TSIKU lina pa Sondo m’maŵa, kuciyambi kwa caka ca 1520, anthu a m’tauni ina yaing’ono ya Meaux pafupi na mzinda wa Paris, anadabwa kwambili na zimene anamvela m’chechi. Iwo anamvetsela mabuku a Uthenga Wabwino akuŵelengedwa m’cinenelo cawo ca Cifulenchi, m’malo mwa Cilatini.

Amene anapangitsa zimenezi ni womasulila Baibo wina dzina lake Jacques Lefèvre d’Étaples (m’Cilatini, Jacobus Faber Stapulensis). M’kupita kwa nthawi, iye analembela mnzake kuti: “N’zocititsa cidwi kuona mmene Mulungu wathandizila [anthu] wamba m’madela osiyana-siyana kulandila Mau ake.”

Panthawiyo, Chechi ya Katolika pamodzi ndi akatswili a zacipembedzo, anali kuletsa kuti Baibo imasulidwe m’zinenelo zofala. N’ciani cinapangitsa Lefèvre kumasulila Baibo m’Cifulenchi? Nanga anakwanitsa bwanji kuthandiza anthu wamba kumvetsetsa Mau a Mulungu?

Asanayambe nchito yomasulila Baibo, Lefèvre anali kuphunzila mozama mabuku a ziphunzitso za anthu ndi a zacipembedzo kuti amvetsetse zimene zinalembedwa. Pambuyo pake, anali kuthandiza anthu kuti amvetsetse tanthauzo lake. Pamene anali kuphunzila, anapeza kuti zimene zinalembedwa m’mabukuwo zinali na mau komanso ziganizo zosamveka bwino ndi zolakwika. Pamene Lefèvre anali kufufuza kuti amvetsetse matanthauzo a zolemba zakale, anayambanso kuphunzila mosamala kwambili Baibo ya Akatolika, ya m’Cilatini yochedwa Vulgate.

Kuphunzila mwakhama Malemba kunam’thandiza kuzindikila kuti “kuphunzila coonadi ca Mulungu pakokha . . . kumabweletsa cimwemwe cacikulu.” Conco, Lefèvre analeka kuphunzila ziphunzitso za anthu. Iye anaika maganizo ake onse pa nchito yomasulila Baibo.

Mu 1509, Lefèvre anafalitsa buku loyelekezela buku la Masalimo kucokela m’mabaibo asanu a Cilatini. * Anafalitsanso Baibo ya Vulgate imene iye anakonza mbali zina zimene zinali zolakwika. Mosiyana ndi akatswili a zacipembedzo a m’nthawi yake, iye anayesetsa kupeza njila yofotokozela mavesi a m’Baibo “momveka bwino.” Njila imene Lefèvre anali kutsatila pomasulila Malemba inathandiza ngako akatswili ena a Baibo ndi anthu ena otsutsa ziphunzitso za chalichi ca Cikatolika.—Onani bokosi yakuti “ Mmene Zolemba za Lefèvre Zinakhudzila Martin Luther.”

Lefèvre anabwadwila m’banja la Akatolika ndipo anali kuona kuti chechi cingapite patsogolo kokha ngati anthu wamba aphunzitsidwa bwino Malemba ndi kuwamvetsetsa. Koma popeza kuti panthawiyo Mabaibulo ambili anali m’Cilatini, kodi anthu wamba akanapindula bwanji na Malemba?

Lefèvre anali kukonda kwambili Mau a Mulungu. Conco, anayesetsa kuthandiza anthu ambili kukhala ndi mwayi wopeza Mabaibo. Kuti akwanilitse colinga cake, mu June 1523, anafalitsa Mabaibo a Uthenga Wabwino, voliyumu 1 ndi voliyumu 2 m’Cifulenchi. Mabaibo amenewo anali ang’ono-ang’ono. Cifukwa  cakuti anali ang’ono-ang’ono, anali ochipa kusiyana ndi Baibo ikulu. Izi zinathandiza anthu ambili amene anali osauka kuti akwanitse kugula Baibo.

Anthu wamba anakondwela ngako ataona Baibo yomasulidwa m’cinenelo cawo. Onse amuna ndi akazi anali ofunitsitsa kuŵelenga mau a Yesu m’cinenelo cawo. Ndipo makope oyambilila okwana 1,200 amene anapulintiwa, anasila pambuyo pa miyezi yocepa cabe.

M’mau ake oyamba, Lefèvre anafotokoza kuti anamasulila mabuku a Uthenga Wabwino m’Cifulenchi kuti “anthu wamba” a m’chechi cawo “amveleko uthenga wa coonadi mofanana ndi anthu amene anali kuŵelenga Baibo m’Cilatini.” Nanga n’cifukwa ciani Lefèvre anali wofunitsitsa kuthandiza anthu wamba kudziŵa zimene Baibo imaphunzitsa?

Lefèvre anali kudziŵa bwino mmene ziphunzitso zabodza ndi maganizo olakwika a anthu zinakhudzila Chechi ya Katolika. (Maliko 7:7; Akolose 2:8) Conco, iye anaona kuti tsopano ni nthawi yakuti uthenga wabwino “ulalikidwe moyenelela padziko lonse kuti anthu asanamizidwe na ziphunzitso zacilendo za anthu.”

Kuwonjezela apo, Lefèvre anawonetsa poyela maganizo olakwika a anthu amene anali kutsutsa kuti Baibo imasulidwe m’Cifulenchi. Iye anatsutsa mwamphamvu cinyengo cawo mwa kukamba kuti: “Kodi angaphunzitse bwanji [anthu] kumvela malamulo  onse a Yesu Khiristu, ngati iwo safuna kuthandiza anthu wamba kuŵelenga Uthenga wa Mulungu m’cinenelo cawo?”—Aroma 10:14.

N’zosadabwitsa kuti patapita nthawi yocepa, akatswili a zacipembedzo pa Yunivesiti ya Sorbonne ku Paris, anayesa kuletsa Lefèvre kumasulila Baibo. Mu August 1523, iwo analetsa anthu kumasulila Baibo kapena kulemba nkhani zokhudza Baibo m’zinenelo zofala. Iwo anali kuona kuti kucita zimenezo “kungabweletse msokonezo m’Chechi.” Zikanakhala kuti Francis Woyamba, Mfumu ya ku France sanaloŵelelepo, sembe Lefèvre anapatsidwa mlandu wakuti ni wampatuko.

Lefèvre sanalole olo pang’ono kuti anthu otsutsa am’lepheletse kumasulila Baibo. Mu 1524, atatsiliza kumasulila Malemba a Cigiriki (ochedwa Cipangano Catsopano), anafalitsa buku la Masalimo la m’Cifulenchi n’colinga cakuti Akhiristu azipemphela “modzipeleka kwambili ndi mokhudzika mtima.”

Akatswili a zacipembedzo pa yunivesiti ya Sorbonne, mwamsanga anaŵelenga mosamala kwambili zimene Lefèvre anamasulila. Ndiyeno, analamula kuti Baibo ya Malemba a Cigiriki imene iye anamasulila iwochedwe poyela, ndipo anakambanso kuti zolemba zake zina zinali “kulimbikitsa mpatuko wa Luther.” Pamene akatswili a zacipembedzo anaitana Lefèvre kuti akafotokoze cifukwa cimene analembela zimenezo, iye anangokhala “cete” n’kuthaŵila ku Strasbourg. Kumeneko, anapitiliza kumasulila Baibo mosamala kuti anthu asadziŵe. Ngakhale kuti anthu ena anamuona ngati wamantha, iye anaona kuti zimene anacitazo inali njila yabwino yoyankhila anthu osayamikila “ngale” za mtengo wapatali za coonadi ca m’Baibo.—Mateyu 7:6.

Patapita pafupi-fupi caka cimodzi kucokela pamene Lefèvre anathaŵa, Mfumu Francis Woyamba anamusankha kuti aziphunzitsa mwana wake wa zaka 4, dzina lake Charles. Nchito imeneyi inam’patsa nthawi yambili yakuti atsilize kumasulila Baibo. Mu 1530, Baibo imene anatsiliza kumasulila inapulintiwa kunja kwa dziko la France, mumzinda wa Antwerp, movomelezedwa ndi Mfumu Charles Wacisanu. *

Ngati pali cinthu cimene Lefèvre anali kulakalaka pa umoyo wake wonse, ni kuona anthu akusiya miyambo ya anthu ndi kuyamba kucita zinthu mogwilizana ndi cidziŵitso colongosoka ca m’Malemba. Iye anali kukhulupilila ndi mtima wonse kuti “Mkhiristu aliyense ali na ufulu komanso udindo woŵelenga na kuphunzila Baibo payekha.” Ndiye cifukwa cake anacita zilizonse zimene akanatha kuti anthu onse akhale na Baibo. Ngakhale kuti cifuno cake cakuti anthu a m’chechi asinthe ndi kudziŵa coonadi sicinakwanilitsike, zimene Lefèvre anacita n’zosaiŵalika. Iye anathandiza anthu wamba kudziŵa Mau a Mulungu.