Solomon: The Lure of Wisdom

231 Pages·2011·2.68 MB·English

by  Steven Weitzman

solomon

Solomon
The Lure of Wisdom
STEVEN WEITZMAN
NewHavenandLondon
Copyright©2011byStevenWeitzman.
Allrightsreserved.
Thisbookmaynotbereproduced,inwholeorinpart,includingillustrations,
inanyform(beyondthatcopyingpermittedbySections107and108ofthe
U.S.CopyrightLawandexceptbyreviewersforthepublicpress),
withoutwrittenpermissionfromthepublishers.
YaleUniversityPressbooksmaybepurchasedinquantityfor
educational,business,orpromotionaluse.Forinformation,
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[email protected](U.K.office).
Frontispiece:ScenesfromthelifeofSolomonasillustratedontheopening
pageoftheSongofSongsinafourteenthcenturyJewishprayerbook
fromsouthernGermany.(DavidKaufmanncollectionintheLibrary
oftheHungarianAcademyofSciences;reproducedwithpermission
fromtheLibraryoftheHungarianAcademyofSciences)
SetintypebyVonda'sCompServices,Morley,Michigan
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmericabySheridanBooks,AnnArbor,Michigan
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Weitzman,Steven,1965–
Solomon:thelureofwisdom/StevenWeitzman.
p. cm.—(Jewishlives)
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978-0-300-13718-7(hardcover:alk.paper)
1. Solomon,KingofIsrael. 2. Jews—Kingsandrulers—Biography.
3. Bible.O.T.—Biography. I.Title.
BS580.S6W442011
222(cid:2).53092—dc22
[B] 2010044594
AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary.
ThispapermeetstherequirementsofANSI/NISOZ39.48–1992
(PermanenceofPaper).
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
ToMiraWasserman,
withgratitudeandlove
This page intentionally left blank
contents
Preface,ix
Acknowledgments,xxvii
1.ALifeinLetters,1
2.ALustforKnowledge,16
3.SuccessionStruggles,33
4.SolomonicJudgments,51
5.SacredBooks,SatanicVerses,69
6.TheKingofKings,83
7.BuildingHeavenonEarth,98
8.MiningforSolomon’sGold,113
9.DifficultQuestionsfromaDubiousQueen,133
contents
10.AThousandandOneSexScandals,149
11.Afterthoughts,168
ForThoseSeekingtoKnowMore,183
Index,193
viii
preface
Although this biography ofKingSolomonisunques-
tionably“unauthorized,”thatdoesn’tmeanitemulatesthetyp-
icalunauthorizedbiographyaboutthepowerfulandfamous—
that is, an account that is written without the endorsement or
cooperation of its subject and that usually contains at least a
few juicy scandals. Granted, all these characteristics are cer-
tainly true here, as I doubt that King Solomon, were he alive
today,wouldapproveofwhatweareabouttorevealabouthim,
butIneverthelessmeansomethingdifferentbyascribingsuch
a label to this particular biography. There are many “authori-
tative” accounts of the king’s life, both pious versions canon-
ized by religious tradition as well as secular ones endorsed by
universityprofessors.Byreferringtothisbiographyas“unau-
thorized,” I mean to say that it is different from both kinds of
accountinthatitrejectsboththecertitudesofreligioustradi-
tion as well as the intellectual confidence of secular scholar-
ix