“Rastafari”). The beliefs and customs of many Rasta’s are a result of the Judaism religion.At the heart of the religion lie the mysteries of Ancient Egyptians. Many of these mysteries come from the Egyptian book of the Dead (Boot 50). The influence on the Rastafarians comes from Egyptian mysticism. “This became institutionalized by Moses; when adopted by the High Priest’s daughter in Egypt, he was taught the principles of Osiris, Isis, and other Egyptian Gods” (Salewicz “Rastafari”). Moses is the source of Judaism on the Rastafarian religion. He is believed to be the author of the first five books of the Bible. The Rastafarians believe there is an Obeah textbook, written by Moses which contains the sixth and seventh books of the bible which were too complex for the common man to understand (Salewicz “Rastafari”). Paul the Apostle is known for the Christian influence on the religion. He converted an Ethiopian eunuch to Christianity. “This eunuch was a high-placed, respected rabbi of Orthodox Judaism” (Boot 49). When the eunuch returned to Ethiopia, he converted the entire country to Christianity. This began the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. The church was a pure form of Christianity that still believed in its Judaic and Egyptian pasts (Salewicz “Rastafari”). By combining all the elements of these religions, the basis of the Rastafarian religion was formed. The foundation of the Rastafarian Religion is the Holy Piby. The Holy Piby is known as the “Black Man’s Bible” (Jackson “Rastafarianism”). The Holy Piby was written from 1913 to 1917 by Robert Athlyi Rogers. It was published in 1924. The Barbadian minister, Reverend Charles F. Goodridge, came upon the bible in Colon, Panama. The bible was being published in large quantities in Newark, New Jersey. These copies were sent to Kimberly, South Africa, where missionaries of bl...
