THE BUILDER OF THE FIRST TEMPLE FOR THE THE MOST HIGH GOD OF ISRAEL “AHAYAH ASHAR AHAYAH.”
Solomon (/ˈsɒləmən/; Hebrew: שְׁלֹמֹה, Šəlōmō),[a] also called Jedidiah (יְדִידְיָהּ, Yeḏīḏyāh), was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Christian Old Testament, a fabulously wealthy and wise monarch 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 a 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‘).
The Hebrew Bible identifies Solomon as the builder of the First Temple in Jerusalem, beginning in the fourth year of his reign using the vast wealth he and his father had accumulated; he dedicated the temple to Ahayah, the God of Israel. Solomon is portrayed as great in wisdom, wealth and power beyond either of the previous kings of the country.
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.
Author/Biographer, Music Minister/Producer, Hebrew Historian:
Wadell G. Jones Sr.
Company: Rock of Ages Entertainment.