Recommended

This week in Christian history: Bob Marley baptized; Billy Sunday dies; pope defends indulgences

Bob Marley converts to Orthodox Christianity – Nov. 4, 1980

Reggae singer Bob Marley performing a concert at the Rainbow Theatre in London, England, in 1977.
Reggae singer Bob Marley performing a concert at the Rainbow Theatre in London, England, in 1977. | Screengrab: YouTube/Roots Rockers

This week marks the anniversary of when famous reggae musician Bob Marley converted to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church months before he died from melanoma at the age of 36.

Marley was most known for being a follower of Rastafarianism, a small Jamaica-based religion in which many adherents believed that Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie was the messiah.

Get Our Latest News for FREE

Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know.

Near the end of his life, Marley became interested in joining the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and was baptized by Archbishop Abuna Yesehaq, giving the singer the new name of Berhane Selassie, which means “Light of Trinity.”

In advance of a large public funeral held for the singer on May 21, 1981, the Marley family paid their respects at a service held at the Ethiopian Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity in Kingston, Jamaica, which was presided over by Yesehaq.

Follow Michael Gryboski on Twitter or Facebook

Was this article helpful?

Help keep The Christian Post free for everyone.

By making a recurring donation or a one-time donation of any amount, you're helping to keep CP's articles free and accessible for everyone.

We’re sorry to hear that.

Hope you’ll give us another try and check out some other articles. Return to homepage.

Most Popular

More Articles