Holy Piby
Encyclopedia
The Holy Piby is a proto-Rastafari
an text written by an Anguilla
n, Robert Athlyi Rogers
(d. 1931), for the use of an Afrocentric religion
in the West Indies founded by Rogers in the 1920s, known as the Afro-Athlican Constructive Gaathly. The theology
outlined in this work saw Ethiopians (in the classical sense of all Africans) as the chosen people of God. The church preached self-reliance and self-determination for Africans, using the Piby as its guiding document.
The Holy Piby is made up of four books. The first, entitled "The First Book of Athlyi Called Athlyi," has only two chapters. The next, "The Second Book of Athlyi Called Aggregation," is the largest with fifteen chapters, the seventh of which identifies Marcus Garvey
as one of three apostles of God. The "Third Book of Athlyi Named The Facts of the Apostles" presents two prominent members of the UNIA-ACL, Robert Lincoln Poston
and Henrietta Vinton Davis
, as the other apostles in the Holy Trinity. The title of the last book is "The Fourth Book of Athlyi Called Precaution." That book is followed by a series of catechism
-style questions and answers wherein Garvey, Davis, and Poston are proclaimed to be the saviors of the "down trodden children of Ethiopia
."
While not, strictly speaking, a "Rastafarian text", it was certainly a primary source of influence to many in the Rastafari movement
, who see His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia, as Christ
(or rather, his second coming
). Some Rastafarian see Emperor Haile Selassie I as Christ in His Kingly Character as written in the Book Of Revelation
, Chapter 5 and His Excellency, The Right Honorable Marcus Mosia Garvey, as a prophet
.
The original edition of the Holy Piby was published in the United States, at Newark, New Jersey
, in 1924. It is very rare. There are no copies listed in either the Library of Congress
nor the University of California
catalogs. The Holy Piby was even banned in Jamaica
and other Caribbean Islands in the middle and late 1920s.
Rastafari movement
The Rastafari movement or Rasta is a new religious movement that arose in the 1930s in Jamaica, which at the time was a country with a predominantly Christian culture where 98% of the people were the black descendants of slaves. Its adherents worship Haile Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia , as God...
an text written by an Anguilla
Anguilla
Anguilla is a British overseas territory and overseas territory of the European Union in the Caribbean. It is one of the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles, lying east of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and directly north of Saint Martin...
n, Robert Athlyi Rogers
Robert Athlyi Rogers
Robert Athlyi Rogers , born in Anguilla, was the author of the Holy Piby, generally recognized as one of most important texts in Rastafarian Theology. It was written between 1913 and 1917, and published in 1924. Rogers committed suicide on 24th August 1931....
(d. 1931), for the use of an Afrocentric religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
in the West Indies founded by Rogers in the 1920s, known as the Afro-Athlican Constructive Gaathly. The theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
outlined in this work saw Ethiopians (in the classical sense of all Africans) as the chosen people of God. The church preached self-reliance and self-determination for Africans, using the Piby as its guiding document.
The Holy Piby is made up of four books. The first, entitled "The First Book of Athlyi Called Athlyi," has only two chapters. The next, "The Second Book of Athlyi Called Aggregation," is the largest with fifteen chapters, the seventh of which identifies Marcus Garvey
Marcus Garvey
Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Jr., ONH was a Jamaican publisher, journalist, entrepreneur, and orator who was a staunch proponent of the Black Nationalism and Pan-Africanism movements, to which end he founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League...
as one of three apostles of God. The "Third Book of Athlyi Named The Facts of the Apostles" presents two prominent members of the UNIA-ACL, Robert Lincoln Poston
Robert Lincoln Poston
Robert T. Lincoln Poston, , was born in Hopkinsville, Tennessee. He came from a family of journalists and writers. His father, Ephraim Poston, was a teacher, poet and graduate of Roger Williams University in Nashville, Tennessee who authored Manual on Parliamentary Proceedings, 1905 and Pastoral...
and Henrietta Vinton Davis
Henrietta Vinton Davis
Henrietta Vinton Davis was an American elocutionist, dramatist, and impersonator.Lady Davis was proclaimed by Marcus Garvey to be the "greatest woman of the race today"...
, as the other apostles in the Holy Trinity. The title of the last book is "The Fourth Book of Athlyi Called Precaution." That book is followed by a series of catechism
Catechism
A catechism , i.e. to indoctrinate) is a summary or exposition of doctrine, traditionally used in Christian religious teaching from New Testament times to the present...
-style questions and answers wherein Garvey, Davis, and Poston are proclaimed to be the saviors of the "down trodden children of Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
."
While not, strictly speaking, a "Rastafarian text", it was certainly a primary source of influence to many in the Rastafari movement
Rastafari movement
The Rastafari movement or Rasta is a new religious movement that arose in the 1930s in Jamaica, which at the time was a country with a predominantly Christian culture where 98% of the people were the black descendants of slaves. Its adherents worship Haile Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia , as God...
, who see His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia, as Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
(or rather, his second coming
Second Coming
In Christian doctrine, the Second Coming of Christ, the Second Advent, or the Parousia, is the anticipated return of Jesus Christ from Heaven, where he sits at the Right Hand of God, to Earth. This prophecy is found in the canonical gospels and in most Christian and Islamic eschatologies...
). Some Rastafarian see Emperor Haile Selassie I as Christ in His Kingly Character as written in the Book Of Revelation
Book of Revelation
The Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament. The title came into usage from the first word of the book in Koine Greek: apokalupsis, meaning "unveiling" or "revelation"...
, Chapter 5 and His Excellency, The Right Honorable Marcus Mosia Garvey, as a prophet
Prophet
In religion, a prophet, from the Greek word προφήτης profitis meaning "foreteller", is an individual who is claimed to have been contacted by the supernatural or the divine, and serves as an intermediary with humanity, delivering this newfound knowledge from the supernatural entity to other people...
.
The original edition of the Holy Piby was published in the United States, at Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
, in 1924. It is very rare. There are no copies listed in either the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
nor the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
catalogs. The Holy Piby was even banned in Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
and other Caribbean Islands in the middle and late 1920s.