Iyesus Kristos (Jesus Christ)



The Rastafarian movement is immensely diverse, and so it would be fairly meaningless to speak of a single Rastafarian 'definition' of Jesus Christ. It is not within the scope of this short article to give anything more than a brief summary of a very complicated picture. The only real way to gain a comprehensive grasp of the diversity of Rastafarian views of Jesus is to listen to Rastas themselves.



Some are happy to accept Jesus as divine saviour and Son of God. Some accept the doctrine of the Trinity, seeing God as mystically Three in One (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). Some believe Emperor Haile Selassie was a reincarnation of Jesus Christ, in which case the historical distinction between Jesus and Selassie sometimes becomes almost totally blurred. Some believe that Jesus was a Black Ethiopian himself. Some, perhaps tired of such a confusing array of conflicting opinions, reject Jesus, seeing Haile Selassie as the saviour, and sometimes believing him to be an incarnation of God Almighty.



In any case, Rastafarians have fairly comprehensively rejected the all too familar blonde, blue-eyed image of Jesus. It seems to be a universal phenomenon that people portray Jesus as one of their own kind, and Black dreadlocked Rastafarians are no exception. This has given rise to the 'Jesus Dread' tradition, which has interestingly been adopted also to a large extent by White Rastas. On a related theme, it has often been claimed that Jesus was a Nazirite, and therefore did not cut his hair, though this is probably based on a confusion with the word 'Nazarene'. (See for example the songs 'Dreadlocks Nazarene' by Prince Alla, and 'Rastaman' by Bunny Wailer.)

In the various branches of Rastafari, there may be more or less emphasis on Jesus, though in most cases, Jesus and Selassie have at least in some way been closely linked as 'types' of christ. Especially where they are seen as effectively one and the same, this gives rise to often heated debate regarding the supposed 'divinity' of Haile Selassie. It soon becomes evident that there is no single definition of 'divine'. Modern Christianity has usually tended to emphasise the gap between an immortal infinite God and mortal finite human beings. Hence, the idea that an ordinary human being could ever be called 'divine' has mostly been dismissed as heresy or blasphemy in the west. However, it is interesting to see ancient ideas re-emerging in modern culture, quite possibly influenced by the more fluid notions of divinity that characterise some eastern religious traditions, notably the concept that all human beings are 'divine' in some sense.

Among those who accept Jesus as the saviour, the Twelve Tribes of Israel (TTOI) consider that Jesus is indeed the only saviour, and though Haile Selassie may be a 'christ-like' figure, it would be idolatry to worship him. Often the phrase 'the same spirit but different flesh' is used to highlight the distinction. Members of the TTOI tend to adhere more closely to an orthodox interpretation of Scripture, and may be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ, much as in mainstream Christianity.

At the other end of the spectrum, there are many Rastas who understandably consider that Jesus has been too far monopolised by a typically White western Christian Church. They are not alone in feeling deep rooted resentment towards the institutionalised Church, due to centuries of corruption, hypocrisy and association with innumerable crimes that have been committed against humanity ironically 'in the name of Jesus Christ'. Hence some Rastafarians reject Jesus entirely, or at least seek to divorce him from such tainted connections.



According to scriptural genealogies, Jesus was a true Jew belonging to the tribe of Judah, and a descendant ('root') of the Davidic line of monarchs. Hailed as the King of kings and Lord of lords (1 Timothy 6:15, Revelation 17:14, and Revelation 19:16), and the Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Revelation 5:5), Jesus was believed by the early Christians to be the heir to the throne of the 'Spiritual Israel' and hence of the kingdom of God.

Often you may hear different forms (and spellings) of the name of Jesus used in Rastafarian circles, including most commonly his Amharic (Ethiopian) name Iyesus, which corresponds very closely to the Greek version Iesous, but also his Hebrew or Aramaic name Yehoshuah (sometimes shortened to 'Yahshuah' or 'Yeshuah', equivalent to modern English 'Joshuah'), or less commonly also the Arabic name `Aissa (sometimes spelled `Eesa). Increasingly, people seem to prefer these 'more authentic' versions of the saviour's name, considering the anglicised 'Jesus' to be a weakened and inferior shadow of the original name, which reputedly had the power to cast out demons and perform miracles of healing by the power of his authority.



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