His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I Born in 1892, Haile Selassie became king of Ethiopia in 1928. Later, on 2nd November 1930, he also became Emperor and henceforth ruled under the title of His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I. His reign has often been described as enlightened, as he abolished slavery, aimed to modernise Ethiopia, and gave his country its first written constitution (1931). In 1935, Italian fascists invaded Ethiopia, and Selassie fought bravely until forced to flee to Britain where he sought help to ultimately successfully repel the invasion. Selassie I was believed to be directly descended from King Solomon of Israel (circa 970-931 B.C.E) and the Black Queen Makeda of Sheba. The biblical description (1 Kings 10:1-13) of the meeting of these two legendary figures of Israels Golden Age makes no mention of their supposed union. But an elaborated version of the tale is related in an ancient Ethiopian document, the Kebra Nagast (Glory of Kings), which claims they became the parents of a son Menelik. According to the tradition, Menelik not only went on to found a royal dynasty in Ethiopia, from which Haile Selassie I claimed descent, but he also stole the Ark of the Covenant from his father Solomons Temple in Jerusalem, and took it with him to Ethiopia. (This has never been proven, though it is a fact that the Ark mysteriously disappeared from the Temples Holy of Holies, probably during the reign of Solomon and in any case long before the Fall of Jerusalem in 589 B.C.E.) The Kebra Nagast legend has various implications. The theory of the Arks removal from Israel to Ethiopia conveys an obvious symbolism: in effect, Gods favour was being taken away from his original Chosen People and bestowed instead upon Ethiopia. Hence, Gods covenant promise to King David that he would never lack a descendant to rule over Israel was believed to have been similarly transferred to the Ethiopian royal lineage descended from Menelik, son of Solomon and Sheba. This is taken to explain why the line of Israels Davidic monarchs eventually ended in failure at the time of the Fall of Jerusalem. (The Christian interpretation of this apparent broken promise on Gods part seems to be that Jesus Christ, who was similarly said to be a descendant of King David, is the heir to Israels throne in a wider ranging spiritual sense.) Thus Haile Selassie I was seen to be preserving an important scriptural tradition that stretched back over three millennia. Moreover, as Ethiopias monarch, he adopted various biblical titles that have long been connected with the Messiah - Selassie was called King of kings and Lord of lords, and was also associated with the motto, The Lion Of The Tribe Of Judah [hath prevailed]. Meanwhile, in Jamaica it was said that Selassies coronation in 1930 was the dramatic fulfilment of a prophecy spoken by Marcus Garvey who had predicted the crowning in Africa of a Black king, who would be the Redeemer of the worldwide Black African Diaspora. Selassies illustrious legendary background and messianic titles must have left many of Garveys followers in no doubt that this was the promised Black Messiah. Moreover, the name Haile Selassie (Amharic, Power of the Trinity) implied a divine presence incarnate in man. Thus Haile Selassie began to be variously adored or worshipped as a Christ figure or even as Almighty God. His devoted Jamaican followers became known as Rastafarians, a term derived from Haile Selassies given name at birth, Ras Tafari Mekonnen. Selassie himself being a devout Orthodox Christian, he seems to have found this attention embarassing. He sought to assure people that he was not God, but a sinner for whom Jesus Christ had died. However, this did little to halt the growth of the Rastafarian movement, for it was reasoned that God incarnate in a man would by his very nature not know that he was God. As various branches of the Rastafarian tradition have evolved, some groups have continued to worship the Divinity of Haile Selassie, the Power of the Trinity, while others (such as the Twelve Tribes) have come to view him as an enlightened ruler and christ figure who pointed the way to God though was not God himself. In contrast to the vast respect he was afforded by many in Jamaica, Selassie was condemned as a ruthless dictator by a number of enemies and political opponents, notably some neighbouring African countries. Evidently, controversy - both religious and political - has centred around many aspects of his reign. Selassie I was eventually deposed by the Marxist leader Mengistu Haile Mariam in 1974. According to history books, Selassie died the following year in mysterious circumstances, having been imprisoned and presumably tortured. However, Rastafarians who believed him to be the immortal God Jah Rastafari claimed that this was mere enemy propaganda, and that Selassie I was still alive. Whatever the case historically, H.I.M. Emperor Haile Selassie I has undeniably gone into legend and continues to inspire a vast following today
Posted on: Fri, 25 Oct 2013 10:02:47 +0000
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