The following presentation is an attempt to concisely document the history of the Rastafarian movement, it’s culture, and it’s way of life. Though the religious beliefs of Rastafari as outlined in this work do not necessarily reflect the religious beliefs held by this author, some aspects of Rastafari do indeed reflect an Orthodox Christian quality, of which branch of Christianity this author has been baptized into as have other Rastas. So, let us now take a deeper look into the faith of Rastafari, as we sail down the mystic Nile to reach its origin: Ethiopia.
The source of the faith of Rastafari lies within a unique geographical location known as the Nile Valley, an immense region of land on the continent of Africa, which encompasses Egypt to the north and Ethiopia to the south. It is here in this part of Africa that Rastafarians trace their ancestral and religious roots. For example, Rastas acknowledge Ra, the Egyptian god of the sun, as a life-giving force. Rastas also believe that mankind is not separate from God, who Rastas refer to as JAH (Psalms 68:4). This Rasta belief of God and man being intertwined is backed up from a verse in the New Testament book of Philippians where we read that Christ, “…being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God.” (Philippians 2:6). So here we see that there is indeed a Christian influence in Rasta thought as well as other Rasta practices and religious beliefs.
But the core beliefs of Rastafari are centered around the Egyptian mysteries, the kind that may be found in The Egyptian Book of the Dead. Whereas the tenets of Judaism within Rastafari are themselves an offshoot of Egyptian mysticism. Rastafarians also believe that within man there are three different spiritual levels: the animal stage, where the man is controlled by his emotions; a second stage, where he is governed by his will to control his emotions; and the third stage where he is able to commune peacefully with JAH in the inner depths of his being: a person such as this is considered a ‘Godman’, and only a man of this level of spirituality is worthy of sitting on a throne.
In addition to the religious roots of Rastafari found within the Egyptian mysteries, the teachings of Orthodox Christianity are also tied to a significant amount of beliefs found within the faith of Rastarari. For example, the doctrine of theosis (a belief where God and man become one) is a dogma of the Orthodox Church which we also find in the tenets of Rastafari. Rastas believe that through union with JAH, the God-fearing dread becomes who he truly is but never was; a process of self-discovery made possible only through the repentance of one’s sins. This mystical union between JAH and the believer is expressed by the term “I&I” which can mean I, we, and even you, with JAH being present within and without.
When studying the history of the Rastafarian movement, we must first travel back in time to Antiquity, to the days of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. As the story goes the Queen of Sheba, who ruled Ethiopia, traveled to Jerusalem after hearing of the wisdom of Solomon. For as the Bible says, “she came to prove him with hard questions.” (I Kings 10:1). Upon arrival the queen was indeed impressed with Solomon’s wisdom, and Solomon in turn desired the queen for Solomon was a lover of women. As things transpired Solomon did have his way with her and on the queen’s return to Ethiopia she would bear a son whom she named Menelik, meaning “Son of the Wise Man.” The Queen of Sheba also brought back with her the worship of the One True God of Israel and a form of Judaism was established in ancient Ethiopia. According to the Kebra Nagast, Menelik did eventually visit Solomon once he was grown and Solomon sent Levites back with his son to firmly establish the worship of the God of Israel in Ethiopia. In this story the ark of the covenant was also brought to Ethiopia and tradition tells us that the ark still resides to this day in Ethiopia at the Church of St. Mary of Zion, in the holy city of Axum.
But what makes this ancient story so significant as it pertains to modern times, is found primarily in the person of the Ethiopian monarch who was the 225th descendant of king Solomon and the Queen of Sheba: none other than His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I, who was crowned King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Conquering Lion of the tribe of Judah, Elect of God, of Ethiopia on November 2nd 1930 in Addis Abbaba, the capital of Ethiopia. Before his coronation Selassie held the title of Ras Tafari, and through the writings of the Jamaican political activist Marcus Garvey, many blacks in Jamaica saw the crowing of a black king in the east to be none other than the second coming of Jesus Christ.
In Jamaica, as elsewhere in the world, the 1930’s were years of social unrest and political upheaval. It was the perfect context for the rise of a band of Jamaicans who had divorced themselves mentally from the oppression of the system. The faith of Rastafari in turn became the religion for the dispossessed. For the Rastas of Jamaica believed that we are living in the last days of this present world order. Only the righteous will move forward through the apocalypse into the new era, and only those who have battled to save the world from the greed and oppression of the Babylonian system shall prosper.
This era of consciousnesses among the Rastas of Jamaica coincided with the rise of reggae music. For many reggae artists would incorporate their Rasta reasonings in the lyrics of their songs, and the Rastafarian movement in Jamaica gained in popularity as a result. But it wouldn’t be until the 1970s that the message of Rastafari would be spread right round the world, and the ambassador of the roots, rock, and reggae that made it all happen was none other than the late great Bob Marley. Along with his band the Wailers, Bob’s message of peace and universal brotherhood would reach the four corners of the earth, and the faith of Rastafari would be shared globally. It is interesting to note that shortly before his death in 1981, Bob Marley was baptized into the Ethiopian Orthodox Church by Archbishop Yesehaq, who gave Bob the name Berhane Selassie meaning “Light of the Holy Trinity.”
Now that we have peered into the ages past, delved through religious faiths, and spanned the globe in search for the origins of Rastafari, we cannot help but to return to where we began with a spiritual richness that rivals all the gold in Solomon’s temple! For though Solomon was the richest man who ever lived, the king himself spoke of how wisdom is more precious than gold, and that understanding is better to be chosen than silver (Proverbs 16:16). And this could be the meaning of life itself, to focus on the spiritual life and not find ourselves caught up in materialism. And that might be the single most important teaching and belief held by Rastas, to be rich in spirit and in faith. For as Christ said, “ it is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing…” (John 6:63).
References:
Archbishop Yesehaq. The Ethiopian Tewahedo Church. (Nashville, Tennessee: James C. Winston Publishing Company, Inc., 1997).
Boot, A. Bob Marley: Songs of Freedom. (New York, NY: Viking Studio Books, 1995).