Kwakungubani lowo? – uHerodi?
uHerodiKuze kube namuhla uHerodi waziwa njengombusi owayenobudlova, owayengumcindezeli. Ikakhulukazi yile ndaba „ngokubulawa kwabantwana eBhethelehema“ edala lokho. Ziningi iziphambeko azondelwa zona uHerodi – kufanele, kodwa eyokubulawa kwabantwana eBhethlehema akaphathelene neze nayo; ayikaze yenzeke nakwenzeka. UHolger Sonnabend, uSolwazi eziFundweni zoMlando waseMandulo eNyuvesi yaseStuttgart, eJalimane, usethulela imiphumela yocwaningo kulo ludaba:
Ekuzalweni kwakhe uHerodi ngowamashumi ayisikhombisa nantathu phambi kwale nkathi esiphila kuyo [73 ph.Khr.], akekho owayengaqagela ukuthi uyogcina engumbusi kwelamaJuda. Wayengowesizwe sama-Idumeya (esaziwa futhi ngokuthi ngabakwaEdomu), izwe laso elalisemzansi kwelasePhalestina, esasingahlobene nesamaJuda. Unina wayengowesizwe samaArabhu. Uyise wayezikhuthalele ezombusazwe, wayicandela indlela indodana yakhe, uHerodi, ukuthi ikhule yazi futhi yaziwa kulezo.
Ngowamashumi ayisithupha nantathu phambi kwale nkathi esiphila kuyo [63 ph.Khr.] abombuso waseRoma baketula umbuso wabomdabu, bozalo lakwaHasmona, eJerusalema. Kwasuka umshikashika wababencintisana, beqhudelana, bezincengela ukubekwa kube yibo abayoba yiso lababusi baseRoma eJerusalema. Iziphathimandla eRoma zazimathintanyawo, zingafuni ukuthi kwelasePhalestina, elalinezinxushunxushu, zenze njengoba zihlala zenza kwezinye izindawo – zenze iphutha lokuthi zilibuse mathupha nelasePhalestina ngokubeka inxusa namabutho; zavumelana ngokuzitholela ongowakhona owayengaba yinduna-nje – osaziyo isimo, ezazingaqiniseka ukuthi uyohlala ethembekile kuzo.
Zavumelana ngoHerodi, wase-Idumeya. Wayekade ezivezé kwabaseRoma njengozimisele ukubelekelela, ziziningi nezimali ayekade elokhu ezikhokha, efumbathisa iziphathimandla, zizidlele. Ezakubona kulusizo iziphathimandla lezo yindlela uHerodi ayekushisekele ngayo ukwethweswa amandla okuphatha. Ngezikhathi zodlame nezimpi kwelaseRoma, ezagcina ngokuvela kombuso owawusuphethwe nguAgustusi [27 ph.Khr.], uHerodi wayeguquguquka, angene phakathi. afukule njalo lowo okubonakala ukuthi useyanqoba.
Wayenethonya lokuzithandekisa kwabaphethe, esukumela phezulu uma bemthuma, okwenza isheshe iphumelele inhloso yakhe kubabusi bakwelaseRoma. Ngowamashumi amathathu nesikhombisa phambi kwale nkathi esiphila kuyo [37 ph.Khr.] uHerodi ehlanganisa owamashumi amathathu nesithupha [36] wobudala, iziphathimandla zakwelaseRoma zambeka esihlalweni sobukhosi kwelakwaJuda. Kwaya kwaya umbusi wakwelaseRoma, uAgustusi, ayezithandekisé kakhulu kuye, walokhu emabela izifundazwe namazwe amanye anweba ngawo umbuso wakhe; kulokho ezibongele njalo uHerodi ngezipho ezidulayo. AbakwaJuda kwakungaboniswani nabo nakukho konke lokho, yingakho uHerodi wayengemukelekile kubo. Ngokuba yincelebana yabacindezeli abazondwayo, wayeyisinengiso emphakathini wakwelakwaJuda.
Ezama ukuzithobisela ulaka ayezivusele lona emphakathini, waziqomisela, waganwa nguMariyame, itshitshi ayeledlula ngeminyaka engamashumi amabili yobudala, indodakazi yabozalo lwakwaHasmona, elaba ngumfazi wakhe weshumi esithenjini ayesithathile. Kwathi elakwaJuda lihlaselwa yindlala, wanikela ngengxenye yengcebo yakhe, kwancibikaliswa igolide nesiliva lakhe, kwayothengwa ukudla kwelaseGibhithe. Akusizanga ngalutho nakho konke lokho ukumenza athandeke – ikakhulukazi ngoba ngokuhamba kwesikhathi, wayeseguquké wabafuza akabashiya abakwelaseGrikhi, ababusa ngendluzula. Izibonelo nezeluleko wayengazithathi kubabusi bakwelakubo kwelaseMpumalanga ababephethe ngenqubo eyaziswayo yomdabu, oNebukhedneza waseBhabhiloni noma oXerxesi wakwelasePhereshiya; wayegijimela ukulingisa abakwelamaGrikhi nabaseMasedoni, abalandeli bakaAlekzanda omKhulu, okwathi ngokukhothama kwakhe uAlekszanda (323 ph.Khr.), balidabulelana bephangelana elakwelaseMpumalanga.
Wayelandela, elingisa labo babusi ngobukhazikhazi nobunjinga, ebukisa ngomnotho, ewusaphaza, ezidumisa ngezakhiwo zakwanokusho. Akukaze kwakhiwe kangaka nakanjena kwelakwaJuda njengasezikhathini kubusa uHerodi – imizikazi njengowaseKhesari Marithima (ekwethiweni kwawo lelo gama kwakukhonjiswa ukuzithoba kubabusi abakhulu bakwelaseRoma), izinqanawe njengeHerodeyiyoni entshonalanga kwelaseJordani, noma amashashalazi okukhuleka njengeThempeli likaJehova entabeni enkulu eJerusalema, uHerodi alawula ukuthi lakhiwe libe likhulu impela-nje. Ngaphezu kwalokho uHerodi wayenika uxhaso ukuthuthukisa izakhiwo kude nangaphandle – izakhiwo njengeAthena, iSpartha, iOlimpiya nePhergamoni. Konke lokho kwakungesikho-nje ukukhombisa isasasa lokuphana, uHerodi wayegcizelela ngalokho ukuthi kwaziseke isikhundla sakhe njengombusi.
Ophikisana naye wayemhlangabeza amxoshe ngolaka nangendluzula: Noma ngubani emphakathini owayengenzi intando yakhe, ngisho nabozalo nabomndeni wakubo, uHerodi ayengabethembisisi, babesinda ngokulambisa. Wabulala umkakhe, wabulala indodana yakhe, wabulala umkhwekazi wakhe, wabulala umlamu wakhe. Ukhandalimtshelokwakhe onjalo wayesatshwa, esatshelwa nokuningi angakwenzanga. Yavela kanjalo-ke nale ndaba yokubulwa kwabantwana eBhethlehema. Ukubikezelwa ngokuzalwa „kwenkosi entsha yakwelakwaJuda“ yenza ukuthi „inkosi ebusayo kwelakwaJuda“ ilawule ukuthi konke okungabafanyana okuneminyaka emibili noma engaphansi kwalokho babulawe. Yinganekwane leyo!
Le ngqinamba itholakala-nje kuMathewu kuphela, ayiveli ezincwadini ezinye zevangeli nòma-ke ezincwadini zabacubunguli nosolwazi abaziwayo bangalezo zikhathi njengoFlaviyusi noAphiyani noKhasiyusi-Diyo. UHerodi bambophela amangqina enyathi – okwakuyinhlalayenza kwelaseMpumalanga ngalezo zikhathi. Uma sikhumbula-nje izingxoxo ngoMosi nokuxwayisa kukaFaro ngokuthi uzolawula ukuthi kubulawe onke amazibulo. Ukuphendukela ngendluzula nonya kwabangenamandla okuziphindisela, kwakwejwayelekile nasemandulo kwababenamandla, bebusa – okhandalimtshelokwakhe nabacindezeli bonkana.
Ukuthi ngubani owasungula le ndaba yokubulawa kwabantwana eBhethlehema, akutholakali. Mhlawumbe kwakungabathile emphakathini kwelakwaJuda, ababehlupheka, becindezelwa nguHerodi; noma kwakungabenkolo yobuKhristu ababezama ukukhombisa ukuthi ngisho nomubikazi kubabusi abaziwayo akakwazanga ukuvimbela abhubhise uMsindisi. UHerodi wakhothama ngowesine phambi kwale nkathi esiphila kuyo [4 ph.Khr.] emva kokugula kanzima – okwakuyiminyaka eyishumi noma eyishumi nanye ngaphambi kokuzalwa kukaJesu!
NguHolger Sonnabend, uSolwazi eziFundweni zoMlando waseMandulo eNyuvesi yaseStuttgart, eJalimane
Umtapo: Evangelische Zeitung, 30.11.2014, ikhasi 6
© Ben Khumalo-Seegelken, http://www.benkhumalo-seegelken.de/