49

of the building of the temple in the fourth year of his reign, four hundred and forty years after the departure of the people from Egypt. But concerning the measures of its height and 1.123 its length and of its construction, the third book of Kings and Josephus, writing about the temple in the eighth book of the Antiquities, do not agree, but differ in most things. And for one who wishes to ascertain the details concerning the difference, and concerning the two Cherubim which he made of gold and set in the holy of holies, and concerning the ark and the bronze sea and the lavers, and how large the bronze altar was, and what the golden table was like, and how many silver and golden vessels Solomon dedicated to the temple, and concerning the other things, the third book of Kings and Josephus the antiquarian will suffice to set forth the accuracy of each detail. And having completed the temple and everything pertaining to it in seven years, the king summoned the people to Jerusalem. And the priests, having lifted up the ark and the tent which Moses had pitched and the vessels used in the sacrifices, carried them to the temple, with the king and all the multitude leading the way, and the Levites pouring libations and burning incense. And the ark was placed in the holy of holies between the two Cherubim, having the two stone tablets within. And when the priests came out of the holy of holies, the house was filled with the glory of the Lord and a cloud had spread all around the temple; from which they imagined that God had come to the temple, tabernacling in it. And the king, being pleased at these things, both gave thanks to God and blessed the people and besought the divinity to be attentive to all who prayed in it. Then he offered sacrifices at the altar. And God, showing that he had received them favorably, caused fire to flash forth through the air and to be brought upon the altar and to consume 1.124 the entire sacrifice. The people, seeing these things, blessed God, and the king gave thanks, and having celebrated lavishly, they dismissed the assembly. And a dream that came to the king revealed that God had heard his prayer, and that the temple would be preserved and he himself be raised to the height of prosperity, and that his descendants would rule the country, if he and they and the people did not transgress the divine commandments; but if not, he threatened to cut off his family root and branch, and to subject the people to slavery and countless evils, and to give over the temple to burning and plundering, and the city to destruction and pillage. Thus then the things of the temple were completed for Solomon; and after these things he built for himself a lavish and magnificent palace, and he also repaired the walls of Jerusalem, and built other cities, and having brought under his control the Canaanites on Mount Lebanon, who had not previously been subjugated, he made them tributary. And Hiram the king of the Tyrians sent to him difficult problems and enigmatic sayings, asking him to clarify them; and he solved them all and revealed their meaning. Josephus records that mention is made of these things by ancient writers as well, both Dius and in addition to him Menander. And when the wisdom and understanding of Solomon was proclaimed everywhere, a certain queen of Egypt and Ethiopia, who loved and sought wisdom, came to Jerusalem. And the king received her lavishly, and easily solved the difficult problems which she set forth, so that the queen was astonished and said that she saw more than she had heard. And she marveled also at the palace and the lavishness of the dinners and all 1.125 the royal service and the sacrifices in the temple and the good order of those sacrificing. And she presented the king with gold and precious stones and countless spices and balsam roots, so that from her balsam came to grow in Palestine. And Solomon in turn rewarded the queen with many good things. And she returned to her own country; but the king, having become more glorious than all who were before him and excelling in understanding and wealth, did not abide by the divine ordinances,

49

οἰκοδομῆς τοῦ ναοῦ κατὰ τὸ τέταρτον ετος τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ, μετὰ ετη τῆς ἐξ Αἰγύπτου ὑποχωρήσεως τοῦ λαοῦ τετρακόσια τεσσαράκοντα. περὶ δὲ τῶν μέτρων τοῦ υψους αὐτοῦ καὶ 1.123 τοῦ μήκους καὶ τῆς τούτου κατασκευῆς οὐχ ὁμοφωνοῦσιν η τε τρίτη τῶν Βασιλειῶν καὶ ̓Ιώσηπος ἐν τῷ ὀγδόῳ λόγῳ τῆς ̓Αρχαιολογίας περὶ τοῦ ναοῦ συγγραφόμενος, ἀλλ' ἐν τοῖς πλείοσι διαφέρονται. ῳ δὲ τὰ περὶ τῆς διαφορᾶς πρὸς βουλῆς ἀκριβώσασθαι, καὶ περὶ τῶν δύο Χερουβὶμ α χρυσοῦ ποιήσας κατὰ τὸ αδυτον εστησε, καὶ περὶ τῆς κιβωτοῦ καὶ τῆς χαλκῆς θαλάσσης καὶ τῶν λουτήρων, καὶ πηλίκον ην τὸ χάλκεον θυσιαστήριον, οια δ' ἡ τράπεζα ἡ χρυσῆ, καὶ οσα σκεύη ἀργύρεά τε καὶ χρύσεα Σολομὼν ἀνέθετο τῷ ναῷ, καὶ περὶ τῶν αλλων, ἡ τρίτη τῶν Βασιλειῶν βίβλος καὶ ἀρχαιολογῶν ὁ ̓Ιώσηπος ἀρκέσουσι παραστήσασθαι τὴν ἐφ' ἑκάστῳ ἀκρίβειαν. ἐν ετεσι δὲ ἑπτὰ συντελέσας ὁ βασιλεὺς τόν τε ναὸν καὶ οσα περὶ ἐκεῖνον συνεκάλεσε τὸν λαὸν εἰς ̔Ιεροσόλυμα. καὶ αραντες τὴν κιβωτὸν οἱ ἱερεῖς καὶ τὴν σκηνὴν ην ἐπήξατο Μωυσῆς καὶ τὰ ἐν ταῖς θυσίαις ὑπηρετούμενα σκεύη πρὸς τὸν ναὸν μετεκόμιζον, τοῦ βασιλέως προάγοντος καὶ τοῦ πλήθους παντός, καὶ τῶν Λευιτῶν σπενδόντων καὶ θυμιώντων. καὶ κατετέθη ἡ κιβωτὸς εἰς τὸ αδυτον μεταξὺ τῶν δύο Χερουβίμ, τὰς δύο λιθίνας πλάκας εχουσα ενδοθεν. ἐξελθόντων δ' ἐκ τοῦ ἀδύτου τῶν ἱερέων, δόξης κυρίου ὁ οικος ἐπέπληστο καὶ νεφέλη τὸν ναὸν ολον περιεκέχυτο· ἐξ ης ἐπιδημῆσαι τῷ ναῷ τὸν θεὸν ἐφαντάζοντο σκηνώσαντα ἐν αὐτῷ. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἡσθεὶς ἐπὶ τούτοις εὐχαριστίαν τε πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ἐποιήσατο καὶ τὸν λαὸν εὐλόγησε καὶ ἱκέτευσεν ἐπήκοον γίνεσθαι τὸ θεῖον πᾶσι τοῖς ἐν αὐτῷ εὐχομένοις. ειτα τῷ βωμῷ θυσίας προσήγαγε. καὶ ὁ θεὸς δεικνὺς ὡς εὐμενῶς αὐτὰς προσεδέξατο, πῦρ ἐκλάμψαι δι' ἀέρος πεποίηκεν ἐπενεχθῆναί τε τῷ βωμῷ καὶ τὴν θυσίαν 1.124 απασαν καταδαίσασθαι. ταῦθ' ὁ λαὸς ἰδὼν εὐλόγησε τὸν θεόν, καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς ηὐχαρίστησε, καὶ πολυτελῶς ἑορτάσαντες τὸν σύλλογον διελύσαντο. ονειρος δὲ γεγονὼς τῷ βασιλεῖ ἐπακοῦσαι τῆς εὐχῆς αὐτοῦ τὸν θεὸν ἐδήλου, καὶ τὸν ναόν τε συντηρηθῆναι καὶ αὐτὸν εἰς ακρον εὐδαιμονίας ἀναχθῆναι, καὶ τῆς χώρας αρξειν τοὺς ἐξ αὐτοῦ, εἰ αὐτός τε κἀκεῖνοι καὶ ὁ λαὸς τὰ θεῖα μὴ παραβαῖεν ἐντάλματα· εἰ δ' ου, πρόρριζον ἐκκόψειν ἠπείλει τὸ γένος αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὸν λαὸν δουλείᾳ καὶ κακώσεσι μυρίαις ὑποβαλεῖν, καὶ τὸν ναὸν παραδώσειν εἰς ἐμπρησμὸν καὶ διαρπαγήν, καὶ τὴν πόλιν εἰς κατασκαφήν τε καὶ προνομήν. Ουτω μὲν ουν τὰ τοῦ ναοῦ τῷ Σολομῶντι τετέλεστο· μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα βασίλεια ἑαυτῷ ᾠκοδόμησε πολυτελῆ καὶ λαμπρά, καὶ τὰ τῶν ̔Ιεροσολύμων δὲ τείχη προσεπεσκεύασε, καὶ πόλεις αλλας προσῳκοδόμησε, καὶ τοὺς ἐν τῷ Λιβάνῳ ορει τῶν Χαναναίων ὑφ' ἑαυτὸν ποιησάμενος, μὴ πρὶν ὑποταγέντας, ὑποφόρους κατέστησε. σοφίσματα δὲ καὶ λόγους αἰνιγματώδεις Χειρὰμ ὁ τῶν Τυρίων βασιλεὺς αὐτῷ πέπομφεν, ἀξιῶν σαφηνίσαι αὐτά· καὶ πάντα διέλυσε καὶ τὸν νοῦν ἐκείνων δεδήλωκε. μεμνῆσθαι τούτων ἱστορεῖ ὁ ̓Ιώσηπος καὶ συγγραφεῖς ἀρχαίους, τόν τε ∆ῖον καὶ πρὸς τούτῳ τὸν Μένανδρον. διαβοηθείσης δὲ πανταχοῦ τῆς σοφίας τοῦ Σολομῶντος καὶ τῆς φρονήσεως, βασίλισσά τις Αἰγύπτου καὶ Αἰθιόπων σοφίαν φιλοῦσα καὶ ζητοῦσα εἰς ̔Ιεροσόλυμα παραγέγονε. καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς φιλοτίμως αὐτὴν προσεδέξατο, καὶ τὰ σοφίσματα α προετίθει ἐκείνη ῥᾳδίως ἐπέλυεν, ὡς ἐκπλήττεσθαι τὴν βασίλισσαν καὶ πλέον λέγειν τῶν ἠκουσμένων ὁρᾶν. ἐθαύμαζε δὲ καὶ τὰ βασίλεια καὶ τῶν δείπνων τὴν πολυτέλειαν καὶ τὴν ὑπηρεσίαν απασαν 1.125 τὴν βασίλειον καὶ τὰς ἐν τῷ ναῷ θυσίας καὶ τῶν θυόντων τὸ ευτακτον. ἐδωρήσατο δὲ τὸν βασιλέα χρυσίῳ καὶ λίθοις τῶν πολυτίμων καὶ ἀμυθήτοις ἀρώμασι καὶ βαλσάμου ῥίζαις, ὡς ἐξ ἐκείνης ἐν Παλαιστίνῃ φυῆναι τὸ βάλσαμον. καὶ Σολομὼν δὲ πολλοῖς ἀγαθοῖς τὴν βασίλισσαν ἀντημείψατο. καὶ ἡ μὲν εἰς τὰ ἑαυτῆς ὑπενόστησεν· ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς πάντων τῶν πρὸ αὐτοῦ γενόμενος ἐνδοξότατος καὶ φρονήσει καὶ πλούτῳ διενεγκὼν οὐκ ἐνέμεινε τοῖς θείοις θεσμοῖς,