Battle of the gods with the titans. Fight of Zeus with the Titans. Incarnation in art

The parable of King Maragora The Blessed One gave this parable to Narada. Lord Jataka said to his beloved counselor, “Do you know the affairs of King Maragor? Have you heard his name? And did you recognize his actions? "

The name Shlomo (Solomon) in Hebrew comes from the root "שלום" (shalom - "peace", meaning "not war"), as well as "שלם" (shalem - "perfect", "whole").
Solomon is also mentioned in the Bible under a number of other names. So, sometimes he is called Jedidiah ("beloved of God") - a symbolic name given to Solomon as a sign of God's favor to his father David, after his deep repentance in the story with Bathsheba.

The name of King Solomon is associated with many myths and legends, consider some of them.

Queen of Sheba.
Having heard about the wisdom and fabulous wealth of King Solomon, the legendary Queen of Sheba visited him to test his wisdom and make sure of his wealth (according to other sources, Solomon himself ordered her to appear to him, having heard about the wonderful and rich country of Saba). The queen brought with her numerous gifts.
The state of Saba really existed on the Arabian Peninsula (there are references to it in the Assyrian manuscripts of the 8th century BC). It flourished through the cultivation and trade of spices and incense. At that time, spices were worth their weight in gold and Saba successfully traded them with many states.
Trade routes passed through the territory of the Solomon kingdom and the passage of caravans depended on the will and disposition of the king. This was the real reason for the visit of the Queen of Sheba.
It is believed that she was only a "delegate", "ambassador" of the country and was not a dynastic queen. But with the tsar he could only speak to his equal in status, so the envoys were "given" a temporary status for negotiating.
Later Muslim legends reveal the name of the queen - Bilkis. Folk legends gave a romantic touch to this visit. King Solomon, struck by the beauty of Bilkis, flared up with passion for her, she reciprocated, all questions about the advancement of the caravans were settled and, upon returning home, in due time Bilkis gave birth to a boy named Menelik. Ethiopians claim that their imperial dynasty comes from him.

Eastern legend about the Portrait of Solomon
The Queen of Sheba, amazed by the wisdom, the gift of divination and the personality of Solomon, decided to reveal the secret of his magical power. With a goal, she sent her best painter to Solomon. When the painter returned with the portrait, the queen of Arabia gathered the best of the best sages and soothsayers, wise in the science of physiognomy, and asked them to identify the source of Solomon's wisdom and strength.

The queen, the sages answered, is a portrait of a cruel, arrogant, greedy man, possessed by the desire for power and all the vices that exist in the world.
The queen did not believe, but a dispute arose between the painter and the sages: the sages argued. That they could not be mistaken and the portrait was probably painted inaccurately, while the painter argued otherwise. Seeing the contradictions that arose, the Queen of Sheba decided to go to Solomon herself and resolve the doubts that tormented her.
Arriving to Solomon, she was convinced at first glance that the artist had painted the portrait with impeccable accuracy. Kneeling before the great man, the queen of Arabia asked him to clarify the contradictions:
- At first, until I saw you, I thought that the artist was mistaken, for my sages are the most versed in the science of physiognomy. Now I am convinced that they are completely unworthy people and their wisdom is empty.
- This is not so, - answered Solomon, - the wise men are right, for all the vices they listed were really given to me by nature and even to a greater extent than they saw in the portrait. However, I struggled with them, gradually overcoming and dissolving them, until the opposite became second nature to me. And this is my strength and the greatest pride….

Another legend. King Solomon heard that the Queen of Sheba has goat's hooves, that is, the devil is hiding under the image of a beautiful woman. For this, he built a palace, the floor of which was made transparent, and launched fish there. When he invited the queen to enter, she instinctively lifted the hem of her dress, fearing to wet it, thereby showing the king's legs. She had no hooves, but her legs were covered with thick hair. Solomon said "Your beauty is the beauty of a woman, and your hair is the hair of a man. For a man it is beautiful, and for a woman it is revered as a defect."

Ring of King Solomon.
This is one of the versions of the parable of Solomon's ring.
Despite his wisdom, King Solomon's life was not calm. And once King Solomon turned for advice to the court sage with a request: "Help me - very much in this life can make me mad.
I am very susceptible to passions, and it bothers me! "To which the sage replied:" I know how to help you. Put on this ring - the phrase is engraved on it: "It will pass!" When strong anger or strong joy rushes over, look at this inscription, and it will sober you up. In this you will find salvation from passions! "
Solomon followed the advice of the sage and found peace. But the moment came when, looking, as usual, at the ring, he did not calm down, but, on the contrary, lost his temper even more. He tore off the ring from his finger and wanted to throw it away into the pond, but suddenly noticed that there was some kind of inscription on the inside of the ring. He looked closely and read: "And this too will pass ..."

Another version of the legend:
Once King Solomon was sitting in his palace and saw a man walking down the street dressed from head to toe, dressed in golden robes. Solomon summoned this man to himself and asked: "Are you not a robber?" To which he replied that he was a jeweler: "And Jerusalem is a famous city, many wealthy people, kings and princes come here." Then the king asked how much the jeweler earns from this? And he proudly replied that it was a lot. Then the king grinned and said that if this jeweler is so smart, then let him make a ring that makes the sad ones cheerful, and the happy ones sad. And if in three days the ring is not ready, he orders the jeweler to execute. No matter how talented the jeweler was, on the third day he fearfully went to the king with a ring for him. At the threshold of the palace, he met Rahavam, the son of Solomon, and thought: "The son of a sage is half a sage." And he told Rahavam about his misfortune. To which he grinned, took a nail and scribbled three Hebrew letters on three sides of the ring - Gimel, Zain and Yod. And he said that with this one can safely go to the king. Solomon turned the ring and immediately understood the meaning of the letters on the three sides of the ring in his own way - and their meaning is the abbreviation גם זו יעבור "And this, too, will pass." And as the ring spins, and all the time different letters appear upward, so the world spins, and the fate of a person spins in the same way. And thinking that now he is sitting on a high throne, surrounded by all the splendor, and this will pass, he immediately became sad. And when Ashmodai threw him to the end of the world and Solomon had to wander for three years, then looking at the ring, he understood that this would also pass, and he felt cheerful.

The third version of the legend:
In his youth, King Solomon was presented with a ring with the words that when it would be very difficult for him, whether sad, or scared, let him remember about the ring and hold it in his hands. The riches of Solomon were not measured, another ring - will it greatly increase it? ...
Once in the kingdom of Solomon there was a crop failure. Pestilence and hunger arose: not only children and women died, even the soldiers were exhausted. The king opened all his bins. He sent merchants to sell valuables from his treasury to buy bread and feed the people. Solomon was confused - and suddenly he remembered the ring. The king took out the ring, held it in his hands ... Nothing happened. Suddenly he noticed that there was an inscription on the ring. What is it? Ancient signs…. Solomon knew this forgotten language. "EVERYTHING WILL PASS," he read. ... Many years passed ... King Solomon became known as a wise ruler. He got married and lived happily. His wife became his most sensitive and close assistant and advisor. And suddenly she died. Grief and melancholy gripped the king. He was not amused by either the dancers and the songstress, or the competitions of wrestlers ... Sadness and loneliness. Approaching old age. How to live with it? He took the ring: "Everything passes"? Longing squeezed his heart. The tsar did not want to put up with these words: out of annoyance, he threw the ring, it rolled - and something flashed on the inner surface. The king raised the ring and held it in his hands. For some reason, he had not seen such an inscription before: "IT WILL PASS AND THIS." … Many more years have passed. Solomon became an ancient elder. The tsar understood that his days were numbered and while there was still some strength he needed to give the last orders, to have time to say goodbye to everyone, to bless his successors and children. “Everything passes,” “This too,” he remembered, grinning: that's all gone. Now the king did not part with the ring. It has already worn out, the old inscriptions have disappeared. With faint eyes, he noticed that something appeared on the edge of the ring. What are these, some letters again? The king substituted the edge of the ring to the setting rays of the sun - letters flashed on the edge: "NOTHING PASSES" - Solomon read ...

King Solomon's mines.
After the publication of Henry Ryder Haggard's book "The Mines of King Solomon" in 1885, many adventurers lost their peace and went in search of treasures. Haggard believed that King Solomon owned diamond and gold mines.
We know from the Old Testament that King Solomon possessed immense wealth. It is said that every three years he sailed to the country of Ophir and brought from there gold, mahogany, precious stones, monkeys and peacocks. Scientists tried to find out what Solomon drove to Ophir in exchange for this wealth and where this country is located. The location of the mysterious country has not yet been clarified. It is believed that it could be India, Madagascar, Somalia.
Most archaeologists are sure that King Solomon mined copper ore in his mines. In different places, "real mines of King Solomon" periodically appeared. In the 1930s, it was suggested that Solomon's mines are located in southern Jordan. And only at the beginning of this century, archaeologists found evidence that, indeed, the copper mines discovered in Jordan in the town of Khirbat-en-Nahasa may be the legendary mines of King Solomon.
Obviously, Solomon was a monopoly on the production of copper, which gave him the opportunity to make huge profits.

Solomon... The designated word means peaceful... Solomon was the tenth son of David and was born of Bathsheba, who was first the wife of Uriah, in 1033 BC (). The name of Solomon was given to him by his parents, according to the prophecy of Nathan, as a sign of the return of peace and the mercy of God to them and to commemorate his peaceful reign, in opposition to the warlike reign of David (). The Lord loved the newborn, and so on. Nathan, according to the word of the Lord, named him Jedidia- beloved by God ().

On the childhood and youth of the son of Bathsheba, priest. no information is transmitted by the descriptor. Judging by the deep love that David showed to his future successor, and the solemn covenants that he obliged him, transferring royal power to him - the covenants, the implementation of which, undoubtedly, required great intelligence and great learning, one can unmistakably assume that Solomon was fully brought up and taught all the wisdom of Israel at that time, and that his mind, in addition, was deeply watered wisdom from above.

When David got old, entered old years(), Adonijah, his eldest son, made an attempt to ascend to the throne of his father. In this undertaking he was assisted by Joab, the chief commander of the army, and the chief priest. Abiathar, as the head of the church, by his high position, enjoyed great influence among Israel. Joab and Abiathar, of course, were well aware that they were living in a period of transition and that a new order of things was coming, in which their power and influence could easily increase. Adonijah suspected the son of Bathsheba, and when he invited the other brothers to the proposed wedding to the kingdom, he did not send an invitation to Solomon: he probably already knew about his father's intention and about the Divine will not in his favor. The prophet Nathan, foreseeing the disasters that could arise from this plan, immediately advised Bathsheba to go to his aged royal husband and remind him of his oath - to make Solomon heir to his throne. The queen went to David, and thanks to her intensified requests, timely measures were taken to destroy Adonijah's treacherous encroachment on the throne.

In warning of something like this in the future, David immediately ordered Benaiah, an experienced military leader, Zadok the high priest, Nathan the prophet, to lead Solomon to the stream of Gion, anoint him with peace and proclaim him to the people as the future king of the Israelites. All this was done exactly. And they sounded a trumpet, and all the people cried out, Let King Solomon live. The joyful sounds of trumpets in the city were soon heard by Adonijah and his accomplices, who immediately fled in fear, expressed remorse and swore allegiance to the future king. The time drew near for David, and so he, calling Solomon to him, urged him to carefully preserve purity of heart and justice both in his own person and in the management of affairs; gave him detailed instructions regarding the construction of the temple to Jehovah, ordered him to punish Joab for the murder of Abner and Amesai, as well as Semey for the cruel curses he once uttered on the head of the king. Soon after, the aged king rested with his fathers, and Solomon became the only king in Israel.

Strictly fulfilling the will of his father and in order to ensure peace for his kingdom, the young king first of all took the opportunity to free his kingdom from the most powerful enemies: for this purpose, Adonijah, Avisaga, the last concubine in the house of David, Joab and Semey were killed, the high priest. Abiathar was stripped of his dignity and banished to Anafov, the city of refuge, in the tribe of Benjamin. According to Eastern customs, Solomon took the daughter of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and brought her into the house of David - an event, although it was a violation of the law, but celebrated even then with extraordinary luxury (,).

Solomon considered it necessary to leave for a while the wicked idolatrous services of some of his subjects, who, even to this time, had not yet completely freed themselves from idolatry, but offered sacrifices and incense in the heights. And although he himself loved the Lord and walked according to the ordinance of his father David, but he also offered sacrifices and incense in the heights ().

Before the construction of the temple, the shrine, which enjoyed great reverence on the part of the people, was located in Gibeon, where there was a copper altar and an altar made by Moses in the wilderness. Solomon came here during one of the solemn assemblies and here he offered a thousand burnt offerings on this altar to the Lord God. The Lord appeared to him in a dream at night and said to him: ask what to give you? The young tsar, with a deep sense of humility and obedience to the will of God, asked himself only one thing - a rational heart, in order to justly judge and rule the numerous people entrusted to his government. And it was pleasing to the Lord, the sacred descriptor notes, that Solomon asked for this. He was given from the Lord a wise and reasonable heart and, besides, wealth and glory, much more than his predecessors had. Solomon then returned to Jerusalem and brought a thankful sacrifice to the Lord before the Ark of the Covenant. And he made a great feast for all his servants ().

Having fully established himself on the throne and fully prepared for the performance of his arduous duties, the successor of David is now before us the wise ruler of the chosen 12 tribes. Since the deeds of the glorious reign of Solomon, set out in the III book. Kingdoms (III-XI), and II book. Steam. (IX), with a few outstanding exceptions, are fragmentary, then we will make a short sketch in I) - the wisdom of Solomon, II) - his wealth, III) - his reign and his personal character.

I. Solomon's wisdom... Solomon's mind possessed all the principles on which true wisdom is based - that is, sound judgment, an extensive memory, an enormous store of knowledge and skillful application of these to business. A wise solution to a dispute between two mothers regarding a living and a dead baby, a dispute that took place in his presence, reveals in him a clear and accurate understanding of the feelings of the human heart and deep wisdom ().

The sound principles by which he was guided in administrative matters aroused deep respect and fear for such a wise judge. It should be noted, however, that judicial duties at the indicated time constituted one of the most important departments of the tsarist government; and here we read in the Bible that Solomon, already at the beginning of his reign, made a porch with the throne from which he judged, he made a porch for the court(), on which he sat and resolved numerous litigations that arose among his subjects.

His various knowledge in various matters was truly amazing. And there was the wisdom of Solomon, notes the priest. descriptor, above the wisdom of all the children of the East, and all the wisdom of the Egyptians. He was wiser than all people(). He spoke three thousand parables, and his songs were a thousand and five (v. 32). His knowledge was very diverse. According to priest. descriptor, and he spoke of trees, from the cedar in Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of the wall; spoke about animals, and about birds, and about reptiles, and about fish ().

In addition to this tremendous scholarly knowledge and the above written works, Solomon also compiled the following books: Song of Songs, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, undoubtedly written by him under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The fame of his extraordinary wisdom, of course, could not be limited to the narrow borders of Judea. Between all the neighboring peoples and far, far, even to the borders of Arabia, various amazing stories were passed on about Solomon. And they came from all nations to hear the wisdom of Solomon().

Hearing about the wisdom and glory of Solomon, the Queen of Sheba, or the South, came to Jerusalem with very great wealth to test him with riddles, and talked with him about everything that was in her heart. And Solomon explained to her all her words, and there was nothing unfamiliar to Solomon, which he would not explain to her. (). And now, I was not even half told about the multitude of your wisdom, exclaimed the queen of distant Savea, parting with him, you surpass the rumor that I have heard().

II. The wealth of Solomon... During the reign of Solomon, everything was obviously favorable to the multiplication of his wealth in enormous quantities. Judah and Israel lived carefree under their fig tree. Wars have not yet been known. Taxes from the neighboring peoples defeated by him, the fruits of native activities - agricultural and pastoral, and all the acquisitions that came from the developed large trade, abundantly filled the treasuries of Solomon. From the latter of these sources, the acquisitions were truly enormous. Trade relations were carried out with Tire, Arabia, Egypt, very likely with Babylon and, perhaps, also with India.

He had a fleet in the Indian Ocean, which on one sea voyage gave him 400 talents of gold, and the other in the Mediterranean Sea, who traded with Tarshish and brought him various precious metals. He also had commercial warehouses in Palmyra and Balbec for overseas trade. The inhabitants of the desert will fall before him, the psalmist exclaims and his enemies will lick the ashes. The kings of Tarshish and the islands will pay tribute to him; the kings of Arabia and Sheba will offer him gifts(). Large quantities of gold and silver were exported from these various countries and cities, as well as ivory, red and other precious trees, textiles, horses, monkeys and chariots, in addition to spicy plants and other valuable trade items.

Another abundant source for the multiplication of wealth was the glory of his wisdom, which he acquired among all other peoples. From all parts of the earth, numerous visitors gathered to him, the wisest of people, and each brought him gifts annually as a sign of his deep respect - namely, silver and gold vessels, and military supplies, and clothes and fragrant spices, horses and mules. And it is very likely that the various marital relationships that Solomon entered with various royal daughters greatly increased his personal wealth.

In this way his riches became so great that the silver in Jerusalem was equal to mere stone, and the cedars, in their multitude, became equal to the sycamore trees. Solomon's household expenses were enormous. His lifestyle for many years was extremely luxurious: 700 wives and 300 concubines with a large retinue of eunuchs and other servants, of course, required enormous daily expenses for their food (). The offerings of oxen and sheep offered by the king to Jehovah on various solemn occasions () could only be made by a person who possessed unlimited amounts of money.

At the same time, we do not mention the great expenses that he made for the construction of various heights, altars for the smoking of incense, etc., to which the heart of a foreign woman's wife inclined him. During his reign, Solomon erected many different beautiful buildings, and the most magnificent of them, of course, was the temple to Jehovah, erected by him on the city of Moriah (see).

He also built a magnificent palace for himself - a house made of wood from the Lebanese forest, a porch with a throne for the judgment seat, made of ivory and overlaid with pure gold (), and outside the walls of the city of Judah - a palace for Pharaoh's daughter. He also erected many other cities and buildings, smaller in size and not so richly decorated (). The material from which temples and palaces were built was always very valuable, it was sometimes brought from the most distant countries, and the costs used for the construction of these, apparently exceeded all likelihood.

III. Reign of Solomon. And Judah and Israel lived, notes the priest. a descriptor about the reign of Solomon, numerous as sand by the sea, calmly, each under his vineyard and under his fig tree from Dan to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon().

Solomon divided this vast territory into 12 regions, which did not correspond, however, to the 12 tribes of Israel, and over each of them he put a special guardian, who in turn were supposed to deliver monthly food supplies for the maintenance of the royal court (). Long-lasting peace during his reign and the unparalleled prosperity of his subjects gained Solomon and his kingdom a special loud glory and fame, mainly before all the kings and kingdoms of the earth. Indeed, his reign was considered the golden age of Jewish history. Unfortunately, the following years of Solomon's reign did not correspond to the first years of his reign.

Forgetting the Heavenly King, he did not properly heed the voice of the Lord, who warned him about the consecration of the temple, was carried away by the outer splendor of his kingdom, left or at least deviated from the faith of his fathers, began to serve Astarte, the deity of Sidon, and Milhom, an abomination Ammonite. Unheard of and unparalleled luxury reigned at the court, and his harem contained up to 700 wives and 300 concubines, mostly pagans from the surrounding nations - Moabites, Ammonites, etc. In addition, he imposed his heavy yoke on the people, intensified labor. and the attachment of the people to such a sovereign has now become impossible. The people gradually alienated from the house of David, and the seeds of indignation were abundantly sown, which subsequently led to the disastrous division of the kingdom. Moreover, during the life of Solomon, various trials and shocks began to comprehend him.

In Idumea, long ago brought into citizenship by David, Ader, the royal family of Edom, was now established. During the conquest of the Edomites by David and beating them by his commander Joab, Ader, while still a youth, with some other Edomites who served with his father, fled to Egypt, here he was favorably received by Pharaoh and won great favor from him. Now, having heard about the death of David and Joab, he asked Pharaoh for his dismissal, returned to his land and established himself in it. Another enemy of Israel in Solomon's day was Razon. He was a subject of Adraazar, the king of Suva, but fled from him and during the defeat of Adraazar by David, having gathered around him a gang of free people, settled in Damascus and ruled there, and with his raids he caused a lot of evil to Israel.

But a particularly dangerous enemy for Solomon was his subject Jeroboam. He was from the tribe of Ephraim, from the city of Zartan, temporarily worked on the fortifications that Solomon made in the city of David. Noticing his courage and quickness, Solomon put him overseer over the quitrent from the house of Joseph. Once Jeroboam went out of the city; the prophet Ahijah met him on the road. Taking off his new clothes that were on him, Ahijah tore them into 12 pieces and, commanding Jeroboam to take 10 of them, he said to him: Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: here I am plucking the kingdom from the hand of Solomon, and I give you 10 tribes because they left me and began to worship Astarte, Chemos, and Milhom. However, I will not take the kingdom away from Solomon himself; while he lives, he will remain king for the sake of David, my servant, whom I have chosen and who kept my commands, but I will take the kingdom out of the hands of his son. I will give you 10 tribes, but I will leave him one knee, so that the lamp of David, my servant, will remain before me all the days. So, I appoint you to be king over Israel. If you keep everything that I command you, and you obey My commands, like my servant David, then I will be with you and will strengthen your house, like the house of David... Jeroboam did not have so much obedience to the higher election as to leave his future to God's will, and he himself began to seek to take possession of the throne; but Solomon, learning about this, sought to destroy him, and he fled to Egypt to Susakim, king of Egypt, and remained there until the death of Solomon ().

The reproof from the mouth of the prophet and the various trials of the last time of Solomon's reign could, of course, have a beneficial effect on him. The Lord himself promised David that He would be a father to his son, and if he acts badly, He will punish him with the blows of the sons of men, but He will not take His mercy from him, as He took from Saul (). Book Ecclesiastes written by Solomon in the old years of his life, makes it clear that he really understood now the vanity of everything earthly, all the joys of the world and all earthly labors and human efforts, and therefore he himself sought and taught others only in God and in fulfilling His commandments to seek the true for self-tranquility and happiness (12, 13).

In conclusion about Solomon, let us note here that no matter how great were his falls and delusions, which were the main source of blind passion for women and vanity, but the wisdom of the first years of his reign and his divinely inspired writings will forever remain a school of wisdom and virtue for all people. In addition to the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon left us a book Proverbs and Song of Songs. His name is still on the book Wisdom, but for all its highly instructive content, it belongs to a later time and it is not in the Hebrew language. The book of Song of Songs, according to the general interpretation of the Church Fathers, mysteriously depicts love that unites God with man and Christ with the Church and every believing soul. V Proverbs, or allegories and short sayings of his, Solomon teaches youth wisdom, piety, faithful fulfillment of their duties and the happiness of life, believing him in virtue.

How many wonderful lessons Solomon has for all ages and conditions! How many wise lessons for kings! How many of the most edifying advice, rules and instructions regarding public office and family life, for husbands and wives, for children and parents, for nobles and servants, for young men and elders, regarding wealth and poverty, purity of heart and frankness, work and rest, piety and piety, justice and justice, moderation and abstinence, thrift and wastefulness, mercy and charity, goodness and meekness, prudence and wisdom, love and compassion for all, compassion for the animals themselves!

It is also impossible not to notice that the age of Solomon was the most favorable in general for the sciences and arts. The art of building, smelting, the art of engraving on precious stones, metalworking, gilding, sculptural art have received significant improvement. The construction of the temple, royal palaces and their rich decoration, exquisite works, gold, ivory and carved from wood, musical instruments of all kinds - all this encouraged and developed the artistic spirit of the people. Architecture appeared in more graceful and refined forms, consistent with taste.

The sciences were also on a high level. Astronomy became a practical science and did not hesitate to make significant advances. Solomon possessed extensive knowledge in medicine. He also wrote treatises on all animals, birds, trees, plants, which, unfortunately, did not reach us, but which at that time should have shed their light on the state of the sciences. Navigation and navigation were supposed to lead to different observations and discoveries and also be of great importance for geography, astronomy and history, introducing different other peoples and their customs and customs.

In the New Testament, the name of Solomon is mentioned repeatedly by Jesus Christ. Thus, speaking of the beauty and splendor of the lily of the field, the Lord said that and Solomon in all his glory did not dress like any of them(). At another time, the Lord, reproaching the scribes and Pharisees who sought signs from Him, reminds them of the extraordinary wisdom of Solomon, known to all, saying: the queen of the south will rise up in judgment with this generation, and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, there is more Solomon here ().

(965 - 928 BC)

Biography (ru.wikipedia.org)

Solomon's names

The name Shlomo (Solomon) in Hebrew comes from the root shalom - "peace", meaning "not war", and also shalem - "perfect", "whole".

Solomon is also mentioned in the Bible under a number of other names. So, sometimes he is called Jedidiah ("beloved of God") - a symbolic name given to Solomon as a sign of God's favor to his father David, after his deep repentance in the story with Bathsheba.

Biblical story

Coming to reign

Solomon's father, David, was going to transfer the throne to Solomon. However, when David became decrepit, his other son, Adonijah, tried to usurp power. He entered into a conspiracy with the high priest Abiathar and the commander of the troops Joab, and, taking advantage of David's weakness, announced himself as the successor to the throne, appointing a magnificent coronation.

Solomon's mother, Bathsheba, as well as the prophet Nathan (Nathan) notified David about this. Adonijah fled and hid in the Tabernacle, grabbing “by the horns of the altar” (1 Kings 1:51), after his repentance Solomon pardoned him. After coming to power, Solomon dealt with other participants in the conspiracy. So, Solomon temporarily removed Abiathar from the priesthood and executed Joab, who tried to hide on the run. The executor of both executions, Benaiah, Solomon appointed the new commander of the troops.

God gave Solomon a kingship on the condition that he did not deviate from serving God. In exchange for this promise, God endowed Solomon with unprecedented wisdom and patience.

Solomon's government The composition of the government formed by Solomon:
High priests - Zadok, Aviathar, Azaria;
Commander of the troops - Vaneya;
Minister of Taxation - Adoniram;
Court chronicler - Jehoshaphat; also the scribes - Elikhoref and Ahijah;
Akhisar - head of the tsarist administration;
Zawuf;
Azaria - the head of the governors;
12 governors:
* Ben-Hur,
* Ben-Decker,
* Ben-Hesed,
* Ben Avinadav,
* Vaana, son of Achilud,
* Ben-Gever,
* Ahinadav,
* Ahimaas,
* Vaana, son of Hushai,
* Jehoshaphat,
* Shimei,
* Gever.

Foreign policy

Solomon adhered to, like most of the rulers of that time, imperial views. The states of Israel and Judea, united under his rule, occupied a large territory; Solomon strove for expansion, as evidenced by his annexation of Saba under the pretext of converting to the "correct" religion.

Solomon ended the half-thousand-year enmity between the Jews and the Egyptians by taking the daughter of the Egyptian Pharaoh as his first wife.

End of Solomon's reign

According to the Bible, Solomon had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines (1 Kings 11: 3), some of whom were foreigners. One of them, who by that time had become his beloved wife and had a great influence on the king, persuaded Solomon to build a pagan altar and worship the deities of her native land. For this, God was angry with him and promised many hardships to the people of Israel, but after the end of the reign of Solomon. Thus, the entire reign of Solomon passed quite calmly.

Solomon died in 928 BC. NS. at the age of 62. According to legend, this happened while he was overseeing the construction of the new altar. In order to avoid mistakes (assuming that this could be a lethargic dream), the confidants did not bury him until the worms began to sharpen his staff. Only then was he officially declared dead and buried.

Even during the life of Solomon, revolts of the conquered peoples (Edomites, Arameans) began; immediately after his death, an uprising broke out, as a result of which the single state split into two kingdoms (Israel and Judah).

Legends of Solomon

King Solomon's judgment

Solomon showed his wisdom first of all at the trial. Soon after his accession to the throne, two women came to him for judgment. They lived in the same house, and each had a baby. At night, one of them crushed her baby and put him next to another woman, and took the live one from that woman. In the morning the women began to argue: "The living child is mine, and the dead one is yours," each said. So they argued before the king. After listening to them, Solomon ordered: "bring the sword."
And they brought the sword to the king. Solomon said: "Cut a living child in half and give half to one and half to the other."
One of the women exclaimed at these words: "Better give her the baby, but don't kill him!"
The other, on the contrary, said: "cut it, let neither her nor me get it."
Then Solomon said: "Do not kill the child, but give him to the first woman: she is his mother."
The people heard about this and began to fear the king, because everyone saw what wisdom God had given him.

Solomon's ring

Despite his wisdom, King Solomon's life was not calm. And once King Solomon turned for advice to the court sage with a request: “Help me - a lot in this life can make me mad. I am very susceptible to passions, and it bothers me! " To which the sage replied: “I know how to help you. Put on this ring - the phrase is engraved on it: “It will pass.” When strong anger or strong joy rushes over, look at this inscription, and it will sober you up. In this you will find salvation from passions! " Solomon followed the advice of the sage and found peace. But the moment came when, looking, as usual, at the ring, he did not calm down, but, on the contrary, lost his temper even more. He tore off the ring from his finger and wanted to throw it away into the pond, but suddenly noticed that there was some kind of inscription on the inside of the ring. He looked closely and read: "And this too will pass."

Another version of the legend:

Once King Solomon was sitting in his palace and saw a man walking down the street dressed from head to toe, dressed in golden robes. Solomon summoned this man to himself and asked: "Are you not a robber?" To which he replied that he was a jeweler: "And Jerusalem is a famous city, many wealthy people, kings and princes come here." Then the king asked how much the jeweler earns from this? And he proudly replied that it was a lot. Then the king grinned and said that if this jeweler is so smart, then let him make a ring that makes the sad ones cheerful, and the happy ones sad. And if in three days the ring is not ready, he orders the jeweler to execute. No matter how talented the jeweler was, on the third day he fearfully went to the king with a ring for him. At the threshold of the palace, he met Rahavam, the son of Solomon, and thought: "The son of a sage is half a sage." And he told Rahavam about his misfortune. To which he grinned, took a nail and scribbled three Hebrew letters on three sides of the ring - Gimel, Zain and Yod. And he said that with this one can safely go to the king. Solomon turned the ring and immediately understood the meaning of the letters on the three sides of the ring in his own way - and their meaning is an abbreviation ?? ?? ????? "And that too will pass." And as the ring spins, and all the time different letters appear upward, so the world spins, and the fate of a person spins in the same way. And thinking that now he is sitting on a high throne, surrounded by all the splendor, and this will pass, he immediately became sad. And when Ashmodai threw him to the end of the world and Solomon had to wander for three years, then looking at the ring, he understood that this would also pass, and he felt cheerful.

The third version of the legend:

In his youth, King Solomon was presented with a ring with the words that when it would be very difficult for him, whether sad, or scared, let him remember about the ring and hold it in his hands. The riches of Solomon were not measured, yet another ring - will it greatly increase them? … Once in the kingdom of Solomon there was a bad harvest. Pestilence and hunger arose: not only children and women died, even the soldiers were exhausted. The king opened all his bins. He sent merchants to sell valuables from his treasury to buy bread and feed the people. Solomon was confused - and suddenly he remembered the ring. The king took out the ring, held it in his hands ... Nothing happened. Suddenly he noticed that there was an inscription on the ring. What is it? Ancient signs…. Solomon knew this forgotten language. EVERYTHING PASSES, he read. ... Many years passed ... King Solomon became known as a wise ruler. He got married and lived happily. His wife became his most sensitive and close assistant and advisor. And suddenly she died. Grief and melancholy gripped the king. He was not amused by either the dancers and the songstress, or the competitions of wrestlers ... Sadness and loneliness. Approaching old age. How to live with it? He took the ring: "Everything passes"? Longing squeezed his heart. The tsar did not want to put up with these words: out of annoyance, he threw the ring, it rolled - and something flashed on the inner surface. The king raised the ring and held it in his hands. For some reason, he had not seen such an inscription before: "IT WILL PASS AND THIS." … Many more years have passed. Solomon became an ancient elder. The tsar understood that his days were numbered and while there was still some strength he needed to give the last orders, to have time to say goodbye to everyone, to bless his successors and children. “Everything passes,” “This too,” he remembered, grinning: that's all gone. Now the king did not part with the ring. It has already worn out, the old inscriptions have disappeared. With faint eyes, he noticed that something appeared on the edge of the ring. What are these, some letters again? The king substituted the edge of the ring to the setting rays of the sun - letters flashed on the edge: "NOTHING PASSES" - Solomon read ...

Thousand and One Nights

Annexation of Saba

According to legend, Solomon annexed Saba to his state, the legendary state, the official religion of which was sun worship. He sent the ruler of Saba (known as the Queen of Sheba) Bilkis a note with a proposal for unification, coupled with a change in the state religion.

The Supreme Council of Saba decided to consider this note a declaration of war and join it, but Bilquis vetoed this decision and entered into negotiations with Solomon. The ambassador of Saba brought gifts to Solomon, but he defiantly refused, arguing that Saba could not give him anything better and more than he had, and the only goal of the unification was to establish a just religion on the territory of Saba. During the negotiations, Solomon said that, if necessary, he would start a war and capture Saba by force.

Then Bilkis personally went to negotiations, having previously ordered to hide the royal regalia (mainly the throne). Solomon learned about this from his spies and ordered his residents in Saba to steal the throne and deliver it to the place of negotiations. When Bilkis arrived, Solomon offered her her own throne. The suppressed Bilkis agreed to the annexation, which thus took place; the state religion of Saba was brought into conformity with the state religion of the Solomon kingdom.

According to legend, under Solomon, the sign of his father David became the state seal. In Islam, the six-pointed star is called the star of Solomon.

* At the same time, medieval mystics called Solomon's seal the pentagram (five-pointed star).
* According to another version, the sign of Solomon, the so-called. The Solomon seal was an eight-pointed star, intertwined like a pentagram.
* At the same time, in occultism, the 12-pointed star is considered to be the pentacle with the name "Star of Solomon". Due to the greater number of rays, a circle is formed in the center of the star. Often a symbol was inscribed in it, thanks to which the pentacle helped in intellectual work and strengthened talents.
* It is believed that the star of Solomon formed the basis of the Maltese cross of the knights of the Johannites.

These signs were widely used in magic, alchemy, Kabbalah and other mystical teachings.

Image in art

The image of King Solomon inspired many poets and artists: for example, the German poet of the 18th century. F.-G. Klopstock dedicated a tragedy to him in verse, the artist Rubens painted the painting "The Judgment of Solomon", Handel dedicated an oratorio to him, and Gounod - an opera. In 2009, director Alexander Kiriyenko shot the film "The Illusion of Fear" (based on the book by Alexander Turchinov), where the image of Tsar Solomon and the legends about him were used to reveal the image of the protagonist, businessman Korob, by drawing analogies between antiquity and modernity.

Notes (edit)

1.2Par.12: 24.25
2.3 Kings 1: 10-22
3. However, Adonijah later broke the treaty and was executed.
4. Yalkut Shimoni
5. p. Meir Zvi Girsh Zachman, "Khidushei Torah", 1928. Translated by

Biography

Solomon, Shelom (Heb. "Peaceful", "graceful"), the third king of the Israel-Jewish state (c. 965-928 BC), depicted in the Old Testament books as the greatest sage of all time; hero of many legends. His father is King David, his mother is Bathsheba. Already at the birth of Solomon, “the Lord loved him,” and David appointed him heir to the throne, circumventing his eldest sons (2 Kings 12, 24; 1 Kings 1, 30-35). God, who appeared to Solomon in a dream and promised to fulfill his every desire, Solomon asks to grant him "a reasonable heart to judge the people." And because he did not ask for any earthly blessings, Solomon is endowed not only with wisdom, but also with unprecedented wealth and glory: "There was nothing like you before you, and after you will not arise ..." (1 Kings 3, 9-13 ). The wisdom of Solomon manifests itself at his very first judgment, when, pretending to chop the baby up and divide it between the two women who claimed him, the king finds out who is the real mother (3, 16-28).

Solomon collected untold riches, so that silver in his kingdom became equivalent to a simple stone. All the kings and sages of the earth (including the Queen of Sheba) came to Solomon with gifts to listen to his wisdom (4, 34; 10, 24). Solomon uttered three thousand parables and one thousand and five songs, in which he described the properties of all plants, animals and birds (4, 32-33). “The artist of everything - Wisdom” (cf. Sophia) allowed Solomon to know “the structure of the world, the beginning, end and middle of times. ... Everything hidden and obvious ”(Wis. Sol. 7:17). God commanded the peacemaker Solomon to build a temple in Jerusalem (“the temple of Solomon”), while David, who fought bloody wars, was not given to build a temple (1 Kings 5, 3). The temple was erected by tens of thousands of people over seven years, and at the same time the work was carried out completely silently.

As a punishment for the fact that Solomon took many foreign wives, allowed them to practice pagan cults, and even in his old age inclined "to other gods", Solomon's kingdom after his death was divided between his son Rehoboam and the slave Jeroboam (11, 1-13). Solomon is credited with the authorship of two biblical Psalms (71 and 126), as well as the books of Proverbs of Solomon, Ecclesiastes, the Song of Songs, the deuterocanonical book "The Wisdom of Solomon", the apocryphal "Testament of Solomon." and the Psalms of Solomon.

According to the Haggadah, Solomon asked for the hand of Wisdom, the daughter of the king of heaven, and received the whole world as a dowry. People, animals and spirits were looking for the wisdom of Solomon. At the courts, Solomon read the thoughts of the litigants and did not need witnesses. When a descendant of Cain from the underworld came to Solomon with a demand to allocate him a double share from his father's inheritance on the grounds that he had two heads, Solomon ordered water to be poured on one of these heads and, by the exclamations of the other, established that there is still one in the body of the monster. soul. Animals, birds and fish appeared at the judgment of Solomon and did his will ("Shir-Hashirim Rabba" 1; "Shemot Rabba" 15, 20). The silent construction of the temple was explained by the fact that the tsar used to cut stones. used a magic worm Shamir, eating rocks, which was brought to him by a vulture from the Garden of Eden ("Sotha", 486). The throne of Solomon was decorated with golden lions, which came to life and subsequently did not give any conqueror to sit on this throne (targum Sheini).

Solomon owned a wonderful ring ("Solomon's seal"), with the help of which he tamed the demons and even subdued their head Asmodeus, who helped Solomon build the temple. Puffed up by his power over the spirits, Solomon was punished: Asmodeus "threw" him into a distant land, and he himself took the form of Solomon and ruled in Jerusalem. Solomon at this time had to wander, atoning for his pride, and teach the people humility, saying: "I, the preacher, was king over Israel ..." (cf. Eccles. 1:12). The repentant Solomon was returned to the kingdom, and the werewolf disappeared (Gitin, 67-68a). At the very hour when Solomon married Pharaoh's daughter, Gabriel descended from heaven and planted a stalk in the sea, around which, over the centuries, a huge peninsula grew, and on it - the city of Rome, whose troops subsequently destroyed Jerusalem (Shabbat, 56). Solomon reigned over many worlds, transported through the air, traveled in time. Knowing that the temple would be destroyed, Solomon prepared an underground cache where the prophet Jeremiah later hid the ark of the covenant.

Legends about Solomon formed the basis of many medieval literary works (for example, a poetic work in German "Solomon and Morolph", 12th century). All sorts of legends about Solomon were popular in Russia. Old Russian legends portray the contest between Solomon and the demon Kitovras as a struggle of equal strength "wisdom of light" and "wisdom of darkness". According to these legends, King Hezekiah burned the “healing” books of Solomon, because the people who were healed according to them stopped praying to God for their healing. Solomon's bowl was covered with a mysterious inscription containing predictions about Jesus Christ and indicating the number of years from Solomon to Christ. For the Muslim traditions of Solomon, see v. Sulaiman.

Legend of King Solomon.

Solomon, king of Israel and son of David and Bathsheba, inherited his throne in 2989 from the creation of the world, in 1015 BC. He was only twenty years old, but it should be said that during the inheritance the young tsar faced legal issues of a certain complexity, in the resolution of which he showed the first signs of wise judgment, which he did not abandon afterwards.

The most significant accomplishment of Solomon during his reign was the construction of the Temple in honor of the Main God Jehovah. David rewrote all the workers in his kingdom, supervised the works, stone cutters and carriers of goods, prepared large quantities of bronze, cast iron and cedars, and accumulated untold wealth to finance the construction. But on the advice of the prophet Nathan, David did not begin to build the Temple to God, despite the fact that his deeds were pleasing to God, since God did not allow David to build the Temple, due to the fact that he was "a warlike man and shed blood." This task was entrusted to the peace-loving Solomon, his son and heir.

Shortly before his death, David commanded Solomon to build a Temple to God as soon as he inherits the throne. In addition, he gave him instructions on the management of the construction, and gave for this purpose an amount equivalent to 10,000 gold talents, and on top of that ten times more silver, which he set aside for this purpose. In terms of today's money, this amount is approximately equal to four billion dollars.

As soon as Solomon succeeded to the throne of Israel, he prepared himself for the fulfillment of David's purposes. For these purposes, he considered it necessary to use the help of Hiram, king of Tire, friend and ally of his father. The Tyrians and Sidonians, subjects of Hiram, were famous for their building arts, and many of them were in mystical active societies, in the artisan brotherhood of Dionysus in particular, and were de facto monopolists in the building profession in Asia Minor. On the other hand, the Jews were known for their military prowess and ability to make peace, and Solomon immediately realized the need to ask for the help of foreign builders in order to fulfill the will of his father and build the Temple on time, equally considering that the building had to correspond to its sacred purpose and to be majestic as intended. And that is why he asked Hiram, king of Tire, for help and support.

King Hiram, mindful of his alliance and friendship with David, continued friendly relations with his son, and provided Solomon with the workers, overseers and assistants he asked for.

King Hiram immediately began to fulfill his promise to help Solomon. In accordance with this, he is known to have sent 33,600 workers from Tire to Solomon, in addition to a substantial amount of wood and stones for the construction of the Temple. Hiram also sent him a more important gift than people and materials - an architect, “a man of intelligence, having knowledge,” whose experience and skills were needed to guide the construction and decoration of the Temple. His name was Hiram Abif.

King Solomon began the construction of the Temple on Monday, the second day of the Hebrew month of Ziph, which corresponds to April 22 according to the modern calendar, in 1012 BC. King Solomon, King Hiram and Hiram Abif are recognized as three Great Masters of the Teaching.

Hiram Abif was entrusted with the leadership of the construction of the Temple, while the leadership of the subordinates was entrusted to other masters, whose names and positions are omitted in the traditions of the Order.

The construction of the Temple was completed in the month of Bul, corresponding to November in the modern calendar, in the year 3000 from the creation of the world, seven and a half years from the date of the beginning of construction.

When the divine command was fulfilled, and the place for the sacred rite was determined, King Solomon ordered to transfer the Ark of the Covenant there from Zion, where it was determined by David. The Ark was placed in a specially designated place in the Temple.

At this point, Solomon's direct and personal connection with Mastery comes to its logical conclusion. And King Solomon was the wisest ruler who ruled Israel by the unanimous recognition of his descendants.

He was far ahead of his reign in the application of the sciences, and Jewish and Arab writers attribute to him a thorough knowledge of magical secrets. Of course, these are pure fantasies. But he left us in his statements the understanding that he was a purely religious philosopher, during a period of peace, the long prosperity of his kingdom, an increase in the well-being of his people, who supported the development of construction, medicine, commerce, which confirms his deep knowledge as a ruler and statesman ...

After his forty years of reign, he died, and with him ended the glory and power of the Hebrew empire.

King Solomon (Shlomo, Suleiman)

King Solomon (in Hebrew - Shlomo) - the son of David from Bat Sheva, the third Jewish king. The splendor of his reign was etched in the memory of the people as the time of the highest flowering of Jewish power and influence, after which a period of disintegration into two kingdoms begins. Popular tradition knew a lot about his wealth, brilliance and, most importantly, about his wisdom and justice. His main and highest merit is considered to be the construction of the Temple on Mount Zion - what his father, the righteous King David, aspired to.

Already at the birth of Solomon, the prophet Nathan singled him out among the other sons of David and recognized him worthy of the grace of the Most High; the prophet gave him another name - Edidya ("favorite of Gd" - Shmuel I 12, 25). Some believe that this was his real name, and "Shlomo" - a nickname ("peacemaker").

Solomon's accession to the throne is described in an extremely dramatic manner (Mlahim I 1 ff). When King David was dying, his son Adonijah, who became the eldest of the king's sons after the death of Amnon and Avshalom, planned to seize power while his father was still alive. Adonijah knew, apparently, that the king had promised the throne to the son of his beloved wife Bat Sheva, and wanted to get ahead of his rival. The formal right was on his side, and this secured him the support of the influential commander Yoav and the high priest Evyatar, and the prophet Nathan and the priest Zadok were on the side of Solomon. For some, the right of seniority was above the will of the king, and for the sake of the triumph of formal justice, they went into opposition, to the camp of Adonijah. Others believed that since Adonijah was not the firstborn son of David, the king had the right to give the throne to whoever he wanted, even to his youngest son Solomon.

The approaching death of the tsar prompted both parties to take an active part: they wanted to carry out their plans during the tsar's lifetime. Adonijah thought to attract supporters in a royally magnificent way of life: he started chariots, horsemen, fifty walkers, surrounded himself with a numerous retinue. When, in his opinion, the opportune moment for the implementation of the plan came, he arranged a feast outside the city for his followers, where he was going to proclaim himself king.

But on the advice of the prophet Nathan and with his support, Bat Sheva managed to convince the king to hasten to fulfill the promise given to her: to appoint Solomon as his successor and to anoint him immediately to the kingdom. The priest Zadok, accompanied by the prophet Nathan, Bnayaga and a detachment of royal bodyguards (creti u-lash), took Solomon on the royal mule to the source of Gihon, where Zadok anointed him to the kingdom. When the sound of a horn was heard, the people shouted: "Long live the king!" The people spontaneously followed Solomon, accompanying him to the palace with music and jubilant shouts.

The news of Solomon's anointing frightened Adonijah and his followers. Adonijah, fearing Solomon's vengeance, sought salvation in the sanctuary, grasping the horns of the altar. Solomon promised him that if he behaved impeccably, “a hair would not fall from his head to the ground”; otherwise, he will be executed. Soon David died, and King Solomon came to the throne. Since the son of Solomon, Rehavam, was one year old at the time of Solomon's accession (Mlahim I 14, 21; cf. 11, 42), it should be assumed that Solomon was not a “boy” when he ascended the throne, as could be understood from the text ( ibid., 3, 7).

Already the first steps of the new king justified the opinion made about him by King David and the prophet Nathan: he turned out to be an impassive and perspicacious ruler. Meanwhile, Adonijah asked the queen-mother to obtain royal permission for his marriage to Avishag, counting on the popular belief that the right to the throne belongs to the one of the king's close associates who gets his wife or concubine (cf.Shmuel II 3, 7 et seq. ; 16, 22). Solomon understood Adonijah's plan and betrayed his brother to death. Since Adonia was supported by Yoab and Evyatar, the latter was removed from the post of high priest and was exiled to his estate in Anatot. Word of the king's anger reached Yoab, and he took refuge in the sanctuary. By order of King Solomon, Bnayagu killed him, since his crime against Avner and Amas deprived him of the right of refuge (see Shemot 21, 14). The enemy of the David dynasty, Shimi, a relative of Shaul (Mlahim I 2, 12-46), was also eliminated.

However, we do not know about other cases of the use of the death penalty by King Solomon. In addition, in relation to Yoav and Shimi, he only fulfilled his father's will (ibid., 2, 1-9). Having consolidated his power, Solomon set about solving the problems facing him. The Kingdom of David was one of the most significant states in Asia. Solomon had to strengthen and maintain this position. He hastened to enter into friendly relations with the mighty Egypt; Pharaoh's campaign to Eretz Yisrael was directed not against the dominions of Solomon, but against the Canaanite Gezer. Soon, Solomon married the daughter of Pharaoh and received the conquered Gezer as a dowry (ibid., 9, 16; 3, 1). This was even before the construction of the Temple, that is, at the beginning of the reign of Solomon (cf. ibid., 3, 1; 9, 24).

Having thus secured his southern border, King Solomon renews an alliance with his northern neighbor, the Phoenician king Hiram, with whom King David was still on friendly terms (ibid., 5, 15-26). Probably, in order to get closer to neighboring peoples, King Solomon took as his wives Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites, who, presumably, belonged to the noble families of these peoples (ibid., 11, 1)

The kings brought rich gifts to Solomon: gold, silver, robes, weapons, horses, mules, etc. (ibid., 10, 24, 25). Solomon's wealth was so great that “he made silver in Jerusalem equal to stones, and made cedars equal to sycamore trees” (ibid., 10, 27). King Solomon loved horses. He was the first to introduce cavalry and chariots into the Jewish army (ibid., 10, 26). All his enterprises bear the stamp of a wide scale, a striving for grandeur. This gave splendor to his reign, but, at the same time, placed a heavy burden on the population, mainly on the tribes of Ephraim and Menashe. These tribes, differing in character and some features of cultural development from the tribe of Yehuda, to which the royal house belonged, have always had separatist aspirations. King Solomon thought of suppressing their obstinate spirit by forced labor, but the results were exactly the opposite. True, the attempt of Ephraimite Yeroveam to raise an uprising during the life of Solomon ended in failure. The mutiny was suppressed. But after the death of King Solomon, his policy towards the "house of Yosef" led to the falling away of ten tribes from the dynasty of David.

Great discontent among the prophets and people faithful to the Gd of Israel caused his tolerant attitude towards pagan cults, which were introduced by his foreign wives. The Torah says that he built a temple on the Mount of Olives for the Moabite god Kmosh and the Ammonite god Moloch. The Torah connects this “deviation of his heart from the Gd of Israel” with his old age. Then there was a turning point in his soul. Luxury and polygamy corrupted his heart; relaxed physically and spiritually, he succumbed to the influence of his pagan wives and followed their path. This falling away from Gd was the more criminal because Solomon, according to the Torah, twice received the Divine revelation: the first time before the construction of the Temple, in Givon, where he went to make sacrifices, since there was a great bama. At night, the Most High appeared to Solomon in a dream and offered to ask Him for whatever the king wanted. Solomon did not ask for riches, nor fame, nor longevity, nor victories over enemies. He asked only to grant him wisdom and the ability to govern the people. Gd promised him wisdom, wealth, and glory, and, if he obeyed the commandments, also longevity (ibid., 3, 4, etc.). The second time Gd appeared to him at the end of the construction of the Temple and revealed to the king that he had heeded his prayer at the consecration of the Temple. The Almighty promised that he would take this Temple and the dynasty of David under His protection, but if the people fall away from Him, then the Temple will be rejected and the people will be expelled from the Country. When Solomon himself set foot on the path of idolatry, Gd announced to him that he would take away from his son the power over all Israel and give it to another, leaving the house of David only power over Judah (ibid., 11, 11-13).

King Solomon reigned for forty years. The atmosphere of the end of his reign is in complete harmony with the mood of the book of Coelet. Having experienced all the joys of life, having drunk the cup of pleasure to the bottom, the author is convinced that it is not pleasure and pleasure that constitute the goal of life, they do not give it content, but the fear of God.

King Solomon in Haggadah.

The personality of King Solomon and stories from his life became the favorite subject of Midrash. The names Agur, Bin, Yake, Lemuel, Itiel and Ukal (Mishley 30, 1; 31, 1) are explained as the names of Solomon himself (Shir ha-shirim Rabba, 1, 1). Solomon came to the throne when he was 12 years old (according to Targum Sheni to the book of Esther 1, 2-13 years old). He reigned for 40 years (Mlahim I, 11, 42) and, therefore, died fifty-two years of age (Seder Olam Rabba, 15; Bereshit Rabba, S, 11. Compare, however, Josephus Flavius, Antiquities of the Jews, VIII, 7 , § 8, where it is stated that Solomon ascended the throne at fourteen years of age and reigned for 80 years, cf. also Abarbanel's commentary on Mlahim I, 3, 7). Haggadah emphasizes the similarity in the fate of the kings Solomon and David: both of them reigned for forty years, both wrote books and composed psalms and parables, both built altars and solemnly carried the ark of the covenant, and, finally, both had Ruach ha-kodesh. (Shir ha-shirim slave, 1.p.).

The wisdom of King Solomon.

Solomon is given special credit for the fact that in a dream he asked only for the grant of wisdom to him (Psikta Rabati, 14). Solomon was considered the personification of wisdom, so there was a saying: “He who sees Solomon in a dream can hope to become wise” (Berachot 57 b). He understood the language of animals and birds. When making the court, he did not need to interrogate witnesses, since at one glance at the litigants he found out which of them was right and who was wrong. King Solomon wrote the Song of Songs, Mishlei and Koelet under the influence of Ruach ha-kodesh (Makot, 23 b, Shir ha-shirim Rabba, 1 p.). Solomon's wisdom was also manifested in his constant striving to spread the Torah in the Country, for which he built synagogues and schools. For all that, Solomon did not differ in arrogance and, when it was necessary to determine a leap year, he invited seven learned elders, in whose presence he kept silence (Shemot Rabba, 15, 20). This is the view of Solomon the Amoraes, the sages of the Talmud. Tannai, sages of the Mishna, with the exception of r. Yose ben Khalafta, portray Solomon in a less attractive light. Solomon, they say, having many wives and constantly increasing the number of horses and treasures, violated the prohibition of the Torah (Devarim 17, 16-17, cf. Mlahim I, 10, 26-11, 13). He relied too much on his wisdom when he resolved the dispute between two women about the child without testimony, for which he received a censure from the bat-kol. The book of Koelet, according to some sages, is devoid of holiness and is “only the wisdom of Solomon” (V. Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 21 b; Shemot Rabba 6, 1; Megila 7a).

The power and splendor of the reign of King Solomon.

King Solomon reigned over all the upper and lower worlds. The disk of the Moon did not decrease during his reign, and good constantly prevailed over evil. Power over angels, demons and animals gave a special splendor to his reign. Demons brought him precious stones and water from distant lands to irrigate his exotic plants. Animals and birds themselves entered his kitchen. Each of his thousand wives prepared a feast every day in the hope that the king would be pleased to dine with her. The king of birds, the eagle, obeyed all the orders of King Solomon. With the help of a magic ring on which the name of the Most High was engraved, Solomon elicited many secrets from the angels. In addition, the Almighty gave him a flying carpet. Solomon moved on this carpet, having breakfast in Damascus and supper in Media. The wise king was once shamed by an ant, whom he raised from the ground during one of his flights, put him on his arm and asked: is there anyone in the world greater than him, Solomon. The ant replied that he considered himself greater, because otherwise the Lord would not have sent an earthly king to him and he would not have put him in his hand. Solomon got angry, threw off the ant and shouted: "Do you know who I am?" But the ant replied: "I know that you are created from an insignificant embryo (Avot 3, 1), therefore you have no right to ascend too much." The arrangement of the throne of King Solomon is described in detail in the Second Targum to the book of Esther (1. p.) And in other Midrashs. According to the Second Targum, on the steps of the throne there were 12 golden lions and the same number of golden eagles (according to another version 72 and 72) one against the other. Six steps led to the throne, on each of which there were golden images of representatives of the animal kingdom, two different on each step, one opposite the other. At the top of the throne was an image of a dove with a dovecot in its claws, which was supposed to symbolize the rule of Israel over the pagans. There was also a gold candlestick with fourteen candlesticks fortified, seven of which were engraved with the names of Adam, Noach, Shem, Abraham, Isaac, Yaakov and Job, and seven others were engraved with the names of Levi, Keat, Amram, Moshe, Aaron, Eldad. and Hura (according to another version - Haggaya). Above the candlestick was a golden jug of oil, and below was a golden bowl, on which the names of Nadab, Abigu, Eli and his two sons were engraved. The 24 vines above the throne created a shadow over the king's head. With the help of a mechanical device, the throne was moved at the request of Solomon. According to Targum, all animals, using a special mechanism, extended their paws when Solomon ascended the throne so that the king could lean on them. When Solomon reached the sixth step, the eagles lifted him up and sat him on a chair. Then a large eagle put a crown on his head, and the rest of the eagles and lions climbed up to form a shadow around the king. The dove descended, took a Torah scroll from the ark and laid it on Solomon's lap. When the king, surrounded by the Sanhedrin, proceeded to investigate the case, the wheels (ofanim) began to turn, and the animals and birds emitted screams that aroused those who intended to give false testimony. In another Midrash, it is said that during the procession of Solomon to the throne, the animal that stood at each step lifted it up and passed it on to the next. The steps of the throne were strewn with precious stones and crystals. After the death of Solomon, the Egyptian king Shishak took possession of his throne along with the treasures of the Temple (Mlahim I, 14, 26). After the death of Sancheriv, who conquered Egypt, Hizkiyahu again took possession of the throne. Then the throne successively went to Pharaoh Necho (after the defeat of King Yoshiya), Nevuhadnetsar and, finally, Ahasuerus. These rulers were not familiar with the structure of the throne and therefore could not use it. The Midrashim also describe the structure of Solomon's "hippodrome": it had three farsangs in length and three in width; in the middle of it were driven two pillars with cages at the top, in which various animals and birds were gathered.

Angels helped Solomon in the construction of the Temple. The element of miracle was everywhere. The heavy stones went up and down on their own. With the gift of prophecy, Solomon foresaw that the Babylonians would destroy the Temple. Therefore, he arranged a special underground box in which the ark of the covenant was subsequently hidden (Abarbanel to Mlahim I, 6, 19). The golden trees planted by Solomon in the Temple bore fruit every season. The trees withered when the pagans entered the Temple, but they will bloom again with the coming of the Messiah (Yoma 21 b). Pharaoh's daughter brought with her to Solomon's house the idolatrous cult. When Solomon married Pharaoh's daughter, another Midrash reports, the archangel Gabriel descended from heaven and stuck a pole into the depths of the sea, around which an island was formed, on which Rome was subsequently built, which conquered Jerusalem. R. Yose ben Khalafta, who always "takes the side of King Solomon", believes, however, that Solomon, having married the daughter of Pharaoh, had the sole purpose of converting her to Jewry. There is an opinion that Mlahim I, 10, 13 should be interpreted in the sense that Solomon entered into a sinful relationship with the Queen of Sheba, who gave birth to Nevuhadnetsar, who destroyed the Temple (see Rashi's interpretation of this verse). Others completely deny the story of the Queen of Sheba and the riddles she proposed, and the words of Malat Sheba are understood as Mlekhet Sheba, the kingdom of Sheba, submitted to Solomon (V. Talmud, Bava Batra 15 b).

The fall of King Solomon.

The Oral Torah reports that King Solomon lost his throne, wealth and even reason for his sins. The basis is the words of Koelet (1, 12), where he speaks of himself as the king of Israel in the past tense. He gradually descended from the peak of glory to the lowlands of poverty and misery (V. Talmud, Sanhedrin 20 b). It is believed that he again managed to seize the throne and become king. An angel who overthrew Solomon from the throne took the form of Solomon and usurped his power (Ruth Rabbah 2:14). In the Talmud, instead of this angel, Ashmadai is mentioned (V. Talmud, Gitin 68 b). Some sages of the Talmud of the first generations even believed that Solomon was deprived of his inheritance in the future life (V. Talmud, Sanhedrin 104 b; Shir ha-shirim Rabba 1, 1). Rabbi Eliezer gives an evasive answer to the question about the afterlife of Solomon (Tosef. Yevamot 3, 4; Yoma 66 b). But, on the other hand, it is said about Solomon that the Almighty forgave him, like his father, David, all the sins he had committed (Shir ha-shirim Rabba 1. p.). The Talmud says that King Solomon issued decrees (takanot) on eruv and washing hands, and also included in the blessing on bread the words about the Temple (V. Talmud, Berachot 48 b; Shabbat 14 b; Eruvin 21 b).

King Solomon (Suleiman) in Arabic literature.

Among the Arabs, the Jewish king Solomon is considered "the messenger of the Most High" (rasul Allah), as it were, the forerunner of Muhammad. Arab legends dwell in particular detail on his meeting with the Queen of Sheba, whose state is identified with Arabia. The name "Suleiman" was given to all great kings. Suleiman received four precious stones from the angels and set them in a magic ring. The inherent power of the ring is illustrated by the following story: Suleiman usually took off the ring when he washed and gave it to one of his wives, Amina. Once the evil spirit Sakr took the form of Suleiman and, taking the ring from the hands of Amina, sat on the royal throne. While Sakr reigned, Suleiman wandered, abandoned by everyone, and ate alms. On the fortieth day of his reign, Sakr threw the ring into the sea, where he was swallowed by a fish, then caught by a fisherman and prepared for Suleiman's supper. Suleiman cut the fish, found a ring there and again received his former strength. The forty days he spent in exile was the punishment for the worship of idols in his house. True, Suleiman did not know about this, but one of his wives knew (Koran, Sura 38, 33-34). As a boy, Suleiman allegedly canceled the decisions of his father, for example, when the issue of a child was being decided, for which two women claimed. In the Arabic version of this story, the wolf ate the child of one of the women. Daud (David) decided the case in favor of the older woman, and Suleiman offered to cut the child up and, after the younger woman's protest, gave the child to her. Suleiman's superiority over his father as a judge is also manifested in his decisions about a sheep that committed harm in the field (sura 21, 78, 79), and about the treasure found in the ground after the sale of the land; both the buyer and the seller claimed the treasure.

Suleiman appears to be a great warrior, a lover of military campaigns. His passionate love for horses led to the fact that, once examining 1000 newly delivered horses to him, he forgot to perform the midday prayer (Koran, sura 28, 30-31). For this he later killed all the horses. In a dream, Ibrahim (Abraham) appeared to him and urged him to take a pilgrimage to Mecca. Suleiman went there, and then to Yemen on a flying carpet, where people, animals and evil spirits were with him, while birds flew in a close flock over Suleiman's head, forming a canopy. Suleiman, however, noticed that there was no hoopoe in this flock, and threatened him with terrible punishment. But the latter soon flew in and calmed the angry king, telling him about the miracles he had seen, about the beautiful queen Bilkis and her kingdom. Then Suleiman sent a letter to the queen with a hoopoe, in which he asked Bilkis to accept his faith, otherwise threatening to conquer her country. To test the wisdom of Suleiman, Bilkis offered him a number of questions and, finally convinced that he had far surpassed the glory about himself, she submitted to him along with her kingdom. Sura 27, 15-45 speaks of the magnificent reception given by Suleiman for the queen and the riddles she proposed. Suleiman died fifty-three years of age, after forty years of reign.

There is a legend that Suleiman collected all the books on magic that were in his kingdom and locked them in a box, which he placed under his throne, not wanting anyone to use them. After the death of Suleiman, the spirits started talking about him as a sorcerer who himself used these books. Many believed it.

King Solomon. Biography, myths and legends.

King Solomon (Shlomo) - the son of King David and Bathsheba (Bat Sheva), the third Jewish king. The period of his reign (approximately 967-928 BC) is considered the period of the greatest dawn and prosperity of the united kingdom of Israel. In 967-965 BC. Solomon, apparently, ruled along with King David and after his death became the sole ruler.

David promised the throne to the son of his beloved wife Bathsheba - Solomon, and the prophet Nathan (Nathan), already at the birth of Solomon, singled him out among the other sons of David and considered him worthy of the grace of the Most High.

David's eldest son, Adonijah, knowing about this promise of David, tried to seize power while his father was still alive, but his plan was not fulfilled, since the prophet Nathan and Bathsheba convinced David to hurry up with the anointing of Solomon to the kingdom. King David did not punish Adonijah and took an oath from Solomon that he would not do anything wrong to his brother, provided that he did not claim the throne of Solomon.

After David's death, Adonijah turned to Bathsheba with a request to marry Avishag (a handmaid of King David at the end of his life). Solomon saw in this Adonijah's claim to his throne, since, according to custom, the right to the throne belongs to the one who gets the king's wife or concubine, and ordered to kill Adonijah.

King Solomon was famous for his wisdom, animals, birds and spirits obeyed him. One night, God appeared to Solomon in a dream and promised to fulfill his every desire. Solomon asks: "Grant your servant a sensible heart, so that you may judge your people and discern what is good and what is evil." "And God said to him: because you asked for this and did not ask for yourself a long life, did not ask for riches for yourself, did not ask for the souls of your enemies, but asked for reason for yourself to be able to judge, - behold, I will do according to your word: behold, I give you a heart that is wise and reasonable, so that there was no one like you before you, and after you no one like you will arise; and what you did not ask, I give you, both riches and glory, so that there will be no one like you among kings all your days; and if you walk in my way, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, I will continue your days. " (Kings).

King Solomon was a peaceful ruler and during his reign (he ruled for 40 years) there was not a single big war. He inherited a large and strong state and he had to support and strengthen it.

At the beginning of his reign, he married the daughter of the Egyptian pharaoh, thereby strengthening the southern borders of his state. Subsequently, he repeatedly married women of other nations to maintain good neighborly relations with neighboring states (Solomon's harem consisted of 700 wives and 300 concubines).

King Solomon was a good diplomat, builder and merchant. He turned an agricultural country into a strong, economically developed state with great influence on the international arena. He rebuilt and fortified Jerusalem and other cities of his kingdom, erected the First Jerusalem Temple, introduced cavalry and chariots into the Jewish army for the first time, built a merchant fleet, developed crafts and in every possible way supported trade with other countries.

Solomon surrounded his reign with luxury and wealth "and the king made silver in Jerusalem equal to simple stones." Ambassadors from various countries came to Jerusalem to conclude peace and trade agreements with Israel and brought rich gifts.

But during his reign, Solomon made mistakes that led to the collapse of the state after his death.

The grandiose construction and rapid economic development required labor "and King Solomon imposed a duty on all Israel; the duty consisted of thirty thousand people." Solomon divided the country into 12 tax districts, obliging them to maintain the royal court and the army. The tribe of Judah, from which Solomon and David came, was exempted from taxes, which caused discontent among the representatives of the rest of the Israelite tribes. The extravagance and craving of Solomon for luxury led to the fact that he could not pay off the king Hiram, with whom he entered into an agreement during the construction of the Temple, and was forced to give him several of his cities as a debt.

The priests also had reasons for discontent. King Solomon had many wives of different races and religions, they brought with them their deities. Solomon built temples for them, where they could worship their gods, and at the end of his life he himself began to participate in pagan cults.

The Midrash (Oral Torah) says that when King Solomon married Pharaoh's daughter, the archangel Gabriel descended from heaven and stuck a pole into the depths of the sea, around which an island was formed, on which Rome was later built, conquering Jerusalem.

At the end of his life, God appeared to Solomon and said: "Because this is done with you, and you have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will tear away the kingdom from you and give it to your servant; but in your days I will not do this for the sake of your father David; I will pluck him out of your son's hand "(Kings).

After the death of King Solomon, his kingdom fell apart into two weak states, Israel and Judah, waging constant internecine wars.

The name of King Solomon is associated with many myths and legends, consider some of them.

Queen of Sheba.

Having heard about the wisdom and fabulous wealth of King Solomon, the legendary Queen of Sheba visited him to test his wisdom and make sure of his wealth (according to other sources, Solomon himself ordered her to appear to him, having heard about the wonderful and rich country of Saba). The queen brought with her numerous gifts.

The state of Saba really existed on the Arabian Peninsula (there are references to it in the Assyrian manuscripts of the 8th century BC). It flourished through the cultivation and trade of spices and incense. At that time, spices were worth their weight in gold and Saba successfully traded them with many states.

Trade routes passed through the territory of the Solomon kingdom and the passage of caravans depended on the will and disposition of the king. This was the real reason for the visit of the Queen of Sheba.

It is believed that she was only a "delegate", "ambassador" of the country and was not a dynastic queen. But with the tsar he could only speak to his equal in status, so the envoys were "given" a temporary status for negotiating.

Later Muslim legends reveal the name of the queen - Bilkis. Folk legends gave a romantic touch to this visit. King Solomon, struck by the beauty of Bilkis, flared up with passion for her, she reciprocated, all questions about the advancement of the caravans were settled and, upon returning home, in due time Bilkis gave birth to a boy named Menelik. Ethiopians claim that their imperial dynasty comes from him.

I will mention one more legend. King Solomon heard that the Queen of Sheba has goat's hooves, that is, the devil is hiding under the image of a beautiful woman. For this, he built a palace, the floor of which was made transparent, and launched fish there. When he invited the queen to enter, she instinctively lifted the hem of her dress, fearing to wet it, thereby showing the king's legs. She had no hooves, but her legs were covered with thick hair. Solomon said "Your beauty is the beauty of a woman, and your hair is the hair of a man. For a man it is beautiful, and for a woman it is revered as a defect."

Ring of King Solomon.

This is one of the versions of the parable of Solomon's ring.

Despite his wisdom, King Solomon's life was not calm. And once King Solomon turned for advice to the court sage with a request: "Help me - a lot in this life can make me mad. I am very susceptible to passions, and it bothers me!" To which the sage replied: “I know how to help you. Put on this ring - the phrase is engraved on it:“ This will pass! ”When strong anger or strong joy rushes in, look at this inscription, and it will sober you up. from the passions! "

Solomon followed the advice of the sage and found peace. But the moment came when, looking, as usual, at the ring, he did not calm down, but, on the contrary, lost his temper even more. He tore off the ring from his finger and wanted to throw it away into the pond, but suddenly noticed that there was some kind of inscription on the inside of the ring. He looked closely and read: "And this too will pass ..."

After the publication of Henry Ryder Haggard's book "The Mines of King Solomon" in 1885, many adventurers lost their peace and went in search of treasures. Haggard believed that King Solomon owned diamond and gold mines.

We know from the Old Testament that King Solomon possessed immense wealth. It is said that every three years he sailed to the country of Ophir and brought from there gold, mahogany, precious stones, monkeys and peacocks. Scientists tried to find out what Solomon drove to Ophir in exchange for this wealth and where this country is located. The location of the mysterious country has not yet been clarified. It is believed that it could be India, Madagascar, Somalia.

Most archaeologists are sure that King Solomon mined copper ore in his mines. In different places, "real mines of King Solomon" periodically appeared. In the 1930s, it was suggested that Solomon's mines are located in southern Jordan. And only at the beginning of this century, archaeologists found evidence that, indeed, the copper mines discovered in Jordan in the town of Khirbat-en-Nahasa may be the legendary mines of King Solomon.

Obviously, Solomon was a monopoly on the production of copper, which gave him the opportunity to make huge profits.

THE GOD'S KINGDOM OF HIS MAJESTY SOLOMON.

And Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his reign was very firm "(third book of kingdoms, chapter 2, verse 12). It is unnecessary to add, knowing the biblical customs, that the first step of the new king was to get rid of Adonijah and the two first characters of the Israelite people who would have preferred to see the crown on the head of this son of Haggifah. ”Adonijah no longer dreamed of the kingdom; he had long since realized that his song had been sung: all he needed from David’s inheritance was a young maiden who warmed the bones of his notorious father. in love with the lovely Avisaga. As the only compensation for the losses incurred by him from the loss of the crown, he, the eldest, immediate heir, asked for himself only a beautiful maidservant of his father. This love, which meant absolutely nothing in itself, served, however, as a pretext for one of the first "wise" decisions of Solomon: he ordered the killing of Adonijah, despite the fact that the latter did not at all refuse him any signs of obedience and was reconciled with the deprivation of restola. Adonijah, who was simple and naive, turned to Bathsheba herself for assistance in his love plans. "And Adonijah, the son of Haggith, came to Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon, (and bowed down to her.) She said, Is your coming in peace? And he said, In peace. And he said: I have a word for you. She said: And he said: You know that the kingdom belonged to me, and all Israel turned their eyes to me as to the future king; one, do not refuse me ... I beg you, speak to King Solomon, for he will not refuse you, so that he give me Avisag the Shunammite woman as a wife.

And Bathsheba said, Well, I will talk to the king about you. And Bathsheba went in to King Solomon to tell him about Adonijah. The king stood before her, bowed down to her, and sat down on his throne. They set up a throne for the king's mother, and she sat down at his right hand, and said: I have one little request for you, do not refuse me. And the king said to her, Ask, my mother; I will not refuse you. And she said, Give Abisag the Shunammite thy brother Adonijah as a wife. And King Solomon answered and said to his mother, Why do you ask Abisag the Sunammite for Adonijah? ask him also for the kingdom; for he is my elder brother, and his priest Abiathar and Joab, son of Zeruiah, (commander, friend). And King Solomon swore by the Lord, saying: so and so let God do to me, and even more, if Adonijah did not say such a word to his own soul; but now, the Lord has lived, who has strengthened me and placed me on the throne of my father David, and has made a house for me, as he said, now Adonijah must die. And king Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada. who struck him, and he died "(third book of kingdoms chapter 2, verses 13-25). It was the queue for the priest Abiathar; but this last one was not killed. Knowing perfectly the popular prejudices, Solomon did not want to shed the priest's blood. It would be difficult to say that this murder was inspired by God himself. "And the king said to the priest Abiathar: go to Anathoth to your field; you are worthy of death, but at the present time I will not put you to death, for you carried the ark of the lord of the Lord before David my father, and endured everything that my father endured. And Solomon removed Abiathar from the priesthood of the Lord "(verses 26-27).

But, of course, there was no mercy for Joab!

"The rumor of this reached Joab, since Joab was leaning to the side of Adonijah. But he did not lean to the side of Solomon," and Joab fled to the tabernacle of the Lord and grabbed the horns of the altar. And they told King Solomon ... And Solomon sent Benaiah his son Jehoiada, saying: Go, kill him (and bury him.) And Benaiah came to the tabernacle of the Lord and said to him, This is what the king said: Come out. And he said, No, I want to die here. Benaiah told this to the king, saying: So he said. Joab answered me, and the king said to him: Do as he said, and kill him and bury him, and take away the innocent blood that Joab shed from me and from my father's house; that he killed two innocent and best men: he struck with the sword, without the knowledge of my father David, Abner, the son of Nirov, the commander of Israel, and Amasai, the son of Jeferov, the commander of the Jews; let their blood turn on the head of Joab and on the head of his descendants on forever, but to David, and to his descendants, and to his house, and to his throne, peace be forever from gentlemen.

And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went and smote Joab and killed him, and he was buried in his house in the wilderness "(third book of kingdoms chapter 2, verses 28-34).

Voltaire says on this occasion that it is hardly necessary to add any more crime to those already committed: Solomon begins his reign with sacrilege. But what, mainly, should seem strange after so many horrors, is the fact that God, who struck with death 50,070 people who looked into his "ark", does not at all avenge this shrine when they make a chopping block out of it for the military leader who gave David the crown ...

"And king Solomon appointed Benaiah the son of Jehoiada in his place over the army; (the government of the kingdom was in Jerusalem) and the king (high priest) made Sodok the priest instead of Abiathar ...

And having sent, the king called Semey and said to him: Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and live here, and do not go anywhere from here; and know that on the day you go out and cross the Kidron stream, you will certainly die; your blood will be on your head. And Shimei said to the king: It is good; As my lord the king has commanded, so will your servant do. And Shimei lived in Jerusalem for a long time. But three years later it happened that Semey's two slaves fled to Anchus, the son of Maakhi, the king of Geth ... And Semey got up and saddled his donkey, and went to Geth to Anchus, to look for his slaves. And Shimei returned and brought his servants "(the third book of kingdoms chapter 2, verses 35-40).

And when Solomon found out about this, he ordered his faithful Vanya, and he went and killed Semey (verse 46).

Later we learn that King Solomon made an alliance with the king of Egypt and even married his daughter. The Bible here does not tell the name of this Egyptian king, calling him simply Pharaoh: this clearly shows the fabulousness of such a marriage. By this time, Solomon had built a palace for himself, began the construction of the temple and began to fortify the city. In anticipation of the completion of the construction of the temple, the king traveled on a pilgrimage to Gibeon, where the most significant sanctuary in the entire kingdom was located. It was there that God gave him the gift of wisdom. This episode is quite interesting. "In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream at night, and said: Ask what to give you. And Solomon said: You have done great mercy to your servant David, my father; and because he walked before you in truth and righteousness and with with a sincere heart before you, you preserved this great mercy for him and gave him a son who would sit on his throne, as it is now ...

But I am a young lad, I know neither my way out nor my way out; and your servant is in the midst of your people, which you have chosen, a people so numerous that by their multitude it is impossible to number or survey; Grant, then, to your servant a reasonable heart, to judge your people and discern what is good and what is evil; for who can rule this great people of yours?

And it pleased the Lord that Solomon asked this. And God said to him: because you asked for this and did not ask for a long life for yourself, did not ask for riches for yourself, did not ask for the souls of your enemies, but asked for reason for yourself to be able to judge - behold, I will do according to your word: behold , I give you a wise and reasonable heart, so that there was no one like you before you, and after you no one like you will arise; and that which you did not ask, I give you, both riches and glory, so that there will be none like you among kings all your days. and if you walk in my way, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, I will continue your days. And Solomon awoke, and this was a dream "(the third book of kingdoms chapter 3, verses 5-15).

So, we are talking here about a dream. God, who did not wait until Abraham, Jacob or others fell asleep to appear to them, under Solomon begins to change his habits and waits until he begins to dream. So be it. But then how did all this become known? So Solomon himself told someone his dream? And so from one to the other, passing from mouth to mouth, this story reached the author of the Third Book of Kings, who lived during the Babylonian captivity? Quite strange after all, isn't it?

Theologians will say - this is their strong point! - that the appearance of God in a dream does not diminish the divinity of vision: the church recognizes divine and devil dreams. Human sleep, say the ministers of religion, can be the result of "supernatural" influence and is not accidental. Let us accept this position for a moment. Let us assume that God did appear

Solomon. Still, Solomon was asleep and, therefore, was not fully conscious enough to speak or respond. If the Pope himself saw himself in a dream as a blasphemer spitting on prosphora, none of his cardinals would blame him for this. If Solomon had chosen fame and fortune in a dream, it would not have mattered at all. It would be better if God, having asked questions, gave Solomon time to wake up, and then he would have better figured out what to answer to God. It would be meritorious for the answer of a waking man who chooses wisdom and neglects everything else. But since he was asleep, the answer does not count: he is absolutely worthless. Nevertheless, this incomparable god was fascinated.

So, rewarded with the wisdom that he asked for and received in a dream, Solomon was not slow to surprise the Israelites with wonderful justice and height of mind. As proof of extraordinary wisdom, the Bible tells a single anecdote about a dispute between two women who gave birth to two babies in the same house three days apart. One of them died. One of the women reproaches the other that at night she stole her living son from her and replaced him with the corpse of her own child, accidentally strangled by her in her sleep.

The resolution of this dispute was proposed to the king. The mother, accused of substitution, swears that the living child brought to court is her own; the other swears no less fervently that the child belongs to her and demands it.

Then Solomon orders to bring a sword, divide the child into two parts and give each mother half. Then a cry of horror is heard from the true mother, who demands that the child be left with the one who stole him, so as not to be killed. This latter, on the contrary, betrays itself with the following unreasonable words: - Let it be neither for me nor for you, - chop.

But Solomon's order was only a test. He awarded the return of the child to the true mother (chapter 3, verses 16-28).

Believers are delighted when the preachers from the pulpit tell this anecdote. However, Solomon did not have to resort to a terrible test at all: he had only to turn to any midwife, and she would have no difficulty in determining which child was born the day before, and which went on the fourth day.

However, let us not be picky and bow before the "extraordinary wisdom" of Solomon. Let's just say that there are a lot of anecdotes of this kind. All peoples have always had judges who combined discernment with simplicity. We will restrict ourselves to only two cases. The judges in question did not receive the gift of wisdom from God in a dream.

Someone climbed to the very top of the bell tower to fix something there. He had the misfortune of falling, but at the same time had the good fortune not to hurt himself. However, his fall was fatal for the man on whom he fell: this man died. The relatives of the victim brought the victim to trial. They accused him of murder and demanded either the death penalty or damages. How can such a dispute be resolved? It was necessary to give some satisfaction to the relatives of the deceased. At the same time, the judge did not consider himself entitled to accuse of murder, even involuntary, a person who himself was the victim of an accident. The judge ordered that of the relatives of the deceased, who was especially persistent in the litigation and demanded revenge loudest of all, to climb to the top of the bell tower himself and rush from there to the defendant - whose involuntary killer he was obliged to be at that time in the very place where the victim gave up his ghost. Needless to say, the annoying lawyer immediately abandoned his absurd claim.

The second curious incident occurred with a Greek judge. One young Greek saved up money to pay the courtesan Theonis for her possession. In the meantime, he dreamed one night that he was enjoying the delights of Theonis. When he woke up, he decided that it would be unwise to spend money for the sake of a moment. At one time he told his friends about his love intentions, and now he told them about his dream and his decision to give up the pleasure of becoming the lover of Theonis. The courtesan, offended by this turn of the case, and most importantly, annoyed that she had not received the money, brought the young man to court, demanding a reward. She claimed that she retained the right to the amount that the young man was going to offer her, for it was she, although in a dream, who satisfied his desire. The judge, who was by no means any Solomon, issued a decree before which our priests are obliged to bow: this pagan, whom God did not enlighten with the light of true piety, invited the young Greek to bring the promised amount and throw money into the pool so that the courtesan could enjoy the sound and contemplation gold coins, just as the young man enjoyed the ghostly closeness.

We bet that if the "holy spirit" who loves merry

history is not without strawberries, the one just stated would come to mind, he would bring it up in the Bible and write it down as an asset to the wisdom of Solomon. Unfortunately, his imagination, as is evident from the entire content of the Bible, is rather meager.

After the anecdote with the judgment, the Third Book of Kings goes on to list the main servants of Solomon. The reader will not be angry with us if we skip these boring lines. But a little further we find something interesting about the fame and wealth of the son of David.

"Judah and Israel, numerous as sand by the sea, ate, drank and rejoiced. Solomon ruled all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the Philistine land and to the borders of Egypt. They brought gifts and served Solomon all the days of his life" (third book of kingdoms chapter 4 , verses 20-21).

Here the "holy spirit" joked very thickly, if we take into account that the matter does not concern those distant times, about which historians have no data: who ever heard that the Jews reigned from the Euphrates to the Mediterranean Sea? It is true that by robbery they conquered a small corner of the earth among the rocks and caves of Palestine - from Bathsheba to Dan; but it is nowhere known that Solomon conquered or in any way acquired even one square kilometer outside Palestine. On the contrary, the "king of Egypt" owned part of Palestine, and several Canaanite districts simply did not obey Solomon. Where is this vaunted power?

"Solomon's food for each day was: thirty cows of wheat flour and sixty cows of other flour, ten fattened oxen and twenty oxen from the pasture, and a hundred sheep, besides deer, and chamois, and saigas, and fattened birds" (verses 22-23) ... Damn it! What bragging really is! The close ones whom Solomon invited to the table, in any case, did not risk in any way dying of hunger.

Some theologians, perplexed by these obvious exaggerations, explained that Solomon, imitating the kings of Babylon, fed his servants and that this is implied in the "sacred" text. The only trouble is that the king of the Jews was no more like the king of Babylon than some small landowner was like the emperors of all Russia.

"And Solomon had forty thousand stalls for the chariot horses, and twelve thousand for the cavalry" (verse 26). These 40,000 stalls are even more beautiful than the 30 oxen and 100 sheep daily rations of His Majesty the King of Israel and Judah.

"And Solomon's wisdom was higher than the wisdom of all the sons of the east and all the wisdom of the Egyptians. He was wiser than all people, wiser than Ethan the Ezrachite, and Heman, and Chalkol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol, and his name was in glory among all the surrounding nations. And he spoke three thousand parables, and his songs were a thousand and five "(verses 30-32).

Of course, no one knows who these Ethan, and Heman, and Khalkol, and Darda are, who are so confidently placed here for comparison with Solomon and whom the "sacred" author quotes with imperturbable aplomb, as if they were talking about the sages known to all. the world. This manner of referring to unknown celebrities, from time to time slipping into "scripture", is one of the most characteristic signs of that spirit of malicious trickery, which to an impartial researcher seems to be the only "spirit" that inspired the authors of the entire book.

As for 3000 parables and 1005 songs, only a few of them survived, and then only attributed to Solomon. It would still be better, Voltaire noted, that this king spent his whole life writing Hebrew odes instead of shedding his brother's blood.

We come to the famous Jerusalem temple, the construction of which Solomon spent seven years, and even thirteen years to build a palace. Four chapters of the third book of Kings are devoted to this topic. We will briefly trace the essential.

"And Hiram king of Tire sent his servants to Solomon, when he heard that he had been anointed king in the place of his father; for Hiram was David's friend all his life. And Solomon sent also to Hiram, saying, You know that David, my father, could not build a house named after the Lord his God because of the wars with the surrounding nations, until the Lord subdued them under his feet; now the Lord, my God, has given me peace from everywhere: there is no enemy and no more obstacles; and, behold, I intend to build a house named after the Lord my God, as the Lord said to my father David, saying: "Your son, whom I will set in your place on your throne, he will build a house for my name"; so command to chop for me cedars from Lebanon; and behold, my servants will be with your servants, and I will give you the wages for your servants, whatever you appoint; for you know that we have no people who could cut trees like the Sidonians ...

And Hiram gave Solomon cedar trees and cypress trees, quite according to his desire. And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand cows of wheat for the food of his house, and twenty cows of beaten olive oil ... And king Solomon imposed a duty on all Israel; the duty consisted of thirty thousand people. And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month, alternately; they were in Lebanon for a month, and in their house for two months. Adoniram was in charge of them. Solomon also had seventy thousand carrying heavy loads and eighty thousand stonecutters in the mountains, except for three thousand three hundred rulers ... "(the third book of kingdoms chapter 5, verses 1-6, 10-11. 13-16).

"The temple that King Solomon built for the Lord was sixty cubits long, twenty cubits wide and thirty cubits high" (third book of kingdoms chapter 6, verse 2). The Hebrew cubit is 52 centimeters, like the Egyptian one. Consequently, the structure was 31 meters long, 10.5 meters wide and 15.5 meters high.

"And he made lattice windows in the house, deaf with slopes. And he made an extension around the walls of the temple, around the temple and the davir (the holy of holies); and made side rooms around. The lower tier of the extension was five cubits wide, the middle one was six cubits wide, and the third, seven cubits wide, for ledges were made from the outside around the temple, so that the extension would not touch the walls of the temple "(third book of kingdoms chapter 6, verses 4-6). "And Solomon built his house for thirteen years" (1 Kings, chapter 7, verse 1). "Then Solomon called the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the heads of generations ... to Jerusalem to carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord ... And all the elders of Israel came; and the priests lifted up the ark ... and brought ... the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place him, in the davir of the temple, in the holy of holies, under the wings of the cherubim ... And the king and all the Israelites with him sacrificed to the Lord. And Solomon offered as a peace sacrifice ... twenty-two thousand cattle and one hundred and twenty thousand small cattle. So consecrated temple to the Lord the king and all the sons of Israel "(the third book of kingdoms chapter 8, verses 1,3,6, 62-63).

The details in all four of these chapters are clearly and exaggerated. All these divine descriptions melt like snow in the sun as soon as you subject them to more or less serious analysis. 183,300 people, not counting the bricklayers and other workers who will appear later, are engaged only in the preparatory work for the construction of the temple, which is conceived to be 31.5 meters long and 10.5 meters wide. These builders take seven years to build a modest three-story building covering an area of ​​325 square meters. Here are the numbers that make anyone who has even a superficial understanding of construction jump up. Solomon's countless workers were probably unheard-of lazy people. Or they, without receiving a salary, staggered around. The dimensions of the building indicated by the third book of kingdoms do not coincide with the directions of the second book of Chronicles (chapter 3, verse 4). Such discrepancies in the texts of the "sacred" writers alone would have been enough to inspire doubt, if the main text itself did not seem at all to be obvious nonsense.

In addition, it is impossible not to grab your sides with laughter when you read the descriptions of these floors and outbuildings erected inside the building and extending one elbow above the other, and the lower floor is one meter narrower than the upper one. It's totally stunning! And these side windows, which were wide on the inside and narrow on the outside, are also not a bad architectural invention. The celebration of the consecration of the temple completes the description of its construction in a dignified manner. Such sacrifices should not be done often. That way it is not surprising to sink to hunger. Consider the weight of each ox at 100 kilograms - here you already have 2,200,000 kilograms of beef; add almost 2,000,000 kilograms of lamb. It was all fried to nothing, only to tickle the "sacred" sense of smell of God. And this is the sacrifice of Solomon alone! The Bible specifically stipulates that the Israelite society made sacrifices of flocks and large livestock, which cannot be numbered and determined by their multitude (the third book of kingdoms chapter 8, verse 5).

After all this, if God had been displeased, he would indeed have found an unbearably difficult character. That is why "the Lord appeared to Solomon the second time he appeared to him in Gibeon" (third book of kingdoms chapter 9, verse 2). This expression suggests that the second divine appearance was also an adventure in a dream. But the son of David was pleased and did not demand more tangible phenomena. We will not blame God either. Let it be so - in a dream, so in a dream. All the will of God"!

God's reward for Solomon was a little toast, which he uttered over the ear of the sleeping king. This toast can be summed up in the following simple words: if you and your people continue to honor me, everything will be fine; but if you worship, you or your subjects, some other gods, then beware! An old, in a word, song.

“Hiram, king of Tire, delivered to Solomon cedar and cypress trees and gold, according to his desire, - King Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee. And Hiram went out of Tire to see the cities that Solomon had given him, and he did not like them. And he said, What are these cities which you, my brother, have given me? " (the third book of kingdoms chapter 9. verses 11-13).

It is absolutely impossible to understand where King Solomon got twenty cities to make a gift to his friend Hiram: Samaria did not exist yet, Jericho was a miserable village, Shechem and Bethel were not yet rebuilt after the destruction - they were restored only under Jeroboam. That's all the "cities" of Galilee at that time.

"King Solomon also made a ship in Ezion-Geber, which is at Elaph, on the shores of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom. And Hiram sent his subjects shipmen, who knew the sea, with Solomon's subjects on the ship; and they went to Ophir. And took from there gold four hundred and twenty talents, and brought to King Solomon "(third book of kingdoms chapter 9, verses 26-28).

To force the believers to swallow such an incredible thing as the fleet of His Majesty Solomon, it is, of course, necessary to indicate some sea harbor on the coast that belonged to him. The author did not dare to arrange this harbor on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, because all the ports on this coast belonged to the Phoenicians and are all too famous. Having invented a port of Ezion-Gaver in the depths of the Elat Gulf of the Red Sea, that is, in the east of the Sinai coast, the "sacred" hoaxer did not risk that someone would establish the fantastic nature of this harbor. In geography, the biblical Ezion-Gaver has the same meaning as the famous biblical sages Ethan, Heman, Khalkol and Darda have in history.

As for the results of the expedition of the Solomon fleet to Ophir - a country that remained unsearched, despite the industrious searches of the most well-meaning historians and geographers - they were completely insignificant next to the splendor and splendor described in the previous chapters. Equipping the ship so that when it returns, it will bring some 420 talents of gold, your majesty, it's not a lot! For a master who had 40,000 stalls for palace horses and who provided himself with pious amusements like burning 250,000 pounds of meat in one sacrifice, this is almost a trifle. Consider the cost of the expedition, which lasted two years. Net profit will be reduced to mere trifles. Indeed, it was not worth celebrating this stupidity as a wonderful act of statesmanship and the splendor of the court of King Solomon.

My poor "holy spirit"! Between us, there are moments when you descend so low from the height of your magnificent jokes, the daring fantasy of which is sometimes really grandiose. To reassure believing readers, we hasten to say that the "dove" caught himself and corrected his mistake in chapter 9 of II Chronicles, an important part of the Old Testament, as "authentic" and "holy" as everything else in the Bible. We learn from it that "the weight in gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold" (verse 13). Further: "and the king made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with pure gold, and six steps to the throne and a golden footstool attached to the throne, and elbows on either side of the seat, and two lions standing near the elbows, and twelve more lions, standing there on six steps, on both sides. There was no such (throne) in any kingdom. And all the drinking vessels of King Solomon were of gold ... silver in the days of Solomon was imputed for nothing "(verses 17- twenty). "The king's ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Hiram, and in three years the ships returned from Tarshish and brought gold and silver, ivory and monkeys and peacocks. And King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. And all the kings of the earth sought to see Solomon to listen to his wisdom, which God put into his heart "(verses 21-23). "And the king made (gold and) silver in Jerusalem equal to a common stone" (verse 27).

Finally! In a good hour, dear braggart in the guise of the "holy spirit"! All this is still not enough; The first book of Chronicles assures that Solomon received an enviable inheritance from his father, numbered in thousands of talents of gold, silver, copper, etc. (chapter 29).

Voltaire, for fun, took up the summing up and translated them into the coin of his time. “According to the Bible, what David left to Solomon,” he says, “is exactly eighteen billion French livres. one and a half billion pounds sterling. "

The Bible just announced that all the kings of the earth visited Jerusalem to worship Solomon and bring him gifts. They will say, perhaps, that the "sacred" author could have bothered to name at least one of these kings by name: this could not but make a favorable impression. But exact instructions are very shy for the author: no matter how liar he was, the "sacred dove" himself felt the need to remain in vague ambiguity, so that his lies would not be revealed too easily.

Nevertheless, since it was necessary to name at least one of these pilgrimage monarchs, the Bible presents us with a memorable visit of one "powerful mistress" - a certain "Queen of Sheba". Chapter 10 of the Third Book of Kings is almost entirely devoted to this event, as is chapter 9 of the Second Book of Chronicles. As for the country itself, of which this lady was the ruler, the question about her caused numerous disputes between theologians. Unfortunately, none of these "scientists" was able to say with certainty in what place on the globe this country, mentioned only in the Bible, was located.

So, the "Queen of Sheba", having heard about the glory of Solomon in the name of the Lord, came to test him with riddles. And she came to Jerusalem with very great wealth: the camels were laden with incense and a great deal of gold and precious stones; and she came to Solomon and talked with him about everything that was in her heart. And Solomon explained to her all her words, and there was nothing unfamiliar to the king, which he did not explain to her.

And the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built, and the food at his table, and the dwelling place of his servants, and the harmony of his servants, and their clothes, and his cupbearers, and his burnt offerings ... And she could no longer restrain herself from And she said to the king, It is true that I have heard in my land about your deeds and your wisdom; but I did not believe the words, until I came and my eyes saw: and, behold, I was not even half told; you have more wisdom and wealth than I heard "(third book of kingdoms chapter 10, verses 1-7). Leaving, the" queen "gave Solomon rare precious objects brought by her, and added 120 talents of gold. For her part, the gallant Solomon and he showered her with gifts. He gave her "everything she desired and asked for, beyond what King Solomon gave her with his own hands" (verse 13).

Such widespread fame could not but damage the well-being of Solomon's soul. God gave him wisdom and did not take it away; however, the Bible marks the beginning of a decline in the friendship that the son of David made with the Egyptians, the Ammonites, the inhabitants of Sidon, and others: these were, of course, bad acquaintances.

"And King Solomon loved many foreign women, except the daughter of Pharaoh, the Moabites, the Ammonites, the Edomites, the Sidonians, the Hittites, of those nations about which the Lord said to the children of Israel:" Do not enter them, and let them not come to you, so that they they did not incline your heart to their gods "; Solomon clung to them with love. And he had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines" (third book of kingdoms chapter 11, verses 1-3).

It is known that God looked very favorably at the plural marriage of many of his patriarchs and prophets. In order not to go Far, one may recall that David made very wide use of this condescension of the Lord God. But, frankly, Solomon did abuse. A thousand women whom he loved all, therefore, those who lived with him not just for the sake of appearance! He dressed and undressed a thousand women! How tired his hands must have been!

And something happened that should have happened, something that God, however, as a being who knows the future better than anyone else, should have known in advance. To please his seven hundred foreign princesses, Solomon began to sacrifice to their gods. On one hill, next to Jerusalem, he built a temple for "Chemosa, the abomination of Moab, and Moloch, the abomination of the Ammonite." Astarte and Milchom also received their honors (verses 4-8).

God the Father, who in the early days of the universe blamed Adam and Eve for their desire to know good and evil, was, on the contrary, fascinated by Solomon, who wished to know the same science. God gave him wisdom, accompanying his; the gift of thousands of blessings. In all this one must see a historical indication that even in this era the Jews did not have a definite and precisely established religious cult. This is most likely. If they had a cult, the "sacred" author would not have told that Jacob and Esau married Gentiles; Samson would not marry a Philistine woman, and so on Critics rely on these absurdities in order to emphasize that none of the Hebrew books in the form they have come down to us was created by the contemporaries of the events described in them. They say that during the reign of Solomon, the Jews barely began to gather in the state. These people were completely indifferent to whether their king worshiped a god named Chamos, or Moloch, or Adonai, or Yahweh ...

Be that as it may, the Bible makes God very annoyed. The result of this irritation was his third appearance to Solomon. This time it is no longer said that God appeared in a dream. The scene is depicted very vividly: God casts sharp reproaches to the wise Solomon that he has ceased to be a clever girl, although his wisdom has not been taken away from him. The son of David receives a healthy, verbal, however, a squeeze. "Because this is done with you, and you did not keep my covenant and my statutes, which I commanded you, I will tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant" (third book of kingdoms chapter 11, verse 11). The old man is so enraged that his tongue is clearly tangled, for he immediately adds (verse 12): "But in your days I will not do this for the sake of your father David; I will pluck him out of your son's hand."

Note that at this time the son in question, Rehoboam, had not yet had time to sin in any way. Then the question arises: if he remains faithful to God, and only Solomon sins, then why should he, Rehoboam, pay for the broken pots? If, on ascending the throne, he commits the same crimes as his father, he should be punished, but, of course, for his own sin. Why does God tell Solomon that his son will pay for him? You might think, rightly, that in endowing the son of David with his divine wisdom, God gave him so much that he left quite insignificant trifles for his personal use.

So, God formally declared to Solomon that he would not pluck out his kingdom during his lifetime. However, the Bible immediately adds: "And the Lord raised up an adversary against Solomon, Ader the Edomite, of the royal Edomite lineage" (verse 14). The short history of this Ader is itself flagrantly contradictory to everything that has preceded it. It is difficult to comprehend to what liquefaction of the brain the "sacred" author had to reach in order to write down everything that this "liar-dove" dictated to him. Ader, we are told, was a small child and was in Edom when Joab, the "generalissimo" of King David, exterminated all the men of that country; he managed to escape the massacre and escape to Egypt, accompanied by several of his father's servants. Pharaoh gave him shelter, made friends with him, gave him a house and a fairly large estate, and even married him to his wife's sister. The "Holy Scriptures" have never named a single Pharaoh by name. But here it tells us the name of the Egyptian princess: Tahpenesa - the queen's sister. Needless to say, nowhere has a single historian ever said a word about its existence. So Ader is Pharaoh's brother-in-law. Keep in mind that all of this took place during the reign of David. The Bible goes on to say that as soon as Ader found out about Joab's death, he bade farewell to the king of Egypt, returned to Idumea and became one of those enemies that God used to punish Solomon for his pagan inclinations. Ader did a lot of harm to Solomon.

However, chapter 11 of the Third Book of Kingdoms says (verse 4): "in time of old age" Solomon allowed himself to be persuaded to worship various gods, and departed from the cult of Yahweh; and even further we learn (verse 42) that he reigned forty years. Let us assume that Solomon's devotion to Yahweh lasted thirty years and that the last ten years of his reign were years of sin. And then either Ader, this scourge of God, the brother-in-law of Pharaoh, for more than thirty years did not hear anything about the death of David, and this is all the more impossible because immediately after accession to the throne, Solomon married the daughter of the king of Egypt, therefore, a close relative of Ader; or Ader wasted no time and walked with a sword through the kingdom of Israel a very short time after Solomon's accession to the throne. But then the height of the extraordinary is that Solomon was punished for his sins thirty years before they were committed. However, here is something even more precise: "And God raised up against Solomon another enemy, Razon, the son of Eliad, who fled from his sovereign Adraazar, the king of Suva ...

And he was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon. In addition to the evil inflicted by Ader, he always harmed Israel and became king of Syria "(the third book of kingdoms chapter 11, verses 23, 25).

This Razon, the king of Syria, who caused so much grief to Solomon throughout his reign in Judea, shows with clarity, as twice two is four, that a king, so wise and initially so devoted to the god Yahweh, was punished in his youth for the sins that he was about to commit. only in the days of old age, and that the "sacred" author contradicts himself when he says above (chapter 4, verses 20-21) that Solomon reigned from the Euphrates to the Mediterranean.

The son-in-law of the king of Egypt and six hundred and ninety-nine Other kings of the earth still had enough trouble with his own subjects.

"And Jeroboam, the son of Navat ... the servant of Solomon, raised his hand against the king. And this is the circumstance by which he raised his hand against the king: Solomon was building Millo, repairing damage in the city of David his father. Jeroboam was a brave man. Solomon, noticing that this young man knows how to do business, he made him overseer over the quitrent from the house of Joseph.At that time it happened for Jeroboam to leave Jerusalem, and the prophet Ahijah the Silomite met him on the road, and he was wearing new clothes. There were only two of them in the field. And Ahijah took the new robe that was on him, and tore it into twelve pieces, and said to Jeroboam: Take for yourself ten pieces, for thus says the Lord God of Israel: behold, I will pluck the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and give you ten tribes, and one the knee will remain for him, for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of the city of Jerusalem, which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel "(the third book of kingdoms chapter 11, verses 26-32).

We have already seen how a Levite cut his concubine into twelve pieces when she died in Gibeah, raped in one night by seven hundred villains. And now the prophet also tears his clothes (well, only clothes!) Into twelve pieces in order to convince Jeroboam that God allows him to rebel and that from the twelve tribes of Israel he will fall at least ten. This prophet Ahijah, Voltaire notes, could build conspiracies against Solomon at less expense, without sacrificing his new clothes, especially since God did not particularly pamper his prophets with new uniforms. Did Ahijah only expect that Jeroboam, upon accession to the throne, would cover his losses?

One more remark that one cannot but make: of the three enemies whom God raised up against Solomon, Jeroboam was the only one who really took up arms against him for his renunciation of the faith and transition to paganism, and at the same time he was the only one to fail. The other two enemies very cruelly and successfully persecuted Solomon and caused him a lot of grief, anxiety and humiliation. Jeroboam's rebellion ended in complete failure. Solomon wanted to kill Jeroboam, but Jeroboam fled to Egypt, where he lived until Solomon's death (verse 40).

Chapter 11 verse 43 marks the death of the lord of seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines. Nothing is said, however, whether he returned to the "true" path or so he died a godless pagan. Consequently, theologians argue a lot about whether Solomon is "wise" or not. Their opinions differ.

Another very annoying gap is the silence of the Bible regarding the numerous marriages of the glorious king. It is very easy to report that Solomon had as legal wives seven hundred foreign princesses and duchesses, who came from different reigning houses of the world and professed "bad" religions. But it would be interesting to have at least some descriptions of the wedding ceremonies and festivals that accompanied these marriages. Let us assume that the religious errors of Solomon, which attracted him to paganism, continued for ten years, which would be extremely long. Then these seven hundred princesses and duchesses - lawful wives would have to come to Solomon's court on average seventy souls a year, and this would amount to approximately one royal wedding for every five days. How do you like a country that spends ten years in endless public celebrations, dignitaries, exchanges of diplomatic courtesies, and so on and so forth and so on? How sad that at that time the Gothic Almanac did not yet exist: then we would know the names of all seven hundred dynasties that reigned then.