Title: Negus - Majestic Tradition Of Ethiopia
Author: Dr. Miguel F. Brooks
Reviewer: Balford Henry
FOLLOWING upon the success of his first book, Kebra Nagast (The Glory of Kings), Mandeville's Dr. Miguel F. Brooks has returned with his second, Negus: Majestic Tradition of Ethiopia.
Dr. Brooks, who was up to recently a lecturer at the Northern Caribbean University(NCU), is regarded as somewhat of a biblical and historical researcher and, as the book says, "an activist in the African Holocaust Reparation Movement."
Born in Panama of Jamaican parents, he is a graduate of the Instituto Istmeno in Panama and Universida de Carabobo in Venezuela. He was awarded the Centenary Gold Medal of the Battle of Adwa, by the Ethiopian Crown Council, for his work on behalf of Ethiopian culture and history.
Dr. Brooks' first serious work on Ethiopian history was his translation of the Kebra Nagast (The Glory of Kings), a 'sacred' Ethiopian historical manuscript.
Basically, the Kebra Nagast tells the story of the Queen of Sheba who, having heard of the might and wisdom of King Solomon, ruler of the land of the Jews, travelled to Jerusalem to test Solomon's wisdom but, eventually, fell for his charm and produced his first-born son, Bayna Lekem (Son of the Wise Man).
It established that Bayna Lekem returned to Ethiopia with numerous riches and important items, including the actual Ark of the Covenant, previously housed inside the temple built by Solomon and which, according to Brooks' interpretation, is still hidden inside Ethiopia.
"In Ethiopia, Bayna Lekem assumed the throne name of Meynelek I, and ascended the throne that was abdicated in his favour by his mother, the Queen of Sheba. And so was established the line of kings of the royal house of David and Solomon in Ethiopia, reputed to be the oldest monarchy in the world," he writes.
The Kebra Nagast informed us that, "the crowning achievement of this great monarch, the first in a long line of blood-related kings of the Solomonic line in Ethiopia, was the bringing forth of the Holy Ark of the Covenant from Jerusalem to Ethiopia, which signified the transfer of Israel and the physical presence of God to its new abode within the "land where the Gods love to be."
Selassie I seal of the dynasty
Having established that, Dr. Brooks now moves on to establish that Haile Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia, the last monarch to sit on the throne of David in Ethiopia, "is the seal of the dynasty, because so many of the Messianic promises in the Holy Scriptures were fulfilled in his person."
To what end?
It would seem that Dr. Brooks has now established himself as the most important scholar of the Ras Tafari religion, up to now. That is a debatable point, but based on his translation of the Kebra Nagast and now his follow-up book, Negus, which provides an very important overview of the trajectory of this very old royal dynasty in terms of the Bible and history, he has surely gone much further than any other Rastafarian scholar has ever gone.
This second era begins, according to Dr. Brooks, with Menyelek I, armed with the "supernatural might and power of the Sacred Ark of God." He makes war on his enemies and idolaters and lays waste countries which had refused to recognise the supremacy of the King of Ethiopia, thereby extending the frontiers of the realm.
Despite the interruption of the rule of the royal line of David when "the kingdom passed to another people, who were not of the tribe of Israel," the Zagwe, the Solomonic line, would survive until the intervention of a Marxist Mengistu regime in Ethiopia which ended the rule of Haile Selassie I.
With the restoration of the Solomonic dynasty, during the reign of Yekuno Amlack, the celebrated Kebra Nagast was officially codified with the objective of proving the descent of the Solomonic line of Kings, and has remained in its present form, ever since, as the official documentary evidence of the Ethiopian royal succession.
Davidic connection
According to Dr. Brooks, this restoration of the Israelite dynasty of the Royal House of David and Solomon in Ethiopia, signified the reaffirmation of the generally misunderstood Davidic Covenant as outlined in the scriptures.
"For when David was king over Israel and Judah, God made with him an absolutely binding, unconditional and perpetual covenant which the Almighty will not and cannot break.
"The eternal covenant remained and the transfer of God's Holy Ark of the Covenant from Jerusalem to Ethiopia, ensured that the royal and sacred blood of David would continue there, manifested in the dynasty of the Blessed Seed, the line of Solomonic Kings of Ethiopia," he says.
Ethiopia embarked on a modernisation programme under Menyelek II, including the founding of Addis Ababa as the capital city. When Ras Makonnen died, Meynelek cried for three days over the death of his "greatest and ablest" official.
As the Emperor was advancing in years, he named his grandson, Lij Eyasu, as his successor. Ras Tasama was named regent, until Menyelek died in 1913. But, "Lij Eyasu was widely detested from the moment he was made emperor, both on account of incompetence, as well as his Moslem leanings."
He was eventually deposed by the Abuna, under pressure from a powerful coalition of Shoa princes. Menyelek's daughter, Zauditu, was named as empress, with Ras Tafari, the son of Ras Makonnen, as regent and heir to the throne.
Attempts by Lij Eyasu's father to prevent this, was met with fierce opposition and they were defeated and had to flee.
Negus
By 1928, Ras Tafari acquired the title Negus. He assumed full authority in 1930, when the empress died, taking the name Haile Selassie (Might of the Trinity) and inheriting the Solomonic titles King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah, Elect of God and Light of the Universe.
The Ethiopian Constitution said, "By virtue of his imperial blood, as well as by the anointing which he has received, the person of the emperor is sacred, his dignity inviolable and his power indisputable."
Dr. Brooks says that, "Haile Selassie I, the last monarch to sit on the Throne of David in Ethiopia, is recognised as the 'Seal of the Dynasty' because so many of the messianic promises in the Holy Scriptures were fulfilled in his person."
It was this association of the late emperor with the Davidic Dynasty and the claim that in him messianic promises were fulfilled, which led to the creation of the religion of Ras Tafari and sustains the religion, even despite his demise.
At the same time that Selassie was assuming the Ethiopian throne, in the diasporic West, black nationalist movements emerged, including Marcus Garvey's Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) and, in a more biblical sense, the Rastafarian movement.
Dr. Brooks says that early Rasta pioneers, including Leonard Howell, had already proclaimed the idea of Selassie's deity in Pan African circles. This was reinforced by the emergence of Garvey's Back-to-Africa movement.
"The historical and Biblical evidence that the Negus Haile Selassie is the Saviour-God, who would redeem Israel and gather the remnants of the children of Israel who are scattered among the nations of the earth, is overwhelming," he states.
Dr. Brooks insists that not only are the titles of the Negus "soundly biblical (King of Kings, Lord of Lords, etc.)," but that, "Ethiopia herself is Biblically designated as the land chosen by God to be the place of his habitation on earth(Psalm 68:32; 87:4), as well as being the first nation mentioned in scriptures and the seat of the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:13).
His theory, eventually, extends to include the Jamaican, the Rev. Claudius 'Cyrus' Henry or 'Repairer of the Breach'.
Dr. Brooks says that Henry had travelled to Ethiopia, where he had been ordained into the "Egyptian Ethiopian Zion Coptic Church," and even interviewed the Negus, himself. In 1936, he established the First Zion Coptic African Reform Church in Jamaica, was jailed and charged with sedition and blasphemy and sent to prison. for 10 years in 1960.
Dr. Brooks then goes on to relate a very interesting interpretation of what followed Henry's release.
Judgement on Michael Manley
According to him, Henry gave his support to Michael Manley in the 1972 General Election, "although Michael Manley was the son of Claudius Henry's relentless judicial prosecutor, Norman Manley."
Brooks says that despite the elder Manley's persecution of Henry, the latter found in the younger Manley, "the requisite qualities of mass leadership."
He identifies Michael Manley's 1972 'Rod of Correction', probably the most masterful gimmick ever produced by a local politician in an election campaign, as, "a wooden staff with alleged magical-supernatural powers that had been given to Henry by H.I.M. Haile Selassie."
However, according to him, having won the 1972 General Election, Michael Manley disappointed because he "allied himself to the godless Soviets and their lackeys, Castro and Mengistu, and they made war against the Lamb."
The rest of his interpretation of the events of the period are even less kind to the younger Mr. Manley:
"And the 'crablike pestilence which no man cureth' gnawed at the entrails of the betrayer, until at length he perished away, a pitied shadow of his former obscene handsomeness; and his memorial shall in like manner be swept away like wind-tossed chaff, to join the forgotten ones who also had trampled on the birthright of their own people, for to deliver them into a new captivity."
But, despite political deception, he insists that Rastafari will prevail as, "the Children of the Negus... the Nation of Rastafari... the Majestic Progeny of Ethiopia, shall continue to abide for many days in this their 'Land of sojourn and increase' until that day when the messengers of the Most High shall exclaim with them."
Ground-breaking book
This is probably the most important book on the roots of the Rastafari we have seen so far. It is definitely a must for anyone interested in the religion and certainly an important addition to the anthology of black history and religion.
Publisher: LMH Publishing.
