King of Kings

This article is about the monarchic or divine title. For other uses, see King of Kings (disambiguation).

King of Kings is a title that has been used by several monarchies and empires throughout history. The title originates in the Ancient Near East. It is broadly the equivalent of the later title Emperor.

History

The first king known to use the title "king of kings" (šar šarrāni) was Tukulti-Ninurta I of Assyria (13th century BC). The title used to be intended quite literally, as a šar or mlk was the title of a king of a city-state, and with the formation an empire in the Late Bronze Age, the Assyrian rulers installed themselves as rulers over the existing structure of rulers (kings) of city-states.

The Persian title of a king of kings is shahanshah /ˈʃɑːənˈʃɑː/, associated especially with Persian Achaemenid Empire, where it referred to the monarch ruling over other monarchs who had a vassal, tributary or protectorate position.

The title is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, as מלך מלכיא, applied to Nebuchadnezzar and to Artaxerxes. In Daniel 2:37, Daniel interprets the dream of Nebuchadnezzar to the effect that

"Thou, O king, [art] a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory."

In Christianity, "king of kings" (βασιλευς των βασιλευοντων) is one of the titles of Jesus, based on 1 Timothy 6:15, and Revelation 17:14, 19:16.

The Emperors of Ethiopia had the title of "king of kings" (nəgusä nägäst).

Religious

Judaism

In Judaism, "King of Kings" - in Hebrew Melech ha-M'lachim - is an expression that refers to God, whose name may not be said. It is usually rendered as Melech Malchei Ha-M'lachim (the King, King of Kings), to put it one step above the title by which Babylonian and Persian kings are referred to in the Bible (specifically in the Book of Daniel).

"Christ as King of Kings". A Russian icon from Murom (1690)

Christianity

Main article: Christ the King

Jesus Christ is termed "King of Kings" in the Bible, particularly in the Book of Revelation, 17:14 and 19:16. Jesus says in the Book of Matthew, verse 28:18, that all authority on earth has been given to him. In John 18:36 he says that his realm is not of this earth (Hebrew: olam hazeh, "this world, or age", in contrast with the olam haba, "the world to come", in which he will rule), a messianistic tradition within the Jewish faith, founded its Zionist ambitions of political independence from Rome (see Sicarii, while Christ preached a spiritual 'kingdom' instead) on its version that the Messiah would (re)establish the promised land of Israel as a mighty temporal kingdom; in Christianity, it is rather God the Father who is enthroned in heaven as ultimate ruler of the universe, high above all mortal monarchs. In this sense, "Lord of Lords" is a synonymous title of the Lord, as used by the Church Fathers, e.g. Against Heresies, V.26 (St. Irenaeus).

Selivanov, the co-founder of the Skoptsi, a Russian Christian sect which practiced sexual mutilation, who proclaimed himself the Son of God incarnate in the person of Emperor Peter III, claimed the titles "King of Kings" and even "God of Gods".

Islam

In Islam, the term "King of Kings" for another human being is prohibited. Narrated in Sahih Bukhari and Muslim, from Abu Hurairah that the Islamic Prophet Muhammad said, "Verily, the worst title is 'King of Kings'; there is no King that has absolute power except Allah". This term is prohibited as there is a similar comparison between the created being and his Creator. This prohibition serves the purpose to glorify Allah alone. The absolute use (the definite article is thus obligatory) of al-Malik, as #4 of the 99 known names of Allah, "The King", taken to imply 'The Sovereign Lord, The One with the complete Dominion, the One Whose Dominion is clear from imperfection' singles the only God out as supreme ruler over all earthly powers; another of these attributes, #84, is Malik Al-Mulk "King of the Realm", taken to mean 'The Eternal Owner of Sovereignty, The One who controls the Dominion and gives dominion to whoever He willed'.

Buddhism

In the Pali Tripitaka, Buddha is sometimes compared to the worldly Emperor (Chakravarti), the Universal King, or the secular "King of Kings". But Buddha's status is even higher than these secular positions, as he is the "King of the Dharma" or Dharma-raja.

Rastafari

Haile Selassie full title in office was "His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I, Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, (Emperor) of Ethiopia, Elect of God" (Ge'ez ግርማዊ፡ ቀዳማዊ፡ አፄ፡ ኃይለ፡ ሥላሴ፡ ሞዓ፡ አንበሳ፡ ዘእምነገደ፡ ይሁዳ፡ ንጉሠ፡ ነገሥት፡ ዘኢትዮጵያ፡ ሰዩመ፡ እግዚአብሔር; girmāwī ḳedāmāwī 'aṣē ḫayle śillāsē, mō'ā 'anbessā ze'imneggede yihudā niguse negest ze'ītyōṗṗyā, siyume 'igzī'a'bihēr).

Political

Persia

The first written record of its consistent use dates to Iranian Kings of the Persian Empire and/or Iranian High Kings of the Persian Empire (pronounced Shahanshah and/or Great Shahanshah).^{[citation needed]} Because the Persian kings and/or Persian High Kings ruled in a format of having other kings below them ruling provinces, satraps, the fact that the Persian kings ruled over other kings gave them the title king of kings.^{[citation needed]} But it is commonly accepted that the Persians wrote this with an implicit notion of relation to a deity, and later with an overt spiritual connotation in the latter Persian empire of the Priest-Kings of the Sassanian Persian Empire.^{[citation needed]}

The title shahanshah was revived by the Pahlavi dynasty of Persia in the 20th century. It was abolished when the Islamic Revolution toppled the monarchy in Iran.^{[citation needed]}

India

In India, Raja (which means king in Sanskrit) was a title used commonly by kings ruling small territories. Maharaja (from mahānt "great" and rājan "king") was used only for kings who ruled a considerably large region with minor tributary kings under them. In regions like Rajasthan (rājan "king" and from sthan "land/place") and the Maratha Empire, which had many powerful kings ruling part of a larger empire, the founder of the empire was called Raja-dhi-raj (meaning King of the kings)

Hellenistic World

A notable use of term King of Kings comes from Donations of Alexandria ceremony in 34BC, where Caesarion, son of Julius Caesar and Cleopatra VII, was proclaimed as King of Kings, also as a status of a god and son of god.

Africa

Muammar Gaddafi "of Libya claimed to be 'King of Kings,' a title he had a gathering of tribal leaders grant him in 2008." More "than 200 African kings and traditional rulers...bestowed the title 'king of kings' on Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi" during a meeting "in the Libyan town of Benghazi in what was billed as a first of its kind. Col Gaddafi urged the royals to join his campaign for African unity....'We want an African military to defend Africa, we want a single African currency, we want one African passport to travel within Africa,' Col Gaddafi told the assembled dignitaries, who come from countries such as Mozambique, South Africa, Ivory Coast and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The BBC's Rana Jawad in the Mediterranean town of Benghazi says Libya's leader wants them to create a grass-roots movement to press Africa's political leaders to sign up to his vision."

Popular culture

WWE wrestler Triple H has called himself "King of Kings" even using the Motorhead song "King of Kings" as an entrance song multiple times.

In The Simpsons episode "A Star Is Burns", an actor starring in Mr Burns' movie "A Burns for All Seasons" referred to him as being truly "The King of Kings".

According to Celtic football fans, Henrik Larsson is the one true King of Kings.

In the movie 300, King Xerxes I referred to himself as King of Kings.

In Percy Shelley's sonnet, Ozymandias, Ozymandias refers to himself as "King of Kings" on line 10.

See also

• Emperor
• Sacred king
• Padishah
• Shah
• Baig
• Khagan
• Mirza

References

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.