In the Rastafari trod, Haile Selassie I is recognized not through the lens of later church dogma such as the Trinity, but through the ancient and scripturally-rooted principle of divine kingship, name-bearing, and mediation. The recognition of His Imperial Majesty (H.I.M.) as God in Kingly Character emerges not from post-biblical philosophy, but from how God reveals Himself through chosen vessels—especially those who bear His name, image, and authority.
1. The Trinity is a Later Invention, Not Found in Scripture
The doctrine of the Trinity, defining God as three persons in one essence, was not known to the Hebrew prophets, nor was it preached by Jesus or his apostles. It emerged centuries later through Greco-Roman debates, notably at the Council of Nicaea (325 CE), where terms like homoousios (same essence) were introduced to settle disputes—not revealed by Jah but crafted by theologians.
Haile Selassie I, by contrast, is seen by Rastafari as a fulfillment of prophecy—the Root of David, King of Kings, Elect of God, sitting upon the Throne of David as foretold in Isaiah 9 and Revelation 5. His divinity is not metaphysical abstraction but manifested authority, rooted in biblical symbolism and African kingship.
2. The Bible Shows Divine Agency, Not Trinitarian Identity
Throughout scripture, God sends agents who bear His name and speak with His authority. The Angel of the Lord, Melchizedek, and prophetic kings all operate in this way. Similarly, Jesus says, “I come in my Father’s name” (John 5:43), showing that divine name and mission—not essence—define the relationship.
Rastafari sees Haile Selassie I in this tradition. He bears the name and titles of the Almighty—not as a third person in a triune God—but as God’s representation and living image upon the earth in a way consistent with how divine agency has always worked in Scripture and ancient Near Eastern thought.
3. Scripture Is Not Uniform or Philosophically Systematic
The Bible is a library of diverse voices, not a single philosophical system. It contains paradoxes and layers—Jesus calls the Father greater than Himself (John 14:28), yet is given divine glory. These contradictions show that ontological equality was never the point. Authority, mission, and glory are shared, not essence.
This makes room for the Rasta view: Haile Selassie I, as Lion of Judah, is God by appointment, not by Greek metaphysics. The biblical pattern is always “I will raise him up…”—not “he is made of the same substance.”
4. Haile Selassie I Reveals the Name, Not the Nature, of God
Rastafari overstands that divine identity is often tied to name-bearing and purpose. In Exodus 23:20-21, the angel sent before Israel has God’s name within him. Haile Selassie I, bearing titles such as King of Kings, Lord of Lords, and ruling in Zion, reflects that same ancient pattern.
This is not to say Selassie I is a “member” of a trinity—but rather, the one chosen to manifest God’s will and character in the fullness of time. Rasta man sees HIM not through church councils, but through revelation, prophecy, and the historical fulfillment of Jah’s word.
5. Rastafari Recognizes Scriptural Symbolism and Fulfillment
Where the Trinity imposes a Greek philosophical system onto diverse biblical texts, Rastafari follows the living prophetic tradition. Psalm 87:4 and Revelation 5 are not mere poetry—they are maps. The coronation of Tafari Makonnen in 1930 was not just politics—it was the Word becoming event.
HIM did not claim to be God in the Greco-Roman sense, but neither did Moses or Melchizedek—yet scripture ascribes divine authority to them. Haile Selassie I stands as the embodied fulfillment of divine rule, not a metaphysical puzzle but a spiritual reality.
6. Conclusion: HIM in Context, Not Creed
Haile Selassie I cannot be understood through the later doctrine of the Trinity, which is absent from Scripture and foreign to Hebraic thought. Instead, he is to be seen in light of:
- Biblical divine agency
- The communicable name and authority of Jah
- The fulfillment of prophetic kingship
- The principle of God working through flesh (incarnation) without requiring philosophical sameness
Rastafari accepts the complexity of scripture and history. It doesn’t require flattening all texts into a single doctrine, but affirms that Jah lives and reigns through chosen vessels, and that Haile Selassie I is the living Irit of Jah Rastafari—not by creed, but by overstanding, livity, and fulfillment.