The History Of King Solomon

The exciting field of biblical archaeology has revolutionized our understanding of the Bible -- and no one has done more to popularise this vast store of knowledge than Israel Finkelstein and Neil Silberman, who revealed what we now know about when and why the Bible was first written in The Bible Unearthed. Now, with David and Solomon, they do nothing less than help us to understand the sacred kings and founding fathers of western civilization. David and his son Solomon are famous in the Bible for their warrior prowess, legendary loves, wisdom, poetry, conquests, and ambitious building programmes. Yet thanks to archaeology's astonishing finds, we now know that most of these stories are myths. Finkelstein and Silberman show us that the historical David was a bandit leader in a tiny back-water called Jerusalem, and how -- through wars, conquests and epic tragedies like the exile of the Jews in the centuries before Christ and the later Roman conquest -- David and his successor were reshaped into mighty kings and even messiahs, symbols of hope to Jews and Christians alike in times of strife and despair and models for the great kings of Europe. A landmark work of research and lucid scholarship by two brilliant luminaries, David and Solomon recasts the very genesis of western history in a whole new light.

Though the world's wisest king, Solomon's heart was led astray by temptations of wealth, sex, and power. And we face the same dangers today, though the temptations may be different in degree and detail. Author Philip Ryken writes, "In witnessing Solomon's moral triumphs and sinful failures we learn how to live more wisely. By the grace of God, we may avoid a tragic downfall of our own and learn how to use money, sex, and power for the glory of God." Tracing Solomon's life from coronation to burial—and from godly devotion to self-serving excess—Ryken shows readers how to avoid similar downfalls and seek God's glory amid earthly temptations. These thirteen chapters are pastoral, rich in application, and biblically faithful. This overview of Solomon's life also includes a study guide, making it a great resource for both personal and group use.

Looks at the life and legacy of King Solomon, describing his temple, the nature of his wisdom, and his biblical writings.

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Solomon according to the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament, Quran, and Hadiths, a fabulously wealthy and wise king of the United Kingdom of Israel who succeeded his father, King David. If you're interested in learning more about the king who was blessed with more wisdom, honor, and riches than nearly anyone else in history, then this book is the book for you. Other characters are woven in - David, Joab, Hiram, Saul, and more - to create a comprehensive biography of one of the greatest figures in Scripture - and one of the most fascinating.

*Includes pictures *Discusses the debate and theories over the historical and religious nature of King Solomon's life, and the construction and operation of the temple *Compares the Bible to the historical record to trace the roots of Solomon's reign and temple *Includes a bibliography for further reading King Solomon is one of the most famous men in the Bible, but also one of the most elusive historical figures. He is credited with supervising the construction of the first Temple in Jerusalem, and excavations and archaeologists continue to dig in an effort to find it in places that are now religiously sensitive for Christians, Jews, and Muslims. Information about King Solomon comes almost exclusively from the book of Kings, occasionally supplemented by additional material found in the book of Chronicles. This is problematic for several reasons. First, the book of Kings does not simply record the actions of the king and the details of his reign for posterity; the author weaves a narrative that is often more concerned about making theological points rather than recording historical details. Moreover, the first edition of this book was written in the 6th century B.C. at the earliest, about four centuries after King Solomon would have lived, by an editor given the title of Deuteronomistic Historian. It is likely that this editor relied upon some type of royal "court history" as a source document. The temptation with a figure like Solomon can be to go to one of two extremes. Some readers may want to look at Solomon only as a historical figure without acknowledging the literary elements that play a big role in his life story. Other readers may find themselves at the other extreme and view Solomon entirely as a literary figure, dismissing any historicity at all from his story. Given how important he is as a religious figure, it's necessary to keep in mind both the literary and historical elements of the monarch's story. There was not any one entity more central to the Yahwistic Judean religion during the monarchy than the temple of Solomon. It symbolized the presence of YHWH in the nation, as well as his enduring protection of the nation and the Davidic royal throne. Judean worshippers directed their prayers toward the Solomonic temple, and eventually, the Judean prophets and theologians declared that this was the only legitimate location where priests could perform sacrifices and other religious rites for YHWH. Its significance can be seen most clearly in the dramatic cognitive dissonance experienced by the Judeans in Babylonian captivity after the destruction of the temple, which had been so central to their religious conception that they had great difficulty reconciling its destruction with their continued belief in YHWH at all. The Temple and the Biblical descriptions of it have fascinated people for centuries and led to all kinds of conjecture and imagination. In addition to countless works of art, Isaac Newton tried to make a model of it in his writings, and he wrote about the temple extensively. Even Freemasons give a nod to Solomon's Temple by calling their meeting places temples as well. That said, the Temple remains an enduring mystery due to conflicting accounts and descriptions of it in the Bible, and some scholars have even put forth theories that the structure was not originally designed to serve religious purposes in the first place. King Solomon and Temple of Solomon: The History of the Jewish King and His Temple discusses the history, mystery and controversy surrounding Solomon and the temple, examining the Bible and historical record in an attempt to separate fact from fiction. Along with pictures and a bibliography, you will learn about Solomon and Solomon's Temple like never before.

An investigation into the real historical figure of King David and the real location of the Temple of Solomon • Identifies King David as Pharaoh Tuthmosis III of the 18th Dynasty and David’s son Solomon as Pharaoh Amenhotep, Tuthmosis’s successor • Shows how the Temple of Solomon described in the Bible corresponds with the Mortuary Temple of Luxor in Egypt • Explains how David was not a descendant of Isaac but his father and how biblical narrators changed the original story of Abraham and Isaac to hide his Egyptian identity During the last two centuries, thousands of ancient documents from different sites in the Middle East have been uncovered. However, no archaeological discovery speaks of King David or Solomon, his son and successor, directly or in directly. Was King David a real person or a legend like King Arthur? Proposing that David was a genuine historical figure, Ahmed Osman explores how his identity may be radically different than what is described in religious texts. Drawing on recent archaeological, historical, and biblical evidence from Egypt, Osman shows that David lived in Thebes, Egypt, rather than Jerusalem; that he lived five centuries earlier than previously thought, during the 15th rather than the 10th century B.C.; and that David was not a descendant of Isaac but was, in fact, Isaac’s father. The author also reveals David’s true Egyptian identity: Pharaoh Tuthmosis III of the 18th Dynasty. Confirming evidence from rabbinic literature that indicates Isaac was not Abraham’s son, despite the version provided in Genesis, Osman demonstrates how biblical narrators replaced David with Abraham the Hebrew to hide the Egyptian identity of Isaac’s father. He shows how Egyptian historical and archaeological sources depict figures that match David’s and Solomon’s known characteristics in many ways, including accounts of a great empire between the Euphrates and the Nile that corresponds with David’s empire as described in the Bible. Extending his research further, the author shows that King Solomon, King David’s son, corresponds in reality to Pharaoh Amenhotep, successor of Tuthmosis III, the pharaoh who stands out in the dynastic history of Egypt not only for his peaceful reign but also as the builder of the Temple of Luxor and the famed Mortuary Temple at Luxor, which matches the biblical descriptions of Solomon’s Temple. Unveiling the real history behind the biblical story of King David, Osman reveals that the great ancestor of the Israelites was, in fact, Egyptian.