Nokho, zombili lezi zazi zafa ngaphambi kokuba ziqede ukuhlanganisa lezi zingcezu.

UColin H. Roberts, esinye isazi sasenyuvesi yase-Oxford, saqedela ukuhlanganisa lezi zingcezu. Ngesikhathi sihlanganisa lezi zingcezu, sathola ucezu lwe-Papyrus olucishe lulingane nekhadi lasebhange. Samangala lapho sibona amagama esasiwajwayele kulolu cezu olubhalwe ngesiGreki. Kolunye uhlangothi lwalolu cezu kwakunamazwi athathwe kuJohane 18:31-33. Kolunye kunezingxenye zamavesi 37 no 38. URoberts waqaphela ukuthi wayethole umbhalo wesandla oyigugu.

URoberts wasola ukuthi lolu cezu lwe-papyrus lwaluludala kakhulu. Kodwa lwaluludala kangakanani? Ukuze athole ubudala balo, waqhathanisa indlela olwalubhalwe ngayo neminye imibhalo yesandla yasendulo ayenolwazi lokuthi yabhalwa nini—lokhu kubizwa ngokuthi yi-paleography. * Ngokusebenzisa le ndlela, wakwazi ukuthola ukuthi lo mbhalo wesandla wawumdala kangakanani. Kodwa wayefuna ukuqiniseka ngalokho ayekutholile. Ngakho wathatha izithombe zalezi zingcezu, wazithumela ezazini ezintathu zemibhalo ye-papyrus (papyrologists), wazicela ukuba zihlole ubudala balezi zingcezu. Yini eyatholwa yilezi zazi?

Ngokufunda indlela umbhalo obhalwe ngayo nokubukeka kwezinhlamvu zamagama, lezi zazi ezichwepheshile zabe sezivumelana ngokuthi lolu cezu lwabhalwa engxenyeni yokuqala yekhulu lesibili C.E.—ngemva kwamashumi eminyaka ambalwa nje umphostoli uJohane efile. Nokho i-paleography akuyona indlela eqinisekisiwe yokuthola ukuthi umbhalo wesandla wabhalwa nini futhi esinye isazi sikholelwa ukuthi asaziwa isikhathi esiqondile lo mbhalo owabhalwa ngaso phakathi nekhulu lesibili. Noma kunjalo lolu cezu oluncane lwe-papyrus lwaluwumbhalo—liseyiwo namanje—omdala kunayo yonke emibhalweni yasandla yemiBhalo yamaKristu yesiGreki eyake yatholakala.

Kungani lolu cezu lombhalo wesandla weVangeli likaJohane lubaluleke kangaka kubathandi beBhayibheli namuhla? Nazi izizathu ezimbili. Okokuqala,  indlela lolu cezu olubhalwe ngayo isenza siqonde indlela amaKristu okuqala ayeyazisa ngayo imiBhalo.

Ngekhulu lesibili C.E., imibhalo yayitholakala ngezinhlobo ezimbili—umqulu nange-codex. Umqulu wawenziwa ngokuhlanganisa izingxenye ze-papyrus noma isikhumba ukuze kwenziwe iphepha lokubhala elide. Leli phepha lalisongwa noma livulwe uma lifundwa. Ezikhathini eziningi, kwakubhalwa ohlangothini olulodwa lomqulu.

Nokho, ucezu oluncane olwatholwa uRoberts lwalubhalwe nhlangothi zombili. Lokhu kwakubonisa ukuthi lwaluyingxenye ye-codex hhayi umqulu. I-codex yayenziwa ngamakhasi esikhumba noma e-papyrus ayehlanganiswa ngokuthungwa agoqwe abe yincwadi.

Yini eyayenza i-codex ibe ngcono kunomqulu? Phela, amaKristu okuqala ayengabavangeli. (Mathewu 24:14; 28:19, 20) Ayeshumayela umyalezo weBhayibheli nomaphi lapho ayethola khona abantu—emakhaya, ezimakethe nasemigwaqeni. (IzEnzo 5:42; 17:17; 20:20) Ngakho ukuba nemiBhalo okulula ukuhamba nayo kwakuwasiza kakhulu.

I-codex yayiphinde ikwenze kube lula ngamabandla nabantu ngabanye ukuba bazenzele amakhophi abo emiBhalo. Ngakho amaVangeli ayekopishwa ngokuphindaphindiwe futhi akungabazeki ukuthi lokhu kwaba nomthelela ekutheni ubuKristu bande ngokushesha.

Isizathu sesibili esenza umbhalo wesandla wase-Rylands ubaluleke kangaka kithi namuhla ukuthi wembula indlela enokwethenjelwa imiBhalo yeBhayibheli eyadluliselwa ngayo. Nakuba lolu cezu lunamavesi ambalwa eVangeli likaJohane, lawo mavesi avumelana ngokuphelele namavesi esiwafunda emaBhayibhelini ethu namuhla. Ngakho umbhalo wesandla wase-Rylands ubonisa ukuthi iBhayibheli alizange lishintshe naphezu kokukopishwa kwalo izikhathi eziningi.

Kuyiqiniso ukuthi umbhalo wesandla wase-Rylands weVangeli likaJohane uphakathi kwemibhalo yesandla eminingi efakazela ukuthi imiBhalo yeBhayibheli yokuqala ayizange ishintshwe. Encwadini yakhe ethi The Bible as History, uWerner Keller waphetha ngokuthi: “Le mibhalo yesandla emidala inikeza ubufakazi obuqand’ ikhanda bokuthi esikufunda emaBhayibheli ethu namuhla kunembile futhi kunokwethenjelwa.”

Yiqiniso, amaKristu awasekeli ukholo lwawo emivubukulweni. Akholelwa ukuthi “yonke imiBhalo iphefumulelwe uNkulunkulu.” (2 Thimothewu 3:16) Noma kunjalo, yeka indlela okuqinisa ngayo idolo lapho imibhalo yasendulo eyigugu iqinisekisa lokho iBhayibheli elakusho endulo: “Izwi likaJehova lihlala phakade”!—1 Petru 1:25.