Twelve Tribes of Israel (Rastafari)

The Twelve Tribes of Israel is a Rastafari religious group and one of the Mansions of Rastafari. Its headquarters is on Hope Road in Kingston, Jamaica.[1] The group was formed in 1968 by Vernon Carrington.[1] The twelve tribes are based on the teachings of the Bible. Members follow the teaching of reading the bible (the Scofield Reference Bible, King James Version) a chapter a day from Genesis 1 - Revelation 22, a teaching encouraged by the Carrington who was known to the organisation as "Prophet Gad". It is the most liberal of the Rastafarian orders and members are free to worship in a church or building of their choosing.

This article is about the Rastafarian group. For other uses, see Twelve Tribes (disambiguation).

Beliefs

The Twelve Tribes of Israel teach salvation through the Messiyah Jesus Christ, whom they refer to as either Yahshua (His original Hebrew name) or Yesus Kritos (His name in the Amharic language). It is perhaps the Rastafari mansion closest in beliefs to Christianity or Messianic Judaism.

Haile Selassie, Emperor of Ethiopia, is seen as a divinely anointed king in the lineage of Kings David and Solomon (Selassie's house being called the Solomonic dynasty). While he is considered a representation of "The Messiyah in Kingly Character", he is not seen as an incarnation of the Messiyah, nor as Jah Himself, but as a representative of the everlasting Davidic covenant, which is to be fulfilled by Yesus Kristos upon his return as The Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Yahudah).

Members of the Twelve Tribes of Israel, like all other Rastafarians, reject the consumption of alcohol, refrain from cutting their hair, and avoid the dead and anything having to do with death, as a part of the Nazirite vows. They also keep the Sabbath, and follow Ital dietary laws.

Organization and practices

The headquarters of the Twelve Tribes of Israel organisation in Shashamane, Ethiopia

Each member of this sect belongs to one of the Twelve Tribes, which is determined by Gregorian birth month and is represented by a color, a part of the body, and a character trait, often called a "faculty." The standard Israelite calendar begins in April; the twelve tribes being Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Dan, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Joseph, and Benjamin. Although the twelve representations apply to male and female alike, Dinah, though not considered a tribe, is representative of the feminine.

Members of this order are not required to be turbaned, however, they do wear red, gold, and green banners at meetings, during prayer and Bible readings as a holy garment. The Twelve Tribes of Israel functions internationally and has headquarters in various different countries. Members work towards repatriation to Africa mainly Ethiopia (Shashamane)

Bob Marley was a noted member.[1] Other artists associated with the group include Sangie Davis, Fred Locks, Little Roy, and Pablove Black.[1] The group had an association with the Jah Love sound system in the 1970s.[1]

See also

• Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church
• Israelites

References

1. "And Tribes Made Merry", Jamaica Observer, 11 November 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2013

External links

• Twelve tribes internet group
• Interview with Prophet Gad