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Solomon (Latin name) or Shlomo (Hebrew: שְׁלֹמֹה, Standard Šəlomo Tiberian Šəlōmōh; Arabic: سليمان, Sulayman; "peace") is a figure described in Middle Eastern scriptures as a wise ruler of an empire, living perhaps around 1000 BCE.

The names "Shlomo" and "Solomon" are usually associated with the Biblical account of his life.

His father was named David (Hebrew). In the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) he is also called Jedidiah and described as the third king of the united Kingdom of Israel, prior to the split between the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. Following the split, the kings of Judah were descended patrilinealy from Solomon.

Solomon was the builder of the first Temple in Jerusalem, also known as Solomon's Temple. He was renowned for his great wisdom, wealth, and power, but also blamed for his later pacifism toward his converted wives in their worship of other gods. He is the subject of many later legends. Some Kabbalah masters claim to be his descendents.

Historical figure

Secular evidence about a historical figure comparable to Solomon, reported independently from the religious accounts, seems scarce and so far no substantial evidence has been found. However various inscriptions have been found and excavations are continuing.

The name Solomon

The name Solomon (Shlomo) means "peaceful," or "complete", from the Hebrew Shelomoh. The name given by God to Solomon in the Bible is Jedidiah, meaning "friend of God", (2 Samuel 12:25), and some scholars have conjectured that Solomon is a "king name" taken either when he assumed the throne or upon his death.

Solomon's case is one of the few in the Bible where the name given by God does not stay with the character. Solomon's birth is considered a grace from God, after the death of the previous child between David and Bathsheba.

Biblical Account

Succession

Solomon was David's second son by Bathsheba According to Jewish law, the custom was that a soldier sent to the front lines, such as Bathsheba's husband Uriah, would give his wife a retro-active "divorce" annulling their marriage were he to die or disappear, thus allowing the wife to remarry. This was a "loophole" that David and Bathsheba seem to have relied upon, and which has caused some to accuse them of "adultery" when in fact the legal status of Bathsheba's marriage was "suspended" and subject to question, according to the rabbinic commentators. No basis for this explanation is found in the Biblical account, where Uriah was not commanded to go to the front of the battle until after David had slept with Bathsheba., and his declared heir to the throne. Solomon's history is recorded in 1 Kings 1–11 and 2 Chronicles 1–9. He succeeded his father (reigned circa 1011/1010 BCE to 971/970 BCE) on the throne in about 971 or 970 BCE, not 1037 BCE (1 Kings 6:1), according to E. R. Thiele. His father chose him as his successor, passing over the claims of his elder sons, by women other than Bathsheba. His elevation to the throne took place before his father's death, and is hastened on mainly by Nathan and Bathsheba, in consequence of the rebellion of Adonijah.

During his long reign of 40 years the Hebrew monarchy gained its highest splendor. This period has well been called the "Augustan Age" of the Jewish annals. In a single year he collected tribute amounting to 666 talents of gold, according to 1 Kings 10:14.

The first half of his reign was, however, by far the brighter and more prosperous; the latter half was clouded by the idolatries into which he fell, mainly, according to the scribes, from his intermarriages. According to 1 Kings 11:3, he had 700 wives and 300 concubines. As soon as he had settled himself in his kingdom, and arranged the affairs of his extensive empire, he entered into an alliance with Egypt by a marriage with the daughter of the Pharaoh.

Solomon's wisdom

In 1 Kings 3:5-14, God visits the newly crowned King Solomon in a dream, and offers him anything he pleases. Solomon asks for "an understanding heart to judge Your people, to discern between good and evil - for who is able to judge this great people of Yours?" Pleased with his non-materialistic wish, God tells him that not only will he receive a greater intellect than any other man who will ever live, but also great wealth, along with widespread fame and respect.

A famous account of Solomon's wisdom is found in 1 Kings 3:16-28. Two new mothers approach Solomon, bringing with them a single baby boy. Each mother presents the same story - She and the other woman live together. One night, soon after the birth of their respective children, the other woman woke to find that she had smothered her own baby in her sleep. In anguish and jealousy, she took her dead son and exchanged it with the other's child. The following morning, the woman discovered the dead baby, and soon realized that it was not her own son, but the other's. After some deliberation, King Solomon calls for a sword to be brought before him. He declares that there is only one fair solution: the live son must be split in two, each woman receiving half of the child. Upon hearing this terrible verdict, the boy's true mother cries out, "Please, My Lord, give her the live child - do not kill him!" However, the liar, in her bitter jealousy, exclaims, "It shall be neither mine nor yours - divide it!' Solomon instantly gives the baby to the real mother, realizing that the true mother's instincts were to protect her child, while the liar revealed that her only motivation was jealousy. This story is in fact exactly paralleled in the judicial decisions of Ooka Tadasuke of Japan and that of Akbar and Birbal of the Mughal Empire in India. The story can be viewed as symbolic of the split in the United Monarchy following the death of Solomon.

The idea that Solomon's wisdom is God-given is very important to various Judeo-Christian beliefs. The biblical Book of Proverbs, written by Solomon, is a dogmatic guideline for morality and manners in many Jewish and Christian denominations. Some believe that Solomon also wrote the biblical book of Ecclesiastes.

Buildings and other works

He surrounded himself with all the luxuries and the external grandeur of an Eastern monarch, and his government prospered. He entered into an alliance with Hiram I, king of Tyre, who in many ways greatly assisted him in his numerous undertakings. For some years before his death David was engaged in the active work of collecting materials for building a temple in Jerusalem as a permanent abode for the Ark of the Covenant. He had a thousand and four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen.

After the completion of the temple, Solomon erected many other buildings of importance in Jerusalem and in other parts of his kingdom. For the long space of thirteen years he was engaged in the erection of a royal palace on Ophel. Solomon also constructed great works for the purpose of securing a plentiful supply of water for the city, Millo (Septuagint, Acra) for the defense of the city, and Tadmor in the wilderness as a commercial depot as well as a military outpost.

During his reign Israel enjoyed great commercial prosperity. Extensive traffic was carried on by land with Tyre and Egypt and Arabia, and by sea with Tarshish (Spain), Ophir and South India and the coasts of Africa. The royal magnificence and splendor of Solomon's court are unrivaled. Solomon was known for his wisdom and proverbs. People came from far and near "to hear the wisdom of Solomon", including queen Makedah or Bilqis of Sheba, (identified with a country in Arabia Felix). According to Ethiopian tradition, their son Menelik I became the first emperor of Ethiopia. His thoughts are enshrined in storytelling, though probably not all the clever thinking in the stories originates with the one man.

Decline and fall

He was very wealthy and some blame his luxurious lifestyle for his fall from righteousness. His sexual interests, with countless wives and concubines from all faiths, are also considered troublesome; some believe that this led to idolatry. Because of this idol worship, a prophet visits Solomon and tells him that after his death his kingdom would be split in two (Israel and Judah) and that his son, Rehoboam, would suffer because of his sin. He died, after a reign of forty years, and was buried in Jerusalem.

According to the Talmud, Solomon did not actually sin but rather he was blamed for not stopping the idol worship being done by his wives http://www.come-and-hear.com/shabbath/shabbath_56.html#PARTb:

R. Samuel b. Nahmani said in R. Jonathan's name: Whoever maintains that Solomon sinned is merely making an error... (Talmud Sabbath 56b)

Islamic view of Solomon

See Similarities between the Bible and the Qur'an

Solomon also appears in the Qur'an, where he is called Sulayman, which is Solomon in Arabic (Sulaiman or Suleiman)(Arabic: سليمان). The Qur'an refers to Solomon as the son of David, as a prophet and as a great ruler imparted by God with tremendous wisdom, favor, and special powers just like his father, David. The Quran states that Solomon had under his rule not only people, but also hosts of hidden beings (i.e., jinn). It also states that Solomon was able to understand the language of the birds and ants, and to see some of the hidden glory in the world that was not accessible to common human beings. The Islamic view on Solomon is based entirely on revelation's to Muhammed which comprise part of the Qur'an.

George Rawlinson's evaluation

"The kingdom of Solomon," says George Rawlinson, "is one of the most striking facts in Biblical history. A petty nation, which for hundreds of years has with difficulty maintained a separate existence in the midst of warlike tribes, each of which has in turn exercised dominion over it and oppressed it, is suddenly raised by the genius of a soldier-monarch to glory and greatness."

Rawlinson continues, "an empire is established which extends from the Euphrates to the borders of Egypt, a distance of 450 miles; and this empire, rapidly constructed, enters almost immediately on a period of peace which lasts for half a century. Wealth, grandeur, architectural magnificence, artistic excellence, commercial enterprise, a position of dignity among the great nations of the earth, are enjoyed during this space, at the end of which there is a sudden collapse."

Rawlinson concludes, "the ruling nation is split in twain, the subject-races fall off, the pre-eminence lately gained being wholly lost, the scene of struggle, strife, oppression, recovery, inglorious submission, and desperate effort, re-commences."

Later legends

To Solomon are attributed, by rabbinical tradition but not internally, the Biblical books of Book of Proverbs, and the Song of Solomon. Then comes the Wisdom of Solomon, probably written in the 2nd century BCE where Solomon is portrayed as an astronomer. Other books of wisdom poetry attributed to Solomon are the "Odes of Solomon" and the "Psalms of Solomon".

The Book of Ecclesiastes internally claims to be written by "The son of David, King in Jerusalem." (NET) The author of the Book of Ecclesiastes never actually refers to himself as Solomon, only as Qoheleth "The Teacher," the actual authorship of the book of Ecclesiastes is still in dispute. Internal evidence, such a large quantity of Persian loan words, tends to lend modern critical scholarship to the conclusion that this book is a product of the Persian period and not of original Solomonic authorship.

The Jewish historian Eupolemus, who wrote about 157 BCE, included copies of apocryphal letters exchanged between Solomon and the kings of Egypt and Tyre.

The Gnostic Apocalypse of Adam, which may date to the 1st or 2nd century, refers to a legend in which Solomon sends out an army of demons to seek a virgin who had fled from him, perhaps the earliest surviving mention of the later common tale that Solomon controlled demons and made them his slaves. This tradition of Solomon's control over demons appears fully elaborated in the early Gnostic-Christian work called the "Testament of Solomon" with its elaborate and grotesque demonology.

Solomon's mastery of demons is a common element in later Jewish and Arab legends, and is often attributed to possession of a magic ring called the "Seal of Solomon". Another cited item is The key of King Solomon.

The ancient Imperial legend of Ethiopia, as told in the Kebra Nagast, maintains that the Queen of Sheba returned to her realm from her Biblical visit to Solomon, pregnant with his child, and giving birth to a son by the Mai Bella stream in the province of Hamasien, Eritrea. This child would eventually inherit her throne with the new rank and title of Menelik I, Emperor of Abyssinia. The dynasty he would establish would reign in Abyssinia with few interruptions until the overthrow of Emperor Haile Selassie in 1974.

The Table of Solomon was said to be held in Toledo, Spain during the Visigothic rule and was part of the loot taken by Tarik ibn Ziyad during the Islamic conquest of Spain, according to Ibn Abd-el-Hakem's History of the Conquest of Spain.

Solomon in fiction

Solomon in the arts

Handel composed an oratorio entitled Solomon in 1749. The story follows the basic Biblical plot.

Ernest Bloch composed a Hebraic Rhapsody for cello and orchestra entitled Schelomo, based off King Solomon.

Preceded by:
David 		King of Judah Succeeded by:
Rehoboam

Preceded by:
David 		King of Israel Succeeded by:
Jeroboam

References

See also

Resources

  • Israel Finkelstein, Neil Asher Silberman: David and Solomon: In Search of the Bible's Sacred Kings and the Roots of the Western Tradition (Free Press, 2006) ISBN 0743243625
  • Israel Finkelstein, Neil Asher Silberman: The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts (Free Press, 2001) ISBN 0684869128
  • William G. Dever: Who Were the Early Israelites and Where Did They Come From? (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2003) ISBN 0802809758

External links

Kings of ancient Israel | Religious leaders

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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Solomon".

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