|
|
The Testament of Solomon
| (translated from the codex
of the Paris Library, after the edition of Fleck,
Wissensch. Reise, bd. ii. abth. 3)
Greek title:-- |
| 1. Testament of Solomon, son of David,
who was king in Jerusalem, and mastered and controlled
all spirits of the air, on the earth, and under the
earth. By means of them also he wrought all the
transcendent works of the Temple. Telling also of the
authorities they wield against men, and by what angels
these demons are brought to naught.
Of the sage Solomon.
Blessed art thou, O Lord God, who didst give Solomon
such authority. Glory to thee and might unto the ages.
Amen. |
| 2. And behold, when the Temple of the city of
Jerusalem was being built, and the artificers were
working thereat, Ornias the demon came among
them toward sunset; and he took away half of the pay of
the chief-deviser's (?)1 little boy, as well
as half his food.
[16] He also
continued to suck the thumb of his right hand every day.
And the child grew thin, although he was very much loved
by the king.
|
| 3. So King Solomon called the boy one day, and
questioned him, saying: "Do I not love thee more than
all the artisans who are working in the Temple of God?
Do I not give thee double wages and a double supply of
food? How is it that day by day and hour by hour thou
growest thinner?"
4. But the child said to the king: "I pray thee, O
king. Listen to what has befallen all that thy child
hath. After we are all released from our work on the
Temple of God, after sunset, when I lie down to rest,
one of the evil demons comes and takes away from me one
half of my pay and one half of my food. Then he also
takes hold of my right hand and sucks my thumb. And lo,
my soul is oppressed, and so my body waxes thinner every
day." |
5. Now when I Solomon heard this, I entered the
Temple of God, and prayed with all my soul, night and
day, that the demon might be delivered into my hands,
and that I might gain authority over him. And it came
about through my prayer that grace was given to me from
the Lord Sabaoth by Michael his archangel. [He
brought me] a little ring, having a seal consisting of
an engraved stone, and said to me: "Take, O Solomon,
king, son of David, the gift which the Lord God has sent
thee, the highest Sabaoth. With it thou shalt lock up
all demons of the earth, male and female; and with their
help thou shalt build up Jerusalem. [But] thou [must]
wear this seal of God. And this engraving of the seal of
the ring sent thee is a Pentalpha."2
|
| 6. And I Solomon was overjoyed, and praised and
glorified the God of heaven and earth. And on the morrow
I called the boy, and gave him the ring, and said to
him: "take this, and at the hour in which the demon
shall come unto thee, throw this ring at the chest of
the demon, and say to him: 'In the name of God, King
Solomon calls thee hither.3' And then do thou
come running to me, without having any misgivings or
fear in respect of aught thou mayest hear on the part of
the demon."
|
| 7. So the child took the ring, and went off; and
behold, at the
[17] customary
hour Ornias, the fierce demon, came like a
burning fire to take the pay from the child. But the
child according to the instructions received from the
king, threw the ring at the chest of the demon, and
said: "King Solomon calls thee hither." And then he went
off at a run to the king. But the demon cried out aloud,
saying: "Child, why hast thou done this to me? Take the
ring off me, and I will render to thee the gold of the
earth. Only take this off me, and forbear to lead me
away to Solomon4."
|
| 8. But the child said to the demon: "As the Lord God
of Israel liveth, I will not brook thee. So come
hither." And the child came at a run, rejoicing, to the
king, and said: "I have brought the demon, O king, as
thou didst command me, O my master. And behold, he
stands before the gates of the court of thy palace,
crying out, and supplicating with a loud voice; offering
me the silver and gold of the earth if I will only bring
him unto thee5."
|
| 9. And when Solomon heard this, he rose up from his
throne, and went outside into the vestibule of the court
of his palace; and there he saw the demon, shuddering
and trembling. And he said to him: "Who art thou?" And
the demon answered: "I am called Ornias."
|
| 10. And Solomon said to him: "Tell me, O demon, to
what zodiacal sign thou art subject." And he answered:
"To the Water-pourer6. And those who are
consumed with desire for the noble virgins upon earth .
. . . . [there appears to be a lacuna here], these I
strangle7. But in case there is no
disposition to sleep8, I am changed into
three forms. Whenever men come to be enamoured of women,
I metamorphose myself into a comely female; and I take
hold of the men in their sleep, and play with them. And
after a while I again take to my wings, and hie me to
the heavenly regions. I also appear as a lion, and I am
commanded by all the demons. I am offspring of the
archangel Uriel9, the power of God."
|
| 11. I Solomon, having heard the name of the
archangel, prayed and glorified God, the Lord of heaven
and earth. And I sealed the
[18] demon and
set him to work at stone-cutting, so that he might cut
the stones in the Temple, which, lying along the shore,
had been brought by the Sea of Arabia. But he, fearful
of the iron, continued and said to me: "I pray thee,
King Solomon, let me go free; and I will bring you all
the demons." And as he was not willing to be subject to
me, I prayed the archangel Uriel to come and succour me;
and I forthwith beheld the archangel Uriel coming down
to me from the heavens.
|
| 12. And the angel bade the whales10 of
the sea come out of the abyss. And he cast his destiny
upon the ground, and that [destiny] made subject [to
him] the great demon11. And he commanded the
great demon and bold Ornias, to cut stones at
the Temple12. And accordingly I Solomon
glorified the God of heaven and Maker of the earth. And
he bade Ornias come with his destiny, and gave
him the seal, saying: "Away with thee, and bring me
hither the prince of all the demons."
|
| 13. So Ornias took the finger-ring, and
went off to Beelzeboul, who has kingship over
the demons. He said to him: "Hither! Solomon calls
thee." But Beelzeboul, having heard, said to
him: "Tell me, who is this Solomon of whom thou speakest
to me?" Then Ornias threw the ring at the chest
of Beelzeboul, saying: "Solomon the king calls
thee." But Beelzeboul cried aloud with a mighty
voice, and shot out a great burning flame of fire; and
he arose, and followed Ornias, and came to
Solomon.
14. And when I saw the prince of demons, I glorified
the Lord God, Maker of heaven and earth, and I said:
"Blessed art thou, Lord God Almighty, who hast given to
Solomon thy servant wisdom, the assessor of the wise,
and hast subjected unto me all the power of he devil."
|
| 15. And I questioned him, and said:
"Who art thou?" The demon replied: "I am Beelzebub, the
exarch of the demons. And all
[19] the demons
have their chief seats close to me. And I it is who make
manifest the apparition of each demon."13 And
he promised to bring to me in bonds all the unclean
spirits. And I again glorified the God of heaven and
earth, as I do always give thanks to him.
|
| 16. I then asked of the demon if there
were females among them. And when he told me that there
were, I said that I desired to see them. So Beelzeboul
went off at high speed, and brought unto me Onoskelis,
that had a very pretty shape, and the skin of a
fair-hued woman; and she tossed her head14.
|
| 17. And when she was come, I said to
her: "Tell me who art thou?" But she said to me: "I am
called Onoskelis, a spirit wrought ...[?shabtai/Saturn?]15,
lurking upon the earth. There is a golden cave where I
lie. But I have a place that ever shifts16.
At one time I strangle men with a noose; at another, I
creep up from the nature to the arms [in marg: "worms"]17.
But my most frequent dwelling-places are the precipices,
caves, ravines. Oftentimes, however, do I consort with
men in the semblance of a woman, and above all with
those of a dark skin18. For they share my
star with me; since they it is who privily or openly
worship my star, without knowing that they harm
themselves, and but whet my appetite for further
mischief. For they wish to provide money by means of
memory (commemoration?)19, but I supply a
little to those who worship me fairly."
|
| 18. And I Solomon questioned her about
her birth, and she replied: "I was born of a voice
untimely, the so-called echo of a man's ordure20
dropped in a wood."21
|
| 19. And I said to her: "Under what star
dost thou pass?" And she answered me: "Under the star of
the full moon, for the reason that the moon travels over
most things." Then I said to her: "And
[20] what angel
is it that frustrates thee?" And she said to me: "He
that in thee [or "through thee"] is reigning." And I
thought that she mocked me, and bade a soldier strike
her. But she cried aloud, and said: "I am [subjected] to
thee, O king, by the wisdom of God given to thee, and by
the angel Joel."22
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| 20. So I commanded her to spin the hemp
for the ropes used in the building of the house of God;
and accordingly, when I had sealed and bound her, she
was so overcome and brought to naught as to stand night
and day spinning the hemp.
21. And I at once bade another demon to be led unto
me; and instantly there approached me the demon Asmodeus23,
bound, and I asked him: "Who art thou?" But he shot on
me a glance of anger and rage, and said: "And who art
thou?" And I said to him: "Thus punished as thou art,
answerest thou me?" But he, with rage, said to me: "But
how shall I answer thee, for thou art a son of man;
whereas I was born an angel's seed by a daughter of man,
so that no word of our heavenly kind addressed to the
earth-born can be overweening24. Wherefore
also my star is bright in heaven, and men call it, some
the Wain25, and some the dragon's child. I
keep near unto this star. So ask me not many things; for
thy kingdom also after a little time is to be disrupted,
and thy glory is but for a season. And short will be thy
tyranny over us; and then we shall again have free range
over mankind, so as that they shall revere us as if we
were gods, not knowing, men that they are, the names of
the angels set over us." |
| 22. And I Solomon, on hearing this,
bound him more carefully, and ordered him to be flogged
with thongs of ox-hide26, and to tell me
humbly what was his name and what his business. And he
answered me thus: "I am called Asmodeus among mortals,
and my business is to plot against the newly wedded, so
that they may not know one another. And I sever them
utterly by many calamities, and I waste away the beauty
of virgin women, and estrange their hearts."
|
| 23. And I said to him: "Is this thy
only business?" And he answered me: "I transport men
into fits of madness and desire, when they have wives of
their own, so that they leave them, and go off by
[21] night and
day to others that belong to other men; with the result
that they commit sin, and fall into murderous deeds.27"
|
| 24. And I adjured him
by the name of the Lord Sabaôth, saying: "Fear God,
Asmodeus, and tell me by what angel thou art
frustrated." But he said: "By Raphael, the archangel
that stands before the throne of God. But the liver and
gall of a fish put me to flight, when smoked over ashes
of the tamarisk28." I again asked him, and
said: "Hide not aught from me. For I am Solomon, son of
David, King of Israel. Tell me the name of the fish
which thou reverest." And he answered: "It is the Glanos29
by name, and is found in the rivers of Assyria;
wherefore it is that I roam about in those parts."
|
| 25. And I said to him: "Hast thou
nothing else about thee, Asmodeus?" And he answered:
"The power of God knoweth, which hath bound me with the
indissoluble bonds of yonder one's seal, that whatever I
have told thee is true. I pray thee, King Solomon,
condemn me not to [go into] water." But I smiled, and
said to him: "As the Lord God of my fathers liveth, I
will lay iron on thee to wear. But thou shalt also make
the clay for the entire construction of the Temple,
treading it down with thy feet." And I ordered them to
give him ten water-jars to carry water in. And the demon
groaned terribly, and did the work I ordered him to do.
And this I did, because that fierce demon Asmodeus knew
even the future. And I Solomon glorified God, who gave
wisdom to me Solomon his servant. And the liver of the
fish and its gall I hung on the spike of a reed30,
and burned it over Asmodeus because of his being so
strong, and his unbearable malice was thus frustrated.
|
26. And I summoned again to stand
before me Beelzeboul, the prince of demons, and I sat
him down on a raised seat of honour, and said to him:
"Why art thou alone, prince of the demons?" And he said
to me: "Because I alone am left of the angels of heaven
that came down32. For I was first angel in
the first heaven being entitled Beelzeboul. And now I
control all those who are bound in Tartarus. But I too
have a child33, and he haunts the Red Sea.
And on any suitable occasion he comes up to me again,
being subject to me; and reveals to me what he has done,
and I support him.34
[22]
|
| 27. I Solomon said unto him: "Beelzeboul,
what is thy employment?" And he answered me: "I destroy
kings.35 I ally myself with foreign tyrants.
And my own demons I set on36 to men, in order
that the latter may believe in them and be lost. And the
chosen servants of God, priests and faithful men, I
excite unto desires for wicked sins, and evil heresies,
and lawless deeds; and they obey me, and I bear them on
to destruction. And I inspire men with envy, and [desire
for] murder, and for wars and sodomy, and other evil
things. And I will destroy the world."37
|
| 28. So I said to him: "Bring to me thy
child, who is, as thou sayest, in the Red Sea." But he
said to me: "I will not bring him to thee. But there
shall come to me another demon called Ephippas38.
Him will I bind, and he will bring him up from the deep
unto me." And I said to him: "How comes thy son to be in
the depth of the sea, and what is his name? "And he
answered me: "Ask me not, for thou canst not learn from
me. However, he will come to thee by any command, and
will tell thee openly."39
|
| 29. I said to him: "Tell me by what
angel thou art frustrated." And he answered: "By the
holy and precious name of the Almighty God, called by
the Hebrews by a row of numbers, of which the sum is
644, and among the Greeks it is Emmanuel1.
And if one of the Romans adjure me by the great name of
the power Eleéth, I disappear at once."
|
| 30. I Solomon was astounded when I
heard this; and I ordered him to saw up Theban1
marbles. And when he began to saw the marbles, the other
demons cried out with a loud voice, howling because of
their king Beelzeboul.
|
| 31. But I Solomon questioned him,
saying: "If thou wouldst gain a respite, discourse to me
about the things in heaven." And Beelzeboul said: "Hear,
O king, if thou burn gum, and incense, and bulb of the
sea1, with nard and saffron, and light seven
lamps in an earthquake2, thou wilt firmly fix
thy house. And if, being pure3,
[23] thou light
them at dawn in the sun alight, then wilt thou see the
heavenly dragons, how they wind themselves along and
drag the chariot of the sun."
|
| 32. And I Solomon, having heard this,
rebuked him, and said: "Silence for this present1,
and continue to saw the marbles as I commanded thee."
And I Solomon praised God, and commanded another demon
to present himself to me. And one came before me who
carried his face high up in the air, but the rest of the
spirit curled away like a snail. And it broke through
the few soldiers, and raised also a terrible dust on the
ground, and carried it upwards; and then again hurled it
back to frighten us, and asked what questions I could
ask as a rule. And I stood up, and spat2 on
the ground in that spot, and sealed with the ring of
God. And forthwith the dust-wind stopped. Then I asked
him, saying: "Who art thou, O wind?" Then he once more
shook up a dust, and answered me: "What wouldst thou
have, King Solomon?" I answered him: "Tell me what thou
art called, and I would fain ask thee a question. But so
far I give thanks to God who has made me wise to answer
their evil plots."
|
| 33. But [the demon] answered me: "I am
the spirit of the ashes (Tephras)." And I said to him:
"What is thy pursuit?" And he said: "I bring darkness on
men, and set fire to fields; and I bring homesteads to
naught. But most busy am I in summer. However, when I
get an opportunity, I creep into corners of the wall, by
night and day. For I am offspring of the great one, and
nothing less." Accordingly I said to him: "Under what
star dost thou lie?" And he answered: "In the very tip
of the moon's horn, when it is found in the south. There
is my star. For I have been bidden to restrain the
convulsions of the hemitertian fever; and this is why
many men pray to the hemitertian fever, using these
three names: Bultala, Thallal,
[24] Melchal. And
I heal them." And I said to him: "I am Solomon; when
therefore thou wouldst do harm, by whose aid dost thou
do it?" But he said to me: "By the angel's, by whom also
the third day's fever is lulled to rest." So I
questioned him, and said: "And by what name1?"
And he answered: "That of the archangel Azael." And I
summoned the archangel Azael, and set a seal on the
demon, and commanded him to seize great stones, and toss
them up to the workmen on the higher parts of the
Temple. And, being compelled, the demon began to do what
he was bidden to do.
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| 34. And I glorified God afresh who gave
me this authority, and ordered another demon to come
before me. And there came seven spirits1,
females, bound and woven together, fair in appearance
and comely. And I Solomon, seeing them, questioned them
and said: "Who are ye?" But they, with one accord, said
with one voice2: "We are of the thirty-three
elements of the cosmic ruler of the darkness3."
And the first said: "I am Deception." The second said:
"I am Strife." The third: "I am Klothod, which is
battle." The fourth: "I am Jealousy." The fifth: "I am
Power." The sixth: "I am Error." The seventh: "I am the
worst of all, and our stars are in heaven. Seven stars
humble in sheen, and all together. And we are called as
it were goddesses. We change our place all and together,
and together we live, sometimes in Lydia, sometimes in
Olympus, sometimes in a great mountain."
|
35. So I Solomon questioned them one by
one, beginning with the first, and going down to the
seventh. The first said: "I am Deception, I deceive and
weave snares here and there. I whet and excite heresies.
But I have an angel who frustrates me, Lamechalal."
[25]
36. Likewise also the second said: "I am Strife,
strife of strifes. I bring timbers, stones, hangers, my
weapons on the spot. But I have an angel who frustrates
me, Baruchiachel." |
| 37. Likewise also the third said: "I am
called Klothod1, which is Battle, and I cause
the well-behaved to scatter and fall foul one of the
other. And why do I say so much? I have an angel that
frustrates me: "Marmarath."
|
38. Likewise also the fourth said: "I
cause men to forget their sobriety and moderation. I
part them and split them into parties; for Strife
follows me hand in hand. I rend the husband from the
sharer of his bed, and children from parents, and
brothers from sisters. But why tell so much to my
despite? I have an angel that frustrates me, the great
Balthial."
|
| 39. Likewise also the fifth said: "I am
Power. By power I raise up tyrants and tear down kings.
To all rebels I furnish power. I have an angel that
frustrates me, Asteraôth."1 |
| 40. Likewise also the sixth said: "I am
Error1, O King Solomon. And I will make thee
to err, as I have before made thee to err, when I caused
thee to slay thy own brother2. I will lead
you into error, so as to pry into graves3;
and 1 teach them that dig, and I lead errant souls away
from all piety, and many other evil traits are mine. But
I have an angel that frustrates me, Uriel."
|
| 41. Likewise also the seventh said: "I
am the worst, and I make thee worse off than thou wast;
because I will impose the bonds of Artemis. But the
locust1 will set me free, for by means
thereof is it fated that thou shalt achieve my desire .
. . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . For if one were wise, he
would not turn his steps toward me."
|
42. So I Solomon, having heard and
wondered, sealed them with my ring; and since they were
so considerable, I bade them dig the foundations of the
Temple of God. For the length of it was 250 cubits. And
I bade them be industrious, and with one murmur of joint
protest they began to perform the tasks enjoined.
[26]
43. But I Solomon glorified the Lord, and bade
another demon come before me. And there was brought to
me a demon having all the limbs of a man, but without a
head. And I, seeing him, said to him: "Tell me, who art
thou?'' And he answered: "I am a demon." So I said to
him: "Which?" And he answered me: "I am called Envy. For
I delight to devour heads, being desirous to secure for
myself a head; but I do not eat enough, but am anxious
to have such a head as thou hast." |
| 44. I Solomon, on hearing this, sealed
him, stretching out my hand against his chest. Whereon
the demon leapt up, and threw himself down, and gave a
groan, saying: "Woe is me! where am I come to? O traitor
Ornias, I cannot see!" So I said to him: "I am Solomon.
Tell me then how thou dost manage to see." And he
answered me: "By means of my feelings." I then, Solomon,
having heard his voice come up to me, asked him how he
managed to speak. And he answered me: "I, O King
Solomon, am wholly voice, for I have inherited the
voices of many men. For in the case of all men who are
called dumb, I it is who smashed their heads, when they
were children and had reached their eighth day. Then
when a child is crying in the night, I become a spirit,
and glide by means of his voice. . . . In the crossways1
also I have many services to render, and my encounter is
fraught with harm. For I grasp in all instant a man's
head, and with my hands, as with a sword, I cut it off,
and put it on to myself. And in this way, by means of
the fire which is in me, through my neck it is swallowed
up. I it is that sends grave mutilations and incurable
on men's feet, and inflict sores."
|
| 45. And I Solomon, on hearing this,
said to him: "Tell me how thou dost discharge forth the
fire? Out of what sources dost thou emit it?" And the
spirit said to me: "From the Day-star1. For
here hath not yet been found that Elburion, to
whom men offer prayers and kindle lights. And his name
is invoked by the seven demons before me. And he
cherishes them."
|
| 46. But I said to him: "Tell me his
name." But he answered: "I cannot tell thee. For if I
tell his name, I render myself incurable. But he will
come in response to his name." And on hearing this, I
Solomon said to him: "Tell me then, by what angel thou
art frustrated?" And he answered: "By the fiery flash of
lightning."
[27] And I bowed
myself before the Lord God of Israel, and bade him
remain in the keeping of Beelzeboul until Iax1
should come.
|
| 47. Then I ordered another demon to
come before me, and there came into my presence a hound,
having a very large shape, and it spoke with a loud
voice, and said, "Hail, Lord, King Solomon!" And I
Solomon was astounded. I said to it: Who art thou, O
hound?" And it answered: "I do indeed seem to thee to be
a hound, but before thou wast, O King Solomon, I was a
man that wrought many unholy deeds on earth. I was
surpassingly learned in letters, and was so mighty that
I could hold the stars of heaven back. And many divine
works did I prepare. For I do harm to men who follow
after our star, and turn them to . . . .1 And
I seize the frenzied men by the larynx, and so destroy
them."
|
| 48. And I Solomon said to him: "What is
thy name?" And he answered: ''Staff" (Rabdos). And I
said to him: "What is thine employment? And what results
canst thou achieve?" And he replied: ''Give me thy man,
and I will lead him away into a mountainous spot, and
will show him a green stone tossed to and fro, with
which thou mayest adorn the temple of the Lord God."
|
| 49. And I Solomon, on hearing this,
ordered my servant to set off with him, and to take the
finger-ring bearing the seal of God with him. And I said
to him: "Whoever shall show thee the green stone, seal
him with this finger-ring. And mark the spot with care,
and bring me the demon hither. And the demon showed him
the green stone, and he sealed it, and brought the demon
to me. And I Solomon decided to confine with my seal on
my right hand the two, the headless demon, likewise the
hound, that was so huge1; he should be bound
as well. And I bade the hound keep safe the fiery spirit
so that lamps as it were might by day and night cast
their light through its maw on the artisans at work.
|
| 50. And I Solomon took from the mine of
that stone 200 shekels for the supports of the table of
incense, which was similar in appearance. And I Solomon
glorified the Lord God, and then closed round the
treasure of that stone. And I ordered afresh the demons
to cut marble for the construction of the house of God.
And I Solomon prayed to the Lord, and asked the hound,
saying: "By what angel
[28] art thou
frustrated?" And the demon replied: "By the great Brieus1."
|
| 51. And I praised the Lord God of
heaven and earth, and bade another demon come forward to
me; and there came before me one in the form of a lion
roaring. And he stood and answered me saying: "O king,
in the form which I have, I am a spirit quite incapable
of being perceived. Upon all men who lie prostrate with
sickness I leap, coming stealthily along; and I render
the man weak, so that his habit of body is enfeebled.
But I have also another glory, O king. I cast out
demons, and I have legions under my control. And I am
capable of being received1 in my
dwelling-places, along with all the demons belonging to
the legions under me." But I Solomon, on hearing this,
asked him: "What is thy name?" But he answered:
"Lion-bearer, Rath2 in kind." And I said to
him: "How art thou to be frustrated along with thy
legions? What angel is it that frustrates thee?" And he
answered: "If I tell thee my name, I bind not myself
alone, but also the legions of demons under me."
|
| 52. So I said to him: "I adjure thee in
the name of the God Sabaoth, to tell me by what name
thou art frustrated along with thy host." And the spirit
answered me: "The 'great among men,' who is to suffer
many things at the hands of men, whose name is the
figure 644, which is Emmanuel; he it is who has bound
us, and who will then come and plunge us from the steep1
under water. He is noised abroad in the three letters
which bring him down2."
|
| 53. And I Solomon, on hearing this,
glorified God, and condemned his legion to carry wood
from the thicket. And I condemned the
[29] lion-shaped
one himself to saw up the wood small with his teeth, for
burning in the unquenchable furnace for the Temple of
God.
|
| 54. And I worshipped the Lord God of
Israel, and bade another demon come forward. And there
came before me a dragon, three-headed, of fearful hue.
And I questioned him: "Who art thou?" And he answered
me: "I am a caltrop-like spirit1, whose
activity in three lines. But I blind children in women's
wombs, and twirl their ears round. And I make them deaf2
and mute. And I have again in my third head means of
slipping in3. And I smite men in the limbless
part of the body, and cause them to fall down, and foam,
and grind their teeth. But I have my own way of being
frustrated, Jerusalem being signified in writing, unto
the place called 'of the head4." For there is
fore-appointed the angel of the great counsel, and now
he will openly dwell on the cross. He doth frustrate me,
and to him am I subject."
|
| 55. "But in the place where thou
sittest, O King Solomon, standeth a column in the air,
of purple...1 The demon called Ephippas hath
brought [it] up from the Red Sea, from inner Arabia. He
it is that shall be shut up in a skin-bottle and brought
before thee. But at the entrance of the Temple, which
thou hast begun to build, O King Solomon, lies stored
much gold, which dig thou up and carry off." And I
Solomon sent my servant, and found it to be as the demon
told me. And I sealed him with my ring, and praised the
Lord God."
|
| 56. So I said to him: "What art thou
called?" And the demon said: "I am the crest of
dragons." And I bade him make bricks in the Temple. He
had human hands.
|
| 57. And I adored the Lord God of
Israel, and bade another demon present himself. And
there came before me a spirit in woman's form, that had
a head without any limbs1, and her hair was
dishevelled. And I said to her: "Who art thou?" But she
answered: "Nay, who art thou? And why dost thou want to
hear concerning me? But, as thou wouldst learn, here I
stand bound before thy face. Go
[30] then into
thy royal storehouses and wash thy hands. Then sit down
afresh before thy tribunal, and ask me questions; and
thou shalt learn, O king, who I am."
|
| 58. And I Solomon did as she enjoined
me, and restrained myself because of the wisdom dwelling
in me1; in order that I might hear of her
deeds, and reprehend them, and manifest them to men. And
I sat down, and said to the demon: "What art thou?" And
she said: "I am called among men Obizuth; and by night I
sleep not, but go my rounds over all the world, and
visit women in childbirth. And divining the hour I take
my stand2; and if I am lucky, I strangle the
child. But if not, I retire to another place. For I
cannot for a single night retire unsuccessful. For I am
a fierce3 spirit, of myriad names and many
shapes. And now hither, now thither I roam. And to
westering parts I go my rounds. But as it now is, though
thou hast sealed me round with the ring of God, thou
hast done nothing. I am not standing before thee, and
thou wilt not be able to command me. For I have no work
other than the destruction of children, and the making
their ears to be deaf, and the working of evil to their
eyes, and the binding their mouths with a bond, and the
ruin of their minds, and paining of their bodies."
|
| 59. When I Solomon heard this, I
marvelled at her appearance, for I beheld all her body
to be in darkness. But her glance was altogether bright
and greeny, and her hair was tossed wildly like a
dragon's; and the whole of her limbs were invisible. And
her voice was very clear as it came to me. And I
cunningly said: "Tell me by what angel thou art
frustrated, O evil spirit?" By she answered me: "By the
angel of God called Afarôt, which is interpreted
Raphael, by whom I am frustrated now and for all time.
His name, if any man know it, and write the same on a
woman in childbirth, then I shall not be able to enter
her. Of this name the number is 6401." And I
Solomon having heard this, and having glorified the
Lord, ordered her hair to be bound, and that she should
be hung up in front of the Temple of God; that all the
children of Israel, as they passed, might see it, and
glorify the Lord God of Israel, who had given me this
authority, with wisdom and power from God, by means of
this signet.
|
|
[31]
60. And I again ordered another demon to come before
me. And the came, rolling itself along, one in
appearance like to a dragon, but having the face and
hands of a man. And all its limbs, except the feet, were
those of a dragon; and it had wings on its back. And
when I beheld it, I was astonied, and said: "Who art
thou, demon, and what art thou called? And whence hast
thou come? Tell me." |
| 61. And the spirit answered and said:
"This is the first time I have stood before the, O King
Solomon. I am a spirit made into a god among men, but
now brought to naught by the ring and wisdom vouchsafed
to thee by God. Now I am the so-called winged dragon1,
and I chamber2 not with many women, but only
with a few that are of fair shape, which possess the
name of xuli3, of this star. And I pair with
them in the guise of a spirit winged in form, coitum
habens per nates4. And she on whom I have
leapt goes heavy with child, and that which is born of
her becomes eros. But since such offspring cannot be
carried by men, the woman in question breaks wind. Such
is my role. Supposed then only that I am satisfied, and
all the other demons molested and disturbed by thee will
speak the whole truth. But those composed of fire 5
will cause to be burned up by fire the material of the
logs which is to be collected by them for the building
in the Temple."
|
| 62. And as the demon said this, I saw
the spirit going forth from his mouth, and it consumed
the wood of the frankincense-tree, and burned up all the
logs which we had placed in the Temple of God. And I
Solomon saw what the spirit had done, and I marvelled.
63. And, having glorified God, I asked the
dragon-shaped demon, and said: "Tell me, by what angel
art thou frustrated?" And he answered: "By the great
angel which has its seat in the second heaven, which is
called in Hebrew Bazazeth. And I Solomon, having heard
this, and having invoked his angel, condemned him to saw
up marbles for the building of the Temple of God; and I
praised God, and commanded another demon to come before
me. |
| 64. And there came before my face
another spirit, as it were a woman in the form she had.
But on her shoulders she had two other heads with hands.
And I asked her, and said: "Tell me, who art thou?" And
she said to me: "I am Enêpsigos, who also have a myriad
names." And I said her: "By what angel art thou
frustrated?" But she said to me: "What seekest, what
askest thou? I undergo changes, like the goddess I am
called. And I change again, and pass into possession of
another shape. And be not
[32] desirous
therefore to know all that concerns me. But since thou
art before me for this much, hearken. I have my abode in
the moon, and for that reason I possess three forms. At
times I am magically1 invoked by the wise as
Kronos. At other times, in connexion with those who
bring me down, I come down and appear in another shape.
The measure of the element2 is inexplicable
and indefinable, and not to be frustrated. I then,
changing into these three forms, come down and become
such as thou seest me; but I am frustrated by the angel
Rathanael, who sits in the third heaven. This then is
why I speak to thee. Yonder temple cannot contain me."
|
| 65. I therefore Solomon prayed to my
God, and I invoked the angel of whom Enépsigos spoke to
me, and used my seal. And I sealed her with a triple
chain, and (placed) beneath her the fastening of the
chain. I used the seal of God, and the spirit prophesied
to me, saying: "This is what thou, King Solomon, doest
to us. But after a time thy kingdom shall be broken, and
again in season this Temple shall be riven asunder1;
and all Jerusalem shall be undone by the King of the
Persians and Medes and Chaldaeans. And the vessels of
this Temple, which thou makest, shall be put to servile
uses of the gods; and along with them all the jars, in
which thou dost shut us up, shall be broken by the hands
of men. And then we shall go forth in great power hither
and thither, and be disseminated all over the world. And
we shall lead astray the inhabited world for a long
season, until the Son of God is stretched upon the
cross. For never before doth arise a king like unto him,
one frustrating us all, whose mother shall not have
contact with man. Who else can receive such authority
over spirits, except he, whom the first devil will seek
to tempt, but will not prevail over? The number of his
name is 6442, which is Emmanuel. Wherefore, O
King Solomon, thy time is evil, and thy years short and
evil, and to thy servant shall thy kingdom be given3."
|
| 66. And I Solomon, having heard this,
glorified God. And though I marvelled at the apology of
the demons, I did not credit it until it came true. And
I did not believe their words; but when they were
[33] realized,
then I understood, and at my death I wrote this
Testament to the children of Israel, and gave it to
them, so that they might know the powers of the demons
and their shapes, and the names of their angels, by
which these angels are frustrated. And I glorified the
Lord God of Israel, and commanded the spirits to be
bound with bonds indissoluble.
|
| 67. And having praised God, I commanded
another spirit to come before me; and there came before
my face another demon, having in front the shape of a
horse, but behind of a fish. And he had a mighty voice,
and said to me: "O King Solomon, I am a fierce spirit of
the sea, and I am greedy of gold and silver. I am such a
spirit as rounds itself and comes over the expanses of
the water of the sea, and I trip up the men who sail
thereon. For I round myself into a wave1, and
transform myself, and then throw myself on ships and
come right in on them. And that is my business, and my
way of getting hold of money and men. For I take the
men, and whirl them round with myself, and hurl the men
out of the sea. For I am not covetous of men's bodies,
but cast them up out of the sea so far. But since
Beelzeboul, ruler of the spirits of air and of those
under the earth, and lord of earthly ones, hath a joint
kingship with us in respect of the deeds of each one of
us, therefore I went up from the sea, to get a certain
outlook 2 in his company.
|
| 68. "But I also have another character
and role. I metamorphose myself into waves, and come up
from the sea. And I show myself to men, so that those on
earth call me Kuno[s]paston1, because I
assume the human form. And my name is a true one. For by
my passage up into men, I send forth a certain nausea. I
came then to take counsel with the prince Beelzeboul;
and he bound me and delivered me into thy hands. And I
am here before thee because of this seal, and thou dost
now torment me2. Behold now, in two or three
days the spirit that converseth with thee will fail,
because I shall have no water."
|
| 69. And I said to him: "Tell me by what
angel thou art frustrated."
[34] And he
answered: "By Iameth." And I glorified God. I commanded
the spirit to be thrown into a phial along with ten jugs
of sea-water of two measures each1. And I
sealed them round above the marbles and asphalt and
pitch in the mouth of the vessel. And having sealed it
with my ring, I ordered it to be deposited in the Temple
of God. And I ordered another spirit to come before me.
|
| 70. And there came before my face
another enslaved spirit, having obscurely the form of a
man, with gleaming eyes, and bearing in his hand a
blade. And I asked: "Who art thou? But he answered: "I
am a lascivious spirit, engendered of a giant man who
dies in the massacre in the time of the giants." I said
to him: "Tell me what thou art employed on upon earth,
and where thou hast thy dwelling."
|
| 71. And he said: "My dwelling is in
fruitful places, but my procedure is this. I seat myself
beside the men who pass along among the tombs, and in
untimely season I assume the form of the dead; and if I
catch any one, I at once destroy him with my sword. But
if I cannot destroy him, I cause him to be possessed
with a demon, and to devour his own flesh, and the hair
to fall off his chin." But I said to him: "Do thou then
be in fear of the God of heaven and of earth, and tell
me by angel thou art frustrated." And he answered: "He
destroys me who is to become Saviour, a man whose
number, if any one shall write it on his forehead1,
he will defeat me, and in fear I shall quickly retreat.
And, indeed, if any one write this sign on him, I shall
be in fear." And I Solomon, on hearing this, and having
glorified the Lord God, shut up this demon like the
rest.
|
| 72. And I commanded another demon to
come before me. And there came before my face thirty-six
spirits, their heads shapeless like dogs, but in
themselves they were human in form; with faces of asses,
faces of oxen, and faces of birds. And I Solomon, on
hearing and seeing them, wondered, and I asked them and
said: "Who are you?" But they, of one accord with one
voice, said1: "We are the thirty-six
elements, the world-rulers 2 of this
darkness. But, O King Solomon, thou wilt not wrong us
nor imprison us, nor lay command on us; but since the
Lord God has given thee authority over every spirit, in
the air, and on the earth, and under the earth,
therefore do we also present ourselves before thee like
the other spirits, from ram and bull, from
[35] both twin
and crab, lion and virgin, scales and scorpion, archer,
goat-horned, water-pourer, and fish.
|
| 73. Then I Solomon invoked the name of
the Lord Sabaoth, and questioned each in turn as to what
was its character. And I bade each one come forward and
tell of its actions. Then the first one came forward,
and said: "I am the first decans of the zodiacal circle,
and I am called the ram, and with me are these two." So
I put to them the question: "Who are ye called?" The
first said: "I, O Lord, am called Ruax, and I cause the
heads of men to be idle, and I pillage their brows. But
let me only hear the words, 'Michael, imprison Ruax,'
and at once I retreat."
74. And the second said: "I am called Barsafael, and
I cause those who are subject to my hour to feel the
pain of migraine. If only I hear the words, 'Gabriel,
imprison Barsafael,' at once I retreat." |
| 75. The third said: "I am called
Arôtosael. I do harm to eyes, and grievously injure
them. Only let me hear the words, 'Uriel, imprison
Aratosael' (sic), at once I retreat . . . . .1"
|
| 76. The fifth said: "I am called Iudal,
and I bring about a block in the ears and deafness of
hearing. If I hear, 'Uruel Iudal,' I at once retreat."
|
| 77. The sixth said: "I am called
Sphendonaêl. I cause tumours of the parotid gland, and
inflammations of the tonsils, and tetanic recurvation1.
If I hear, 'Sabrael, imprison Sphendonaêl,' at once I
retreat.''
|
| 78. And the Seventh said: "I am called
Sphandôr, and I weaken the strength of the shoulders,
and cause them to tremble; and I paralyze the nerves of
the hands, and I break and bruise the bones of the neck.
And I, I suck out the marrow. But if I hear the words, 'Araêl,
imprison Sphandôr,' I at once retreat."
79. And the eight said: "I am called Belbel. I
distort the hearts and minds of men. If I hear the
words, 'Araêl, imprison Belbel,' I at once retreat."
80. And the ninth said: "I am called Kurtaêl. I send
colics in the bowels. I induce pains. If I hear the
words, 'Iaôth, imprison Kurtaêl,' I at once retreat."
81. The tenth said: "I am called Metathiax. I cause
the reins to ache. If I hear the words, 'Adônaêl,
imprison Metathiax,' I at once retreat."
82. The eleventh said: "I am called Katanikotaêl. I
create strife
[36] and wrongs
in men's homes, and send on them hard temper. If any one
would be at peace in his home, let him write on seven
leaves of laurel the name of the angel that frustrates
me, along with these names: Iae, Ieô, sons of Sabaôth,
in the name of the great God let him shut up
Katanikotaêl. Then let him wash the laurel-leaves in
water, and sprinkle his house with the water, from
within to the outside. And at once I retreat."
83. The twelfth said: "I am called Saphathoraél, and
I inspire partisanship in men, and delight in causing
them to stumble. If any one will write on paper these
names of angels, Iacô, Iealô, Iôelet, Sabaôth, Ithoth,
Bae, and having folded it up, wear it round his neck or
against his ear, I at once retreat and dissipate the
drunken fit."
84. The thirteenth said: "I am called Bobêl (sic),
and I cause nervous illness by my assaults. If I hear
the name of the great 'Adonaêl, imprison Bothothêl,' I
at once retreat."
85. The fourteenth said: "I am called Kumeatêl, and I
inflict shivering fits and torpor. If only I hear the
words: 'Zôrôêl, imprison Kumentaêl,' I at once retreat."
86. The fifteenth said: "I am called Roêlêd. I cause
cold and frost and pain in the stomach. Let me only hear
the words: 'Iax, bide not, be not warmed, for Solomon is
fairer than eleven fathers,' I at [once] retreat." |
| 87. The sixteenth said: "I am called
Atrax. I inflict upon men fevers, irremediable and
harmful. If you would imprison me, chop up coriander1
and smear it on the lips, reciting the following charm:
'The fever which is from dirt. I exorcise thee by the
throne of the most high God, retreat from dirt and
retreat from the creature fashioned by God.' And at once
I retreat."
|
| 88. The seventeenth said: "I am called
Ieropaêl. On the stomach of men I sit, and cause
convulsions in the bath and in the road; and wherever I
be found, or find a man, I throw him down. But if any
one will say to the afflicted into their ear these
names, three times over, into the right ear: 'Iudarizê,
Sabunê, Denôê,' I at once retreat."
89. The eighteenth said: "I am called Buldumêch. I
separate wife from husband and bring about a grudge
between them. If any one write down the names of thy
sires, Solomon, on paper and place it in the
ante-chamber of his house, I retreat thence. And the
legend written shall be as follows: 'The God of Abram,
and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob commands thee
-- retire from this house in peace.' And I at once
retire."
[37]
90. The nineteenth said: "I am called Naôth, and I
take my seat on the knees of men. If any one write on
paper: 'Phnunoboêol, depart Nathath, and touch thou not
the neck,' I at once retreat."
91. The twentieth said: "I am called Marderô. I send
on men incurable fever. If any one write on the leaf of
a book: 'Sphênêr, Rafael, retire, drag me not about,
flay me not,' and tie it round his neck, I at once
retreat." |
| 92. The twenty-first said: "I am called
Alath, and I cause coughing and hard-breathing in
children. If any one write on paper: 'Rorêx, do thou
pursue Alath,' and fasten it round his neck, I at once
retire...1"
|
| 93. The twenty-third said: "I am called
Nefthada. I cause the reins to ache, and I bring about
dysury. If any one write on a plate of tin the words: 'Iathôth,
Uruêl, Nephthada,' and fasten it round the loins, I at
once retreat."
94. The twenty-fourth said: "I am called Akton. I
cause ribs and lumbic muscles to ache. If one engrave on
copper material, taken from a ship which has missed its
anchorage, this: 'Marmaraôth, Sabaôth, pursue Akton,'
and fasten it round the loin, I at once retreat."
95. The twenty-fifth said: "I am called Anatreth, and
I rend burnings and fevers into the entrails. But if I
hear: 'Arara, Charara,' instantly do I retreat."
96. The twenty-sixth said: "I am called Enenuth. I
steal away men's minds, and change their hearts, and
make a man toothless (?). If one write: 'Allazoôl,
pursue Enenuth,' and tie the paper round him, I at once
retreat." |
| 97. The twenty-seventh said: "I am
called Phêth. I make men consumptive and cause
hemorrhagia. ,If one exorcise me in wine, sweet-smelling
and unmixed by the eleventh aeon1, and say:
'I exorcise thee by the eleventh aeon to stop, I demand,
Phêth (Axiôphêth),' then give it to the patient to
drink, and I at once retreat."
|
| 98. The twenty-eighth said: "I am
called Harpax, and I send sleeplessness on men. If one
write 'Kokphnêdismos,' and bind it round the temples, I
at once retire."
99. The twenty-ninth said: "I am called Anostêr. I
engender uterine mania and pains in the bladder. If one
powder into pure oil three seeds of laurel and smear it
on, saying: 'I exorcise thee, Anostêr. Stop by Marmaraô,'
at once I retreat."
100. The thirtieth said: "I am called Alleborith. If
in eating
[38] fish one has
swallowed a bone, then he must take a bone from the fish
and cough, and at once I retreat."
101. The thirty-first said: "I am called
Hephesimireth, and cause lingering disease. If you throw
salt, rubbed in the hand, into oil and smear it on the
patient, saying: 'Seraphim, Cherubim, help me!' I at
once retire."
102. The thirty-second said: "I am called Ichthion. I
paralyze muscles and contuse them. If I hear 'Adonaêth,
help!' I at once retire." |
| 103. The thirty-third said: "I am
called Agchoniôn. I lie among swaddling-clothes and in
the precipice. And if any one write on fig-leaves 'Lycurgos,'
taking away one letter at a time, and write it,
reversing the letters, I retire at once. 'Lycurgos,
ycurgos, kurgos, yrgos, gos, os1.'"
|
| 104. The thirty-fourth said: "I am
called Autothith. I cause grudges and fighting.
Therefore I am frustrated by Alpha and Omega, if written
down."
105. The thirty-fifth said: "I am called Phthenoth. I
cast evil eye on every man. Therefore, the eye
much-suffering, if it be drawn. frustrates me."
106. The thirty-sixth said: "I am called Bianakith. I
have a grudge against the body. I lay waste houses, I
cause flesh to decay, and all else that is similar. If a
man write on the front-door of his house: 'Mêltô, Ardu,
Anaath,' I flee from that place."
107. And I Solomon, when I heard this, glorified the
God of heaven and earth. And I commanded them to fetch
water in the Temple of God. And I furthermore prayed to
the Lord God to cause the demons without, that hamper
humanity, to be bound and made to approach the Temple of
God. Some of these demons I condemned to do the heavy
work of the construction of the Temple of God. Others I
shut up in prisons. Others I ordered to wrestle with
fire in (the making of) gold and silver, sitting down by
lead and spoon. And to make ready places for the other
demons in which they should be confined.
108. And I Solomon had much quiet in all the earth,
and spent my life in profound peace, honoured by all men
and by all under heaven. And I built the entire Temple
of the Lord God. And my kingdom was prosperous, and my
army was with me. And for the rest the city of Jerusalem
had repose, rejoicing and delighted.
[39] And all the
kings of the earth came to me from the ends of the earth
to behold the Temple which I builded to the Lord God.
And having heard of the wisdom given to me, they did
homage to me in the Temple, bringing gold and silver and
precious stones, many and divers, and bronze, and iron,
and lead, and cedar logs. And woods decay not they
brought me, for the equipment of the Temple of God.
109. And among them also the queen of the South,
being a witch, came in great concern and bowed low
before me to the earth. And having heard my wisdom, she
glorified the God of Israel, and she made formal trial
of all my wisdom, of all love in which I instructed her,
according to the wisdom imparted to me. And all the sons
of Israel glorified God.
110. And behold, in those days one of the workmen, of
ripe old age, threw himself down before me, and said:
"King Solomon, pity me, because I am old." So I bade him
stand up, and said: "Tell me, old man, all you will."
And he answered: "I beseech you king, I have an
only-born son, and he insults and beats me openly, and
plucks out the hair of my head, and threatens me with a
painful death. Therefore I beseech you avenge me.
111. And I Solomon, on hearing this, felt compunction
as I looked at his old age; and I bade the child be
brought to me. And when he was brought I questioned him
whether it were true. And the youth said: "I was not so
filled with madness as to strike my father with my hand.
Be kind to me, O king. For I have not dared to commit
such impiety, poor wretch that I am." But I Solomon on
hearing this from the youth, exhorted the old man to
reflect on the matter, and accept his son's apology.
However, he would not, but said he would rather let him
die. And as the old man would not yield, I was about to
pronounce sentence on the youth, when I saw Ornias the
demon laughing. I was very angry at the demon's laughing
in my presence; and I ordered my men to remove the other
parties, and bring forward Ornias before my tribunal.
And when he was brought before me, I said to him:
"Accursed one, why didst thou look at me and laugh?" And
the demon answered: "Prithee, king, it was not because
of thee I laughed, but because of this ill-starred old
man and the wretched youth, his son. For after three
days his son will die untimely; and lo, the old man
desires to foully make away with him."
112. But I Solomon, having heard this, said to the
demon: "Is that true that thou speakest?" And he
answered: "It is true; O king." And I, on hearing that,
bade them remove the demon, and that they should again
bring before me the old man with his son. I bade them
40 make friends with one another
again, and I supplied them with food. And then I told
the old man after three days to bring his son again to
me here; "and," said I, "I will attend to him." And they
saluted me, and went their way.
113. And when they were gone I ordered Ornias to be
brought forward, and said to him: "Tell me how you know
this;" and he answered: "We demons ascend into the
firmament of heaven, and fly about among the stars. And
we hear the sentences which go forth upon the souls of
men, and forthwith we come, and whether by force of
influence, or by fire, or by sword, or by some accident,
we veil our act of destruction; and if a man does not
die by some untimely disaster or by violence, then we
demons transform ourselves in such a way as to appear to
men and be worshipped in our human nature." |
| 114. I therefore, having heard this,
glorified the Lord God, and again I questioned the
demon, saying: "Tell me how ye can ascend into heaven,
being demons, and amidst the stars and holy angels
intermingle." And he answered: "Just as things are
fulfilled in heaven, so also on earth (are fulfilled)
the types1 of all of them. For there are
principalities, authorities, world-rulers2,
and we demons fly about in the air; and we hear the
voices of the heavenly beings, and survey all the
powers. And as having no ground (basis) on which to
alight and rest, we lose strength and fall off like
leaves from trees. And men seeing us imagine that the
stars are falling from heaven. But it is not really so,
O king; but we fall because of our weakness, and because
we have nowhere anything to lay hold of; and so we fall
down like lightnings3 in the depth of night
and suddenly. And we set cities in flames and fire the
fields. For the stars have firm foundations in the
heavens like the sun and the moon."
|
| 115. And I Solomon, having heard this,
ordered the demon to be guarded for five days. And after
the five days I recalled the old man, and was about to
question him. But he came to me in grief and with black
face. And I said to him: "Tell me, old man, where is thy
son? And what means this garb?" And he answered: "Lo, I
am become childless, and sit by my son's grave in
despair. For it is already two days that he is dead."
But I Solomon, on hearing that, and knowing that the
demon Ornias had told me the truth, glorified the God of
Israel.
|
| 116. And the queen of the South saw all
this, and marvelled,
[41] glorifying
the God of Israel; and she beheld the Temple of the Lord
being builded. And she gave a siklos1 of gold
and one hundred myriads of silver and choice bronze, and
she went into the Temple. And (she beheld) the altar of
incense and the brazen supports of this altar, and the
gems of the lamps flashing forth of different colours,
and of the lamp-stand of stone, and of emerald, and
hyacinth, and sapphire; and she beheld the vessels of
gold, and silver, and bronze, and wood, and the folds of
skins dyed red with madder. And she saw the bases of the
pillars of the Temple of the Lord. All were of one gold
...2 apart from the demons whom I condemned
to labour. And there was peace in the circle of my
kingdom and over all the earth.
|
117. And it came to pass, which I was
in my kingdom, the King of the Arabians, Adares, sent me
a letter, and the writing of the letter was written as
follows: --
"To King Solomon, all hail! Lo, we have heard, and
it hath been heard unto all the ends of the earth,
concerning the wisdom vouchsafed in thee, and that
thou art a man merciful from the Lord. And
understanding hath been granted thee over all the
spirits of the air, and on earth, and under the
earth. Now, forasmuch as there is present in the
land of Arabia a spirit of the following kind: at
early dawn there begins to blow a certain wind until
the third hour. And its blast is harsh and terrible,
and it slays man and beast. And no spirit can live
upon earth against this demon. I pray thee then,
forasmuch as the spirit is a wind, contrive
something according to the wisdom given in thee by
the Lord thy God, and deign to send a man able to
capture it. And behold, King Solomon, I and my
people and all my land will serve thee unto death.
And all Arabia shall be at peace with thee, if thou
wilt perform this act of righteousness for us.
Wherefore we pray thee, contemn not our humble
prayer, and suffer not to be utterly brought to
naught the eparchy subordinated to thy authority.
Because we are suppliants, both I and my people and
all my land. Farewell to my Lord. All health!"
|
| 118. And I Solomon read this epistle;
and I folded it up and gave it to my people, and said to
them: "After seven days shalt thou remind me of this
epistle. And Jerusalem was built, and the Temple was
being completed. And there was a stone1, the
end stone
[42] of the
corner lying there, great, chosen out, one which I
desired lay in the head of the corner of the completion
of the Temple. And all the workmen, and all the demons
helping them came to the same place to bring up the
stone and lay it on the pinnacle of the holy Temple, and
were not strong enough to stir it, and lay it upon the
corner allotted to it. For that stone was exceedingly
great and useful for the corner of the Temple."
|
| 119. And after seven days, being
reminded of the epistle of Adares, King of Arabia, I
called my servant and said to him: "Order thy camel and
take for thyself a leather flask, and take also this
seal. And go away into Arabia to the place in which the
evil spirit blows; and there take the flask, and the
signet-ring in front of the mouth of the flask, and
(hold them) towards the blast of the spirit. And when
the flask is blown out, thou wilt understand that the
demon is (in it). Then hastily tie up the mouth of to
flask, and seal it securely with the seal-ring, and lay
it carefully on the camel and bring it me hither. And if
on the way it offer thee gold or silver or treasure in
return for letting it go, see that thou be not
persuaded. But arrange without using oath to release it.
And then if it point out to the places where are gold or
silver, mark the places and seal them with this seal.
And bring the demon to me. And now depart, and fare thee
well."
120. Then the youth did as was bidden him. And he
ordered his camel, and laid on it a flask, and set off
into Arabia. And the men of that region would not
believe that he would be able to catch the evil spirit.
And when it was dawn, the servant stood before the
spirit's blast, and laid the flask on the ground, and
the finger-ring on the mouth of the flask. And the demon
blew through the middle of the finger-ring into the
mouth of the flask, and going in blew out the flask. But
the man promptly stood up to it and drew tight with his
hand the mouth of the flask, in the name of the Lord God
of Sabaôth. And the demon remained within the flask. And
after that the youth remained in that land three days to
make trial. And the spirit no longer blew against that
city. And all the Arabs knew that he had safely shut in
the spirit.
121. Then the youth fastened the flask on the camel,
and the Arabs sent him forth on his way with much honour
and precious gifts, praising and magnifying the God of
Israel. But the youth brought in the bag and laid it in
the middle of the Temple. And on the next day, I King
Solomon, went into the Temple of God and sat in deep
distress about the stone of the end of the corner. And
when
[43] I entered
the Temple, the flask stood up and walked around some
seven steps and then fell on its mouth and did homage to
me. And I marvelled that even along with the bottle the
demon still had power and could walk about; and I
commanded it to stand up. And the flask stood up, and
stood on its feet all blown out. And I questioned him,
saying: "Tell me, who art thou?" And the spirit within
said: "I am the demon called Ephippas, that is in
Arabia." And I said to him: "Is this thy name?" And he
answered: "Yes; wheresoever I will, I alight and set
fire and do to death." |
| 122. And I said to him: "By what angel
art thou frustrated?" And he answered: "By the
only-ruling God, that hath authority over me even to be
heard. He that is to be born of a virgin and crucified
by the Jews on a cross. Whom the angels and archangels
worship. He doth frustrate me, and enfeeble me of my
great strength, which has been given me by my father the
devil." And I said to him: "What canst thou do?'' And he
answered: ''I am able to remove1 mountains,
to overthrow the oaths of kings. I wither trees and make
their leaves to fall off." And I said to him: "Canst
thou raise this stone, and lay it for the beginning of
this corner which exists in the fair plan of the Temple2?''
And he said: "Not only raise this, O king; but also,
with the help of the demon who presides over the Red
Sea, I will bring up the pillar of air3, and
will stand it where thou wilt in Jerusalem.''
|
| 123. Saying this, I laid stress on him,
and the flask became as if depleted of air. And I placed
it under the stone, and (the spirit) girded himself up,
and lifted it up top of the flask. And the flask went up
the steps, carrying the stone, and laid it down at the
end of the entrance of the Temple. And I Solomon,
beholding the stone raised aloft and placed on a
foundation, said: "Truly the Scripture is fulfilled,
which says: 'The stone which the builders rejected on
trial, that same is become the head of the corner.' For
this it is not mine to grant, but God's, that the demon
should be strong enough to lift up so great a stone and
deposit it in the place I wished."
124. And Ephippas led the demon of the Red Sea with
the column. And they both took the column and raised it
aloft from the earth. And I outwitted these two spirits,
so that they could not shake the entire earth in a
moment of time. And then I sealed round with my
[44] ring on this side and that, and said:
"Watch." And the spirits have remained upholding it
until this day, for proof of the wisdom vouchsafed to
me. And there the pillar was hanging of enormous size,
in mid air, supported by the winds. And thus the spirits
appeared underneath, like air, supporting it. And if one
looks fixedly, the pillar is a little oblique, being
supported by the spirits; and it is so to day. |
| 125. And I Solomon questioned the other
spirit which came up with the pillar from the depth of
the Red Sea. And I said to him: "Who art thou, and what
calls thee? And what is thy business? For I hear many
things about thee.'' And the demon answered: "I, O King
Solomon, am called Abezithibod. I am a descendant of the
archangel. Once as I sat in the first heaven, of which
the name is Ameleouth -- I then am a fierce spirit and
winged, and with a single wing, plotting against every
spirit under heaven. I was present when Moses went in
before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and I hardened his heart.
I am he whom Iannes and Iambres invoked homing1
with Moses in Egypt. I am he who fought against Moses
2 with wonders with signs."
|
| 126. I said therefore to him: "How wast
thou found in the Red Sea?" And he answered: "In the
exodus of the sons of Israel I hardened the heart of
Pharaoh. And I excited his heart and that of his
ministers. And I caused them to pursue after the
children of Israel. And Pharaoh followed with (me) and
all the Egyptians. Then I was present there, and we
followed together. And we all came up upon the Red Sea.
And it came to pass when the children of Israel had
crossed over, the water returned and hid all the host of
the Egyptians and all their might. And I remained in the
sea, being kept under this pillar. But when Ephippas
came, being sent by thee, shut up in the vessel of a
flask, he fetched me up to thee."
|
| 127. I, therefore, Solomon, having
heard this, glorified God and adjured the demons not to
disobey me, but to remain supporting the pillar. And
they both sware, saying: "The Lord thy God liveth, we
will not let go this pillar until the world's end. But
on whatever day this stone fall, then shall be the end
of the world1."
|
[45]
128. And I Solomon glorified God, and adorned the
Temple of the Lord with all fair-seeming. And I was glad
in spirit in my kingdom, and there was peace in my days.
And I took wives of my own from every land, who were
numberless. And I marched against the Jebusaeans, and
there I saw Jebusaean, daughter of a man: and fell
violently in love with her, and desired to take her to
wife along with my other wives. And I said to their
priests: "Give me the Sonmanites (i.e. Shunammite) to
wife1." But the priests of Moloch said to me:
"If thou lovest this maiden, go in and worship our gods,
the great god Raphan and the god called Moloch." I
therefore was in fear of the glory of God, and did not
follow to worship. And I said to them: "I will not
worship a strange god. What is this proposal, that ye
compel me to do so much?" But they said: ". . . . .2
by our fathers." |
| 129. And when I answered that I would
on no account worship strange gods, they told the maiden
not to sleep with me until I complied and sacrificed to
the gods. I then was moved, but crafty Eros brought and
laid by her for me five grasshoppers, saying: "Take
these grasshoppers, and crush them together in the name
of the god Moloch; and then will I sleep with you." And
this I actually did. And at once the Spirit of God
departed from me, and I became weak as well as foolish
in my words. And after that I was obliged by her to
build a temple of idols to Baal1, and to
Rapha, and to Moloch, and to the other idols.
|
| 130. I then, wretch that I am, followed
her advice, and the glory of God quite departed from me;
and my spirit was darkened, and I became the sport of
idols and demons. Wherefore I wrote out this
Testament, that ye who get possession of it may
pity, and attend to the last things1, and not
to the first. So that ye may find grace for ever and
ever. Amen. |
|
|
