Camp Gagnon - What Made King Solomon the Most Foolish AND Wisest King

Episode Date: September 28, 2025

Who was King Solomon, and why is he so important in religion? Today, we take a closer look at the origins of King Solomon and the influence he left. We’ll talk about Solomon’s Rise to Power, What Solomon did with his one wish from God, Solomon’s Palace, the King's 700 Wives and his downfall. Welcome to Religion CAMP! 🏕️Shoutout to our sponsor: RelayJoin the Relay App community HERE: http://www.joinrelay.app/camp✝️☪️✡️🕉️☦️ Religion Camp Merch: https://religion-camp.com🎟️ 🎫 Comedy Tour Tickets Here: https://markgagnonlive.com🎩👽 Daily Dose Of History Here: https://www.dailytodayinhistory.comTimestamps:0:00 Welcome to Camp1:00 Who Is King Solomon?2:53 Solomon’s Rise to Power + Sparing Adonijah’s Life5:05 God Grants Solomon One Wish7:28 Solomons Political Formation11:26 Solomon’s Changes The Old Law13:13 The Construction of The First Temple16:34 The Dedication of Solomon’s Temple20:03 Solomon’s Palace21:45 Queen Sheeba Visits Solomon22:48 The 700 Wives of Solomon + Building Shrines For Idols25:33 The Ring of Solomon + Controlling Demons30:02 Solomons Conflict w/ Jeroboam34:56 Solomon’s Books of The Bible37:13 Solomon’s Masonic Connection43:12 The Pillars of Freemasonry + Layout of Masonic Temple46:43 Peace Be With You#religion #history #peace

3,000 years ago, one man sat on the throne of Israel. His name, King Solomon. And according to tradition, his power reached way beyond the mortal world. You may have heard of him in church or maybe synagogue when you were younger, but his legend has never stopped growing. History remembers him for his wisdom. But the secrets that surround him tell a much stranger story. According to the text, he spoke to animals, commanded demons with a ring from God himself,

and that he guarded forbidden books of knowledge hidden. from the world. The priests feared him, the mystics, they followed him, and treasure hunters to this day still chase what he left behind. From occultist to religious people to freemasons, today we are answering the centuries-old question. Was he the wisest king in history, or potentially a sorcerer who held the keys to heaven and hell? Ladies and gentlemen, this is King Solomon, so sit back, and relax and welcome to Religion Camp. What's up, people, and welcome back to Religion Camp. My name is Mark Agnon, and thank you for joining me in my tent, where, every single Sunday we explore the most interesting, controversial, and fascinating stories from every

religion from around the world from all time, from all the secret texts, all the books, all the stories. We dive in to all of it. As always, I'm joined by my dear friend Christos. How are you, buddy? What's up? All right. So we have too much to get into to hear Christoph, Christos. I have another friend named Christoph, and he also yaps too much. It doesn't matter, all right? Because today we're diving into King Solomon. If you are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, you probably heard this guy. One of the things I love about all the Abrahamic face is that they all have the same names.

You know what I mean? You'll meet a guy named Saul, right? Maybe a Jewish guy, but his real name Solomon. Christians don't really name their kids Solomon as much, but you hear it. And then Suleiman, the Muslim name, obviously, based off this guy. He is very important to the Abrahamic religions, but also to Freemasons. And today we're going to figure out how it all ties together. Now, as always, if there's a part of this story that delineates in your faith, my bad.

All right, I do my best on this show to understand the core teachings of all the faiths from around the world and try to understand where we are more similar than different. Okay, that is my goal with this show is I want to understand people. And in order to do that, I think you need to know the God that they worship. So Solomon is important to all of them. As you know, he's the second child born to King David and Bathsheba and the fifth of David's sons. And although there's, you know, not a ton that we know about his childhood, it is known that the prophet Nathan, who had a lot of influence in the courts, was his tutor. And accordingly, Solomon would have received, you know, a lot of grounding in Jewish, civil, and religious teachings throughout his childhood. And his position in the court was enhanced by his mother, who was extremely intelligent and had a lot of influence over the king. That's basically what we know about his early childhood. But let's dive in to his anointing and the rise to power. So, King David, as you know, the great king, is near me the end of his life. and there's a crisis over the secession, right? Which, you know, the tale is old as time.

And this is starting to emerge in the, you know, royal courts of ancient Israel. So David's son, Atenijah, is basically trying to seize this opportunity that's presented by his dad, you know, feeling a little sick. And he basically declares himself king. And he gets some supporters for a little bit of a coronation. And this is a bold move that starts to threaten the stability of the kingdom and also the fulfillment of David's earlier promise that Solomon, his son, with Bathsheba would then inherit the throne. So upon learning of Adonijah's actions, the prophet Nathan and Bathsheba act quickly to basically tell King David. Recognizing that this is an issue, David reaffirms his oath and commanded that Solomon, his other son, would be anointed king.

Solomon was then escorted to the king's, you know, basically like court. He's on the mule that is a symbol of like this royal authority. And here is where Zedok, the priest, took the sacred oil from the tabernacle and actually anointed him before a public assembly. Now, Nathan, the prophet, he is involved to underscore this divine legitimacy of Solomon's kingship. And the people responded with joy.

They were stoked. They were like long-lived King Solomon. We love this dude. Let's get after it. The public nature of the ceremony and the blowing of the trumpet both signify the official and the spiritual endorsement of Solomon's reign.

So the news of Solomon's anointing gets to Adonijah and all the people that supported him, causing them to disperse because they're afraid that Solomon would basically kill them all. Adonijah sought sanctuary at the altar, and Solomon at this moment demonstrates a certain amount of humility and peace, and he spares his life on the condition of future loyalty. Which again, back in the day, King is like if there was someone basically disputing the King's role, he would just take him out.

So Solomon in this case is already showing how wise and diplomatic he can be. And with these actions, Solomon's position as King, is basically secured and the transition of power is complete. Now, after securing the throne, Solomon sought to establish his reign on, you know, the foundations of religious devotion and humility. So he travels to Gibbon. This is a significant religious center at the time where the tabernacle and the bronze altar are located. Now, Gibbon was known as the great high place. And it was where, you know, Solomon offered a remarkable sacrifice of a thousand burnt offerings, which again demonstrates his dedication to God. and also, you know, the importance of seeking this divine favor at the beginning of his rule.

Now, during his stay at Gibbon, Solomon experienced a profound spiritual encounter. In this dream, God appears to him and basically invite Solomon to ask for anything that he wants. Rather than requesting wealth or, you know, to live forever or defeating all of his enemies, like, literally, God is showing up to him to be like, all right, you have one wish. What do you want it to be? Solomon asked for a discerning heart in the wisdom to govern the people justly. I mean, once again, just like the ultimate dude, I feel like if God came to basically anyone on earth

and was like, hey, you got one wish. Most people would be like, dude, Nintendo Switch. I feel like we would all blow it. But Solomon was smart enough to be like, you know, I want just wisdom. Guide me to guide these people. And this request, again, reflects the awareness of this responsibility of the kingship

and his desire to actually prioritize the people over his own personal ambitions. And God is stoked with Solomon's request. And in response, God not only grants him with unparalleled wisdom, but also promises him riches and honor and a long life if he remains faithful. And this divine promise, again, kind of separates Solomon from all the other rulers of his time and kind of puts him in this unique position to actually bless the ancient Israelis and, you know, guide them on their journey. Now Solomon's wisdom extended beyond legal judgment to encompass knowledge of natural sciences and music and peril. and as later biblical accounts and traditions will attest to. And his reputation as like this wise and just ruler was known throughout the ancient world and attracted a lot of attention from foreign kings and dignitaries and really solidified his place in history as the sort of archetypical wise king. And the events at Gibbon set a precedent for this godly leadership.

Solomon really kind of showed the importance of like seeking this divine guidance and his humility and his devotion at the beginning of his reign establish a model for all the future leaders, as we'll see throughout the Bible. Now, Solomon's wisdom was not only evident in his, you know, fame judicial decisions, but also in his approach to governance and admin. So upon consolidating his rule and kind of, you know, making everything square, Solomon undertook a comprehensive recognition of the political structure of his nation. And so he created, you know, well-ordered bureaucracy and appointed, like, cabinet officials with, like, clear rules. This includes Azariah as the

chief of the other officers and Ahishar as the palace administrator and a bunch of other sort of bureaucratic things. And this marked a shift from the charismatic tribal leadership of a lot of his predecessors and a more centralized, almost modern-looking political system of the ancient world. One of the key aspects of Solomon's early admin stuff is really reforming Israel into 12 districts, each overseen by like a governor. And these districts were designed to be roughly equal in population and resources and intentionally disregarded. like the traditional tribal boundaries. And each governor is responsible for providing provisions for the royal household and ensuring, you know, food supply and resources to support the courts.

And this system not only facilitated, you know, resource management, but also reinforces the centralized royal authority. And it's a very modern system specifically for this time. Now, Solomon's reforms and a lot of his ambitions came through these building projects. So this includes the temple and his palace. And in some ways, they came at a cost of the people. this new system imposed, you know, heavy taxation and a lot of labor, and it disrupted some of the traditional agrarian elements of the economy at the time and really kind of put a burden on some of the landowners because they were like, hey, we need farmers and now they're building this temple, et cetera. And while this enabled a lot of growth, you know, it also created some seeds of, you know, discontentment amongst many people and the tribes that resented the tax and, you know, the labor. What's up, people? Let's take a break really quick because I'm going to talk to the fellas. Let me ask you something. Are you? you stuck? Do you feel like you're strongly with work or relationships or maybe your marriage? Or just feeling like you're not like the dude you want to be. You're just, you know, thinking to yourself,

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app app app-app-slash-camp and use the code Gagnon for a seven-day free trial. Don't put it off. Be the man you're supposed to be today, today. Now let's get back to the show. Now, Solomon's reign is widely recognized for ushering in this political and economic stability in ancient Israel. So after the turbulent years of David's rule, Solomon maintained peace on all borders and allowed for the consolidation of the kingdom and the flourishing of, you know, commerce and agriculture. So this absence of large-scale warfare during his rule really enabled the kingdom to focus on development and wealth accumulation. And, you know, as it's reflected in a lot of the biblical accounts and a lot of cooperation from, you know, the study of like the regional power dynamics really helped Israel

flourish in this time. And a cornerstone of Solomon's political strategy was the use of diplomatic marriage to secure alliances. The most prominent of these was the marriage of the daughter of the Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. And in this union, described in multiple biblical passages, signified a major diplomatic achievement as Egyptian rural daughters were rarely given in marriage to foreign rulers. And a lot of scholars will note that this alliance not only enhanced Solomon's prestige, but also brought a ton of benefits, including the city of Gezer as a dowry. And it also strengthened Israel's strategic position. And this marriage is discussed a lot in academic literature as a reflection of sort of Solomon's status and his influence of Egyptian culture and

politics. And Solomon's reign also saw the expansion of a ton of trade networks, as you can imagine. And this contributes, again, to Israel's emergence as this regional economic power. And through these alliances, specifically with Tyre, Solomon secured access to goods and raw material and artisans. And these trade routes extended into Arabia and even beyond and it brought in a ton of gold and other valuable commodities. And the wealth generated from these activities is documented both in the Bible, but also in archaeological research, which again points to this prosperity and international connection of Israel under Solomon's rule. Now, maybe for Solomon's most, you know, renowned achievement is the building of the first temple. And this is important because this is going

to come up with a lot of the Freemason stuff later. So track this part. Basically, the Israelis at the time had a vision for a central sanctuary in Jerusalem. And it started with King David who sought to build a permanent dwelling place for the Ark of the Covenant. Now, if you don't know what the Ark of the Covenant is, it's very important to the ancient Israelites. Now, according to to the biblical narrative and supported by some analysis from the Jewish theological seminary, David was not permitted by God to construct the temple himself because he had been a warrior and he himself had shed blood. Now instead, the task was entrusted to his son Solomon as a fulfillment of this sort of divine prophecy that David's lineage would establish this house for God.

Now, the inheritance of David's vision really provided both the religious and the dynastic legitimacy for Solomon's project. A crucial element in the construction, of this first temple was Solomon's collaboration with the king of Tyre, whose name was Hyrum. And this was, you know, Tyre at the time was a leading sort of Phoenician city state. And this alliance is well documented in, you know, biblical accounts as well as historical accounts. Hiram supplied Solomon with cedar and cypress wood from Lebanon, as well as a lot of craftsmen and artisans as the Phoenicians were known as, you know, very skilled sort of like, you know, sailors and, you know, artisanal crafts and things like that. And this also included the renowned

master builder, Hiram Abiff, or Hiram Abiff. I'm going to say Hiram Abif, because that's how my Mormon friends say it. But Hiram Abiff is, he's significant, so remember that name. In exchange, Solomon provided agricultural products and later ceded towns in Galilee to Hiram. And this partnership once again showed the close economic and diplomatic ties between the Israelis and the Phoenicians in the ancient world. Now, the construction details of the temple are described in the biblical books of Kings and Chronicles, as well as a lot of archaeological records. The temple was built using quarried stone for the structure, cedar and cypress wood for the roof and the interior, and lavish gold overlays for many of the sanctuary's most sacred spaces.

And the use of Phoenician building techniques and the materials is really evident throughout the historical records and really parallels other Iron Age temples in the Levant, such as those in Tel Tayanat and Aindara. The combination of these local imported resources, along with the employment of many laborers and artisans, made the temple this monumental achievement in the ancient world, both for craftsmanship and art as well as engineering. And the religious, cultural, and sort of the national significance of this first temple can't be overstated. It became the central place of worship for the Israelites. It housed the Ark of the Covenant, and it served as this focal point for festivals and sacrifices and communities. prayer and the temple really symbolizes the fulfillment of God's promise to David. And it really shows the

unity of these different Israeli tribes. And it is ultimately the establishment of Jerusalem as both the spiritual and the political capital of the nation and in many ways kind of the entire region, maybe the world. Its influence extended far beyond its actual destruction. And to this day, shapes Jewish identity and religious practices and has a legacy that is still felt, I mean, into the modern era. Now, the dedication of Solomon's temple followed an 11-month interval after its completion. So the construction concluded on the eighth month of Solomon's 11th year. Now, the Jewish calendar and our modern Gregorian calendar are a little different. But while the dedication ceremony began on the seventh month of the following year, aligning with the feast of tabernacles, and this is noted

in First Kings. This gap allowed for the meticulous preparations, including the crafting of like these sacred vessels and organizing the priesthood. And this ceremony, marked this pivotal moment where, you know, there's no longer this sort of nomadic traveling mobile tabernacle, but a permanent sanctuary for the ark. Now, the Ark of the Covenant is the symbol and sort of the manifestation of God's presence. And it was carried by priests from the City of David to the temple in this massive procession, accompanied by sacrifices. According to the Bible, too numerous to count. The Ark was placed beneath the wings of the Sheribum in the Holy of Holies. And as the priest exited, a divine cloud filled the temple, once again, signifying God's approval and his

presence. Now, this event echoed the cloud that guided Israel into the wilderness and is once again a sort of a fulfillment of sort of a more ancient prophecy that we see in Exodus. And once again, just reinforces the temple's role as this new home for God. Now, in this dedication, Solomon has a prayer that is very famous and it emphasizes three main things. One is forgiveness. He pleases, for God to, you know, hear Israel's repentance, you know, in times of drought or famine, and basically to forgive the sins of your people. It also acknowledges divine presence. He basically says, even the highest heavens cannot contain you. Yet he asked God to, once again, heed the prayers of the people that are directed towards the temple. And then lastly, universal worship. He invited

foreigners to pray at the temple. And it really foreshadows ancient Israel's mission to bless all the nations. And this dedication coincided with the feast of the tabernacles known as Sukkot, which is still a Jewish high holiday that's celebrated to this day. And this is basically a seven-day festival that extended to 14 days of celebration. There is even mention of Yom Kippur, the day of atonement. And it occurs earlier in the same month. And Sukkot begins on the 15th, whereas Yom Kippur is on the 10th. But, you know, these two high holidays of the Jewish calendar, kind of happening within the same time frame, just once again sort of shows Solomon's dedication lining up with many of the important significant dates of the ancient Israelite calendar.

After this dedication, God reaffirmed his covenant with Solomon and promised to basically establish David's dynasty if Israel remains faithful to him. However, he also warned that idolatry would lead to the temple's destruction in Israel's exile. Now, this condition of the covenant and has been analyzed by many different scholars throughout the years really underscores the moral responsibility tied to the divine blessing. Solomon's later apostasy, and we hear about it in First Kings,

basically in his old age, he falls into sin despite all of his wisdom, kind of in a tragic way, fulfills some of these warnings and really illustrates the peril of these sort of conditional covenantal loyalties that the Israelis faced. Now, that construction was just of the temple.

Now, Solomon also had a palace that was developed that was described in, you know, First Kings as well, which was a monumental structure within his royal complex. And this measured approximately 150 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet tall. Again, for the ancient world, this was, you know, a significant engineering feat. And it was supported by these rows of cedar columns from Lebanon. And, you know, it was known at the time as a prized material for its durability, but also the aroma and like the fragrance that would actually give off. And the palace. his name was derived from the extensive use of Lebanese cedar imported through Solomon's alliance with King Hiram of Tyre. And its design featured three tiers of windows and sort of this long hall. And it once again reflects a lot of Phoenician architectural influence. And the palace also served as an armory. It housed Solomon's shields and his weapons, which once again just symbolizes the military strength as well as the opulent diplomacy that Solomon's reign sort of symbolized. Solomon's throne, which is also detailed in the Bible, was this extraordinary symbol of divine kingship. It's crafted from ivory overlaid with gold, and it featured six steps flanked by 12 sculpted lions, one at each end of every step, and armrests adorned with additional lions.

It also highlighted a golden footstool and once again just emphasized the throne's elevated status. The lions, which, you know, as you can imagine, are a universal symbol of royal power in the ancient Near East. and really just once again underscored Solomon's authority and his God-given wisdom. The throne's design, unparalleled in really any other kingdom in the area, once again, reflected Israel's unique identity as the nation governed by God. Now Solomon has his temple built, he has his palace built, and now he's being known throughout the ancient world. So the queen of Sheba, having heard of Solomon's wisdom and his relationship to God and, you know,

his connection to his people, travel to Jerusalem with this grand can. caravan and brought spices and gold and all sorts of stones. And according to the biblical account, her purpose was to test Solomon with difficult questions and riddles. And this was a common practice amongst many ancient monarchs to assess the intellect and the discernment of other kings in the region. And Solomon answered all of her questions. Nothing was too difficult for him to explain. The biblical narrative emphasizes that the queen was really impressed by his wisdom and the splendor of his court and the palace and the organization of his kingdom. And according to the count, it left her breathless with astonishment. And rabbinic and even midrashic tradition further

elaborate on the riddles that she posed. The visit of Queen Sheba really just stands as a testament to Solomon's international fame in the region, as well as his reputation for wisdom. Now, Solomon's personal life at certain points was a little crazy, if you ask me. So Solomon's reign was marked by an extraordinary number of marriages. 700 wives, who, you know, many of which were princesses. and 300 concubines, and this is all according to first kings. These marriages were not solely for, you know, obviously personal pleasure. They were strategic alliances with foreign rural families intended to secure this political stability. So each princess established a treaty or an alliance and once again reflected a common practice used in the Near East of, you know,

monarchs basically using marriage as a tool for diplomacy. I mean, if you don't know, basically if, you know, you're a guy from a different tribe, if, you know, this king marries your daughter, he's going to have a vested interest in your success, and the two of you basically are like, hey, we're cool. So 700 of these alliances, you know, ostensibly existed in Solomon's reign. This policy also meant that Solomon's court became like this cosmopolitan center and had, you know, people and women from all over, you know, the region basically sort of going back and forth and discussing different ideas and really introduced a diversity of cultures and beliefs to Israel's rural household. And this influx of foreign wives brought with them

their native customs. So over time, Solomon tolerated, even facilitated their worship by building high places and shrines for some foreign deities, such as Astareth, Molek, and Camusch. And this is again, once again, noted in First Kings. This accommodation is in some ways a violation of the commandments given to Israel, which warned against intermarriage with nations that practice idolatry or against the worship of other gods. And the biblical narrative emphasizes that Solomon's heart was turned away from this exclusive devotion to the Lord, and he became entangled in, you know, pagan worship basically by proxy and by basically allowing idolatry to flourish within this realm. Now, the biblical authors are pretty clear in their critique of his, you know, sort of freedom

of religion, right? His willingness to blend the worship of, you know, the God of Israel and that of the foreign deities is seen as a grave spiritual failure. And once again, sets a precedent that would plague Israel for generations. And this mixing of elements of different religions, according to many scholars, undermines the covenant and leads to national instability. As a result, God pronounced judgment. The kingdom would be torn apart after Solomon's death with only a remnant left to his descendants. And the seeds of Israel's eventual division and later exile are, in some ways, sewn in Solomon's religious compromises. And this once again just becomes a cautionary tale for future generations about the dangers of the exclusive loyalty to God.

Now, one of the interesting elements of Solomon is that in many post-biblical sort of Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions, Solomon is not only remembered for his wisdom, but also for his possession of esoteric knowledge, specifically in the realms of like magic and demonology and control over the spiritual world. These traditions are most prominently recorded in the Testament of Solomon, which is a, you know, pseudo. epigraphical text from the early centuries after the death of Christ, which presents Solomon as the master of spirits and demons and basically uses this divinely given ring, like a literal ring that he wears to command and interrogate them. So this work, while not part of the

canonical scripture, reflects this enduring fascination with Solomon and his supernatural abilities. And you'll hear this throughout, you know, Jewish and Christian folklore that he is a healer and that he's able to do many things given this magical ring. So according to the Testament of Solomon, it describes how Solomon, you know, aided by this magical ring, given to him by the Archangel Michael, was able to summon control and interrogate a bunch of different demons and basically compelled them to assist in the building of the temple in Jerusalem,

and also to reveal cures for various ailments. So these stories, which, you know, many people believe blend Greek, Egyptian, and many, you know, sort of ancient Levant-style magical, is deeply influential in later occult traditions, which again, we'll talk about later. In rabbinic literature, there's also reference to Solomon's knowledge of the secrets of nature and his ability to control spirits, while Islamic sources specifically the Quran, for Count how Solomon was given command over gin and basically demons in Islamic literature, as well as the winds and was entrusted with the book of knowledge. Now, rabbinic and Christian sources

indicate that aspects of Solomon's knowledge were considered too powerful or dangerous for general use leading to their suppression or their concealment. And the Testament of Solomon itself ends with a warning about the dangers of pride and the misuse of spiritual power, as Solomon's later idolatry is linked to his downfall and the loss of his authority over the demons. Rabbinic literature sometimes suggests that certain magical texts or techniques attributed to Solomon were intentionally hidden to prevent their abuse by later generations. Now, the Testament of Solomon and related telmotic stories describe how some of Solomon's

magical knowledge was, you know, just had to be pushed down. So, for example, in the Talmud, in Gittin 68A, it recounts how Solomon's magical works were buried with him and hidden away and later attempts to recover them or use them would bring about calamity. And these stories emphasize the belief in esoteric wisdom and, you know, not using these things for harm. Now, an Islamic tradition, you know, Suleiman, Solomon, is depicted as a prophet endowed with knowledge over, you know, the demons and birds and the natural world. And these later Islamic sources really elaborate on Solomon's possession of this book of knowledge or like a magical manual, which was buried with him and then later unearthed leading to its misuse by others. And these accounts once again show these

ideas of this sort of suppressed knowledge. And the suppression of Solomon's esoteric knowledge in these traditions is tied with, you know, these concerns of, you know, unchecked spiritual power. Now, it is this point about Solomon and sort of his legacy that I'm personally the most interested in. I mean, it really has influenced a lot of, you know, occult attitudes. And, you know, in medieval and early modern Europe, this idea of solomonic magic is a central theme in occult literature. And, you know, it is kind of the underpinning of many secret societies. That secret societies ultimately function to, you know, according to like, I think the charter of many secret societies, is that they hold the true. the true nature of reality that they understand and have the secrets that have been, you know,

kept amongst a closed circle of people of the actual nature of reality and how the world actually works. And that by joining the secret society, you too can have access to, you know, these ancient sources of wisdom. And as a result, Solomon, you know, being the keeper of the book of knowledge, many secret societies will then tout that as, you know, they also have access to it. Again, we will talk about this later with the Freemason connection, but that is one of the main reasons why so many non-Christian or Abrahamic sources are fascinated with Solomon and his legacy. Now, back to Solomon and his reign. These are the things that are actually a little more rooted in history.

As things go on for him, there is a series of adversaries that emerge, and they challenge his authority. So first is Haddad of Adam. This is basically a rural family who escaped Egypt as a child after Joab. David's general decimated Adam's male population. And once grown, Haddad returned to Egypt, supported by the Pharaoh, and became a persistence threat in the south, basically seeking to reclaim Adam's independence and really harassing Israel and their borders. Another adversary was Rezon, the son of Eliazza, who fled from his master, had a desert king of Joba. Now, if you don't know what any of these words mean, basically, David had a campaign. He caused this guy to flee, and Rezon is the son of one of the guys who fled.

Now, Rezan gathered a band of followers and seized control of Damascus and basically ruled over this nation known as Iran, which is modern day Syria. And it once again maintained a hostile stance toward the ancient Israelites throughout Solomon's reign. And the third and most consequential adversary is Jerobam, the son of Nabat, an industrious official who Solomon had placed over the labor in the House of Joseph. Now, Jeroboam, his leadership and a lot of his ambitions positioned him as a focal point for a lot of internal dissent, specifically among the northern tribes. And the rise of these adversaries coincided with prophetic warnings delivered by Jeroboam to Ihajja, the Shilinite. Now, the rise of these adversaries coincided with a prophetic warning delivered to Jeroboam.

Now, as Jeroboam was leaving Jerusalem, Ahijah, another man from the region, basically met him and dramatically tore a new cloak into 12 pieces, giving 10 to Jeroboam as a sign that God would tear the majority of the kingdom from Solomon's dynasty due to Solomon's idolatry and disobedience. Only one tribe would remain under Solomon's descendants for the sake of David and Jerusalem. This prophecy, recorded in First Kings, made clear that the kingdom's division was a direct consequence of Solomon's abandonment of the exclusivity to worship the God of Israel. Now, following this prophecy, Jeroboam's opposition to Solomon became more pronounced. Solomon, aware of this threat, sought to kill Jeroboam, prompting him to flee to Egypt,

where he found refuge with the king. Jeroboam remained in Egypt until Solomon's death, and afterward he returned and led the northern tribes in their rejection of Solomon's son. Rehabam, ultimately becoming king over the new northern kingdom of Israel. And these events once again marked the beginning of this divided monarchy and a turning point in Israel's history that fulfilled the prophetic warnings and once again showed the consequences of Solomon's religious choices. Now Solomon has a, you know, ostensibly long reign about 40 years and he, you know, it's not clear exactly how he dies according to the biblical account, but he dies of natural causes.

And after his death, his son ascends to the throne, and almost immediately the fragile unity of Israel is tested, and you have this breaking apart of this kingdom that Solomon had overseen. As we've already discussed, Solomon had certain taxation, as well as sort of mandatory labor policies amongst many of the tribes. And many of these tribes were pissed off about it. So they went to Solomon's son, Rehaboam, and they asked him to change these things. But instead of sort of listening to this council, Rehoboam chose to adopt harsh. policies, which just made more widespread discontentment amongst the tribes. This led 10 northern tribes to reject this Davidic monarchy, and they proclaimed Jeroboam, this guy that fled to Egypt and came back, as their new king and the forming of this new independent kingdom of Israel.

Only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, along with the Levites, remained loyal to Rehaban, who continued to rule from Jerusalem over the kingdom of Judah. And this schism fulfilled, once again, another earlier prophetic warning and marked the formal division of this once united nation. Now, the division of the kingdoms had a profound effect on Israel's history. The northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah developed distinct political and religious identities, often finding themselves in conflict with one another. And this unity achieved under David and Solomon was never restored. And the two kingdoms eventually fell to foreign powers, Israel to Assyria in 722 BC and Judah to Babylon in 586.

And this split also set the stage for centuries of prophetic activity and reform and theological reflection on the causes of this national disunity. And despite his accomplishment, Solomon's legacy is in some ways marked by the fragmentation of this nation, a turning point that shaped the subsequent narrative of the Hebrew Bible and really the history of the region. Now Solomon is traditionally credited as the author of three major biblical works, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Songs of Songs, also known as Songs of Solomon, per the name. The superscriptions of these books, such as the Proverbs of Solomon's Son of David, King of Israel. And references to Solomon's name throughout the Song of Songs support this attribution. Ecclesiastes begins with, quote, the words of the teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem, which, you know, Jewish and Christian. tradition have long interpreted to be Solomon, even though the book itself is technically anonymous.

Many modern scholars debate the extent of his direct authorship, and they argue for later editorial editions or sort of compilations, the prevailing historical and religious tradition holds that Solomon was the primary source for these three books in the Bible. Each of these books explore distinct theological and philosophical themes. So Proverbs is a collection of sayings and instructions emphasizing practical wisdom and conduct and the fear of the as the beginning of knowledge. It also offers guidance and daily living and relationships and the pursuit of righteousness. Ecclesiastes, often regarded as more philosophical, reflects on the meaning of life and the limitations of human understanding and, you know, the fleeting nature of worldly

pursuits. There's a famous refrain, vanity of vanities. All is vanity. And once again, just expresses this, you know, kind of practical view of life's impermanence and the need to find meaning beyond the material. And Song of Song stands apart as a poetic sense. celebration of love and beauty. And it's often interpreted allegorically in a lot of Jewish and Christian traditions as representing the relationship between God and his people or Christ in the church. And collectively, these works address the fundamental questions of existence. Now, Solomon's role as this, you know, sage and an author really establish him as a central figure of wisdom and, you know, in tradition and what it means to be human in the region. Now, in Islamic tradition,

Solomon, again, Suleiman, is revered as a prophet. endowed with wisdom and the special knowledge, and his legacy is reflected in the Quran and a lot of other Islamic literature. According to these traditions, Solomon's literary and intellectual contributions influence theology and philosophy and a massive cultural understanding of wisdom for millennia. Now time for the maybe most fascinating, but also, you know, most difficult to pin down part of King Solomon's legacy. And that is his role in Freemasonry. And now this connection actually began many centuries after, Solomon actually lived. And this connection tells us more about the goals and the beliefs of the Freemasons than it actually does about the historical King Solomon, but I don't think you can talk about Solomon without talking about, you know, this famous group that kind of co-opted his ideas.

Now, modern Freemasonry officially started in June of 1717, when four London Lodges met at a tavern, and they formed the first Grand Lodge, and they chose this guy Anthony Sayer as their first grand master. Now, this date marks the beginning of organized Freemasonry as we know it today, but the roots of Freemasonry go back way further. During the Middle Ages, stone masons who built cathedrals and castles basically formed groups called guilds. As fewer big buildings were constructed, these guilds began accepting members who weren't actual stone masons. These new members were then called speculative masons because they were interested in the moral teachings and the philosophy rather than the actual stonework. And this change happened gradually during the 1600s and early

1700s. By 1646, Elias Ashmole wrote about joining a Masonic lodge, even though he wasn't a stone mason. During the age of enlightenment, educated men wanted places to meet and discuss philosophy and morality and how to improve themselves as people. And throughout these discussions, Solomon came up a lot. Now, Solomon wasn't always central to freemasonry or occult text. So early Masonic documents from 1726 show that they originally used the story of Noah and his three sons as one of their main teaching stories, but this changes around the 1730s. And this shift to using Solomon's story appeared first in a book called Masonry Dissected in 1730 and was firmly established by Dr. James Anderson's work, constitutions of the Freemasons.

And this happened in 1738. Anderson wrote that when Solomon's temple was finished, quote, their joy was soon interrupted by the sudden death of their dear master, Hiram Abiff, whom they decently interred in the law. near the temple. Now remember Hiram Biff, this is the sort of the main guy that was guiding this construction project of the temple. He was, you know, a skilled artist and craftsman that actually created the Temple of Solomon. Now, the choice of Solomon and his temple made sense for an organization that focused on building good character as well as, you know, building beautiful churches and big buildings. Solomon represented wisdom and justice and leadership by God. His

temple became a symbol for that kind of moral building that the Freemasons wanted to do. do in their own lives. Now, the story of Hiram Abiff is a little complicated. So the most important thing to sort of understand that connects Freemasonry and Solomon is this guy. Now, this story is central to third-degree ceremony in Freemasonry. And according to the legend, Hyram Abiff was the architect that was building Solomon's temple and working alongside King Solomon and Hiram, who is a different Hiram, who is the king of Tyre. Now, the story tells how three workers tried to force Hyrim Abif to tell them the secret words of a master mason. When he refused to break his promise and reveal the secrets, they killed him. And then they buried his body outside of Jerusalem and marked the grave

with the branch of an acacia tree. Now, this story is based loosely on the Bible. So, you know, in Kings, they mention a skilled craftsman who worked on Solomon's temple. And the Bible describes him as the son of a widow who was very skilled. However, the Bible says he mainly worked with bronze and metal, not that he was the chief architect. Scholars today understand that high mobility, story is meant to teach lessons and not necessarily to record history. Some research suggests that John Theophilus de Seguilere probably created a version of the story in the 1720s, kind of using older European stories as inspiration. And once again, the story teaches us, you know, Masonic values, which are, you know, keep your promises and integrity over safety and the idea that people can

be reborn, both morally and spiritually. And it's also worth noting that in Freemasonry, Solomon's Temple represents more than building. It symbolizes, it symbolizes, the perfect human soul in this ideal society. In the process of building the temple parallels the three degrees that Freemasons go through, which is an entered apprentice, a fellow craft, and then a master mason. And the different workers on the temple, once again, represent different stages of personal growth. So you have these apprentices and craftsmen who are at the beginning of their journey of development to being an enlightened person. They're learning to shape their character like masons will shape like a rough stone. And then you have the master masons,

who are those who have gained the wisdom and the skill to then guide others. Now, different parts of the temple have different meanings in Masonic teaching. So the two pillars at the entrance, known as Jakin and Boaz, represent strength and stability. And the progression from outer areas to the most sacred inner room symbolizes the spiritual journey from everyday concerns to divine wisdom. And this use of Solomon's temple as a symbol really emerges when Freemasonry is establishing itself as a movement aimed at improving the individual and the society. Masonic tradition says that King Solomon, Hiram, the King of Tyre, and then Hiram Abif, were the three grandmasters who supervised the workers built into the temple.

And this arrangement symbolizes ideal leadership based on, you know, different types of strength. You have Solomon who has this sort of wisdom and spiritual strength, and then Hiram of Tire that represents diplomatic and, you know, sort of resource strength. And then Hiram Abif represents technical and moral integrity. Now, the Bible does tell us about Solomon's partnership with Hiram of Tire. This alliance brought together, you know, Solomon's vision with resources from Phoenician expertise. However, the Masonic idea that this is a formal system of Masonic government is, once again, found in Freemasonic symbolic teaching rather than actual historical fact. And this three-part leadership structure reflects Freemasonry's emphasis on balance and harmony and suggests that good leadership requires different types of wisdom and skill to work together. So it's also important to note, like, obviously, Freemasons love symbolism, right?

like you've seen your dollar bill, there's symbols all over it. And this, a lot of this is, again, rooted in this story of the building of the temple from, you know, King Solomon. So there's, you know, important symbols such as these pillars, uh, jacquine and Boaz, which again are these at the entrance of the temple and they, you know, are described as, you know, 27 feet tall, 18 feet around. And the names are important. So Jakin means he will establish while Boaz means in him his strength. And according to the Bible, they stand on either side of the temple toward the east. Now, beyond these temples in Masonic tradition, there are these three great pillars that support every Masonic lodge, and they are wisdom, strength, and beauty. And these pillars are represented by different types of columns from ancient

Greek architecture. So wisdom is this ionic column, and wisdom, you know, once again, helps plan and guide all the undertakings. Strength is represented by this dork-style column and is connected to the senior Warden Station, which is just an important role within the Freemasonic Lodge. And then beauty is represented by the Corinthian style column and is associated with the junior warden station in the south. And once again, this beauty column adorns the inner person and represents the refinement and the grace that comes from this moral development. And like with all Freemasonic things, there's a ton of symbolism that is actually done with the actual construction. It's also worth noting that Masonic lodges in the modern day are designed to represent Solomon's Temple, though with some

important differences that reflect Masonic goals. Understanding this layout helps explain how Freemasonry connects to the Solomon's story and why Freemasons, you know, reach and sort of tap on this story so much. Solomon's temple is oriented from east to west with the main entrance on the east and the Holy of Holies, this most sacred room in the west. People would enter from the east and move towards the west to approach this holy place. However, Masonic temples are oriented in the opposite direction, from west to east. And in a Masonic lodge, people enter from the west, and they face towards the East. And these different orientations, if you ask the Mason's, basically represent different teaching purposes. So in Freemasonry, the East represents

enlightenment and knowledge and spiritual development. And the worshipful master, which is a role within the Freemasonic structure, sits in the East and represents the goal towards which all Mason should strive. And the West represents the beginning of this journey, where people enter as they start their education. It's also worth noting that Solomon was seen as this wise sort of keeper of knowledge, right? He was seen as having gifts from God, whether it's the ring from the Archangel Michael, which again is found in post-biblical literature, or this book of knowledge that he kept that was buried with him, that, you know, secret societies exist to pass on secret knowledge to people that they deem as worthy. And Solomon

is seen as the zenith or the pinnacle of humans having the understanding of the divine. So once again, you have a ton of different connections that Freemasons, I think, are attaching to, where you have this building of the temple, which connects with their free Masonic ideas. But you also have the spiritual and moral ideas of, you know, justice and wisdom and having sort of divine access to God and being the keeper and the sort of person that can, like, actually guide a demons and control the spiritual world, which are all things that show up in occult literature that the masons are obviously very interested in. Now, there are hundreds of Masonic lodges around the world that are named after Solomon. and Masonic writings have contributed significantly to Solomon's reputation as, you know, this man of wisdom and leadership. And that, ladies and gentlemen,

is the life and times of the wise King Solomon. I mean, you probably knew him as like the guy that did the baby cut in a half story, right? Where, like, a woman was like, oh, we can't decide whose baby is who, and what do we do? And Solomon's like, we'll cut the baby in half. And then, you know, the woman, that's the true mother was like,

no, don't. And the woman that was the fake mom was like, fine, cut him in half, I don't care. And once again, highlighting his, his diplomacy, wisdom, and leadership. But there's much more to the guy. I mean, Freemasons like him. And of course, he is integral to all the Abrahamic fates for many reasons. I mean, I like to learn about this old biblical history. There's stuff that I learned like in Sunday school that I was just like, oh, yeah, it's whatever. But now I actually learning about it as an adult, I'm like, oh, wow,

this is cool. I kind of want to go back and read like Song of Solomons or, you know, proverbs, stuff like that. I'm like, oh yeah, there was some good stuff in there. I probably should, you know, look at this ancient wisdom that has been passed down throughout the generations. I really enjoyed it. Christos, you learned anything? Considering I didn't know anything about Ken Solomon, oh yeah. Oh, yeah.

Well, ladies gentlemen, I hope you guys learned as well. Please drop a comment if there's anything that I missed. If there's something from your faith tradition that I didn't highlight, whether it's, you know, Islam or, you know, Judaism or even Christianity, if there's parts of, you know, different sects of Christianity that I didn't understand. Please let me know. Thank you guys so much. I appreciate you tuning in every single week.

We'll be here every single Sunday to explore the most interesting things of all the religions from around the world from all times. Thank you so much and peace with you. What's up, people? Quick announcement. If you are a fan of Camp Gagnon or Religion Camp, I have great news because we are dropping history camp. That's right. This is the channel we're going to be exploring the most interesting, fascinating, controversial topics from all time throughout all history.

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