Page "Rastafari movement" Paragraph 12

According to tradition, Haile Selassie was the 225th in an unbroken line of Ethiopian monarchs of the Solomonic Dynasty.

This dynasty is said to have been founded in the 10th century BC by Menelik I, the son of the Biblical King Solomon and Makeda, the Queen of Sheba, who had visited Solomon in Israel.

1 Kings 10: 13 claims " And King Solomon gave unto the Queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty.

So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants.

" On the basis of the Ethiopian national epic, the Kebra Negast, Rastas interpret this verse as meaning she conceived his child, and from this, conclude that African people are among the true children of Israel, or Jews.

Beta Israel black Jews have lived in Ethiopia for centuries, disconnected from the rest of Judaism ; their existence has given some impetus to Rastafari, as they believe it validates their assertion that Ethiopia is Zion.