Sodom and Gomorrah: An Ancient Curse & A Modern Plague

 

While reading through the pages of the Old Testament, also known as the Hebrew Bible, are we confronted with an extremely ominous act of God which occurred in ancient times. However, this divine judgment from the distant past has also created much controversy for many of us living in the modern era who are uncomfortable with the suggested reason for why God's wrath was so fervently kindled towards a particular people group. And this Biblical story, which has been cited by preachers and revisited by conservatives, is infamously known as Sodom and Gomorrah. To begin with,  it is understood that God destroyed these cities due to the rampant sin of homosexuality which was practiced by the town's inhabitants. Going further, the English word sodomy (and its meaning) has come down to us by referencing the city of Sodom, which was known as a human settlement filled with men who reveled in anal sex. But as we shall discover, sodomy also includes oral sex, even when practiced between heterosexuals: men and women. Now the aim of this presentation is not to judge or condemn any particular person or persons who engage in such activities, neither is this a discourse on sex education, even though some of what is said will indeed be quite graphic. Rather, the point of tackling this sensitive subject has the intended goal of objectively looking at what God has said concerning certain sex acts, as taken directly from the righteous teachings found in both the Old and New Testaments of the Holy Bible.

At first glance it may appear, from what is found written in the book of Genesis, that God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah in response to their shameful acts of unbridled homosexuality. However, another reason for why the Lord rained down fire and brimstone upon the cities of the plain could have been due to their inhospitable treatment towards the poor and needy (Ezekiel 16:49). Now the tradition of displaying hospitality to guests, and even unto strangers, is a praiseworthy virtue which has been upheld by the people of the Middle East, going all the way back to the most ancient of days. For according to the Bible, while the men of Sodom were ignoring the needs of others, the Hebrew patriarch and prophet Abraham showed forth brotherly love and compassion towards three mysterious men who were passing by him in the plains of Mamre (Genesis 18:1-8). This act of kindness demonstrated by Abraham is also referenced in the New Testament, where it is written, "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares" (Hebrews 13:2). On the other hand, these same angels whom Abraham entertained were later sought after by the men of Sodom, but not for tea and the breaking of bread, but in the hopes of gratifying their base, carnal, and abominable sexual desires (Genesis 19:5). So, in the end it is evident that God's decision to destroy the men of Sodom was due to their exceeding wickedness (Genesis 13:13).

To further emphasize how much God detests the sin of homosexuality, it is elsewhere revealed in the law of Moses that even cross dressing is considered as something ungodly and sinful in the eyes of the Lord. For as it is written, "The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God" (Deuteronomy 22:5). From this passage it is clearly understood how serious of a sin homosexuality is. For even if one is not engaged in the act of sex with one's same gender, just by the act of a man or woman dressing up in clothing suited for the opposite sex is enough to sorely displease the Lord. So, it is important for men and women to fulfill and embrace the roles that are best suited for the particular gender that they were born with, and not go outside the boundaries of their gender and begin to identify as another gender. Remember, God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them (Genesis 1:27). Since God created only two genders, and made man and woman in His image, then if a man or woman begins to identify as another gender then that person is defying God and is in turn distorting the image of God by which they were originally created in. This is a huge sin, and it can be easily understood why such an action is considered as an abomination unto the Lord.

In the New Testament, Sodom and Gomorrah (and their judgment) are also referenced in a few different places. In 2 Peter 2:6 it is written how God turned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, making their fate an example towards all others who would chose to live an ungodly lifestyle. In Jude 1:7 we see that because of giving themselves over to fornication, and going after "strange flesh" Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. Even Christ Himself spoke of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and stated how these sinful cities will be punished on the day of judgment (Luke 17:29 & Matthew 10:15). The Apostle Paul also makes mention of the sin of homosexuality practiced by both men and women, and relates that because of these vile affections God has given them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient (Romans 1:26-28). Now some may argue that homosexuals are born that way, and state how they can't help the fact that they are attracted to the same gender as themselves. Yet even if someone was truly born that way, it is their responsibility to struggle to overcome these inherited iniquities, by living a life of repentance according to the Lord's commandments. Just as heterosexuals must struggle not to engage in fornication or adultery, so too must homosexuals deny the flesh presenting their bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is our reasonable service (Romans 12:1).

As already touched upon it is not only homosexuals who can engage in sodomy, but it is also possible for heterosexuals to practice unnatural sex acts such as sodomy. For according to the dogma of the Orthodox Church, anal sex between a man and a woman is forbidden along with oral sex between a man and a woman, even if the couples are married. The function of sex is for the procreation of children, so engaging in any type of sexual act that makes it impossible for children to be birthed is considered a sin. For the Church includes oral sex within the definition of sodomy and has emphatically denounced this practice as unnatural and against the law of God. So it is not only homosexuals who are guilty of sodomy, but heterosexuals are also under condemnation if they continue to engage in unnatural sex acts, which are forbidden under the Lord's commandments and by the canons of the Church. Again I am not personally condemning anyone, nor do I think myself more righteous than my neighbor. However, my intention in pointing out these issues is to bring awareness to the general public the dangers of certain activities which people today may not realize are wrong, and therefore I encourage all of us (including myself) to live a life of repentance in devotion to God, His law, and His word.

Now some may say that the sinful cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were not actual historical cities, but rather are nothing more than Jewish fables. However, it is believed that the ruins of Sodom and Gomorrah have indeed been discovered. For in the Holy Land, near the Dead Sea, there appears to be evidence that at one time there was in fact some type of civilization in this location which corresponds to what is found written in the Bible. For when examining the terrain towards the southern end of the Dead Sea, there seems to be man made structures in which one can find clumps of sulfur embedded in the "walls." These ruined walls by the Dead Sea speckled with sulfur may support the Biblical narrative of God raining down fire and brimstone upon the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:24). It is also held that the reason why the Dead Sea gets its name is due to its high concentration of salt, making it impossible for any type of life-form to exist or sustain itself in that intensely saline body of water. This scientific fact could also lend credibility to the Bible story since it is written how the cities of the plain were all joined together by the salt sea (Genesis 14:3). Whether one believes in the Bible or not, it is a fact that the territories surrounding the Dead Sea, where the story of Sodom takes place, are now completely desolate with not even a single blade of grass being able to grow.

In closing I would like to suggest that an event similar to what God did in the distant past to Sodom and Gomorrah could also be done again in the near future if certain individuals do not repent for their perverted sexual immortality. Outside of what is written in the Bible, the Saints of the Orthodox Church have also written about how much God detests the sins of the flesh. A warning of God's judgment towards practicing sodomites has even come forth from the lips of a contemporary holy elder of the Orthodox Church, who reposed in the Lord on the 7th of December in 2019. For a few years before he died, the holy and blessed Elder Ephraim of Arizona spoke to some of his spiritual children concerning the sin of sodomy, and sexual immortality in general. The Elder had this to say: "The Old Testament says: "My spirit will not remain with man because they are flesh." This applies today. Sodom burned just like a nuclear bomb. Christ does not tolerate such sins. Everywhere the sins of the flesh are worshiped. There is no repentance. The Venerable Mary of Egypt repented. All homosexuals will be eliminated. Everything will become dirt, nuclear, all dirt. The war will begin because of our sins." So even coming from such a pure and genuine vessel of the Holy Spirit, like that of Elder Ephraim, do we realize that God is not only love, but that the Lord is also vengeful. God is to be feared and not mocked. For as it is written, "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Hebrews 10:31).

References:

Zondervan. The Holy Bible, King James Version. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2009).

https://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2014/08/a-conversation-with-elder-ephraim-of.html?m=1

Origins of The Ishmaelites and The Israelites

 

The tribe of Judah was a subset of the kingdom of Judah, but there were other Hebrew tribes which belonged to the kingdom of Judah which also made them Jewish, such as the tribes of Benjamin and Levi, for example. The English term Jew originates from the Biblical Hebrew word Yehudi, meaning "from the Kingdom of Judah." For a Jew was originally a person from the kingdom of Judah, not the tribe of Judah. What makes things a little confusing is that the kingdom of Judah was named after the tribe of Judah, which was the royal tribe of the kingdom. For the term "Jew" didn’t start out as a descendant identifier, but rather as a national identifier. The word Jew would later go on to include an even broader spectrum which included all the twelve tribes of Israel, but it was never used to identify a single tribe. The attempt of this work will be an effort to clear up the misunderstandings of who is a Jew, and this presentation will also strive to identify the origins of the Ishmaelites, a people group who share the patriarch Abraham as a common ancestor along with the Jews.

Now when it comes to the account of the Ishmaelites, as found in the pages of the book of Genesis, it is clearly understood that Ishmael and his descendants were of both Semitic and Hamitic bloodlines. For example, Ishmael's father Abraham was a Hebrew from the lineage of Shem, and Ishmael's mother was an Egyptian from the lineage of Ham. Going further, we also see that Hagar, Ishmael's Egyptian mother, took for him a wife out of the land of Egypt (Genesis 21:21). So even though Ishmael possessed Hebraic roots through the lineage of his Hebrew father Abraham, Ishmael's descendants would also share strong racial ties to the Egyptians due to the matriarchal elements of both his Egyptian mother and his Egyptian wife. Therefore, the ethnic origins of the ancient Ishmaelites lean more in the direction of the Hamitic races, rather than dominantly stemming from the ancient Semitic people groups. Yet even though the Ishmaelites are of Hamitic stock through their matriarchal DNA, their tribal heritage is firstly Hebraic due to Ishmael's descendant from Abraham who was a Hebrew. For when two people of different ethnicities have children, their offspring are associated with the father's race, due to the dominance of the patriarchal DNA. So even though the Ishmaelites retained much Hamitic blood, they are also classified as Semitic due to their lineage and descent from Abraham.

Concerning Abraham and his people, we see that the geographical area of ancient Mesopotamia was the homeland of the various Semitic tribes which Abraham was a part of. More specifically, Abraham and his entire family originally lived in the Sumerian city state of Ur of the Chaldees, before Abraham was called by Yahweh to leave the land of his birth and go to a land that the Lord would show him (Genesis 12:1). Also in Genesis 14:13 Abraham is called a Hebrew, for it is understood that the title of Hebrew originated with Eber, a distant ancestor of Abraham. Now, the Hebrew word Eber is connected with crossing over. Considering that other names for the descendants of Shem also stand for places, Eber can also be considered the name of an area, perhaps near Assyria. The prevailing view of scholars is that the Hebrews had received their name from Eber, while also pointing out that the name "Hebrew" meant "those who cross", in reference to those who crossed the Euphrates river with Abraham from Ur to Harran, and then to the land of Canaan.

When examining the name "Canaan", we see that it appears all throughout the Old Testament, especially in Genesis where it corresponds to "the Levant", in particularly the areas of the Southern Levant which provides the main setting for the stories found within the Bible. Though the term Canaan referred to a physical location, Canaan was also the name of one of the sons of Ham. For shortly after the Great Flood, the Bible tells us that Noah cursed Canaan the son of Ham, due to Ham uncovering his father's nakedness (Genesis 9:20-27). Now the descendants of Ham are believed to have populated the continent of Africa, and due to the fact that Noah cursed Canaan the son of Ham and prophesied that he would be a servant of servants to his brethren, this has led many to conclude that the plight of the African slave trade can be traced back to the curse placed upon Canaan by his grandfather Noah. However, it is traditionally held that the land of Canaan was not originally populated by Hamites but by Semitic peoples, namely the Phoenicians, within the territory we know today as the country of Lebanon and parts of the modern state of Israel. Additionally, in the Book of Joshua, Canaanites were included in the list of nations that God commanded the Israelites to exterminate. So whether Canaan was African or Lebanese, the fact remains that Canaan was cursed. Yet since the name associated with a generational curse is the same name used to denote a blessed piece of real-estate, described in the Bible as a land flowing with milk and honey, a further study into this anomaly is indeed required, but is beyond the scope of this present work to be expanded upon.

Returning to the origins of the Israelites, the Bible tells us that the second born son of Abraham, and the firstborn to his wife Sarah, was named Isaac who is also known as the child of promise. For it would be through Isaac's bloodline that the promised Messiah would eventually be birthed from, but not through the descendants of Ishmael, Isaac's half-brother. Isaac would go on to father Esau and Jacob. Though Esau was the eldest, the blessing of Isaac was given to Jacob instead through trickery. Esau, in turn, went on to marry the daughter of Ishmael, and his descendants would be known as the Edomites. Jacob, who would later be known by the name "Israel" a name that means to strive or to struggle with God, would father twelve sons which later developed into tribes. And this ancient Biblical family or people group are known as the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Due to certain circumstances, the initial family of Israel, numbering about seventy souls altogether, found themselves in the land of Egypt and settled there for a period of about 400 years. During their 400-year sojourn in the land of Egypt, the Israelites increased in number and were collectively known as the Hebrews.

After their Exodus from Egypt and their wanderings in the wilderness, the children of Israel established themselves in the promised land around the year 1400 BC or possibly even 1200 BC. At any rate, the Hebrews eventually formed themselves into the united kingdom of Israel around 1000 BC. In approximately 922 BC, the kingdom of Israel split into a northern kingdom, called Israel, and a southern kingdom, called Judah. Although all the twelve tribes were included in the Israelite ethnicity, inhabitants of the northern kingdom were Israelites also by virtue of being from the kingdom of Israel, while inhabitants of the southern kingdom were known as Judeans or Jews by virtue of being from the kingdom of Judah. However, with the destruction of the northern kingdom by the Assyrians in 722 BC, the only Israelites remaining were the Judeans, and thus the terms Israelite and Jew become somewhat interchangeable. The southern kingdom, consisting of two of the twelve tribes (specifically Benjamin and Judah) became known as Judah, and managed to survive until the year 586 BC, when the Babylonians conquered it. Jerusalem fell, the Temple was destroyed, and a large number of Judeans or Jews were deported into Babylon. Thus began the era of Jewish history known as the Babylonian Captivity.

Under Persian rule at the end of the sixth century BC, the Jews were released from their bondage in Babylon. Upon returning to their homeland, the areas around Jerusalem were now named Yehud and the term Yehudi (often translated “Jew” but more properly “Ju-dean”) referred to an inhabitant of Yehud or Judea. Also, it would be some centuries before the term Yehudi was understood to designate an adherent of the tradition of Judaism making one a Jew, rather than an inhabitant of the province of Judea making one a Judean. Concerning the term Hebrew, it is the name employed in some Biblical sources to designate the most ancient ancestors of the Israelite people. It is primarily an ethnic and linguistic term, denoting persons who spoke Hebrew. Now, what happened to the ten tribes of the northern kingdom of Israel after 722 BC, is a bit of a mystery. For it seems that they have been lost to history. But the tribal heritage of the members of the southern kingdom of Judah were preserved. For the inhabitants of Judea were made up of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, along with elements from the priestly tribe of Levi. And these tribes of Judea would now collectively be known simply as Jews.

In conclusion, it can be understood by combing through the entire Bible that a Jew is not just someone belonging to the tribe of Judah, but is a term that can also be applied to designate all those who make up the various tribes of the children of Israel. For in the Old Testament book of Esther 2:5; we see that someone from the tribe of Benjamin was referred to as a Jew. Also in the New Testament the Apostle Paul calls himself a Jew in Acts 21:39, where elsewhere Paul describes himself as "...of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew..." (Philippians 3:5). So from what has been presented in this work the terms Hebrew, Jew, and Israelite may have had different meanings at different times, spanning all throughout the history of the Hebrews, yet all three are appropriate in their various designations. For the names Hebrew and Jew, are both valid in their descriptions, which include all the twelve tribes of Israel.

References:

Hayes, C. Introduction to the Bible: The Open Yale Courses Series. (Yale University Press, 2012).

Strong, J. The New Strong's Expanded Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2010).

Zondervan. The Holy Bible, King James Version. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2009).

The Ancient Persian Empire & The Modern State of Israel

 

In modern times, while gazing across the geopolitical landscape of the region known today as the Middle East, do we witness a great tension held between the modern state of Israel and the Islamic Republic of Iran. Though these two countries are bitter enemies today, history informs us that at one time Iranians and Jews shared a peaceful and benevolent relationship towards one another. For example, in 539 BC when the Persians conquered the kingdom of Babylon, king Cyrus of Persia not only freed the Jewish captives but also encouraged the liberated Jews to return to Judah and rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem, which had been previously destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC. For it is written in the Bible of how the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia and charged the ancient Iranian king to build Him a house in Jerusalem (Ezra 1:1-2). However, this symbiotic friendship which ancient Iran and ancient Israel once maintained in Antiquity, has now unfortunately spiraled downwards into a heated rivalry in the modern era. This work will attempt to go back in time to when these two nations were at peace, and then hopefully discover how the two countries now find themselves at the brink of war.

As previously touched upon, the modern nation of Iran is in fact the surviving remnant of the once great and expansive Persian Empire. Though the country of Iran is currently made up of differing nationalities the majority of Iranians are ethnically Persians, and are not to be confused with Arabs. Though there were several dynasties of the Persian Empire throughout the centuries past, the first and greatest of the Persian Empires was the Achaemenid Empire. Originally founded in 550 BC by Cyrus the Great, the Persian Achaemenid Empire would become the largest empire the world had ever seen up until that time. It would even surpass the vastness of the territories by which the future Roman Empire would go on to conquer. Now by continuing the trend of the ancient camaraderie which existed among Iranians and Jews, do we come to a passage in the Bible that elevates the Persian king Cyrus to such a high degree by which no other person in the entire Old Testament, Israelite or pagan alike, have ever been exalted to or titled. And this most lofty of Biblical titles which has been granted unto Cyrus is none other than “Messiah”.

Now it is of no wonder that the Bible refers to Cyrus as “Mashiyach” or “Anointed”, for Cyrus was a just and benevolent ruler who was even respected by his enemies and rivals. In addition to his humanitarianism of freeing the Jews, Cyrus went on to make a charter on human rights. For discovered in 1879, and dating to the 6^th century BC, an ancient clay cylinder written in the Akkadian cuneiform script relates how Cyrus declared that all people residing in his empire must live in peace. And this ancient clay charter on human rights is known as the Cyrus Cylinder. Compared to the Babylonian Code of Hammurabi, and even by some to the Law of Moses, Cyrus' Cylinder stands as a testament of what made this man great. Cyrus nobly died in battle in 530 BC and was buried in a modest yet elegant tomb which still stands to this very day, even after 2,500 years.

In addition to the Persian king Cyrus the Great being mentioned in the Bible, the names of other Persian kings are also found in the pages of the Old Testament. For example, the Persian king Xerxes is know as Ahasurerus in the book of Esther. However, it is at this time when the relationship between the Persians and the Jews begins to go south. Ultimately the Jewish queen Esther would save her people from genocide by winning the favor of her Persian husband king Ahasurerus, also known as Xerxes. The Persian king Darius the Great is also favorably written of in the book of Ezra, where it is recorded how Darius helped in the efforts of repatriating the Jews, and was also highly instrumental in the task of rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem.

It would seem that in the couple centuries following the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple, relations between the Jews and the Persians were generally positive. But in the 4^th century BC, Persia would not have little Israel or Judah to worry about. For the forces of Greece were now concentrated on challenging the Persians. For in 331 BC Alexander the Great defeated the Persian army of Darius III at the Battle of Gaugamela. After this Alexander marched into Persia's capitol city of Persepolis, looted its treasures, and then burned the palace and the city to the ground. Thus in the year 330 BC did Alexander the Great's Greek Macedonian Empire conquer the Persian Achaemenid Empire.

Now concerning the Jewish migration from Persia back to Judea, it is known that some Jews remained in Persia and established their own communities which have continued to exist within the borders of Iran ever since the days of king Cyrus. For during the height of the Persian Empire, Jews made up about 20% of the empire's population. However, in more recent times there has been a significant decline of a Jewish presence in Iran. During the early 20^th century in the era of the Shah (1925 – 1979), the Pahlavi dynasty instituted modern reforms that the Jews in Iran greatly benefited from. Jews were allowed to be employed in the government, Hebrew was permitted to be taught in Jewish schools, and even Jewish newspapers were given the right to be printed. But once the state of Israel was created in 1948, anti-Jewish attitudes in Iran began to fester. For a new Jewish movement perceived as a threat to Iran had now emerged: Zionism. However, during the Iranian revolution in 1979 many Iranian Jews joined the revolution in the hopes of losing their Jewish identity and become a part of the Utopian dream promised by the architects of the revolution. After the revolution tens of thousands of Iranian Jews immigrated to Israel, while others chose to settle in America and Western Europe. When Ayatollah Khomeini became the leader of Iran, he was clear in his statements that he knew how to differentiate between Zionism and Judaism and that he also believed that not all Jews are Zionists.

Today the modern states of Iran and Israel are at war by proxy, with both sides working hard to outdo the other militarily, while at the same time both are trying to avoid a hot war. As one Iranian intellectual has stated, “war is hell!” Now Israel is a small country and it would be a huge challenge to fight a ground war against Iran, especially since neighboring Lebanon has proven a worthy opponent, as was demonstrated in Hezbollah's victory over Israel in the summer of 2006. Iran supports Hezbollah and supplies them with weapons, which has made Lebanon a deterrence factor against Israeli expansion in the region. Surrounded by enemies domestically, Israel has always had the international backing of the United States of America along with other countries such as Great Britain and Japan. But the government of America stands out among all other world powers in its defense of Israel, both in economic aid and militarily spending. In the world of religion, American Protestant Christian Fundamentalists and Evangelicals preach pro-Israeli sermons from the pulpit and make sure to support and vote for politicians who are allies of Israel, and then go on to demonize the whole of Iranians as radical religious extremists hell bent on wiping the state of Israel from off the face of the earth.

The fact of the matter is that both the Iranians and the Israelis are highly intelligent people who share an amazing ancient legacy, unmatched in the history of all mankind. It would be a shame to see either one of these nations bombed back to the rubble of Antiquity, leaving nothing for the history books but a smoldering crater. Both cultures are too rich to be destroyed for they have so much to give, not only to their own people, but to the rest of the world. Even if tensions between the governments of Israel and Iran don't settle down, at least the innocent people of both nations will have the relative freedom to live their lives and enjoy the uniqueness of what each of their countries have to offer and be proud of the achievements of their ancestors. Maybe by looking to the past can we all find the answers to the problems we face today, and God willing together we can all build a better future for our descendants.

Bob Marley's Baptism Into The Ethiopian Orthodox Church

In today's world Bob Marley is a household name. For even more than 40 years after his death, the Tuff Gong's legend continues to live on. Due to Bob's universal popularity the message of “One Love” as well as the mystical tenets of the Rastafarian movement have managed to successfully circumnavigate the globe several times over. However, what is not so commonly known about Bob is how he was baptized into the Ethiopian Orthodox Church shortly before his untimely departure from our physical plain of existence on May 11, 1981. For it would be on November 4, 1980 that Robert Nesta Marley was officially baptized as an Ethiopian Orthodox Christian taking the name Berhane Selassie, meaning, “Light of the Trinity.” The attempt of this presentation will be to showcase the events surrounding Bob Marely's baptism into the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, as taken from sources which have not been so widely publicized, while at the same time functioning as a concise overview of the story of Bob Marley drawn from accounts which are indeed more generally well known.

Before converting to the Ethiopian branch of Orthodox Christianity, Bob was a Rastafarian. However, even before making the conscious decision to embrace the faith of Rastafari as a young man, Bob was raised as a Catholic from early childhood. For Bob's mother, Cedella Booker, was a Christian and had him baptized into the Catholic Church when he was an infant. It could also be argued that the form of Catholicism Bob Marley was brought up in was a part of the greater Afro-Christian tradition. Now the term “Afro-Christian tradition” encompasses the bulk of Christian teachings incorporated with traditional elements of African spirituality, cultural practices, and philosophies which the indigenous peoples of Africa retained and brought with them across the Atlantic, even after their acceptance of Jesus Christ. Thus the New World would give rise to a unique form of Christian worship, theology, and religious expression. One which reflected the experiences and struggles of people of African descent living in the Western Hemisphere. Eventually, the relatively small Caribbean island of Jamaica would become the world's largest concentration of the adherents to the Afro-spiritual movement of Rastafari, with Bob Marley serving as its primary ambassador and prophet.

The Rastafarian movement originated in Jamaica during the 1930s as a spiritual and social uprising among the descendants of the African slaves, who were first brought to the island by white colonialists within just a couple decades following the “discovery” the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492. These individuals sought to establish their own identity and achieve empowerment and liberation from oppression. The roots of the Rastafarian movement can be traced back to the Nile Valley in Africa, specifically the territories of Egypt in the north and Ethiopia in the south. Rastafarian beliefs encompass a variety of religious elements primarily derived from the Christian faith, with an emphasis on reading from the Old Testament. Additionally, Rastafarian spirituality draws some of its inspiration from the ancient Egyptian mysteries. Rastafarians also assert that Jesus Christ has returned in the form of His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I, the last king of Ethiopia. The speeches of Marcus Garvey, a Jamaican-born Pan-Africanist leader, played a significant role in fueling the Rastafarian movement. Garvey's prophecy, "Look to the east for the crowning of a black king," prompted many Black Jamaicans to associate this phrase with the coronation of the Ethiopian monarch Ras Tafari to the throne of the East African kingdom of Ethiopia in 1930. Upon his enthronement, Ras Tafari adopted the name Haile Selassie, which means "Power of the Trinity," along with titles such as "King of Kings," "Lord of Lords," and "Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah." Due to these titles, which are found written in the Bible, this convinced the Rastas in Jamaica that Haile Selassie really was the second coming, or second incarnation of Jesus Christ.

When Haile Selassie I ascended to the imperial throne of the Orthodox Christian Kingdom of Ethiopia on November 2, 1930, he strengthened the legitimacy of his royal lineage by asserting that he was the 225th descendant of the union between the Israelite King Solomon and the Ethiopian Queen of Sheba. This claim perpetuated Ethiopia's ancient and renowned Solomonic Dynasty. For according to the Bible, the Queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, and traveled to Jerusalem to meet him and to challenge Solomon with hard questions in order to test his wisdom (I Kings 10:1). Solomon successfully answered all her inquiries, leaving the Queen astonished by his wisdom. In addition to being dumbstruck by Solomon's keen intelect, the Queen of Sheba was also deeply impressed by the opulence and richness of Solomon's kingdom. The Bible further relates how Solomon gave the Queen all of her desires from out of his abundant royal bounty. However, legend suggests that Solomon bestowed something else upon the Queen before her departure back to Ethiopia. The Ethiopian holy book, and national epic, the Kebra Nagast, narrates a story of how Solomon seduced the Queen and fathered a child with her. This child, named Menelik I, who was born as a result of Solomon and Sheba's royal love affair would grow up to become the first king in a lineage of Solomonic rulers, spanning across the rich dynastic history of Ethiopia. The seeds of Israelite royalty were planted in Ethiopia, and along with it, the religion of the One True God of Israel also took root. This establishment of the Jewish faith in Ethiopia has created a lasting Jewish presence that stretches back to ancient times and continues to the present day. Even prior to Christianity becoming the official religion of Ethiopia, Judaism was widely practiced in the region. There are even rumors suggesting that the Biblical and legendary Ark of the Covenant finds its resting place in Ethiopia's holy city of Axum.

Now, after the first several years following the birth of the Rastafarian movement, this new Black liberating faith started gaining in popularity. An increasing number of the poor and oppressed masses of Jamaica accepted this inspiring message in the hopes of empowerment. The Rastafarians believed that their ancestors' enslavement and exile in the West Indies, away from their African homeland, paralleled the story of the Babylonian Captivity of the Jews as written in the Bible. According to the Rastas, their life in the West was akin to being trapped in hell, while Africa, primarily Ethiopia, represented heaven on earth. The idea of Ethiopia as a true promised land for Blacks in the diaspora was further reinforced by an act of kindness from Selassie. For in 1948, His Majesty granted 500 acres of land in an area of Ethiopia called Shashamane to be set aside for the repatriation of people of African descent, primarily from the Caribbean. This benevolent gesture made by Selassie was interpreted by the Rastafarians as confirmation that Ethiopia was indeed their spiritual homeland. With Rastas looking to Ethiopia as the Biblical Mount Zion and coupled with the generosity of His Imperial Majesty's land grant, these profound elements would ultimately result in the establishment of a Rastafarian community in Ethiopia: the land of their fathers.

Over the years, as the Rastafarian movement continued to grow, news of Selassie being the Black Messiah reached the ears of Selassie himself, which led to His Majesty's decision to visit Jamaica on April 21, 1966. When he arrived, he addressed the Rastafarian community and told them that he was not God. This, however, only led the Rastas to reason among themselves and conclude that God must be so humble that He doesn't know He is God! At the time of Selassie's visit to Jamaica, Bob Marley was in America visiting his mother who had immigrated to Wilmington, Delaware. Bob left behind in Jamaica his wife Rita, whom he had just recently married in February 1966. Rita was a Christian herself and initially didn't believe that Selassie was the Christ. However, she claimed that if she could see the nail print in Selassie's hand, she would believe, as the Bible states that when Christ returns, He will return in the flesh. It was during the procession of the motorcade with Selassie passing by when his Majesty waved in Rita's direction and gave a nod. At that moment, she perceived to see the nail print of the crucifixion in Selassie's hand and was instantly converted, embracing Rastafari: the belief that Haile Selassie I was indeed the return of Jesus Christ as prophesied in the Bible.

As a result of the spiritual and religious movement in Jamaica, where the inhabitants held a strong attachment to Ethiopian traditions, Emperor Selassie believed that his own faith and that of his nation should be introduced to the people of Jamaica, who were seeking a more spiritually fulfilling way of life. Being a devout Christian himself and a staunch supporter of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Selassie dispatched the Ethiopian cleric, Archbishop Yesehaq, to Jamaica with the purpose of educating the Rastafarians on Church doctrine, with the hope that they would choose to be baptized into the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Through Archbishop Yesehaq's efforts, over 20,000 Jamaicans were eventually baptized into the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. However, disagreements arose later on regarding the Church's doctrine, including Selassie's divinity, and the use of ganja. Unfortunately, these disagreements led many baptized Rastafarians to leave the Church. On the other hand, Bob Marley fully embraced the teachings of the Church and genuinely repented for his extramarital affairs. According to Archbishop Yesehaq, Bob Marley had great respect for the Ethiopian clergy and opted to be baptized in a private ceremony with only his immediate family in attendance. Thus, on November 4, 1980, Nesta Robert Marley was officially baptized into the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, taking the name Berhane Selassie, which means "Light of the Trinity." Abuna Yesehaq also commented that Bob cried for about 30 minutes after his baptism, a sign of holiness and the visitation of divine grace.

Bob Marley was truly a natural mystic. Since childhood, Berhane (Bob Marley) was a devout believer, displaying a disciplined spirit, a wise mind, and demonstrated genuine brotherly love towards people of all nationalities and skin colors. He spread the message of "One Love" to a global audience, putting Jamaica on the map. Even now, more than four decades after his passing, Bob's legacy and legend continues to live on. Despite humble beginnings, he rose to fame and fortune without allowing success or stardom to affect his humility. As a Rastaman, Bob practiced what he preached, and I believe that he did indeed achieve his soul's salvation. For in Orthodox Christianity, we believe in the intercession of the saints, and Berhane Selassie may be counted among those blessed souls in heaven who have overcome this fallen world and now pray for us sinners here on earth, as we go about the struggle after our own emancipation from metal slavery. Bob was not just a troubadour of the ghetto; he was also a conqueror of demons. The positive and uplifting vibes in his music originated from a heart filled with the love of JAH and a deep desire to see all of mankind united in harmony and in goodwill. Even though Bob may no longer be with us here in our physical plain of existence, yet the presence of his spirit is still profoundly felt by all those who have responded to his spiritually uplifting message. Who knows, maybe Bob is now listening to each one of us here in this present time as we triumphantly walk through the roads of creation while singing our own redemption songs.

References:

Archbishop Yesehaq. The Ethiopian Tewahedo Church. (Nashville, Tennessee: James C. Winston Publishing Company, Inc., 1997).

Barrett, L.E. The Rastafarians. (Boston, MA: Beacon Press, 1997).

Boot, A. Bob Marley: Songs of Freedom. (New York, NY: Viking Studio Books, 1995).

White, T. Catch a Fire: The Life of Bob Marley. (New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company, LLC., 1983).