I explained that in my view Selassie did not appear to understand why Africans in the Caribbean would prefer to accept him as their ‘savoir and messiah’ rather than the Jesus that had been handed to them through the colonizing effects of Christianity. This is quite evident and has been explained by others on this board. Selassie clearly stated that he was not Jesus Christ reincarnated and that there were people in Jamaica that believed he was so. He encouraged the Ethiopian Orthodox Church to set up in Jamaica to teach them about worshipping differently.

So in my view he did not get that.

Being aware of Nazarene vow as spoken about in the Jewish Torah does not mean they understood the context of dreadlocks, marijuana and so many things that were already taking place in the Caribbean before their time. Earlier on this board I mentioned the influence of Hinduism on Rasta in Trinidad, and I believe it was the same in Jamaica. Ethiopian orthodox priests sent by Selassie to Jamaica demanded that Rastas cut their locks in order to be baptized.
(You can always check with Ras Marcus to see if I am correct about this.)