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Son and (Bat-Sheva), his co-ruler in 967-965 BC. e. Considered the author of the Book of Ecclesiastes, the book Song of Solomon, the Book of Proverbs of Solomon, as well as some psalms. During the reign of Solomon, the main shrine of Judaism was built in Jerusalem.

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, declared himself the successor to the throne, scheduling 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, grasping “the horns of the altar” (1 Kings 1:51); 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.

Temple

But the highest task and glory of his reign was the construction of the majestic, which replaced the dilapidated Tabernacle, which from now on became the national pride of Israel, the soul of not only its religious, but also its political life. Under him, poetry reached its highest development, and its most remarkable works are the famous "" (Shir ha-shirim), in its external form representing something like a lyrical drama, glorifying love in its deepest basis and purity. Under Solomon, the Jewish people reached the culminating point of their development, and from him the reverse movement began, which most noticeably affected the king himself.

Reign of Solomon

Solomon inherited from his father a vast state, stretching from “the river of Egypt to the great river Euphrates.” To govern such a state, a broad mind and proven wisdom were required, and, fortunately for the people, the young gift was naturally endowed with a bright mind and insight, which later gave him the glory of “the wisest king.” Taking advantage of the deep peace, Solomon turned all his attention to the cultural development of the state and in this regard achieved extraordinary results.

The country became rich, and the welfare of the people increased to an unprecedented degree. Solomon's court was not inferior in its splendor to the courts of the greatest and most powerful rulers of the then civilized world. Composition of the government formed by Solomon:

• High priests - Zadok, Abiathar, Azariah;
• Commander of the troops - Vanya;
• Minister of Taxation - Adoniram;
• Court Chronicler - Jehoshaphat; also scribes - Elichoreth and Ahijah;
• Akhisar - head of the royal administration;
• Zawuf;
• Azariah - chief of governors;

12 governors: Ben-Hur, Ben-Deker, Ben-Hesed, Ben-Abinadab, Baana the son of Ahilud, Ben-Gever, Achinadab, Ahimaas, Baana the son of Hushai, Jehoshaphat, Shimei, Geber.

Foreign policy

Solomon, like most rulers of that time, adhered to imperial views. The states of Israel and Judah, united under his rule, occupied a large territory; Solomon sought expansion, as evidenced by his annexation of Saba under the pretext of converting to the “correct” religion. Solomon ended half a thousand years of hostility between Jews and Egyptians by taking the daughter of an Egyptian pharaoh as his first wife.

Annexation of Saba

According to legend, Solomon annexed Saba, a legendary state whose official religion was sun worship, to his state. He sent a note to the ruler of Saba (known under the title Queen of Sheba) Bilqis 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 enter into it, but Bilquis vetoed this decision and entered into negotiations with Solomon. The ambassador of Saba brought gifts to Solomon, but he pointedly refused, arguing that Saba could not give him anything better and more than he had, and the only goal of the unification was the establishment of a just religion in the territory of Saba. During the negotiations, Solomon stated that, if necessary, he would start a war and capture Saba by force. Then Bilkis personally went to the negotiations, having previously ordered that the royal regalia (mainly the throne) be hidden. Solomon learned about this from his spies and ordered his residents in Saba to steal the throne and take it to the place of negotiations. When Bilqis arrived, Solomon offered her her own throne.

The depressed Bilquis agreed to the annexation, which thus took place; the state religion of Saba was brought into line with the state religion of Solomon's kingdom.

End of Solomon's reign

The end of Solomon's reign was overshadowed by various disappointments, the cause of which was mainly polygamy that had reached extraordinary proportions and the exorbitant expenses associated with it. The people began to be burdened by the rapidly increasing taxes, and Solomon ended his life with the conviction that “all is vanity and vexation of spirit,” and with fear for the future of his home, which was threatened by those who had already spoken before him. According to the Bible, Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines (1 Kings 11:3), among whom were foreigners. One of them, who by that time had become his beloved wife and had great influence on the king, 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. e. at the age of 62 years. According to legend, this happened while he was overseeing the construction of a new altar. To avoid a mistake (assuming that this could be a lethargic dream), those close to him did not 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 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).

Solomon in Islam

Suleiman is an Islamic name, known to Jews as Shlomo, to Christianity as Solomon, to Armenians as Soghomon. Respected as the name of the prophet Suleiman, the son of the prophet Dawood. Suleiman was the son of the prophet Daoud. From his father, he learned a lot of knowledge and was chosen by Allah as a prophet, and he was given mystical power over all creatures, including jinn. He ruled a huge kingdom that extended to Yemen in the south. Suleiman was known for his wisdom and justice.

Suleiman's contacts with Queen Bilqis are known. Bilqis was a wise ruler, but her people worshiped the sun and the moon. Suleiman tried to stop this, but she wanted to appease the prophet with gifts, which only led to him sending a huge army to her country in anger. While on a hike, he talked with ants and birds. He soon felt sorry for the people of Bilqis and decided not to harm them. When the Queen of Sheba came to negotiate, one of the genies subordinate to Suleiman brought to the prophet one of the queen’s thrones, which she recognized. Surprised by the wisdom and power of the prophet, Bilqis married him. Suleiman completed the construction of the Temple, which was begun by his father Daoud. He lived for 80 years, but after his death the kingdom fell apart, as Suleiman's son became an unholy ruler.

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Years of life: 1011–928 BC e.

Helpful information

Old-Hebrew שְׁלֹמֹה
translit. "Shlomo"
Greek Σαλωμών, Σολωμών in the Septuagint
lat. Solomon in the Vulgate
Arab. سليمان‎‎ translit. "Sulaiman"

The name 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 of Bathsheba.

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 judgment. They lived in the same house, 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.”

And they brought the sword to the king. Solomon said, “Cut the living child in half and give half to one and half to the other.”

At these words, one of the women exclaimed: “Better give her the baby, but don’t kill him!”

The other, on the contrary, said: “Cut it, don’t let it get to her or me.”

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.

Ring of Solomon

Despite his wisdom, King Solomon's life was not calm. And one day King Solomon turned to the court sage for advice with the request: “Help me - a lot in this life can make me angry. I am very subject to passions, and this bothers me!”

To which the sage replied: “I know how to help you. Put this ring on and the phrase “This shall pass” is engraved on it. When strong anger or strong joy surges, 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, he lost his temper even more. He tore the ring off his finger and wanted to throw it further into the pond, but suddenly noticed that there was some kind of inscription on the inside of the ring. He took a closer look and read: “This too shall pass.”

Islamic legends

It is reported from the words of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, that he heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say: There were two women with their sons (when suddenly) a wolf came running and carried away the son of one of them, and she said to her friend: “The wolf carried away your son!” The other (woman) said: “No, it was your son!” - and then they turned to Daud, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, who decided to give him to his elder.

And then they went to Sulayman, the son of Daud, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and told him (about everything), and he said: “Bring me a knife and I will divide it between them.” Then the younger one exclaimed: “Don’t do this, may Allah have mercy on you, this is her son!”, after which he decided to give him to the younger one.

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Verily, yesterday a spirit from among the jinn came to me (or he said something similar) to interrupt my prayer, but Allah helped me cope with it. (At first) I wanted to tie him to one of the pillars of the mosque so that in the morning you all would look at him, but (then) I remembered the words of my brother Suleiman (who said): “My Lord! Forgive me and grant me (such) power that no one else will have after me.”

Image in art

The image of King Solomon inspired many poets and artists:

• 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,
• Gounod - opera.

In 2009, director Alexander Kiriyenko shot the film “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.

Star of Solomon

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 the pentagram (five-pointed star) the Seal of Solomon.

According to another version, the sign of Solomon, the so-called. The Seal of Solomon was an eight-pointed star intertwined like a pentagram.

At the same time, in occultism the pentacle with the name “Star of Solomon” is considered to be a 12-pointed star. Due to the larger 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 enhanced talents.

It is believed that the Star of Solomon formed the basis of the Maltese cross of the Knights of St. John.

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

Name: Solomon

Date of Birth: in 1011 BC uh

Date of death: in 928 BC uh

Age: 62 years old

Place of Birth: Jerusalem

A place of death: Jerusalem

Activity: King of the Kingdom of Israel

Family status: was married

King Solomon - biography

The name Solomon, Shlomo, that is, “peaceful,” under which the son of King David entered history, was given to him by his mother. His other name, which the prophet Nathan gave him at birth, was Jedidiah - “favorite of God.”

There are many people in history who are not quite deservedly known as great sages. But only Solomon, the king of Israel, although he committed many sins, managed to become a saint of three religions at once.

Solomon was fabulously lucky. To begin with, the vast majority of his contemporaries do not even have their names left, and we know almost everything about his life and deeds. After all, the books of Kings telling about him were included in the Holy Scriptures. although there is nothing particularly sacred about them. Here is what, for example, it tells about the events preceding the birth of little Prince Solomon in the family of King David:

“One evening, David, getting out of bed, was walking on the roof of the king’s house and saw a woman bathing from the roof; and that woman was very beautiful. And David sent to find out who this woman was? And they said to him, This is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite. David sent servants to take her; and she came to him, and he slept with her.”

To get rid of the beauty’s husband, King David ordered him to be sent on a military campaign and gave instructions; “Put Uriah where the strongest battle will be and retreat from him so that he will be defeated and die.” When Urin died, the king was able to marry Bathsheba, and in due course they had a son.

The king’s treacherous act could not be hidden, and a scandal broke out in Jerusalem. The prophet Nathan openly cursed the house of David, dooming it to fratricidal strife. In addition, he predicted that the baby born to Bathsheba would die. And so it happened. David then repented before the Lord, and Nathan declared that he was forgiven. Soon the beautiful Bathsheba gave birth to a second son, named Solomon, or Shlomo, from the word “shalom”, that is, peace.

This name was not chosen by chance: peace was the main thing that the king dreamed of then, exhausted from the struggle with the warlike people of the Philistines and other enemies, external and internal. By the time the prince was born, in the mid-900s BC, the kingdom, which was called either Israel or Judah, occupied less than half of the territory of present-day Israel. Every piece of land had to be fought for, often exterminating all its inhabitants. For example, after conquering the country of the Ammonites, David “put them under saws, under iron threshers, under iron axes, and threw them into kilns.”

By the time Solomon was born, forty-year-old King David already had two dozen offspring from different wives. Naturally, they accepted another heir without enthusiasm, and they did not treat each other like brothers. Soon after Solomon was born, his older brother Amnon raped his sister Tamar, his father forgave him. but another brother, Absalom. stood up for his sister's honor and ordered his servants to kill Amnon. After this, the prince fled to a neighboring country, but three years later David forgave him and even declared him the official heir.

But Absalom did not want to wait - he had long considered himself worthy of the throne, for he was the strongest and most handsome young man in Israel. The Bible writes that his luxurious hair, when he cut it once a year, weighed two hundred shekels - 2.4 kg. Having charmed or bribed many Israelis with generous gifts, he one fine day declared himself king. David, not wanting to fight with his son, went with his guard beyond the Jordan, but Absalom decided to get rid of his father once and for all. He and his followers caught up with David in the Forest of Ephraim, and his father had to start a battle. His seasoned fighters quickly put Absalom's inexperienced warriors to flight. The prince himself, while running away, got his hair entangled in the branches of a tree and was pierced by arrows.

The king’s worries did not end there - now the next eldest son, Adonijah, began to lay claim to the throne. In addition, in Israel, the northern half of the kingdom, a certain Sheba raised an uprising, and the Philistines again attacked from the west. David again defeated all his enemies, but he was already nearly seventy, and his iron health - in his youth he defeated the giant Goliath with one throw of a stone - was greatly weakened. At night he could not get warm, and the elders found a beautiful maiden named Avisaga for him. so that she would warm the king at night. - but he, the Bible explains, “knew it not.”

It seems that David's health was not at all good. Realizing this, his entourage divided into two factions: the commander-in-chief Joab and the high priest Abiathar wanted to put Adonijah on the throne, and the prophet Nathan and Bathsheba, who still owned the king’s heart, supported Solomon. Adonijah, confident of victory, had already appointed his coronation, but Bathsheba entered the king’s chambers and reminded him of the promise given to her: “Did you not, my lord the king, swear to your servant, saying: “Your son Solomon will be king after me”? Why did Adonijah reign?" And David appointed 18-year-old Solomon as his successor.

Adonijah, having learned that all his intrigues to become king were in vain, ran, fearing reprisals, to the temple and grabbed the horns of the altar, made in the form of a bull's head - this meant that he was asking for protection from God. He was forgiven, but David soon died, and Adonijah again tried to make his way to power. Here Solomon’s patience ran out, and he ordered the faithful general Vanei to kill Adonijah. At the same time, Joab was killed, although he also tried to find refuge at the altar. But Solomon spared the high priest Abiathar, telling him: “You are worthy of death, but at the present time I will not kill you.”

“And Solomon sat on the throne of his father David,” the Bible laconically writes. During the coronation, the new high priest Zadok anointed the forehead of the king, who was dressed in a linen dress embroidered with gold, and a scarlet cloak. The Levites at this time sang the psalm: “I have anointed My King over Zion, My holy mountain.” As usual, the people were given bread and meat from lambs that were roasted right there. When the celebrations were over, it was time to get down to business.

A government was created consisting of Vanei, Minister of Finance Adoniram, Minister of the Court Ahisar and Minister of Police Azaria. With them, the king began to carry out his reforms, about which, oddly enough, we know almost nothing. The Bible is not a history book, and its compilers were primarily interested in moral tales and miracles. Solomon had plenty of the first in his life, but the legends attributed him with plenty of the second.

The first miracle happened at the beginning of his reign - as was customary, Solomon went to the sanctuary in Gibeon and spent the night there, and God, appearing to him in a dream, asked: “What can I give you?” The king asked for wisdom for himself, and the Almighty liked it so much that he gave Solomon not only wisdom, but also wealth and glory: “So there was no one like you before you, and after you there will not arise one like you.”

The king proved his wisdom by marrying the daughter of the Egyptian pharaoh: this ended the many years of enmity between the Jews and Egypt, which arose during the time of Moses. The princess gave birth to Solomon's daughters, who received the Egyptian names Basemat and Tafat. True, it was not she who became the king’s first wife, but Abishag, who warmed his father; the young people must have become close during David’s lifetime.

The Bible says: “And God gave Solomon wisdom and very great understanding, and a broad mind, like the sand on the seashore. And the wisdom of Solomon was greater than the wisdom of all the children of the east and all the wisdom of the Egyptians.” Unlike David, the king practically did not wage wars, but at the same time managed to expand the territory of Israel from the Nile to the Euphrates.

Most often this was done through marriages: he married the daughters of neighboring kings, after whose death - sometimes cleverly arranged - he took over their possessions. Since the “kings” of that time were only the elders of nomadic tribes or tiny towns, and in Palestine alone there were about three hundred of them, Solomon’s harem continually grew. According to the Bible, he had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines.

The king’s wisdom was also evident in this. that he decided to unite his people with a common cause - namely the construction of a new grandiose temple, where it was supposed to place the Ark of the Covenant (aron ha-brit) - the greatest shrine, inside which were kept the tablets received by Moses from the Lord himself. David moved the ark from Gibeon to Jerusalem and wanted to build a worthy container for it, but did not have time. Now Solomon entered into an agreement with the king of Phoenician Tire, Hiram, in whose country the Lebanese cedars, famous throughout the Middle East, grew.

In exchange for the cedar wood, he agreed to give Hiram large quantities of oil, meat and grain every year. 30 thousand people were sent to Tire to harvest wood; Another 150 thousand residents of Israel mined stones in the mountains and transported them to Jerusalem. Almost all healthy men were forced to build the temple. The construction lasted 7 years, and a famous legend is associated with it about the chief mason, whose name was either Hiram, like the king, or Adoniram, like Solomon’s minister. He refused to reveal the secrets of his craft and was killed for it. Hiram's heirs allegedly founded the brotherhood of "free masons" (Freemasons) to protect the secrets, making its emblems the compass, square and sheer tools of the master and at the same time the instruments of his murder.

The completed temple was a huge building, which, according to theologians, could accommodate up to 50 thousand worshipers. In the center of the temple was the “holy of holies” (Davir), where an ark was installed on a stone pedestal, guarded by gilded statues of cherubs - not angels, but winged ones bulls five meters high. The temple was destroyed in 586 BC. Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II, but before that the ark mysteriously disappeared.

Mystery lovers are still looking for it, like the other ark, Noah's. A new temple was built after the return of the Jews from Babylonian captivity, but was also destroyed, this time by the Romans. Today only one wall remains of him - the famous Wailing Wall, and of all the treasures of Solomon listed in the Bible, only the golden garnet, which the king gave to the high priest Zadok, has survived.

Israel under Solomon grew rich through agriculture and trade. The king's annual income was 666 talents - almost 23 tons of gold. The royal court consumed every day “thirty cows (cor = 220 liters) of wheat flour and sixty cows of other flour, ten fattened oxen and twenty oxen from pasture, and one hundred sheep, besides deer, and chamois, and saigas, and fattened birds.” “Silver was worth nothing in the days of Solomon,” says the Bible.

During excavations in Jerusalem, many cups for cosmetics, mirrors, hair pins, and jugs for imported incense were found - this proves that the ladies of the court vigilantly followed fashion. In the border city of Megiddo, archaeologists found huge stables - it seems that Solomon organized the supply of horses from Asia to Egypt, where the pharaoh's army urgently needed them. The king established the mining and smelting of copper, and also built a large fleet, which sailed to the country of Ophir every three years, bringing gold and valuable wood from there.

Scientists are still arguing where this Ophir was located and what relation the famous Queen of Sheba (Sheba) has to him, who arrived to Solomon “with very great wealth,” wanting to “test the king with riddles.” The ancient kingdom of Saba was located in Yemen; in Ethiopia, the queen is considered their countrywoman, but the Bible hints that she came specifically from Ophir. The queen came to test Solomon's wisdom and was so delighted that she handed him all the riches she had brought with her.

The biblical story ends here, but legends say that the beautiful Sheba, or Bilqis, as she is called in the Koran, fell in love with the king, and they did not marry only because the queen’s legs - or even all of her - were thickly covered with hair. This did not prevent, however, the queen from giving birth to Solomon’s son Menelik, who allegedly founded the dynasty of the Ethiopian Negus. In one of the churches in Ethiopia, according to rumors, the Ark of the Covenant is still kept, which the queen took with her - maybe that’s why it disappeared from Jerusalem?

The Bible does not list Solomon’s wars and other glorious deeds, besides the construction of the Temple - perhaps this was the main evidence of his wisdom. But the king was engaged in intensive literary creativity: “And he spoke three thousand parables, and his songs were a thousand and five; and he spoke about trees. .. and about animals, and about birds, and about reptiles, and about fish.” Last words.
misunderstood, later gave rise to the belief that Solomon understood the language of animals and birds.

Many legends have been preserved - Jewish, Christian, Muslim - about the wise deeds of Solomon. The most famous story is that when two women argued over a child - each insisted that she was his mother - the king ordered the boy to be cut in half and given half to each. The one who screamed in horror: “Give it to her, just don’t kill her!” - and was recognized as her own mother. No less famous is the story of the ring with the inscription: “Everything passes,” which was given to Solomon by one wise man. He said: “In difficult times, look at this ring and you will be comforted.”

The king did just that, but one day. looking at the ring, he only became more angry and tore it off his finger to throw it into the pond. Then on the inside of the ring he read the inscription: “This too shall pass.” Sometimes this story is continued: having grown old, the king grieved, realizing that the ring was telling the truth, and suddenly noticed a barely noticeable inscription on his rib. which read: “Nothing passes.”

Many such stories are contained in the biblical books The Proverbs of Solomon and the Wisdom of Solomon, the author of which is considered to be the king, although, most likely, this is a product of collective creativity. It is unlikely that another book belongs to him - the famous Ecclesiastes (“Speaking in the Assembly”). Bitter thoughts about the vanity of all things could, of course, belong to the aged king, but scientists found Persian and Aramaic words in the book, proving that it was written several centuries later.

Solomon is also credited with the “Song of Songs” (“Shir Ha-shirim”), a great book about love, which in a pious interpretation is interpreted as love for God. But is it? “Oh, you are beautiful, my beloved, you are beautiful! your dove eyes under your curls; your hair is like a herd of goats coming down from Mount Schlaad... Your lips are like a scarlet ribbon, and your lips are kind: like halves of a pomegranate apple are your cheeks under your curls... Your two breasts are like the twins of a young chamois grazing among the lilies "

Yes, Solomon could write something like this to one of his lovers, but he would hardly have dared to turn such sublime eroticism to the Almighty. In addition, half of the “Song of Songs” was written from the girl’s point of view - most likely, this is a collection of ancient wedding songs, wisely included in the Bible and thanks to this, preserved for the benefit of all lovers.

Already in the Middle Ages, many other works were attributed to Solomon - mostly occult and magical. Astrologers and alchemists, in order not to be accused of heresy, declared the king, recognized as a saint, as their patron. He supposedly had a wonderful throne guarded by golden animals, a flying carpet and a ring with the secret name of God engraved on it - with its help it was possible to command angels and demons. The five-pointed star, or pentagram, was nicknamed the “seal of Solomon” - according to legend, he stood at its center when he summoned the spirits.

One of the experiments ended sadly: the demon Asmodeus threw the king into the desert. from where he managed to get out only after three years, while the unclean one, who took his form, ruled in his place. In Islamic legends, Solomon (Suleiman ibn Daoud) is more fortunate: he commands an entire army of genies, and naughty ones, such as the genie Hottabych, beloved by Soviet children, from the book of Lazar Lagin. plants in jugs.

In fact, Solomon's power was not so great. For some time now, the king’s income did not cover his expenses. Having owed the Tyrian ruler Hiram a huge sum, he was forced to give him 20 cities. The population, oppressed by taxes, grumbled - especially the Israelis, who were more numerous than the inhabitants of Judea, but much poorer. Their fellow countryman Jeroboam, who held a prominent position in the royal administration, rebelled and then fled to Egypt, where he was warmly received by Pharaoh Shusakim. Another threat was the bandit Razon, who captured Damascus and became king there, constantly attacking the northern lands of Israel.

Solomon's numerous wives caused him no less trouble. And the point was not that they, as often happened in the royal harems, were intriguing. promoting their children as heirs. Solomon was not as prolific as his father: we know only one of his sons, Rehoboam. son of Naamah the Ammonite. This solved the problem of inheritance, but another problem arose, which the Bible writes about: “When Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart toward other gods, and his heart was not completely devoted to the Lord his God...

And Solomon began to serve Ashtoreth, the deity of Sidon, and Milcom, the abomination of the Ammonites... Then Solomon built a temple for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, on the mountain that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the Ammonites. He did this for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and made sacrifices to their gods.” It seems that the king decided that serving his native deities would distract his faithful from intrigues, but for the temple servants this was not an argument.

They conveyed to Solomon the verdict of an angry God: “Because this is how you do it, and you have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I commanded you. I will tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant.” The king was sad, but decided not to upset the seductive foreign women - they were his last consolation in old age, full of sorrows and illnesses. Old age in those days came early - Solomon died when he was only 62 years old. According to another legend, he ordered not to bury him until the worms began to sharpen his staff, made of sycamore. When this happened, he was declared dead and buried in a rich tomb on Mount Zion next to David.

After the death of the king, the returning Jeroboam started a rebellion in Israel. The legal heir, Rehoboam, retained power only over Judea and Jerusalem. The kingdom of Israel was divided in two, and both parts plunged into chaos of palace coups, rebellions and foreign invasions. Against this background, Solomon's reign seemed especially peaceful and happy - that is why the king began to be considered an unsurpassed sage.

He himself would hardly have agreed with such a definition and, looking at the disappointing results of his reign, he could well have uttered the sad words put into his mouth by the author of the book of Ecclesiastes: “I have given my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and stupidity: I have learned , that this too is languor of spirit: because in much wisdom there is much sorrow: and whoever increases knowledge increases sorrow.”

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 decision” has existed as a catchphrase for many centuries. 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. Phenicia received wheat and olive oil from Israel as payment for cypress, gold and workers. 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 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.

The legendary Solomon (1011-928 BC) is the third Jewish king, the son of David from Bathsheba. Under him, Israel reached the pinnacle of its influence and power. After the end of the reign of Solomon (965-928 BC), a period of civil strife and the collapse of the once united state began in the country. This monarch became famous for his wisdom and justice. His main achievement is considered to be the construction of the Temple, which the righteous David so dreamed of.

Rise to power

Solomon was one of the youngest sons of his father, which did not prevent the influential prophet Nathan from singling him out among the other children of David. The capable boy grew up to be a worthy man. Formally, he was not listed as the heir to the throne, but a chain of several events led to the fact that he became the king of Israel.

After the death of his two eldest sons, David promised his beloved wife Bathsheba to transfer the throne to Solomon. Adonijah did not like this decision. This son of David, who became the eldest due to the death of Abshalom and Ammon, decided not to obey the will of his father. He was supported by several influential people, including the high priest Evyatar and the military commander Yoav. The prophet Nathan remained on Solomon's side.

Adonia's party openly announced his claims to power and began to gather new supporters. Meanwhile, the dying David ordered Solomon to be anointed as king (as is said about King Solomon). After performing the sacred ritual, the people swore allegiance to the heir. Adonijah, fearful of his brother’s revenge, took refuge in the sanctuary, but came out when the new ruler promised to spare his life.

David died soon after. Adonijah convinced Bathsania to ask his son for permission to marry Abishaga, one of his late father’s concubines. According to ancient laws, such a marriage gave the right to the throne. King Solomon, whose biography shows an example of a far-sighted politician, understood the plan of his rebellious brother and ordered the death of him and some of his high-ranking minions. This was the only time the monarch allowed the death penalty.

Foreign and domestic policy

Having defeated his dynastic rival, Solomon began to fully rule Israel. He hastened to make friends with Egypt. Having married the daughter of Pharaoh, the Jewish monarch received the city of Gezer as a dowry. The reign of Solomon was also marked by the continuation of friendship with the Phoenician sovereign Hiram, who had good relations with David.

The ruler of the Jews loved horses and ordered the creation of the first Jewish cavalry. Neighboring kings and profitable trade provided large incomes. Solomon spent it on a grand scale, trying to achieve greatness in everything. His grandiose enterprises placed a heavy burden on the common population. Because of this, the authorities began a conflict with the tribes of Menashe and Ephraim. The story of King Solomon, for all the grandeur of his personality, was also distinguished by his own mistakes. By forcing the obstinate tribes to work harder, the ruler strengthened their separate sentiments. It was partly for this reason that the disintegration of Israel after the death of Solomon became a natural and logical outcome of the internal Jewish conflict.

Construction of the Temple

As controversial as King Solomon was, the biography of this ancient monarch is best known for his construction of the Temple. His father David also conquered Jerusalem, which belonged to the Jebusites, and transferred the Ark of the Covenant there. He, together with the judges from the Sanhedrin, prepared a plan for the future Temple. David did not have time to complete the construction of the main religious building of the Jews and bequeathed the execution of this plan to his son.

King Solomon, whose biography is an example of one of the best diplomats of antiquity, enlisted the support of foreign specialists before starting to build the Temple. The ruler of the Phoenician city of Tire, Hiram, assisted him by sending many artisans and carpenters to Jerusalem (including his best architect Hiram Abiff).

Building materials were supplied from Lebanon: sandstone, cypresses, cedars. The stones were cut by the stonemasons of both Hiram and Solomon. The copper needed for utensils and temple columns was mined in the copper mines of Idumea, in the south of the Israelite Highlands. Almost 200 thousand workers were involved in construction.

Completion of construction

Construction of the Temple lasted seven years and was completed in 950 BC. e. Elders of all clans and tribes arrived for the celebration dedicated to his solemn consecration and lasting two weeks. He was transferred to the Temple after which the king read a prayer. Construction became a matter of national importance. It has become the personification of the unification of all Israel.

The temple was conceived as part of a complex that included the royal palace. This majestic building dominated all the buildings in Jerusalem. A separate entrance connected the religious building with Solomon's palace. The entire complex took another nine years to build.

Idolatry

According to the Torah, God appeared to Solomon twice. The first time this happened was during one of the sacrifices. King Solomon, whose biography characterizes him as an intelligent ruler, asked God for wisdom and talent to rule his own people (which was given to him).

The second time the revelation occurred after the construction of the Temple. God promised to take the family of David under his protection if the people did not fall away from Solomon. However, closer to old age, the king began to tolerate pagan cults. Contemporaries associated this change with the influence of foreign wives of the monarch. On the Mount of Olives, Solomon even built a temple for Moloch and Kmosh - gods alien to the Jews. This act caused discontent among many zealous Jews. For this, God took away power over Israel from the son of Solomon, which led to the collapse of the country.

Ruler of Judea and Queen of Sheba

The biography of Solomon is connected with the legendary figure of the Ancient East - the Queen of Sheba. This woman ruled the Arabian state of Saba. Having heard about the glory and wisdom of the Jewish king, she arrived in Jerusalem in order to test him with riddles. This visit is described in detail in the Old Testament.

After the friendly visit of the ruler of Saba, a period of prosperity and prosperity began in Israel. Some researchers believe that Solomon had a love relationship with the queen. The emperors of Ethiopia descended from this connection. Their dynasty was called Solomon.

In Europe, interest in the plot of the relationship between the King of Israel and the Queen of Sheba revived during the Renaissance. Frescoes by the famous artist Piero della Francesca were dedicated to the legendary ruler. In literature, the Queen of Sheba appeared in the works of Boccaccio, Heinrich Heine, Gustave Flaubert, Rudyard Kipling and many other writers.

six pointed star

To emphasize his respect for his late father, the Jewish king made his sign a state symbol and seal. This is how the famous six-pointed star of Solomon appeared. In the Middle Ages it was also associated with the occult pentagram and the Maltese cross used by the Knights of St. John.

The Star of Solomon was used in alchemy, magic, Kabbalah and other mystical practices. The king of Judah wore a signet ring on which this ancient symbol was depicted. With the help of a powerful artifact, Solomon subdued 72 genies - the fiery demons of the desert. The star was his military talisman. Solomon did not part with him in any battle.

The Wisdom and Death of Solomon

His creativity became an important embodiment. Historians believe that he was the author of several Old Testament books that are important parts of the Bible. During his lifetime, Solomon voiced more than a thousand parables, some of which formed the basis of the Book of Proverbs of Solomon. This work became the 28th part of the Tanakh. Solomon also authored the Book of Song of Songs and the Book of Ecclesiastes.

The death of King Solomon occurred in 928 BC. e in the fourth decade of his reign. Those close to him, not believing the death of the old man, did not bury the deceased until the worms began to eat his staff. In Arabic sources, Solomon is called Suleiman and is considered the forerunner of the Prophet Muhammad.

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. For example, he is called Jedidiah ("beloved of God or friend of God"), a symbolic name given to Solomon as a sign of God's favor towards his father David after his deep repentance regarding his adultery with Bathsheba.

In the Haggadah, the names Agur, Bin, Yake, Lemuel, Itiel and Ukal are also attributed to King Solomon.

The Bible is the primary source used to justify the historicity of Solomon as a real person. In addition, his name is mentioned in the works of some ancient authors, as Josephus Flavius ​​wrote about.

Apart from biblical accounts written down more than 400 years after Solomon's death, no historical evidence of his existence has been found. Nevertheless, he is generally considered a historical figure. There is particularly detailed factual information on this reign in the Bible, with many personal names and numbers. The name of Solomon is associated mainly with the construction of the Jerusalem Temple, destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar II, and several cities, the construction of which was also associated with his name.

At the same time, a completely plausible historical outline is adjacent to obvious exaggerations. For later periods of Jewish history, the reign of Solomon represented a kind of “golden age.” As happens in such cases, all the blessings of the world were attributed to the “sun-like” king - wealth, women, remarkable intelligence.

King David intended to transfer the throne to Solomon, although he was one of his youngest sons. 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, declared himself the successor to the throne, scheduling a magnificent coronation.

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Solomon's mother, Bathsheba, as well as the prophet Nathan (Nathan) notified David about this. Adonijah fled and hid in the Tabernacle, grasping “the horns of the altar” (1 Kings 1:51); 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.

The basis of Solomon's wealth was the trade route from Egypt to Damascus that passed through his domain. He was not a warlike ruler, although the states of Israel and Judah, united under his rule, occupied a significant territory. Solomon maintained friendly relations with the Phoenician king Hiram. Great building projects left him indebted to Hiram. To pay off the debt, Solomon was forced to cede to him villages in the south of his lands.

According to the biblical narrative, having learned about the wisdom and glory of Solomon, the ruler of the Sabaean kingdom came to Solomon “to test him with riddles.” In response, Solomon also gifted the queen, giving “everything she wanted and asked for.” After this visit, according to the Bible, unprecedented prosperity began in Israel. 666 talents of gold came to King Solomon per year. Subsequently, the story of the Queen of Sheba became overgrown with numerous legends, including speculation about her love affair with Solomon. The Christian rulers of Ethiopia considered themselves descended from this connection (see Solomon dynasty).

It is believed that Solomon ended the half-thousand-year feud between Jews and Egyptians by taking the daughter of an Egyptian pharaoh as his first wife.

According to the Bible, Solomon had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines (1 Kings 11:3), among whom were foreigners. One of them, who by that time had become his beloved wife and had great influence on the king, 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. e. at the age of 62 years. According to legend, this happened while he was overseeing the construction of a new altar. To avoid a mistake (assuming that this could be a lethargic dream), those close to him did not bury him until the worms began to sharpen his staff. Only then was he officially declared dead and buried.

The enormous costs of building the temple and palace (the latter took twice as long to build as the temple) depleted the state treasury. Not only prisoners and slaves, but also ordinary subjects of the tsar served construction duty. Even during Solomon’s lifetime, uprisings 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).

According to the Koran, Suleiman (Suleiman) was the son of the prophet Daoud. From his father, he learned a lot of knowledge and was chosen by Allah as a prophet, and he was given mystical power over many creatures, including jinn. He ruled a huge kingdom that extended to Yemen in the south. In Islamic tradition, Suleiman is known for his wisdom and justice. He is considered a model ruler. It is no coincidence that many Muslim monarchs bore his name.

The Islamic tradition has some parallels with the Haggadah, where Solomon is presented as "the wisest of men who could speak to the beasts, and they obeyed him." In the Jewish tradition there is a motif of humility of this proud king.

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 the pentagram (five-pointed star) the Seal of Solomon. It is believed that the Star of Solomon formed the basis of the Maltese cross of the Knights of St. John.

In occult teachings (magic, alchemy, Kabbalah, etc.), the pentacle with the name “Star of Solomon” is considered a 12-pointed star. Due to the larger 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 was believed to help in intellectual work and enhance talents.

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 in verse to him, the artist Rubens painted the painting “The Judgment of Solomon,” Handel dedicated an oratorio to him, and Gounod an opera. A. I. Kuprin used the image of King Solomon and the motif of the “Song of Songs” in his story “Shulamith” (1908). Based on the corresponding legend, the peplum “Solomon and the Queen of Sheba” (1959) was filmed.

King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba
F 11.11.2018 09:08:15

The meeting between King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba is interestingly described in the book of Mariadon and Makeda. It's on the net.