The Ancient of Days

Haile Selassie I (Ge'ez: ኃይለ፡ ሥላሴ, "Power of the Trinity";^[1] 23 July 1892 – 27 August 1975), born Tafari Makonnen, was Ethiopia's regent from 1916 to 1930 and Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. The heir to a dynasty that traced its origins to the 13th century, and from there by tradition back to King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, Haile Selassie is a defining figure in both Ethiopian and African history.^[2][3]

He is the religious symbol for God incarnate among the Rastafari movement, which numbers approximately 600,000.^[4] The Rastafari also call Haile Selassie HIM, Jah, Ras Tafari and Jah Rastafari.

His suppressing of rebellions among the nobles (mekwannint), as well as what some perceived to be Ethiopia's failure to modernize adequately,^[5] earned him criticism among some contemporaries and historians.^[6]

At the League of Nations in 1936, the Emperor's protest of the use of chemical weapons against his people foreshadowed not only the worldwide conflict that was to come, but also the advent of the technological "refinement of barbarism"^[7] that would come to mark modern warfare.

Revelation 5:5

Haile Selassie I was born Lij Tafari Makonnen (Ge'ez ልጅ፡ ተፈሪ፡ መኮንን; Amharic pronunciation lij teferī mekōnnin). "Lij" translates literally to "child", and serves to indicate that a youth is of noble blood. He would later become Ras Tafari Mekonnen; "Ras" translates literally to "head"^[9] and is the equivalent of "duke",^[10] though it is often rendered in translation as "prince".

Haile Selassie was a gifted speaker, and some of his speeches have been counted among the most memorable of the twentieth century.^[7]

His internationalist views led to Ethiopia's becoming a charter member of theUnited Nations, and his political thought and experience in promoting multilateralism and collective security have proved seminal and enduring.^[8]

The Ascension: In 1928, he was elevated to Negus, "King". Upon his ascension to Emperor in 1930, he took the name Haile Selassie, meaning "Power of the Trinity".^[11] Haile Selassie's full title in office was "His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I, Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah, King of Kings of Ethiopia and Elect of God" (Ge'ez ግርማዊ፡ ቀዳማዊ፡ አፄ፡ ኃይለ፡ ሥላሴ፡ ሞዓ፡ አንበሳ፡ ዘእምነገደ፡ ይሁዳ፡ ንጉሠ፡ ነገሥት፡ ዘኢትዮጵያ፡ ሰዩመ፡ እግዚአብሔር; girmāwī ḳadāmāwī 'aṣē ḫāylē śillāsē, mō'ā 'anbassā za'imnaggada yīhūda nigūsa nagast za'ītyōṗṗyā, siyūma 'igzī'a'bihēr). This title reflects Ethiopian dynastic traditions, which hold that all monarchs must trace their lineage back to Menelik I, who in the Ethiopian tradition was the offspring of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.^[12]

To Ethiopians Haile Selassie has been known by many names, including Janhoy, Talaqu Meri, and Abba Tekel. The Rastafari employ many of these appellations, also referring to him as HIM, Jah and Jah Rastafari.