CanuckRasta
Member
This great article was written by a friend (Ras Ashkar). I would like to reason on it.
One Love
Lij Marques Benjamin
Ras Ashkar
(unedited manuscript)
When we use the term ''Prince of peace", we must also know that there's only one man to whom this term should be exclusively attributed. The one who is worthy of it .But how can we know who is the one that is worthy of south attribute? This is not so difficult since the many people that use the term most are people that are, or so be acquainted with the Bible in its entirety or even with the many verses that use the term.
Many people erroneously attribute this title to Jesus, although he himself denied being the Prince of Peace. To assist you with the correct usage of this term in the future, I'll take you for a philological and analytic journey through the scriptures.
It is stated prophetically in Isa. 9-6 ''For unto us a child is born, for unto us a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder. And his name will be called wonderful, counselor, Mighty King, Everlasting father, Prince of Peace." Many tend to think the fulfilment of this prophecy was the birth of the ''negus'' (The one who you erroneously call Jesus). But it was actually the birth of the negusa negast, Haile Selassie I. The birth of the negus of Nazareth fulfilled the prophecy in Isa. 7:14 which states, ''Behold the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and call his name Immanuel." In an attempt to shine a light on his most glorious appearance, the Negus denied being the "Prince of Peace" Matt. 10:34.
Now, the birth of Haile Selassie I is, without doubt, the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy. Little by little, we'll go through Isaiah 9:6 and I'll show you in what way did Haile Selassie I fulfilled all that is stated therein.
The Government Shall Be Upon His Shoulder
"And the government shall be upon his shoulder" Now a government is a body or successive bodies of persons governing a state. It is also the act, manner and fact of governing. Most likely for the government to be upon his shoulder, He would have had to be a head of state, either a president or king. The term ' the government shall be upon his shoulder' as it is used in the scriptures actually means that he will be the one solely responsible for the administration of all aspect of government affairs. Leonard Moseley in his book " The conquering Lion of Judah" stated " The weight of the empire rest upon this quite, but iron-hearted little sovereign; night and day he is beset by a thousand different problems, a thousand different worries and perplexities, even while he eats he transact state businesses." Dr. Hoffman, a Canadian journalist stated, "Constitutional reform in 1956 guaranteed all the rights of the people of Ethiopia; though the Emperor retains much power in governing his agricultural nation of 22 million people, all the time seeking to lead his nation toward a fully modern way of life. At 76 years of age, His Imperial Majesty continues to work a twenty hours day, with three hours for rest and one devoted to prayers". In the introduction to the Autobiography of Haile Selassie I, printed and published by the Oxford University press, translated by Edward Ullendorf, a professor of Ethiopian studies, he (Edward Ullendorf) stated, "Greater and more profound changes have occurred in Ethiopia during the lifetime of this emperor than throughout the two and a half millennia of recorded Ethiopian history." And any objective analysis of the life of H.I.M. Haile Selassie I would undeniably bring one to the conclusion that Haile Selassie I positively and significantly contributed to Ethiopia's history and progress.
Now we'll move to the succeeding phrase of the prophecy.
Wonderful
"And his name shall be called wonderful" The name Rastafari is a combination of two Amharic words, Ras and Tefari.
Ras is a title of nobility given to certain officials and Tefari is the birth name of Haile Selassie I. Tefari, when anglicized, means 'He who inspires fear or wonder' or 'He who is full of wonder. The reverence Haile Selassie I enjoyed as King of Kings in Ethiopia was hardly accorded to kings and sovereign of other lands. It is important to note that his fear and reverence did not come about as a result of harsh and intolerant rule, but it was embedded in the culture and customs of the people of Ethiopia to respect and revere their sovereign. It was even rumored throughout Ethiopia that no man, in spite of his status, had the audacity to gaze Haile Selassie I directly into the eyes.
One Love
Lij Marques Benjamin
Ras Ashkar
(unedited manuscript)
When we use the term ''Prince of peace", we must also know that there's only one man to whom this term should be exclusively attributed. The one who is worthy of it .But how can we know who is the one that is worthy of south attribute? This is not so difficult since the many people that use the term most are people that are, or so be acquainted with the Bible in its entirety or even with the many verses that use the term.
Many people erroneously attribute this title to Jesus, although he himself denied being the Prince of Peace. To assist you with the correct usage of this term in the future, I'll take you for a philological and analytic journey through the scriptures.
It is stated prophetically in Isa. 9-6 ''For unto us a child is born, for unto us a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder. And his name will be called wonderful, counselor, Mighty King, Everlasting father, Prince of Peace." Many tend to think the fulfilment of this prophecy was the birth of the ''negus'' (The one who you erroneously call Jesus). But it was actually the birth of the negusa negast, Haile Selassie I. The birth of the negus of Nazareth fulfilled the prophecy in Isa. 7:14 which states, ''Behold the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and call his name Immanuel." In an attempt to shine a light on his most glorious appearance, the Negus denied being the "Prince of Peace" Matt. 10:34.
Now, the birth of Haile Selassie I is, without doubt, the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy. Little by little, we'll go through Isaiah 9:6 and I'll show you in what way did Haile Selassie I fulfilled all that is stated therein.
The Government Shall Be Upon His Shoulder
"And the government shall be upon his shoulder" Now a government is a body or successive bodies of persons governing a state. It is also the act, manner and fact of governing. Most likely for the government to be upon his shoulder, He would have had to be a head of state, either a president or king. The term ' the government shall be upon his shoulder' as it is used in the scriptures actually means that he will be the one solely responsible for the administration of all aspect of government affairs. Leonard Moseley in his book " The conquering Lion of Judah" stated " The weight of the empire rest upon this quite, but iron-hearted little sovereign; night and day he is beset by a thousand different problems, a thousand different worries and perplexities, even while he eats he transact state businesses." Dr. Hoffman, a Canadian journalist stated, "Constitutional reform in 1956 guaranteed all the rights of the people of Ethiopia; though the Emperor retains much power in governing his agricultural nation of 22 million people, all the time seeking to lead his nation toward a fully modern way of life. At 76 years of age, His Imperial Majesty continues to work a twenty hours day, with three hours for rest and one devoted to prayers". In the introduction to the Autobiography of Haile Selassie I, printed and published by the Oxford University press, translated by Edward Ullendorf, a professor of Ethiopian studies, he (Edward Ullendorf) stated, "Greater and more profound changes have occurred in Ethiopia during the lifetime of this emperor than throughout the two and a half millennia of recorded Ethiopian history." And any objective analysis of the life of H.I.M. Haile Selassie I would undeniably bring one to the conclusion that Haile Selassie I positively and significantly contributed to Ethiopia's history and progress.
Now we'll move to the succeeding phrase of the prophecy.
Wonderful
"And his name shall be called wonderful" The name Rastafari is a combination of two Amharic words, Ras and Tefari.
Ras is a title of nobility given to certain officials and Tefari is the birth name of Haile Selassie I. Tefari, when anglicized, means 'He who inspires fear or wonder' or 'He who is full of wonder. The reverence Haile Selassie I enjoyed as King of Kings in Ethiopia was hardly accorded to kings and sovereign of other lands. It is important to note that his fear and reverence did not come about as a result of harsh and intolerant rule, but it was embedded in the culture and customs of the people of Ethiopia to respect and revere their sovereign. It was even rumored throughout Ethiopia that no man, in spite of his status, had the audacity to gaze Haile Selassie I directly into the eyes.