Difference between revisions of "King Solomon"

'''King Solomon''' also called Jedidiah (''Hebrew'': יְדִידְיָהּ‎ Yəḏīḏəyāh), was, according to the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament, a fabulously wealthy and wise king of the United Kingdom of Israel who succeeded his father, David. The conventional dates of Solomon's reign are about 970–931 BCE, normally given in alignment with the dates of David's reign. He is described as king of the United Monarchy, which broke apart into the northern Kingdom of Israel and the southern Kingdom of Judah shortly after his death. Following the split, his patrilineal descendants ruled over Judah alone.

According to the Talmud, Solomon is one of the 48 Jewish prophets. In the Quran, he is considered to be a major Islamic prophet, and Muslims generally refer to him as ''Sulaiman ibn Dawud'' (''Arabic'': سُلَيْمَان بْن دَاوُوْد‎, lit. 'Solomon, son of David').

He is the subject of many other later references and legends, most notably in the 1st-century apocryphal work known as the ''[[Testament of Solomon]]''. In the New Testament, he is portrayed as a teacher of wisdom excelled by Jesus, and as arrayed in glory, but excelled by "the lilies of the field". In later years, in mostly non-biblical circles, Solomon also came to be known as a [[magician]] and an [[exorcist]], with numerous amulets and medallion seals dating from the Hellenistic period invoking his name.

Rabbinical tradition attributes the [[Wisdom of Solomon]] (included within the [[Septuagint]]) to Solomon, although this book was probably written in the 2nd century BCE. In this work, Solomon is portrayed as an astronomer. Other books of wisdom poetry such as the Odes of Solomon and the Psalms of Solomon also bear his name. The Jewish historian Eupolemus, who wrote about 157 BCE, included copies of apocryphal letters exchanged between Solomon and the kings of Egypt and Tyre.

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