Great King Solomon. King Solomon. Biblical falsification of Dirham. The main payment coin in Rus'

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

About the childhood and youth of the son of Bathsheba, priest. The writer does not transmit any information. Judging by the deep love shown by David to his future successor, and the solemn covenants with which he obliged him when transferring to him the royal power - covenants, the implementation of which undoubtedly required great intelligence and great learning, one can unmistakably assume that Solomon was fully educated and was taught all the wisdom of Israel at that time and that his mind, moreover, was deeply watered wisdom from above.

When David grew old, entered old age(), Adonijah, his eldest son, made an attempt to ascend the throne of his father. In this enterprise he was assisted by Joab, the chief commander of the army, and the high priest. Abiathar, as the head of the church due to his high position, enjoyed great influence among Israel. Joab and Abiathar were, of course, 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 Bathsheba’s son, and when he invited the other brothers to the supposed royal wedding, he did not send an invitation to Solomon: he probably already knew about his father’s intentions and about the Divine will not in his favor. The prophet Nathan, foreseeing the disasters that could result from this plan, immediately advised Bathsheba to go to her elderly royal husband and remind him of his oath to make Solomon heir to his throne. The queen went to David, and thanks to her intense requests, measures were taken in a timely manner to destroy Adonijah’s treacherous encroachment on the throne.

In order to warn something similar in the future, David immediately ordered Benaiah, an experienced military leader, Zadok the high priest, Nathan the prophet to bring Solomon to the stream Gion, anoint him with myrrh and proclaim him before the people as the future king of the Israelites. All this was done exactly. And they blew the trumpet, and all the people shouted, “Long live King Solomon.” The joyful sounds of trumpets that were heard in the city were soon heard by Adonijah and his accomplices, who immediately fled in fear, expressed repentance and took an oath to the future king. The time approached for David to die, 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 structure of the temple to Jehovah, ordered him to punish Joab for the murder of Abner and Amasa, as well as Shimei for the cruel curses he had once uttered against the head of the king. Soon after, the aged king slept 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, Abishag, the last concubine in the house of David, Joab and Shimei were killed, the high priest. Abiathar was defrocked and banished to Anathoth, a city of refuge in the tribe of Benjamin. In accordance with eastern customs, Solomon took the daughter of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, as his wife, and brought her into the house of David - an event that, although it was a violation of the law, was celebrated even then with extraordinary luxury (,).

Solomon found it necessary to abandon for a time the wicked idolatry of some of his subjects, who even to this day had not yet completely freed themselves from idolatry, but offered sacrifices and incense on the high places. And although he himself loved the Lord and walked according to the statute of David his father, but he also offered sacrifices and incense on the high places ().

Before the construction of the temple, the shrine, which enjoyed great reverence from the people, was located in Gibeon, where there stood a copper altar and an altar made by Moses in the desert. It was here that Solomon came during one of the solemn meetings and here he offered a thousand burnt offerings to the Lord God on this altar. The Lord appeared to him in a dream at night and said to him: ask what to give you? The young king, with a deep sense of humility and submission to the will of God, asked himself only one thing - a reasonable heart, in order to fairly judge and govern the numerous people entrusted to his governance. And it pleased the Lord, notes the holy writer, that Solomon asked for this. He was given from the Lord a wise and understanding heart and, in addition, wealth and glory, much more than his predecessors had. Solomon then returned to Jerusalem and offered a thanksgiving 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 to fulfill his difficult duties, David’s successor now appears before us as the wise ruler of the chosen 12 tribes. Since the acts of the glorious reign of Solomon, set out in III book. Kings (III-XI), and in II book. Steam. (IX), with a few notable exceptions, are fragmentary, we will do short essay in I) - the wisdom of Solomon, II) - his wealth, III) - his reign and his personal character.

I. Wisdom of Solomon. Solomon's mind possessed all the principles on which true wisdom is based - that is, sound judgment, extensive memory, a huge store of knowledge and skillful application of it to business. The wise resolution of 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 that guided him in administrative matters aroused deep respect and fear for such a wise judge. It is impossible not to notice that judicial duties at that time constituted one of the most important departments of the royal government; and so we read in the Bible that Solomon, already at the beginning of his reign, he made a porch with a throne from which he judged, he made a porch for the judgment seat(), 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. writer, above the wisdom of all the sons of the East, and all the wisdom of the Egyptians. He was wiser than all people(). He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his song was a thousand and five (v. 32). His knowledge was very diverse. According to the priest. writer, and he spoke of trees from the cedar that is in Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of the wall; spoke about animals, and birds, and reptiles, and fish ().

In addition to this enormous scientific knowledge and the above written works, Solomon 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, naturally, could not be limited to the narrow borders of Judea. Between all the neighboring peoples and far, far away, even to the borders of Arabia, various amazing stories were transmitted about Solomon. And they came from all nations to hear the wisdom of Solomon().

Having heard about the wisdom and glory of Solomon, the Queen of Sheba, or the South, came to him in 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 unknown to Solomon that he would not explain to her. (). And so, I haven’t even been told half of the abundance of your wisdom, exclaimed the queen of distant Savea, parting with him, you surpass the rumors I've heard().

II. Solomon's Wealth. During the reign of Solomon, everything obviously favored the increase of his wealth in enormous quantities. Judah and Israel lived happily under their fig tree. There were no wars yet. Taxes from the neighboring peoples he defeated, the fruits of native activity - agricultural and pastoral, and all the acquisitions that came from the large trade that developed, abundantly filled Solomon's treasuries. From the last 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 during one sea voyage gave him 400 talents of gold, and another in the Mediterranean Sea, trading with Tarshish and bringing him various precious metals. He also had trading warehouses in Palmyra and Balbec for overseas trade. The inhabitants of the desert will fall before him, exclaims the psalmist, and his enemies will lick the ashes. The kings of Tarshish and the islands will bring him tribute; the kings of Arabia and Sheba will present him with gifts(). Of these various countries and cities, gold and silver were exported in large quantities, as well as ivory, red and other precious trees, fabrics, horses, monkeys and chariots, in addition to spicy plants and other valuable trade items.

Another abundant source of increasing wealth was the fame of his wisdom, which he acquired among all other nations. Numerous visitors from all over the earth gathered to visit him, the wisest of people, and each brought him gifts every year as a sign of their deep respect - namely, silver and gold vessels, military supplies, clothes and fragrant spices, horses and mules. And it is very likely that the various marital relationships that Solomon entered into with various royal daughters greatly increased his personal wealth.

Thus, his wealth became so great that silver in Jerusalem was equivalent to a simple stone, and cedars, due to their abundance, became equivalent to sycamore trees. Solomon's household expenses reached enormous proportions. 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 huge daily expenses for their food (). Sacrifices of oxen and sheep brought by King Jehovah on various solemn occasions () could only be made by a person who owned unlimited sums of money.

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

He also built a magnificent palace for himself - a house made of wood from the Lebanese forest, a vestibule with a throne for judgment 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 delivered from the most distant countries, and the costs spent on their construction apparently exceeded all likelihood.

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

Solomon divided this huge territory into 12 regions, which, however, did not correspond to the 12 tribes of Israel, and over each of them he placed a special guard, who in turn were supposed to deliver monthly food supplies for the maintenance of the royal court (). The long peace during his reign and the unparalleled welfare of his subjects gained Solomon and his kingdom a special loud glory and fame above all the kings and kingdoms of the earth. Truly, 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 King of Heaven, he did not properly heed the voice of the Lord, who warned him after the consecration of the temple, was carried away by the external splendor of his kingdom, abandoned or at least deviated from the faith of his fathers, began to serve Astarte, the deity of Sidon, and Milcom, the abomination Ammonite. Unheard-of and unparalleled luxury reigned at 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 and intense labor on the people. and the attachment of the people to such a sovereign has now become impossible. The people gradually became alienated from the house of David, and the seeds of rebellion were sown abundantly, which subsequently led to the disastrous division of the kingdom. Moreover, during Solomon’s lifetime, various trials and shocks began to befall him.

In Idumea, which had long been brought into subjection by David, Ader, the royal family of Idumea, was now established. During the conquest of the Edomites by David and the beating of them by his military commander Joab, Ader, while still a youth, with some other Edomites who served under his father, fled to Egypt, here he was favorably received by Pharaoh and gained great favor from him. Now, having heard about the death of David and Joab, he asked Pharaoh for his release, 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 he fled from him and during the defeat of Adraazar by David, having gathered around him a gang of free people, he 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 Tsartan, and temporarily worked on the fortifications that Solomon made in the city of David. Noticing his courage and efficiency, Solomon made him overseer of the quitrents from the house of Joseph. Once Jeroboam went out of the city; The prophet Ahijah met him on the road. Having taken off new clothes which was on him, Ahijah tore it into 12 pieces and, commanding Jeroboam to take 10 of them, said to him: Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Behold, I am tearing the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and I am giving you 10 tribes because they forsook Me and began to worship Ashtoreth, Chemosh, and Milcom. 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 commandments, and I will take the kingdom out of the hands of his son; I will give you 10 tribes, but I will leave him one tribe, so that the lamp of David My servant may remain before Me all the days. So I appoint you to be king over Israel. If you keep all that I command you and do My commandments, like My servant David, then I will be with you and will strengthen your house like the house of David.. Jeroboam did not have enough obedience to the higher election to leave his future to God's will, and began to strive to take possession of the throne himself; but Solomon, having learned about this, sought to destroy him, and he fled to Egypt to Susakim, the king of Egypt, and remained there until the death of Solomon ().

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

In conclusion about Solomon, we note here that no matter how great were his falls and errors, the main source of which was his blind passion for women and vanity, 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. The book bears his name Wisdom, but despite all its highly instructive content, it belongs to a later time and is not in the Hebrew language. The book of the Song of Songs, according to the general interpretation of the Church Fathers, mysteriously depicts the love that unites God with man and Christ with the Church and every believing soul. IN Proverbs, or in his allegories and short sayings, Solomon teaches youth wisdom, piety, faithful fulfillment of their duties and the happiness of life, placing it in virtue.

Solomon has so many wonderful lessons for all ages and conditions! How many wise lessons for kings! How many most edifying pieces of advice, rules and instructions regarding public positions and family life, for husbands and wives, for children and parents, for nobles and servants, for young men and old men, regarding wealth and poverty, purity of heart and frankness, work and rest, piety and fear of God, justice and justice, moderation and abstinence, frugality and extravagance, mercy and charity, goodness and meekness, prudence and wisdom, love and compassion for everyone, 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 construction, smelting, the art of engraving on precious stones, metal processing, gilding, and sculptural art have received significant improvements. The construction of the temple, royal palaces and their rich decoration, elegant works of gold, ivory and carved wood, musical instruments of all kinds - all this encouraged and developed the artistic spirit of the people. Architecture appeared in more elegant and refined forms, in keeping with taste.

Sciences also stood at a high level. Astronomy became a practical science and was not slow to make significant progress. Solomon also had extensive knowledge of medicine. He also wrote treatises on all animals, birds, trees, plants, which, unfortunately, have not reached us, but which at that time should have shed their light on the state of science. Navigation and seafaring were supposed to lead to various observations and discoveries and also have great importance for geography, astronomy and history, introducing various other peoples and their manners and customs.

In the New Testament, the name of Solomon is mentioned several times by Jesus Christ. So, speaking about 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 were looking for signs from Him, reminds them of the extraordinary wisdom of Solomon, known to everyone, saying this: 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 ().

King Solomon (in Hebrew - Shlomo) is the son of David from Batsheba, the third Jewish king. The brilliance of his reign was imprinted in the memory of the people as the time of the highest flowering of Jewish power and influence, after which came a period of disintegration into two kingdoms. Popular legend 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, strived for.

Already at the birth of Solomon, the prophet Nathan singled him out among the other sons of David and recognized him as worthy of the mercy of the Almighty; the prophet gave him another name - Yedidya (“God’s favorite” - Shmuel I 12, 25). Some believe that this was his real name, and “Shlomo” was his nickname (“peacemaker”).

Solomon's accession to the throne is described in a highly dramatic manner (Mlahim I 1ff.). When King David was dying, his son Adonijah, who became the eldest of the king’s sons after the death of Amnon and Abshalom, planned to seize power while his father was still alive. Adonijah apparently knew that the king had promised the throne to the son of his beloved wife Batsheva, and wanted to get ahead of his rival. Formal law was on his side, and this ensured him the support of the influential military leader Yoab and the high priest Evyatar, while 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 over to the 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 whomever he wanted, even to his youngest son Solomon.

The approaching death of the tsar prompted both parties to take active action: they wanted to implement their plans during the tsar’s lifetime. Adonijah thought to attract supporters with a royally luxurious lifestyle: he got chariots, horsemen, fifty walkers, and surrounded himself with a large retinue. When, in his opinion, the opportune moment had come to carry out his plan, he arranged a feast for his followers outside the city, where he planned 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 in fulfilling the promise given to her: to appoint Solomon as her successor and anoint him immediately as king. The priest Zadok, accompanied by the prophet Nathan, Bnayahu and a detachment of royal bodyguards (kreti u-lashes), took Solomon on the royal mule to the Gihon spring, where Zadok anointed him as king. When the horn sounded, 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 revenge, sought refuge in the sanctuary, grasping the horns of the altar. Solomon promised him that if he behaved impeccably, “not a hair of his head would fall to the ground”; otherwise he will be executed. Soon David died and King Solomon took the throne. Since Solomon’s son, Rehabam, was one year old at 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 one might understand from the text ( ibid., 3, 7).

Already the first steps of the new king justified the opinion formed 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 with Abishag, counting on the popular view that the right to the throne belongs to one of the king’s associates who gets his wife or concubine (cf. Shmuel II 3, 7 ff. ; 16, 22). Solomon understood Adonijah's plan and betrayed his brother death penalty. Since Adonijah was supported by Yoav and Evyatar, the latter was removed from the post of high priest and exiled to his estate in Anatot. The news of the king's anger reached Joab, and he took refuge in the sanctuary. By order of King Solomon, Bnayahu killed him, because his crime against Abner and Amasa deprived him of the right of asylum (see Shemot 21, 14). The enemy of the Davidic dynasty, Shimi, a relative of Shaul, was also eliminated (Mlahim I 2, 12-46).

However, we are not aware of other cases of King Solomon using the death penalty. In addition, in relation to Yoav and Shimi, he only fulfilled his father’s will (ibid., 2, 1-9). Having strengthened 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 powerful Egypt; The campaign undertaken by Pharaoh in Eretz Israel was directed not against the possessions 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 resumes his alliance with his northern neighbor, the Phoenician king Hiram, with whom King David was on friendly terms (ibid., 5, 15-26). Probably, in order to get closer to neighboring peoples, King Solomon took as wives Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites, who, presumably, belonged to the noble families of these peoples (ibid., 11, 1)

The kings brought Solomon rich gifts: gold, silver, robes, weapons, horses, mules, etc. (ibid., 10, 24, 25). Solomon's wealth was so great that “he made the 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 wide scope, the desire for grandeur. This added shine to his reign, but at the same time it placed a heavy burden on the population, mainly on the tribes of Ephraim and Menashe. These knees, differing in character and some features cultural development from the tribe of Judah, to which the royal house belonged, always had separatist aspirations. King Solomon thought to suppress their obstinate spirit through forced labor, but he achieved the exact opposite results. True, the attempt of the Ephraimite Yerovam to raise an uprising during Solomon’s lifetime ended in failure. The rebellion was suppressed. But after the death of King Solomon, his policy towards the “house of Joseph” led to the fall of the ten tribes from the dynasty of David.

Great discontent among the prophets and the people, faithful to G-d Israel, was caused by his tolerant attitude towards pagan cults, which were introduced by his foreign wives. The Torah reports that he built a temple on the Mount of Olives for the Moabite god Kmosh and the Ammonite god Moloch. The Torah connects this “sinking of his heart from the G-d of Israel” to his old age. Then a turning point took place 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 G-d was all the more criminal because Solomon, according to the Torah, received Divine revelation twice: the first time even before the construction of the Temple, in Givon, where he went to make sacrifices, because there was a great bama. At night, the Almighty appeared to Solomon in a dream and offered to ask Him for everything that the king desired. Solomon did not ask for wealth, glory, longevity, or victories over enemies. He asked only to grant him wisdom and the ability to govern the people. God promised him wisdom, wealth, glory, and, if he kept the commandments, also longevity (ibid., 3, 4 et seq.). Second once God appeared to him after the construction of the Temple was completed and revealed to the king that he had heeded his prayer during the consecration of the Temple. The Almighty promised that He would accept this Temple and the dynasty of David under His protection, but if the people fall away from Him, the Temple will be rejected and the people will be expelled from the Country. When Solomon himself embarked on the path of idolatry, G‑d told him that he would take away the power over all of Israel from his son 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 mood of the book of Qohelet is in complete harmony with the atmosphere of the end of his reign. 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 enjoyment that constitute the purpose of life, it is not they that give it content, but the fear of God.

King Solomon in Haggadah.

The personality of King Solomon and stories from his life became a favorite subject of the Midrash. The names Agur, Bin, Yake, Lemuel, Itiel and Ukal (Mishlei 30, 1; 31, 1) are explained as the names of Solomon himself (Shir ha-shirim Rabba, 1, 1). Solomon ascended 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 at the age of fifty-two (Seder Olam Rabba, 15; Bereishit Rabba, C, 11. Compare, however, Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, VIII, 7 , § 8, where it is stated that Solomon ascended the throne at the age of fourteen and reigned for 80 years, cf. also Abarbanel’s commentary on Mlahim I, 3, 7). The Haggadah emphasizes the similarities in the fate of 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 the Ruach HaKodesh. (Shir Ha-Shirim Rabbah, 1. p.).

The wisdom of King Solomon.

Solomon is given special credit for the fact that in a dream he asked only for the granting of wisdom to him (Psikta Rabati, 14). Solomon was considered the personification of wisdom, so a saying arose: “He who sees Solomon in a dream can hope to become wise” (Berachot 57 b). He understood the language of animals and birds. When conducting a trial, he did not need to interrogate witnesses, since at one glance at the litigants he knew which of them was right and which was wrong. King Solomon wrote the Song of Songs, Mishlei and Kohelet under the influence of the Ruach HaKodesh (Makot, 23 b, Shir Ha-shirim Rabba, 1. p.). Solomon's wisdom was also manifested in his constant desire to spread the Torah in the Country, for which he built synagogues and schools. For all this, Solomon was not distinguished by arrogance and, when it was necessary to determine leap year, he invited seven learned elders to his place, in whose presence he remained silent (Shemot Rabbah, 15, 20). This is the view of Solomon by the Amoraites, the sages of the Talmud. Tannai, the sages of the Mishnah, with the exception of R. Yoseh 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 a dispute between two women about a child without testimony, for which he received a reprimand from the bat-kol. The Book of Kohelet, 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; Megillah 7a).

The power and splendor of the reign of King Solomon.

King Solomon reigned over all the high and low 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 special shine 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 instructions of King Solomon. With the help of a magic ring on which the name of the Almighty was engraved, Solomon extracted many secrets from the angels. In addition, the Almighty gave him a flying carpet. Solomon traveled on this carpet, having breakfast in Damascus and dinner in Media. A wise king was once shamed by an ant, which he picked up from the ground during one of his flights, placed on his hand 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 placed him in his hand. Solomon became angry, threw off the ant and shouted: “Do you know who I am?” But the ant replied: “I know that you were created from an insignificant embryo (Avot 3, 1), so you have no right to rise too high.”
The structure of King Solomon's throne is described in detail in the Second Targum to the Book of Esther (1. p.) and in other Midrashim. 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 were golden images of representatives of the animal kingdom, two different ones on each step, one opposite the other. At the top of the throne was an image of a dove with a dovecote in its claws, which was supposed to symbolize Israel's dominion over the pagans. There was also a golden candlestick with fourteen cups for candles, seven of which were engraved with the names of Adam, Noah, Shem, Abraham, Isaac, Yaakov and Job, and on seven others the names of Levi, Kehat, Amram, Moshe, Aaron, Eldad and Hura (according to another version - Haggai). Above the candlestick was a golden jar of oil, and below was a golden bowl, on which were engraved the names of Nadab, Abihu, Eli and his two sons. 24 vines above the throne created a shadow over the king's head. With the help of a mechanical device, the throne moved according to Solomon's wishes. According to the Targum, all animals, using a special mechanism, extended their paws when Solomon ascended to the throne so that the king could lean on them. When Solomon reached the sixth step, the eagles lifted him up and seated him on a chair. Then a large eagle placed a crown on his head, and the rest of the eagles and lions rose up to form a shadow around the king. The dove descended, took the Torah scroll from the ark and placed it on Solomon's lap. When the king, surrounded by the Sanhedrin, began to examine the case, the wheels (ofanim) began to turn, and animals and birds uttered cries that made those who intended to give false testimony tremble. Another Midrash relates that when Solomon ascended the throne, an animal standing on each step lifted him up and passed him on to the next one. 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 Sancherib, who conquered Egypt, Hezkiyah again took possession of the throne. Then the throne successively went to Pharaoh Necho (after the defeat of King Yoshia), Nebuchadnezzar and, finally, Achashverosh. 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 was three farsangs long and three wide; in the middle of it were driven two pillars with cages on top, in which various animals and birds were collected.

During the construction of the Temple, Solomon was helped by angels. The element of miracle was everywhere. The heavy stones rose up on their own and fell to their proper place. Possessing the gift of prophecy, Solomon foresaw that the Babylonians would destroy the Temple. Therefore, he built 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 Moshiach (Yoma 21 b). Pharaoh's daughter brought with her the paraphernalia of the idolatrous cult to Solomon's house. When Solomon married the daughter of Pharaoh, another Midrash reports, the archangel Gabriel came down from heaven and stuck a pole into the depths of the sea, around which an island was formed, on which Rome was later built, which conquered Jerusalem. R. Yoseh 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 Nebuchadnezzar, who destroyed the Temple (see Rashi’s interpretation of this verse). Others completely deny the story about the Queen of Sheba and the riddles she proposed, and understand the words malkat Sheva as mlechet Sheva, the kingdom of Sheba, which 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 his mind for his sins. The basis is the words of Kohelet (1, 12), where he speaks of himself as the king of Israel in the past tense. He gradually descended from the heights of glory to the depths of poverty and misfortune (V. Talmud, Sanhedrin 20 b). It is believed that he again managed to seize the throne and become king. Solomon was overthrown from the throne by an angel who took the image of Solomon and usurped his power (Ruth Rabbah 2, 14). In the Talmud, Ashmadai is mentioned instead of this angel (V. Talmud, Gitin 68 b). Some Talmud sages 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, when asked about afterlife Solomon gives an evasive answer (Tosef. Yevamot 3, 4; Yoma 66 b). But, on the other hand, it is said about Solomon that the Almighty forgave him, as well as his father, David, all the sins he committed (Shir ha-shirim Rabba 1. p.). The Talmud says that King Solomon issued regulations (takanot) about the eruv and washing of hands, and also included words about the Temple in the blessing on bread (V. Talmud, Berakhot 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 if 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 himself and gave it to one of his wives, Amina. One day, the evil spirit Sakr took the form of Suleiman and, taking the ring from Amina’s hands, 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 it was swallowed by a fish, which was then caught by a fisherman and prepared for Suleiman’s dinner. Suleiman cut the fish, found a ring there and again received his former strength. The forty days he spent in exile were punishment for the fact that idols were worshiped in his house. True, Suleiman did not know about this, but one of his wives knew (Koran, sura 38, 33-34). Even as a boy, Suleiman allegedly overturned his father’s decisions, for example, when the issue of a child that was claimed by two women was being decided. In the Arabic version of this story, a wolf ate the child of one of the women. Daoud (David) decided the case in favor of the older woman, and Suleiman offered to cut the child and, after the protest of the younger woman, gave the child to her. Suleiman's superiority over his father as a judge is also manifested in his decisions about a sheep that was killed in a field (Sura 21, 78, 79), and about a treasure found in the ground after the sale of a plot of land; Both the buyer and the seller claimed the treasure.

Suleiman appears as a great warrior, a lover of military campaigns. His passionate love for horses led to the fact that, while once inspecting 1000 horses newly delivered to him, he forgot to perform the midday prayer (Quran, Sura 38, 30-31). For this he later killed all the horses. Ibrahim (Abraham) appeared to him in a dream and urged him to undertake a pilgrimage to Mecca. Suleiman went there, and then to Yemen on a flying carpet, where people, animals and evil spirits were with him, and 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 Bilqis and her kingdom. Then Suleiman sent a letter to the queen with the hoopoe, in which he asked Bilqis to accept his faith, threatening otherwise to conquer her country. To test the wisdom of Suleiman, Bilqis asked him a series of questions and, finally convinced that he had far surpassed his fame, she submitted to him along with her kingdom. The magnificent reception given by Suleiman for the queen and the riddles she proposed are described in Sura 27, 15-45. Suleiman died at fifty three years from birth, after a forty-year 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 Suleiman's death, the spirits spread a rumor about him as a sorcerer who himself used these books. Many people believed this.

Original taken from kadykchanskiy in King Solomon. Biblical falsification.

The Arabs say: “Salaam Alleykam”!
Jews say: “Shalom Aleishem”!
Conclusion: - Jews are lisping Arabs.
(From an old not funny joke)

Even people who are not burdened with religious knowledge can easily tell you who King Solomon is - there are so many different parables, legends and myths about him. For example, who doesn’t know about the Solomon’s court, when the king, in order to resolve a dispute between two women about which of them was the real mother of the child, ordered the baby to be cut in half, and ruled in favor of the woman who renounced her claim to motherhood?

And then follow the legends about the ring with the inscription “This too shall pass,” about the construction of the Jerusalem temple, about the mines, etc., etc. The conclusion is clear: Such a person really existed, and had extraordinary abilities, wealth and influence. But is it true that he was the third king of the Jewish state in the tenth century BC? I say “theirs” because I do not consider myself one of those who consider this era theirs. This name was given by the masters of this era, and we, simple “consumers,” are clearly not the masters here.

This is how King Solomon was depicted in the 18th century. Then they already believed that he was a Jewish king, and his appearance was painted accordingly.

The first thing that doesn't fit in my head is the name. According to historians, linguists and philologists, the name comes from Shlomo - in Hebrew comes from the root "שלום" (shalom- “peace”, meaning “not war”), as well as “שלם” ( shawl- “perfect”, “whole”). But we know who writes the Torah and all the stories of history. This means there is every reason for mistrust. Let’s try to figure it out, remembering that the “framework” of all words in any language is formed by consonant letters. This simple rule helps Russian speakers understand foreign words. Simple example:MILK - MLK, MILK - MLK. Try to parse other words this way yourself, and make sure that the method works in 90% of cases.

Pay attention to the symbolism. On the hilt of King Solomon's sword is the Star of David. Supposedly David, of course. It is also present on the decorative element of the guard - the trefoil, clasping the blade. Where did we see this symbol?

Right. Ancient royal masonic symbol. They also used it to mark prostitutes, burning a lily on their shoulder with a hot brand. Did you forget Lady Winter at A. Dumas?

So: SOLOMON - SLMN. SLOMAN? SOLOMAN? SOLOMIN? It looks very much like the word is a composite of two words. The ending "MN" is very similar to "MAN". And this is logical, Manom ​​was used to designate a person in most languages, including Slavic languages, as a being, an individual. VedaMAN, ShaMAN, etc. This rule is very much ingrained in younger European languages, including Yiddish. This is where most of the Jewish surnames come from: - ZuckerMAN (man of sugar - Sakharov), GoldMAN (man of gold - Zolotukhin), etc. In German, Dutch, and Scandinavian languages, this rule is ubiquitous. There are two endings for surnames - “man” and “son” (“sen”). Man is still a man, Bergman (a man from the shore - Brezhnev, Beregovoi), and son and sen are a prefix indicating that he is the Son of someone. Erickson is the son of Eric (Erikov), Andersen is the son of Ander (Andreev), Nicholson is the son of Nikola (Nikolaev). Practically the same as in Russia: Ivanovs, Sidorovs, Petrovs, etc. This means: Solomon, this is definitely SoloMAN. Then what does SOLO mean? Let's apply the well-known rule, what associations do you have when you see this: SL? The word SoL(b) flashed in my mind. Oops! Anuka - anuka... The mines of King Solomon, which made his wealth endless! Why not? Everyone thinks that we are talking about gold mines; adventurers spent millions of dollars searching for the mythical Solomonic mines, but did not find them. Why? Because they were looking in the wrong place - once, looking in the wrong place - twice. It is pointless to search on the African continent, because the writers of the Torah placed Solomon in the lands of Palestine; in reality, the Jewish state never existed there until 1947. And if we assume that it was SALT that became the source of Solomon’s wealth, then this will explain a lot! Then you need to look for salt mines, and somewhere nearby the biblical city of Solomon.

Now let's look at the coats of arms of European cities. Don’t you find it strange to see such frequent use of three symbols at the same time: the star of David, the crescent and the cross?

Guess who? But they were wrong! This is a Cossack circle from an engraving by a medieval European artist. How do you like the Cossack banner?

Will someone explain what a Cossack is doing with a Star of David and a crescent on a medieval fresco in a Swiss castle?

And this engraving depicts the Tatars. Obvious resemblance to the Cossacks. The faces are quite European, and on the horseman’s shield on the left is the circle of Chislobog. The weapons and equipment are also quite Russian. So what kind of Tatars ruined European princes in the Middle Ages?

The fresco depicts the battle between the Mongols and the Hungarians. Can you indicate which one is which? But doesn’t the red standard with a crescent clearly indicate that these Tatars are not from Mongolia, but from a very nearby country, with the capital in Constantinople, then it is logical that the Saracens have European weapons and corresponding symbols.

Miniature "Mongols in Western Europe". Again, white European faces, characteristic Russian helmets and Cossack hats. The conclusion suggests itself: Tatars in Europe were called the inhabitants of the country whose capital was Constantinople - Constantinople - Istanbul. And the Saracens were not Turks, but quite persons of European nationality.

But here, perhaps, it’s time to make a retreat to once again apply the “rule of consonant letters” and look for another famous character whose name also contains S, L, M and N. Easy! Only one king is fit for such a role, and that is Suleiman I the Magnificent (Kanuni; osm. سليمانا اول ‎ — Süleyman-ı evvel,tourBirinci Süleyman, Kanuni Sultan Süleyman ; (November 6, 1494 - November 5/6, 1566) - the tenth Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, reigning from September 22, 1520, caliph since 1538.
Not a single “scientist” and not a single theologian, theosophist or theologian will dare to refute the fact that Solomon and Suleiman are one and the same person. Their biographies are simply identical, and both had David as their father - according to the Koran - Daoud. But if Suleiman lived in the sixteenth century, and Solomon twenty-six centuries earlier, then how can they be one and the same person?

Suleiman is great. Let's see for comparison how Russians were portrayed at the same time!

Here is the Russian Tsar receiving Western ambassadors.

Now he is already on the throne.

And this is “Portrait of a Noble Slav” by Rembrandt. Well? Are there many differences from Turkish citizens?

Now let’s remember how many weapons there were in Russia with inscriptions in Arabic script, and how many dirhams were in circulation:

Erichonka hat

1621 Master Nikita Davydov from Murom.

Dirham. The main payment coin in Rus'.

And for starters, there’s also a medieval engraving (fragment) called “The Turks Storm Vienna.” Here it is worth paying attention not only to the Turks - the Cossacks, but also to the “European” architecture of Vienna. Doesn't remind you of anything?

Well, ask at least one priest, how does such a contradiction get along: Solomon and Suleiman are one person, and at the same time it is stated that their age difference is 2600 years?Well, okay, let’s leave it on their conscience, and we, as rational people, will rely on the facts. And the facts are as follows: Suleiman, son of Daud, also known as Solomon, son of David, was actually born at the end of the fifteenth century, ruled the Ottoman Empire, and at the same time had almost all of Europe.

Confirmation that Suleiman is Solomon is a fresco by an Ottoman artist of the 16th century.

Meeting of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. It is worthy of separate close study. There are too many incomprehensible and mysterious things mixed in here.

Scientists are looking for traces of the Kingdom of Sheba as far away as Ethiopia. They're looking in vain. Suffice it to remember that this queen was called BALKIDA in Arabic sources, and Makeda in Ethiopian sources. Here is the answer to the question of who she was and where her kingdom is. In the Balkans, of course, in Macedonia, next door to Constantinople, but clearly not a European, since she was not afraid of Suleiman. Another confirmation of the version that the Ottomans were neither Muslims nor Jews.

Now you ask the question: - “What to do with salt and salt mines”?
I answer. Salt is such an important element that it was once the equivalent of money. Hence the etymology of the words “Soldo», « Sale"and all derivatives from them. The one who owned salt owned the world, but if so, then what kind of salt could there be in Turkey? The answer is on the surface. Remember who was Suleiman’s beloved wife, and you will understand everything. Yes!

Suleiman and Roksolana.

Roksolana, a Russian girl, originally from Little Russia, Anastasia Gavrilovna Lisovskaya from the city of Rohatyn (Ivano-Frankivsk). Official history made her a slave, the daughter of a priest, etc. This technique is very popular among falsifiers; let me remind you: a similar story was composed about Catherine the First. In fact, everything is very simple. The story about “On this corner my grandfather sold pies” is intended for the herd, so that the slaves believe in the possibility of turning from Cinderella into a Princess. An analysis of all the famous rich people shows that the uninitiated are never allowed to the feeding trough. The same Dupont, supposedly a self-taught chemist, a poor unfortunate man became a rich man in America, thanks to his diligence and talent. Yeah! Don’t be fooled by these stories, this doesn’t happen in real life. DuPont is from an ancient family, which from time immemorial belonged to secret societies, Templars, Illuminati, Masons, and at the same time they were always at the helm and at the sails. They are from the managers.

Roksolana by Titian.

Let's play with a European nickname Roksolana? Rock - rock, stone. SOLANA - SALT + ANAstasia. It turns out ANAstasia stone-salt. But it is so. Let's write it to a temporary file and just keep it at hand.

In Ukraine, only memories remain of the former “salt industry”. Excursions to restaurants located deep underground in places where rock salt was previously mined are in great demand among tourists.

And now just a couple of coats of arms of Marossiysk cities:

Coat of arms of the city of Konotop.

Birch coat of arms

Obvious similarity of symbolism with European cities. The cross, crescent and star exist in trinity. Obviously, these signs cannot belong to the Jews and their David, who was actually Daud, and lived at the end of the fifteenth century in Constantinople.

So let’s leave the fiction about the only great sultana in history to the conscience of the scriptwriters. Can you imagine, even for a moment, that the SULTAN would take an unfaithful wife, and even an unclean one (not a girl), and make her a sultana? Yes, she would bring him slippers in the morning at best! Hence the conclusion. Marrying Roksolana is a profitable match for the Sultan. Without a doubt, this woman is the equal of the Sultan, of royal blood, I think that, most likely, she is from the family of the Romodanovsky princes, and maybe Kalita himself. So, just love? And now is the time to remember where our main deposits of table salt were located! I believe there is no need to remind about folklore Chumaks, etc. Without a doubt, it was Little Russia that had a monopoly on the European table salt market. This is a source of inexhaustible wealth and economic power, and Suleiman, having married Princess Lisovskaya, laid his paw on all salt exports. That’s all “love”, that’s “King Solomon’s Mines”.
So, discarding the “husk” of the TOROpisians, the truth about our history is revealed, and a very recent one at that.

Burning books. This is how events were rewritten.

So the conclusions:
1) The Solomon of the Bible did not exist. There was a king (khan) of Istanbul - Suleiman, and it is not a fact that this Arabic nickname was his true name. It is possible that it is formed from the words “Salt” and “Man”. In modern language - a salt magnate.
2) Suleiman was not necessarily a Muslim if he allowed himself to marry the pagan Anastasia. There are quite a lot of images of the Ottomans, whose banners have crosses. There is a lot of evidence in medieval frescoes and engravings that the “Mongol-Tatars” who conquered half of Europe also fought under the crosses and stars of David.
3) The Mongol-Tatar horde and the army of Suleiman are one and the same. The European princes were not crazy when they trembled at the word “Horde”. Yes, a horde, but not a Mongolian one, but an Ottoman one, and the Ottomans (Ottomans) are not Muslim Turks, but one of the Cossack hordes.
4) Religions most likely did not exist at all. Suleiman's campaigns against Europe were operations “to restore constitutional order.” An attempt to return the appanage princes of the separatists to a single legal and economic space.
5) Ottoman Empire was not such in essence. It was either part of Tartary, or its closest ally, until the moment when Tartary itself collapsed. The Russian-Turkish wars became, practically, a reflection of the legitimate claims to the Russian throne of the last heiress.
6) The Ottoman Empire turned into an Arab Empire naturally. Bloodless absorption by the Semitic majority. How could this happen?

Paris 2013

London 2013

The cradle of Slavic civilization in the Balkans is Kosovo. There are Albanians there now. Modification of the Chechens.

So... there are no more words. This is exactly what happened with Constantinople.

All life on earth is just a myth.

I see it as far away

Shulamith walks through the flowers

With an amber bunch in hand,

Basalt profile of the king -

And kissing him on the lips,

The dawn rises on the bed

My last day.

Tthird Jewish king, legendaryruler of the united kingdom of Israel in 965 - 928 BC, during its peak period. Son of King David and Bathsheba. Considered the author of the Book of Ecclesiastes", books "Song of Solomon» , « Books of Proverbs of Solomon» , as well as some psalms. During Solomon's reign in JerusalemJerusalem Temple was built- the main shrine of Judaism.

Name Shlomo(Solomon) in Hebrew comes from the root ( shalom- “peace”, meaning “not war”), as well as ( shawl- “perfect”, “whole”).

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

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 Abiatharand the commander of the troops, Joab,and, taking advantage of David’s weakness, declared himself successor to the throne, scheduling a magnificent coronation.

Solomon's mother, Bathsheba, and also the prophet NathanNotified David about this.Adonijah fled and hid in the Tabernacle, grasping "by the horns of the altar" , after his repentance, Solomon pardoned him.After coming to power, Solomon dealt with the 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, was appointed by Solomon as the new commander of the troops.

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

Foreign policy

Solomon, like most rulers of that time, adhered to imperial views. The states of Israel and Judea united under his ruleoccupied a huge territory.

Solomon ended five hundred years of hostility between Jews and Egyptians, taking as his first wife the daughter of an Egyptian pharaoh.

End of Solomon's reign

According to the Bible, Solomon had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines, among whom were foreigners. One of them, who by that time had become his beloved wife and had the king big influence, convinced 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 Solomon’s reign. Thus, the entire reign of Solomon passed quite calmly.

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

Even during Solomon's lifetime, uprisings of conquered peoples began (Edomites, Arameans ); Immediately after his death, an uprising broke out, as a result of which a unified statesplit into two kingdoms of Israel and Judah

Legends of Solomon

King Solomon's Court

Solomon showed his wisdom first of all at the trial. Soon after his accession, two women came to him for trial. They lived in the samehouse, and each had a baby. At night, one of them crushed her baby and placed it next to another woman, and took the living one from her. 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.”

Ring of Solomon

One day, King Solomon was sitting in his palace and saw a man walking down the street dressed from head to toe in golden robes. Solomon called this man to him 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 answered that there 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 people happy and the happy people sad. And if in three days the ring is not ready, he orders the jeweler to be executed. No matter how talented the jeweler was, on the third day he went to the king with fear with a ring for him. At the threshold of the palace he met Rahabam, the son of Solomon, and thought: “The son of a sage is half a sage.”. And he told Rahavam about his trouble. To which he grinned, took a nail and scratched three Hebrew letters on three sides of the ring - Gimel, Zain and Yod. And he said that with this you can safely go to the king. Solomon turned the ring and immediately understood the meaning of the letters on three sides of the ring in his own way - and their meaning is the abbreviation גם זו יעבור “This too shall pass.” And just as the ring spins, and different letters appear all the time, so the world spins, and the fate of a person spins in the same way. And thinking that now he was sitting on a high throne, surrounded by all the splendors, and that this would pass, he immediately became sad. And when Ashmodai threw him to the ends of the world and Solomon had to wander for three years, looking at the ring, he realized that this too would pass, and he felt happy.

Image in art

The image of King Solomon inspired many poets and artists: for example, the German poet of the 18th century. F.-G. Klopstockdedicated a tragedy in verse to him, the artist Rubens painted "The Judgment of Solomon", Handeldedicated an oratorio to him, and Gounod- opera. A film was made based on the corresponding legend.« Solomon and the Queen of Sheba» (1959). In 2009, the film was shot by director Alexander Kiriyenko« The illusion of fear» (based on the book by Alexander Turchinov), where the image of King Solomon and legends about him are used to reveal the image of the main character, entrepreneur Korob, by drawing analogies between antiquity and modernity. Chechen bard Timur Mutsuraevdedicated a song to Solomon of the same name.

From myself: it’s completely unclear why I wasn’t included in this magnificent list« Shulamith » A.I. Kuprina, if you still haven’t read it, I advise you to take the time.

Prophet Solomon, first quarter. 18th century

Nicolas Poussin. Solomon's Judgment. 1649

Stasis Krasauskas, from illustrations to Shulamith

In the Holy Scriptures, there is one biblical character who is shrouded in a whole train of myths and legends. His image is considered integral to the Jewish, Christian and Islamic religions, and his wisdom and justice have been sung by entire generations of writers and poets. According to biblical sources, he acts as the wisest of people, a fair judge who knew how to find an original solution in the most unusual situations. Fantastic qualities were also attributed to this person, such as power over genies, understanding the language of animals.

And although a number of historians deny his physical existence, citing the fact that he and his deeds are described only in biblical sources, in the culture of different nations he is mentioned as a real person with all his advantages and disadvantages. Pictures from his life and deeds were often depicted on the stained glass windows of medieval churches, miniatures of Byzantine manuscripts, paintings by artists and in numerous works of writers. And the phrase “Solomon’s solution” has existed for many centuries as popular expression. Yes, we are talking about Solomon, the third king of Israel.

Shlomo, Solomon, Suleiman- this name is known to almost every educated person, regardless of his age and attitude to religion. Experts are still arguing about his biography, but the generally accepted version is that he was one of the younger sons of King David, a former simple warrior who served the King of Seoul and became famous for his fantastic victory over Goliath. After this brave and resourceful fighter replaced the king of Seoul on the throne of Israel, he began to actively develop his native state. However, like any ruler, David also made mistakes. One of them was the sin of adultery, which he committed with Bathsheba, the wife of one of his subordinates, who was subsequently sent to certain death.

The beautiful woman became the wife of David, and from this marriage in 1011 BC. e. A boy was born, to whom happy parents gave the name Shlomo, literally translated from Hebrew as “peace.” True, the sin committed by David was not in vain: he had powerful ill-wishers, one of whom was Nathan, one of the host of prophets and authors of the Book of Kings. His curse haunted David for a long time, who had to beg the Almighty for forgiveness for a long time. The unpredictability of David’s actions also affected the principle of succession to the throne. Having a full-fledged successor to the throne, his eldest son Adonijah, he decided to give the kingdom to the youngest - Solomon.

This step provoked a severe crisis in the country, which almost ended in a full-fledged war. Adonia even managed to form a special detachment of bodyguards, but he did not receive the desired support in the army and in the church environment. The unsuccessful heir had to seek refuge in the Tabernacle, and his closest associates were captured and punished by execution or exile. Adonijah himself was pardoned by Solomon, but this only briefly extended his earthly existence. Having decided to marry Abishag the Shunammite, a servant of King David, he crossed the line of what was permitted and was executed.

After the dynastic rival was eliminated, Solomon became the sole ruler of Israel. He was endowed with remarkable wisdom, did not accept a military solution to conflicts, therefore, among his first actions as a full-fledged king, he made a rapprochement with Egypt. Despite the scandalous departure of Jews from this country, this state was strong and possessed enormous wealth. It is better to have such countries, even if not as allies, but as friends, so Solomon invited Pharaoh Shoshenq I, then ruling in Egypt, to give him his daughter as a wife. Together with the Nile beauty, he received the city of Tel Gezer as a dowry, as well as the opportunity to charge a fee for the passage of trade caravans along the Royal Road Via Regia, which stretched from Egypt to Damascus.

The second direction of friendly diplomacy was the Phoenician kingdom. Having established ties with its ruler Hiram I the Great, who promised to supply the necessary building materials to Israel, he was able to begin the grandiose construction of the temple. As payment for cypress, gold and workers, Phenicia received wheat and olive oil. In addition, part of the southern Israeli lands was given to the Phoenicians.

The legend about his communication with the ruler of Sabea, the Queen of Sheba, speaks about Solomon’s remarkable mental abilities. A competent and wise woman came to Israel to test Solomon with a series of riddles. The King of Israel passed this test with honor, for which the guest gave the wise ruler a huge amount of gold, precious stones and incense. Contemporaries claimed that after this visit Israel became prosperous and rich.

It is interesting that, as a brilliant politician, Solomon rejected forceful solutions to conflicts. In fact, it came from him that the degree of guilt, as well as the amount of punishment for the perpetrator, should be determined by a judge - a person absolutely independent of any of the parties to the conflict. It is believed that Solomon became the first such judge, and as an example of his work in this field, the case of two women sharing one child is given. Seeing that both mothers insisted that the baby belonged only to them, Solomon made a completely non-trivial decision. He ordered the servants to bring a sword, with which he was going to cut the unfortunate baby into two parts, so that each of the women would receive her part of the child. By the reaction of the petitioners to such a cruel decision, he was able to find out which of them was the real mother and which was an impostor.

Of course, royal life was not characterized by tranquility. But according to legend, a magic ring helped Solomon maintain his composure. This little thing, received from the court philosopher, enabled the king to find salvation from various passions. On the outside of the ring there was an inscription engraved: “Everything passes,” and on the inside it continued: “This too will pass.” Looking at these inscriptions, the king pacified his anger, calmed down, after which he found an ingenious solution to the most complicated cases.

Such an innovation is also attributed to Solomon. According to ancient legends, our planet was once beset by a terrible flood that destroyed the powerful civilization of Atlantis. The surviving people formed a new society, and from the old only ancient artifacts remained, including things that had a technological purpose. Among the leaders of newly emerging countries, such discoveries were highly valued, because they gave an advantage over competitors. All knowledge of this kind is exclusively through oral transmission, so that the most important information does not go to hostile neighbors.

Solomon was the first to abandon this practice. He began to record esoteric knowledge in writing. Among the treatises attributed to him are the Keys of Solomon, in one of the sections of which there is a mention of 72 demons. Modern science considers this to be encrypted knowledge about the amount of human hormones. To make the information easier to read, these works were supplemented with a large number of diagrams and symbols. A significant part of these drawings is used in esotericism to this day. In addition to the Keys of Solomon, his authorship is also attributed to the Books of Ecclesiastes, the Song of Songs, and the Book of Proverbs.

Unfortunately, even wise government officials find it difficult to resist temptations. Solomon, like his kingdom, which he built for many years, was destroyed by love. Legends say that Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines. One of the wives, whom the king loved very much, was a foreigner. A smart woman was able to persuade Solomon to build a pagan altar. Its construction quarreled Solomon with the Almighty, who personally promised to send various misfortunes to the arrogant ruler and his country. And so it happened. Numerous construction projects left the royal treasury empty, unrest began among the Edomites and Aramites on the outskirts, and Solomon himself died at the age of 52 while overseeing the construction of the ill-fated altar. Subsequently, the prediction of the Almighty came true: ancient Israel split. And although the Jews still had ups and downs in development, the ancient Jews were not able to achieve the prosperity of the times of Solomon.