Folia Theologica 16. (2005)
Solomon Pasala: Archaeological Evidences for Solomonic period
128 S. PASALA c) The king Solomon, who erected the Temple, was a pious and righteous king. d) Yahweh confirmed the dedication of the Temple. e) Yahweh reconfirms his commitment to the Davidic dynasty3. Solomon's prayer to Yahweh at the time of dedication has some indication that it was written after the exile. To be specific, he speaks about the "sin in the future" that might result in exile (I Kgs 8/46-50), and Yahweh's warning that unfaithfulness would indeed result in an end to Jerusalem with its Temple (I Kgs 9/4-7). As Maxwell and Hayes put it: "In short, these passages anticipate, interpret theologically, and offer hope in the face of circumstances which for Solomon's day were still in the distant future but which for the compilers of Genesis-11 kings were recent past, that is, the Babylonian capture of Jerusalem, the exile of many of its people, the destruction of the Temple and the end of the Davidic line'"1. Although these passages that focus on Solomon's cultic activity were formulated long after Solomon's day and addressed theological concerns of the exiled community, there are some elements of authentic historic memory. The description of the Temple with its furnishings also seems realistic, although not at the time of construction but before the destruction5. The report of Solomon's dream at Gibeon and the historicity of Pharaoh's daughter are doubtful. Also Solomon's wise judgment and the visit of the Queen of Sheba are good stories which emerged after Solomon's day. All of this belongs to the idealized Solomon of legend6. In the same way, we could doubt the authenticity of the details in the following descriptions:- The list of Solomon's high officials (I Kgs 4/1-6)- The officers in charge of providing food (I kg 4/7-19)- The cities he built or fortified with forced labor (I Kgs 9/5-19). 3 M.J. MAXWELL —J.H. HAYES, A History of Ancient Israel and Judah, 193. 4 M.J. MAXWELL —J.H. HA YES, A History of Ancient Israel and Judah, 194. 5 M.J. MAXWELL-J.H. HAYES, A History of Ancient Israel and Judah, 195. 6 M.J. MAXWELL — J.H. HAYES.4 History of Ancient Israel and Judah, 195.
