TESTAMENT OF SOLOMON
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 master workman’s little boy, as
well as half his food. 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.”
(A Pentalpha otherwise known as the seal of Solomon.)
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. 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 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
Solomon.”
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 thee.”
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-pourer. And those who are consumed
with desire for the noble virgins upon earth, these I strangle. But in case there is
no disposition to sleep, 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 frustrated by the archangel Uriel, 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 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 whales 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
demon. And he commanded the great demon and bold Ornias, to cut stones at
the Temple. 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 the devils.”
15. And I questioned him, and said: “Who art thou?” The demon replied: “I am
Beelzebub, the exarch of the demons. And all the demons have their chief seats
close to me. And I it is who make manifest the apparition of each demon.” 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 fairhued woman; and she tossed her head.
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 which has been made into a body, lurking
upon the earth. There is a golden cave where I lie. But I have a place that ever
shifts. At one time I strangle men with a noose; at another, I creep up and
prevent them from their true natures. But my most frequent dwelling-places are
the precipices, caves, and ravines. Oftentimes, however, do I consort with men in
the semblance of a woman, and above all with those of a dark skin. 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 remembering me,
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 ordure dropped in a wood.”
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 what angel is it that frustrates thee?” And she
said to me: “He that in 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.”
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 Asmodeus, 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 not?” But he,
with rage, said to me: “But how shall I answer thee, for thou art a son of man;
whereas I was born of an angel’s seed by a daughter of man, so that no word of
our heavenly kind addressed to the earth-born can be overweening. Wherefore
also my star is bright in heaven, and men call it, some the Wain, 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-hide, and to tell me humbly what was his name
and of 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 night and day to others that belong to
other men; with the result that they commit sin, and fall into murderous deeds.”
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 tamarisk.” 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 glanos 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 reed, 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 down. 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 child, 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 when he is ready, he will come in triumph.
27. I Solomon said unto him: “Beelzeboul, what is thy employment?” And he
answered me: “I destroy kings. I bring destruction by means of tyrants. And my
own demons I send on to men to be worshipped, 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. I
bring about jealousies and murders in a country, and I instigate wars. I will
destroy the world.”
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 Ephippas. 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.” So I said to him: “Tell me in which star you reside.” To
which he answered, “The one called by men the Evening Star.”
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
Emmanuel. 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
Theban marbles. And when he began to saw the marbles, the other demons cried
out with a loud voice, howling because of their king Beelzeboul was also subject
to the power the Most High had given me over him.
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 earthquake, thou wilt firmly fix thy house. And if, being
pure, 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
present time, 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 spat on the ground in that spot, and sealed the demon with the
ring of God. And forthwith the dustwind 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 your 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, 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 name?” 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.
34. And I glorified God afresh who gave me this authority, and ordered another
demon to come before me. And there came seven spirits, 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 voice: “We are of the thirty-three elements of the cosmic ruler of the
darkness.” 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.”
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 Klothod, 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.”
40. Likewise also the sixth said: “I am Error, 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
brother. I will lead you into error, so as to pry into graves; and I 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 locust 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.
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 crossways also I have many services to render, and my encounter is
fraught with harm. For I grasp in all instants 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 incurables 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-star. 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.”
And I bowed myself before the Lord God of Israel, and bade him remain in the
keeping of Beelzeboul until the angel Iax 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 change them to. 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 servant, 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 huge; 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 art thou frustrated?” And the demon replied: “By the great Brieus.”
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 roaring lion.
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
received 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, Rath 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 the 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 ‘Son of Man,’ 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 steep, under water. He is noised abroad in
the three letters which bring him down.”
53. And I Solomon, on hearing this, glorified God, and condemned his legion to
carry wood from the thicket. And I condemned the 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
spirit, whose activity in three lies. But I blind children in women’s wombs, and
twirl their ears round. And I make them deaf and mute. And I have again in my
third head means of slipping into the body. 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 head.” 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 limbs, 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 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 me; 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 (This is Lilith selfidentifying by one of her many names.); 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 stand; 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
fierce 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 640.” 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.
60. And I again ordered another demon to come before me. And it 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 astonished, 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
thee, O King Solomon. I am a spirit made into a god among men, but now
brought to naught by the ring and wisdom given to thee by God. Now I am the
so-called winged dragon, and I chamber not with many women, but only with a
few that are of fair shape, which possess the name of Touxylou, of this star. And
I pair with them in the guise of a spirit winged in form, copulating with them.
And she on whom I have leapt goes heavy with child, and that which is born of
her becomes filled with lust. 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 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 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
magically 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 element 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 driven asunder; 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 644, 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 given.”
66. And I Solomon, having heard this, glorified God. And though I marvelled at
the prophecy of the demon, I did not credit it until it came true. And I did not
believe their words; but when they were 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 the 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 wave,
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 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 Cynospaston, 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 me. 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.” 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 each. 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 died in the massacre in the time of the giants.” I said to him:
“Tell me what thou art employed 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 what 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
forehead, 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 of this darkness. (Eph.
6:12) 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 both
twin and crab, lion and virgin, scales and scorpion, archer, goat-horned, waterpourer, 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 decan 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’, and at once
I retreat.”
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 tumors of the parotid
gland, and inflammations of the tonsils, and tetanic recurvation. 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 eighth 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 and wrongs in
men’s homes, and send on them hard tempers. 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, 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 coriander 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.”
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 hardbreathing in children. If any one write on paper: ‘Rorêx, do thou pursue Alath,’
and fasten it round his neck, I at once retire.”
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 lumbar 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 aeon, and say: ‘I exorcise thee by the eleventh aeon to stop, I
demand, Phêth (Axiôphêth),’ then give it to the patient to drink 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 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 swaddlingclothes 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, Os.'”
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 eyes on every man.
Therefore, the drawing of the eye causes me much suffering, it frustrates me.”
106. The thirty-sixth said: “I am called Bianakith. I have a grudge against the
body. I lay waste to 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, honored 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. And all the kings of the earth came to me from the ends of the earth to
behold the Temple which I built unto the Lord God. And having heard of the
wisdom given to me, they paid 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 that 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 disciplines 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 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 they are fulfilled the types
of all of them. For there are principalities, authorities, world-rulers, 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 lightnings 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 by glorifying the
God of Israel; and she beheld the Temple of the Lord being built. And she gave a
shekel 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 colors,
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 (Manuscript too badly damaged to read) apart
from the demons whom I condemned to labor thereon. 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 entrusted 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,
condemn 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
stone, the end stone 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 together 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 the flask, and seal it securely with the sealring, 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 honor 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 I
entered the Temple, the flask stood up and walked around some seven steps and
then fell on its mouth and paid 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 Satan.” And I said to him: “What canst
thou do?” And he answered: “I am able to remove mountains, to overthrow the
oaths of kings. I wither trees and make their leaves 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 Temple?” 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 air, 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 signet ring on this side and that, and said:
“Watch!” And the spirits have remained upholding it until this day, for proof of
the wisdom entrusted unto 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 homing with Moses in Egypt. I am he who fought against
Moses 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 crushed 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
swore an oath, saying: “As 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
beginning of the end of the world.”
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 a 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 wife.” (Song of Solomon 6:13) 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 demon.
What is this proposal, that ye compel me to do so much?” But they said: “It is to
be done according to our fathers.”
129. And when I answered that I would on no account worship demons, they
told the maiden not to sleep with me until I complied and sacrificed to their
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 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
Baal, and to Rapha, and to Moloch, and to the other demons.
130. I then, wretch that I am, followed her advice, and the glory of God 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 things, and not to the first. So that ye may find
grace for ever and ever. Amen.
CLOSING STATEMENTS / ANALYSIS
The Testament of Solomon is important for several reasons. Primarily because it
deals with the spirits of the fallen giants. You see, since the giants were born of
the fallen angels through women, their spirits were different to that of men.
They, unlike mankind, doesn’t go to the grave in rest awaiting a resurrection and
judgment. They can roam the earth as they wish or until they are imprisoned by
God. In this testament did Solomon encounter the spirits of the giants which
further amplifies the existence of their fallen nature. That, even after the death of
the giants, they still lived through other bodies and forms.
With a clear hatred of mankind, as was demonstrated during their fleshly lives,
so too do they continue carrying out their vengeance upon mankind after their
fleshly bodies expired. Not being confined to flesh, but able to inhabit flesh, and
any form of matter – became their existence after their deaths. Disembodied
spirits they would become. As you’ve read, Solomon summoned them to come
before him. After Solomon’s death, despite his very noble attempt to seal up the
vessels containing the demons (spirits of the giants), did a group of nine knights
find them. The Knights of the Templar, or Knights of the Temple Mount. They
named themselves this because they excavated Solomon’s temple for nearly a
decade before they finally found what they were looking for: Solomon’s ring,
and the vessels he had sealed up the demons in.
After the knights had returned to Europe with their finds did the Catholic church
honor them and give them riches beyond belief. They invented the modern day
checking system and began bank rolling anyone they could. They black mailed
several lords with threats of demonic activity, and even sometimes delivered on
their promises. This of course didn’t go unnoticed and eventually the Catholic
church had them burned at the stake for consorting with the devil. Many of them
died on Friday the 13th but not all of them were slaughtered. The ones who
escaped would later form Freemasonry and the Illuminati. And so the book goes,
you may be through with the past but the past isn’t through with you.