Lamuhla abantu abanengi abafuna ukuzwisisa iBhayibhili bayenelisa ukudingisisa ukuthi abakukholwayo kuyahambelana yini lalokho elikutshoyo. Kodwa lokhu wawungeke ukwenze ngeminyaka yabo-1500 ngoba abantu abanengi babengelawo amaBhayibhili ngolimi lwabo. Abalutshwana nje yibo ababesenelisa ukuzibonela ukuthi okufundiswa ematshetshi kuyahambelana yini lokutshiwo liBhayibhili. Kanti njalo abafundisi babengabancedisi kangako abantu. Ibhuku elithi History of the Christian Church lithi: ‘Izinto zazingamanga kuhle esontweni edumileyo eseSwitzerland. Abafundisi babengalazi iBhayibhili, bebambelele emasikweni futhi bengaziphathanga.’

 Kungalesosikhathi lapho uHuldrych Zwingli aqalisa khona ukudinga iqiniso eliseBhayibhilini. Watholani? Kuyini akwenzayo ukuze atshele abanye lokho ayekuthola? Sifundani kuye lakulokho ayekukholwa?

 UZwingli wayefuna ukuba ngumphristi weRoma kusukela eseselijaha. Yikho kwakumele afunde ifilosofi, amasiko esonto kanye lamabhuku ayebhalwe ngabafundisi beRoma. Isimanga yikuthi phakathi kwezinto ezazifundwa kwakungabalwa iBhayibhili.

 UZwingli waqalisa njani ukudinga iqiniso eliseBhayibhilini? Ngesikhathi eseyunivesithi eseBasel eSwitzerland, wayeke afundiswe nguThomas Wyttenbach owayesola imfundiso eyayifundiswa etshetshi yeRoma yokuthi abantu kumele babhadale nxa befuna ukuthethelelwa izono. a Omunye umlobi wathi uZwingli “wafunda [kuWyttenbach] ukuthi ukufa kukaKhristu yikho okwabhadala izono zethu kwaba kanye kuphela.” (1 UPhetro 3:18) UZwingli wathi esekwazi ukuthi inhlawulo kaJesu yiyo yodwa engenza sithethelelwe izono, wahle wangavumelani lemfundiso yokuthi abafundisi yibo abangenza abantu bathethelelwe izono nxa bangaphiwa imali. (ImiSebenzi 8:20) Lanxa kunjalo, uZwingli waqhubeka ngezifundo zakhe wasesiba ngumfundisi weRoma eleminyaka engu-22.

 UZwingli wazifundisa ulimi lwesiGrikhi ukuze azwisise ulimi okwabhalwa ngalo iMibhalo ejayele ukubizwa ngokuthi liThestamenti Elitsha. Waphinda wahlola okwakubhalwe ngu-Erasmus wasethola ukuthi wayevumelana lalokho okufundiswa liBhayibhili, ukuthi nguJesu kuphela onguMlamuli phakathi kukaNkulunkulu labantu. (1 KuThimothi 2:5) Lokhu kwenza uZwingli wathandabuza ukuthi okwakufundiswa yitshetshi yeRoma ukuthi labo ababizwa ngokuthi ngabangcwele yibo abangasincedisa ukuthi sikhulume loNkulunkulu.

 UZwingli wathi esekubo-30 wakukhuthalela sibili ukudinga iqiniso eliseBhayibhilini. Wayengumfundisi wamasotsha ngesikhathi kulezimpi emazweni ase-Europe kubangwa ilizwe le-Italy. Empini eyabakhona eMarignano ngo-1515, wazibonela ngawakhe amaKatolika ebulalana ngobunengi. Ngemva kweminyaka ethile uZwingli wakopa iMibhalo yesiGrikhi ngesandla futhi eminengi yakhona wayibamba ngekhanda. Ngo-1519, wayesehlala edolobheni leZurich eSwitzerland elalizibambile kwezombusazwe. Wathi ekhonale wama ngelokuthi itshetshi yeRoma kumele ilahle loba yiphi imfundiso engekho eMibhalweni. Kodwa wayezabancedisa njani abanye ukuthi balazi iqiniso ayeselitholile?

 UZwingli wayezitshela ukuthi nxa abantu bangezwa iqiniso eliseBhayibhilini bazatshiya amanga ababewafundiswa emasontweni. Wathi esekhethwe ukuthi abe ngumphristi esontweni edumileyo yeGrossmünster eyayiseZurich waqalisa ngokutshela ababemlalele into eyabamangalisayo. Wathi kasoze abale iLatin lectionary b eyayisetshenziswa ngabafundisi okweminyaka leminyaka kodwa wayezatshumayela esebenzisa iBhayibhili ngokubala isahluko ngesahluko kusukela ekuqaliseni kuze kuyefika ekucineni. Wayevumela ukuthi iMibhalo izichasise kulokuthi alandele izimfundiso zabafundisi. Wayesebenzisa amavesi alula ukuzwisisa ukuze achasise lawo ayekhanya enzima.—2 KuThimothi 3:16.

 UZwingli wayesithi nxa etshumayela azame ukunceda abantu babone ukuthi lokho ababekufunda eBhayibhilini kwakungabanceda njani. Wayebacacisela ukuthi iBhayibhili lithi kumele baziphathe njani lokuthi kwakungamelanga bakhonze uMariya unina kaJesu. Wabatshela lokuthi akumelanga bakhuleke kulabo ababizwa ngokuthi bangcwele, babhadale abafundisi ukuze babathethelele izono, waphinda waveza egcekeni ukuxhwala kwabafundisi. Abantu benzani besizwa lokho? Wathi eqeda intshumayelo yakhe yokuqala abanye bathi: “Intshumayelo enje asikaze siyizwe.” Omunye umlobi wezembali wakhuluma ngabanye ababengamaKatolika ababelalele intshumayelo kaZwingli wathi: “Abanye abasebeyitshiyile isonto le ngenxa yokungaziphathi kwabaphristi kanye lezinye izinto ezimbi ababezenza baqalisa futhi ukubuyela esontweni.”

 Ngo-1522 abafundisi bacela abezombusazwe bedolobho leZurich ukuthi babancedise bayekelise abantu ukuthi bangaphikisani lezinto ezifundiswa esontweni. Lokho kwenza uZwingli wamangalelwa ngokuthi uphikisana lokufundiswa ngabafundisi. Kodwa yena wanamathela kulokho ayekukholwa yikho wabona kungcono ukutshiya ukuba ngumphristi.

 Lanxa uZwingli wayesetshiyile ukuba ngumphristi waqhubeka etshela abanye lokho ayekukholwa futhi ezama ukubanceda ukuthi labo bakukholwe. Abantu abanengi basebemazi ngenxa yokutshumayela kwakhe futhi lokhu kwenza labezombusazwe beZurich bafuna ukumlalela. Wazama ukutshintsha ezinye izinto eziphathelane lokukhonza eZurich ngoba wayebona ukuthi abezombusazwe babemsekela. Ngokwesibonelo ngo-1523 wenza ukuthi iziphathamandla zeZurich zibeke umthetho othi akusavunyelwa ukuthi umuntu afundise izinto ezingekho eMibhalweni. Ngo-1524 wabacela ukuthi bafake umthetho othi ukukhonza izithombe akuvunyelwa. Omantshi labanye abafundisi kanye labanye abantu nje babambana emsebenzini wokudiliza ama-alithare lezithombe kanye lezinye izinto ezazisetshenziswa ekukhonzeni. Ibhuku elithi Zwingli—God’s Armed Prophet lithi: “Itshetshi yeRoma yayingakaze ibone umonakalo ongaka wokudilizelwa izinto abazisebenzisa nxa bekhonza ngaphandle nje kokutshotshelwa ngamasela.” Kusiyafika umnyaka ka-1525 uZwingli wayesebangele lokuthi iziphathamandla zitshintshe izakhiwo zesonto zibe yizibhedlela lokuthi abafundisi labosista beRoma bavunyelwe ukutshada. Kanti njalo wavala leMisa (Mass) wasesithi kwenziwe umbuthano ongelazinto ezinenginengi kulandelwa lokho okukhulunywa eBhayibhilini. (1 KwabaseKhorinte 11:23-25) Abezembali bathi konke okwenziwa nguZwingli kwamanyanisa abakhokheli benkolo kanye labezombusazwe futhi kwatshintsha izinto ezinengi kwacina sekubunjwa enye inkolo.

 Umsebenzi omkhulu owenziwa nguZwingli kwakuyikuhumutsha iBhayibhili. Ngabo-1520 wasebenza labanye ekuhumutsheni iBhayibhili besebenzisa imibhalo yakuqala yesiHebheru lesiGrikhi kanye le-Septuagint yesiGrikhi le-Vulgate yesiLathini. Babehumutsha ngendlela elula. Babebala ivesi ngayinye emibhalweni yakuqala laku-Septuagint kanye le-Vulgate. Ngemva kwalokho babexoxa ngokuthi ivesi abayibalileyo itshoni besebebhala phansi abakutholileyo. Ukusebenza kwabo nzima behumutsha iLizwi likaNkulunkulu kwenza ukuthi kube leBhayibhili okuthiwa yi-Zurich Bible eladindwa ngo-1531.

 Lanxa uZwingli wenza umsebenzi omkhulu, wayengayihloniphi imibono yabanye njalo wayelolaka. Ngokwesibonelo ngo-1525 wayengomunye wababethonisisa abantu ababengavumelani lemfundiso yakhe yokuthi insane kumele zibhabhathizwe. Abezomthetho bathi sebefake umthetho wokuthi loba ngubani oqhubeka engavumelani lokubhabhathizwa kwezinsane kumele abulawe, wavumelana labo lanxa lokhu kwakuyisihluku. Kanti njalo wayekhuthaza abakhokheli bezombusazwe ukuthi babambe abantu ngamandla ukuthi bamukele imfundiso ezintsha. Kodwa ezigabeni ezinengi zeSwitzerland abantu abasonta iRoma abazange bazamukele imfundiso lezo futhi lokho kwavusa impi. UZwingli waya empini le lamasotsha ayevela eZurich futhi wabulawa eleminyaka engu-47.

 UHuldrych Zwingli wenza okunengi sibili okwatshintsha izinto embalini kodwa wayengadumanga njengoMartin Luther loJohn Calvin. UZwingli kenzanga njengoLuther ngoba yena wazitshiya imfundiso zetshetshi yeRoma kwasala kungelambuzo ukuthi kazisekeli. Yonke imizamo eyenziwa nguZwingli yenza kwaba lula ukuthi abantu bamukele okwakufundiswa nguCalvin. Yikho uZwingli ebizwa ngokuthi yindoda yesithathu eyaletha utshintsho.

 UZwingli wenza umsebenzi omkhulu sibili kodwa okunye akwenzayo akuzange kuncede. Wangena kwezombusazwe futhi wahamba lempini esenzela ukubamba abantu ngamandla ukuthi bakholwe imfundiso zakhe. Ngokwenza njalo wehluleka ukulandela uJesu ongazange angene kwezombusazwe. Kanti njalo uJesu wafundisa abafundi bakhe ukuthi bangabulali izitha zabo kodwa bazithande.—UMathewu 5:43, 44; UJohane 6:14, 15.

 Lanxa kunjalo uZwingli wayekukhuthalele ukubala iBhayibhili futhi ezimisele ukutshela abanye lokho ayekuthola. Wavumbulula okunengi okuliqiniso okwakufundiswa liBhayibhili wasencedisa labanye ukuthi bakuthole.