History and Rastafari

One of the most interesting aspects of Rastafari, for me, is how deeply imbedded it is within biblical history and the connections people made to that history. In class we talked about how Haili Selassie was regarded as a divine figure and a messianic one as well. His position as a savior and protector of the African people came to be for two reasons: one was that he was considered the descendant of Soloman and the Queen of Sheba as mentioned the story that we read in class; Two, because of his name, which translated to the "King of Kings, Lord of Lords," and "Conquering Lion of the tribe of Judah."(36) These biblical proofs were enough evidence for Jamaicans who had already believed in African and Afro-christian faiths-which espoused Jamaica as a Babylonian resting place and Ethiopia as the paradisiacal homeland- to take the next step into Rastafarianism.

The fact that Haili Selassie's enthronement was such a major catalyst in Rasta culture makes me wonder how the movement would have been different were no Haili Selassie to have been enthroned emperor of Ethiopia, or, on the other side, if there had been no references in the Bible to the Queen of Sheba or the King of Kings. In my opinion, this movement would not have come about with any resemblance to the way it did, because already, Rasta was connected very closely to the beliefs held by African and Afro-christian faiths, and so without those it would not have had the foundation on which it grew.