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... that Haile Selassie rejected the idea that he was the savior is even more proof to the Rasta's that he was the returned Messiah. The Messiah will indeed be a king from the house of David who will gather the scattered of Israel together, but the order of the world will not be radically changed by his coming" (Chevannes, Ideology 138). In contrast, Jews believe that with the coming of the Messiah there will be a world of peace and justice and all people of Israel will become obedient to the ways of the Torah. The closest that anyone has ever come to creating a widely accepted list of Jewish beliefs is Rambam's thirteen principles of faith. Rambam's thirteen principles of faith are thought to be the minimum requirements of Jewish belief: " 1.
G-d exists 2. G-d is one and unique 3. G-d is incorporeal 4. G-d is eternal 5. Prayer is to be directed to G-d alone and to no other 6. The words of the prophets are true 7.
Moses's prophecies are true, and Moses was the greatest of the prophets 8. The Written Torah (first 5 books of the Bible) and Oral Torah (teachings now contained in the Talmud and other writings) were given to Moses 9. There will be no other Torah 10. G-d knows the thoughts and deeds of men 11. G-d will reward the good and punish the wicked 12.
The Messiah will come 13. The dead will be resurrected" (Neusner 18). These ideas are very similar to the set of ideals that Leonard P. Howell is credited for creating in 1935. He also is acclaimed for writing the first Rastafarian bible.
The Rastafari movement never had a central organization or a single leader with any kind of authority. This was because of their philosophy that no person had any privilege, power or special religious domination. Likewise, Judaism does not have a central religious figure such as the Catholic pope. Howell wrote that to be a Rastafarian, you must acknowledge the following 13 theories: " 1.
H. I. M. Emperor Haile Selassie I, King of Kings, Lord of Israel, Conquering Lion of The Tribe Of Judah, 225 th descendent of the House of David. 2. One must know and acknowledge the Bible and the teachings of Jah Rastafari above all things. 3. One accepts and holds in reverence the person of His Majesty Haile Selassie as the living manifestation of Jah (God) in the flesh. 4.
One must know that the so called "death" is not an eternal phenomenon, one only sees "death" happening in life-a Rasta man knows not of death but of life everlasting. 5. Repatriation is a must for all Rastafarians. Repatriation from Babylon (western concepts and false teachings) to Zion land, the promised land, African Land. A physical and spiritual repatriation to the land of 'I n I' (our) fore parents, with clean hands and pureness of heart." 6.
One seeks after the world of life, Jah Life (The Kingdom of Jah) and not after the material things of this world, for they are only temporary (Kingdom of Babylon). 7. A Rastafarian is a Jew by nature, being a righteous one of principles, dignity and love for God. 8. A Rasta cannot afford to be "color blind" Jah is universal, Jah go and do as he wishes, Jah can take on any color he pleases. 9. All people are of Jah Rastafari regardless of color. 10.
A Rastafarian must accept the oath of the Nazarite, such as the forefathers- Moses, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Solomon, and Ras Ta Fari. 11. A Rastafarian must be a man of peace, love and unity, living in harmony with Jah, man, and nature. Living without violence, corruption and envy towards his brothers and sisters. 12. A Rastafarian must accept and observe the laws of the Ten Commandments, which Jah left early mankind, comprising of every prerequisite for a flourishing communal life. 13. It is and should be the will of all Rastafarian to liberate and eradicate all iniquity (evil) from all the world" (Barret 67). There are clearly many similarities between the two religions.
It appears as if Howell modeled his ideals after Rambam's even in the fact that both lists have thirteen attributes. Major differences arise from the disagreement about Haile Selassie as a messiah. Both religions believe that G-d should be worshipped above all things and that people should look to the ten commandments, and to the prophets, and that a messiah will come from the house of King David. Tenet number six, stating that a Rastafarian is a Jew by nature, is an obvious link the two religions. The two religions share similar attitudes toward god, the Bible, and humanity.
Main paths of divergence lie in views of the messiah and beliefs about the race of major religious figures in the Bible. Although both Jews and Rasta's believe in the Old Testament and obey its laws, Rasta's pick and choose which parts of the Bible to take literally and which to interpret. The white person is considered inferior to the black person by most Rastafarians. "The original man is none other than the Black man, Black man is the first last: creator of the Universe and primogenitor of al other races" (Barret 114). Despite such rhetoric, white people are considered oppressors of the black people, but not all white people are considered evil. The Rastafarians believe that the bible is written by and about black people. When the Bible speaks about the Israelites, the Rasta's believe that the writings are about black people. "The history thus dug from earth in Africa has borne mute but abundant testimony that the bible records us Black people as Israel.
They go on to believe that the black Africans are the sole representatives of those chosen people recounted in the Bible" (Barret 86). Thus they often interpret the Bible literally, especially when color is discussed. In Lamentations chapter 4, verse 8, it is written "Their visage is blacker than a coal; they are not known in the street: their skin cleaves to their bones; it is withered; it is become like a stick. " The Rastafarians read this reference as referring to black people, while Jews interpret metaphorically as an indication of god's wrath towards the children of Israel. God, in his anger, is dooming the people and warning that if they act badly, their faces will 'darken'. Jews do not interpret the passage as a reference to race but rather as a metaphorical description of rejection and evil. Rastafarians also believe that Moses must have been black.
When the Pharaoh of Egypt decreed as law that all the Hebrew male babies be cast into the Nile River, Miriam and her mother hid Moses in a basket alongside the river. When Pharaoh's daughter found Moses, she knew that the baby was a Hebrew and adopted him. Rastafarians believe that if Moses had been a white baby, it would have been difficult to conceal him from her father's anger (Barret 127). Many Rastafarians still believe that David was black despite the following quote in Samuel I, chapter 17, verse 42. "And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David; he disdained him; for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance. " This quote is pretty straight forward in saying that David had red hair and white skin. The Rastafarian's have a knack for picking and choosing what they believe is true. They take most of the words out of context without understanding all the other words and phrases in the bible (Barret 128).
In conclusion, There are clearly many similarities between Judaism and Rastafarianism in terms of their core ethical beliefs, relationship to God, belief in the Old Testament's scriptures, and practices. Indeed, one of the Rastafarian's core beliefs is that they are descendants of David. The two religions differ, however, in their views of who the Messiah is, with Jews believing that the Messiah has not arrived yet and the Rastafarians believing that Haile Selassie was the Messiah. Rastafarians believe that Selassie was a descendent of the House of David, proving that 'real' Jews are blacks and that whites have hid this identity throughout time. Thus Rastafarians are Jews in many respects, and, in my opinion, should be considered a sect of Judaism in addition to the Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist movements. Bibliography 1.
Barrett, Leonard. The Rastafarians. Boston: Beacon, 1988. 2. Campbell, Horace. Rasta and Resistance.
Trenton, New Jersey: Africa World, 1987. 3. Chevannes, Barry. Rastafari and Other African-Caribbean World Views. London: Macmillan, 1995. 4. Rastafari: Roots and Ideology. New York: Syracuse University Press, 1994. 5.
Lewis, William. Souls Rebels. Prospect Heights, Illinois: Waveland, 1993. 6. Messing, Simon D. The Story of the Falashas, "Black Jews " of Ethiopia.
New York: Balshon Print. & Offset, 1982. 7. Neusner, Jacob. The Foundations of the Theology of Judaism. London: Jason Aronson, 1991.
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