His Imperial Majesty Haile Sellassie I Christmas Interview With Dr. Oswald Hoffman
Bringing ክርስቶስ/Kristos/Christ to the Nation: The Lutheran Hour His Imperial Majesty Haile Sellassie the First is the 225th reigning monarch of Ethiopia, a descendant of the line which is said to have had its origins in the union of King Solomon of Israel and the Queen of Sheba celebrated in Ethiopian folklore and preserved in the Imperial Court of arms. The seal of the House of David Solomon’s father is there but not by itself. The Cross of Christ combined with David’s emblem points back to the time when Christianity came to Ethiopia in the 4th century A.D. and to the force which Ethiopia’s Coptic Christian tradition has exerted to bind her people together and to shape her culture.
Music like that of the ክራር/krar which you hear in the background, the four stringed instrument plucked with the fingers remains in use to this day and the countryside is dotted with Churches centuries old many of them carved out of solid rock. It is to Ethiopia itself and this Christian tradition that we want to introduce you today as the Lutheran Layman’s League presents a special program on the celebration of Christmas in Ethiopia featuring an interview with His Imperial Majesty Haile Sellassie the First emperor of Ethiopia.
Addis Ababa Ethiopia’s capital city means New Flower in Amharic , Ethiopia’s official language. The city is aptly named, less than 80 years old it grew up in Ethiopia’s central highlands to a present day population of nearly 500,000.
I talked with Emperor Haile Sellassie in His private office in Jubilee Palace built in 1955 in the southeast part of Addis Ababa to commemorate the 25th anniversary of His Imperial Majesty’s reign. Although Emperor Haile Sellassie speaks excellent English which is Ethiopia’s second language, He answered my questions in Amharic, since state protocol requires Him to conduct all official business in the official language.
Our first interpreter is Dr. Minasse Haile Ethiopia’s Minister of Information and Tourism. In the background you can hear children playing in the courtyard of the palace. Question: Your Imperial Majesty, it is a great honour to be permitted to speak with you today and also to have you as a guest on this special Christmas programme which will be broadcast to people all over the world. Your Imperial Majesty, what is it that makes you want to follow ኢየሱስ ክርስቶስ/Eeyesus Kristos/Jesus Christ? H.I.M. Haile Sellassie I: When ኢየሱስ ክርስቶስ/Eeyesus Kristos/Jesus Christ was born from ድንግል ማሪያም/Dingil Mariyam/Virgin Mary, from that time on He lived an exemplary life, a life which men everywhere must emulate. This life and the faith that He has taught us assures us of salvation, assures us also of harmony and a good life upon earth. Because of the exemplary character of the life of ኢየሱስ ክርስቶስ/Eeyesus Kristos/Jesus Christ it is necessary that all men do their maximum in their human efforts to see to it that they approximate as much as they can the good example that has been set by HIM.
It's quite true that there is no perfection in humanity. From time to time we make mistakes. We do commit sins, but even as we do that, deep in our hearts as ክርስቲያን/Kristeeyan/Christians we know we have a chance of forgiveness from the Almighty. He taught us that all men are equal regardless of sex, their national origin and tribe. And He also taught us all who seek HIM shall find HIM. To live in this healthy life, a ክርስቲያን/Kristeeyan/Christian life, is what makes me follow ኢየሱስ ክርስቶስ/Eeyesus Kristos/Jesus Christ. Dr. Hoffman: Your Imperial Majesty, what advice would you give a person who is considering the claims of ክርስቶስ/Kristos/Christ, perhaps for the first time?
H.I.M.: I would tell a person that’s considering the claim of ክርስቶስ/Kristos/Christ for the first time that it is necessary to have እምነት/imnet/faith in the Almighty, that it is necessary to have fiqir/love, and that it is necessary to conduct oneself in a manner that we have been taught to do in መጵሐፍ ቅዱስ/Mätshäf Qidus/the Bible.
I would also advise him to read and to study መጵሐፍ ቅዱስ/Mätshäf Qidus/the Bible I would also advise him to seek the secular knowledge, for the more one knows the more he realizes the need for a Prime Mover, the need for a Creator, a Creator who is good, and the need for salvation and also for peaceful life upon earth. I would also tell him to learn and to think for himself the ways he would serve ጌታ/Gêta/the Lord. In this thought and in this undertaking of his he will inevitably find the way of serving his fellow men. For his እምነት/imnet/faith would then be manifested by His conduct. If ክርስቲያን/Kristeeyan/Christians behave in this way, if we dedicate ourselves to this fundamental task, then we will have a peaceful world and will be assured of not transgressing against the will and the Commandments of እግዚአብሔር/Igziabher/God.
Dr. Hoffman: Your Imperial Majesty, are there any incidents in your life which stand in your memory as times when faith in ክርስቶስ/Kristos/Christ sustained you? H.I.M.: There are many instances in my life where the belief in The Almighty and the ክርስቲያን እምነት/ Kristeeyan Imnet/Christian Faith have sustained me, times of troubles and difficulties. No matter what may befall a human being he can always succeed in overcoming it in time if he has the strength of እምነት/imnet/faith and prays to እግዚአብሔር [Igziabher/God], for inevitably He comes to the assistance of those that believe in HIM and those that through their work live an exemplary life.
This goes not only for Christians in my view, but for all men. I think እግዚአብሔር/Igziabher/God commiserates with those that find themselves in misfortune. In particular, when my country Ethiopia was invaded by alien forces several years ago I was sustained in that period by my እምነት/imnet/faith in እግዚአብሔር Igziabher/God and in the abiding belief that justice, however it may take time, will ultimately prevail. If I did not have እምነት/imnet/faith in The Almighty and in His Righteousness and that justice inevitable prevails, then I would have lost hope and thus the interests of my country would have been ignored. Because I attempted to maintain my እምነት/imnet/faith in HIM and because all Ethiopians maintained their faith in the ultimate goodness of the world and in the grand design that The Almighty has for all men in the world, we were able to victoriously re-enter our country and rid ourselves of these evil forces.
If I did not have in my heart the love of እግዚአብሔር/Igziabher/God I don't think I would have acted in a manner that I did. The ፍቅር/fiqir/love of እግዚአብሔር/Igziabher/God brings a sense of religiousness in a human being, it gives him comfort for the future and assurance that right cause will ultimately prevail. Dr. Hoffman: His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie the First ascended the throne of Ethiopia in November in the year 1930. Now, in the year 1968, Haile Selassie has been in the forefront in mediating the crisis in Biafra. Some of the intervening years have been stormy ones. But there are few Statesmen who can retrace a career of more resolute leadership in both internal and world affairs. Few can claim greater unbroken continuity with the past that nevertheless moves methodically into the twentieth century. At the same time, few have seen more anguish and defeat than Haile Selassie, of whom biographer Leonard Mosley has written in projected epitaph, He shaped, rather than waited upon events.