by VM44 17 Replies latest watchtower bible
Was King Solomon really wise?
The Bible gives one example of his wisdom in the way that he determined which mother was the the actual mother of a baby. A method, by the way, that involved trickery. That is it, no further examples...why not?
For that matter, many Bible stories emphasize trickery and deceit, and equates those qualities with a person being wise and possessing wisdom....why is that? Something does not appear to be right about that!
--VM44
There is a controversy about whether King Solomon even actually existed! --VM44
It seems that this wisdom is a perception into human behavior, an intuitive sense of how people would react to (false) information, that the way they would react would reveal something not yet overt. It seems to be analoguous to the "bad cop" approach of misleading the suspect to get him to trip up or act in ways that an innocent person would not act, or a defense attorney in cross examination trying to get the witness to admit something. Seems to be a knowledge of how to manipulate people.
As I understand it, the story of Solomon and the baby actually originates with an earlier Egyptian story. Apparently "The Wisdom of Amenemope" pre-dates Solomon and contains the essential elements of the story. So, was King Solomon really wise? Well, it's doubtful that this story is authentically his in the first place, so I guess we'll never know just how wise he was. Leo - can you clarify the origin of this for us?
Was King Solomon really wise?
He had 1,000 wives.
Or in other words, "No". ;-)
Dave
Portions of Proverbs derive from the Wisdom of Amenemope, but not the narrative in 1 Kings 3:16-28 which does not have a provenance, as far as I know. It is just the kind of story, however, that could have circulated about any wise sage of antiquity.
How wise could a ruler who taxed his subjects to the point of open rebellion really be?
What King Solomon? Sorry, there is no evidence he even existed, the Jewish people might have just needed some heroes of their own, to keep up with other more advanced people around them.
IC
ya, what everyone else said.
but i do like the part that goes: "everything is a vanity and striving after wind."
that always resonated with me. but is it wise?
no, i think it's pretty obvious that life is pointless. fun to live, but pointless.
TS
Who is "King Solomon" to you?
Do you know him? Did you ever know him?
Or are you just reading words on the pages of some one of the almost innumerable "holy books" that have invaded human society since people invented ink and paper?
