David and Jesus - Priest, Prophet, and King

Luke_Wilbur · April 17, 2013

Not many know that both David and Jesus were Priests, Prophets, and Kings.

Luke_Wilbur · April 18, 2013

Like Melchizedek, David was a royal priest, distinct from the Aaronic line.

Psalm 110

Here is the Lord’s proclamation to my lord:

“Sit down at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool!”

110:2 The Lord extends your dominion from Zion.

Rule in the midst of your enemies!

110:3 Your people willingly follow you when you go into battle.

On the holy hills 11 at sunrise the dew of your youth belongs to you.

110:4 The Lord makes this promise on oath and will not revoke it:

“You are an eternal priest after the pattern of Melchizedek.

Tehillim - Psalms - Chapter 110

1. Of David a psalm. The word of the Lord to my master; "Wait for My right hand, until I make your enemies a footstool at your feet."

2. The staff of your might the Lord will send from Zion; rule in the midst of your enemies.

3. Your people will volunteer on the day of your host, because of the beauty of holiness when you fell from the womb; for you, your youth is like dew.

4. The Lord swore and will not repent; you are a priest forever because of the speech of Malchizedek.

An ephod is a sacred vestment worn by high priests. David used the sacred ephod to communicate with and praise Yahweh.

1 Samuel 23

23:9 When David realized that Saul was planning to harm him, he told Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod!”

23:10 Then David said, “O Lord God of Israel, your servant has clearly heard that Saul is planning to come to Keilah to destroy the city because of me.

23:11 Will the leaders of Keilah deliver me into his hand? Will Saul come down as your servant has heard? O Lord God of Israel, please inform your servant!”

Then the Lord said, “He will come down.”

23:12 David asked, “Will the leaders of Keilah deliver me and my men into Saul’s hand?” The Lord said, “They will deliver you over.”

Prophets Shmuel I - Chapter 23

9. And David knew that upon him, Saul was plotting the evil; and he said to Abiathar the priest, "Bring near the ephod."

10. And David said, "O Lord God of Israel, Your bondsman has heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah to destroy the city because of me.

11. Will the citizens of Keilah deliver me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as Your bondsman has heard? O Lord God of Israel, tell now Your bondsman!" And the Lord said, "He will come down."

12. And David said, "Will the citizens of Keilah deliver me and my men into Saul's hands?" And the Lord said, "They will deliver."

2 Samuel 6

6:11 The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months. The Lord blessed Obed-Edom and all his family.

6:12 David was told, “The Lord has blessed the family of Obed-Edom and everything he owns because of the ark of God.” So David went and joyfully brought the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David.

6:13 Those who carried the ark of the Lord took six steps and then David sacrificed an ox and a fatling calf.

6:14 Now David, wearing a linen ephod, was dancing with all his strength before the Lord.

6:15 David and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord, shouting and blowing trumpets.

Prophets Shmuel II - Chapter 6

11. And the ark of the Lord dwelled in the house of Oved-edom the Gittite three months; and the Lord blessed Oved-edom, and all his household.

12. And it was told to King David saying: 'The Lord has blessed the house of Oved-edom, and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of the Lord. And David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Oved-edom into the city of David with joy.

13. And it was when the bearers of the ark of God had trodden six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling.

14. And David danced with all his might before the Lord; and David was girded with a linen ephod.

15. And David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of [the] shofar.

Luke_Wilbur · April 22, 2013

Yahweh let it be known through Prophet Nathan that he would make a Covenant with his faithful servant David.

2 Samuel 7

7:1 The king settled into his palace, for the Lord gave him relief from all his enemies on all sides.

7:2 The king said to Nathan the prophet, “Look! I am living in a palace made from cedar, while the ark of God sits in the middle of a tent.”

7:3 Nathan replied to the king, “You should go and do whatever you have in mind, for the Lord is with you.”

7:4 That night the Lord told Nathan,

7:5 “Go, tell my servant David: ‘This is what the Lord says: Do you really intend to build a house for me to live in?

7:6 I have not lived in a house from the time I brought the Israelites up from Egypt to the present day. Instead, I was traveling with them and living in a tent.

7:7 Wherever I moved among all the Israelites, I did not say to any of the leaders whom I appointed to care for my people Israel, “Why have you not built me a house made from cedar?”’

7:8 “So now, say this to my servant David: ‘This is what the Lord of hosts says: I took you from the pasture and from your work as a shepherd to make you leader of my people Israel.

7:9 I was with you wherever you went, and I defeated all your enemies before you. Now I will make you as famous as the great men of the earth.

7:10 I will establish a place for my people Israel and settle them there; they will live there and not be disturbed any more. Violent men will not oppress them again, as they did in the beginning

7:11 and during the time when I appointed judges to lead my people Israel. Instead, I will give you relief from all your enemies. The Lord declares to you that he himself will build a dynastic house for you.

7:12 When the time comes for you to die, I will raise up your descendant, one of your own sons, to succeed you, and I will establish his kingdom.

7:13 He will build a house for my name, and I will make his dynasty permanent.

7:14 I will become his father and he will become my son. When he sins, I will correct him with the rod of men and with wounds inflicted by human beings.

7:15 But my loyal love will not be removed from him as I removed it from Saul, whom I removed from before you.

7:16 Your house and your kingdom will stand before me permanently; your dynasty will be permanent.’”

7:17 Nathan told David all these words that were revealed to him.

Ben Sira indicates that, despite Solomon's many sins, it will be through the root of the House of David that the Messianic line will continue.

Sirach 47

1 After him came NATHAN

who served in David’s presence.

2 Like the choice fat of sacred offerings,

so was DAVID in Israel.

3 He played with lions as though they were young goats,

and with bears, like lambs of the flock.

4 As a youth he struck down the giant

and wiped out the people’s disgrace;

His hand let fly the slingstone

that shattered the pride of Goliath.

5 For he had called upon the Most High God,

who gave strength to his right arm

To defeat the skilled warrior

and establish the might of his people.

6 Therefore the women sang his praises

and honored him for “the tens of thousands.”

When he received the royal crown, he battled

7and subdued the enemy on every side.

He campaigned against the hostile Philistines

and shattered their power till our own day.

8 With his every deed he offered thanks

to God Most High, in words of praise.

With his whole heart he loved his Maker

9 and daily had his praises sung;

10 He added beauty to the feasts

and solemnized the seasons of each year

9b With string music before the altar,

providing sweet melody for the psalms

10b So that when the Holy Name was praised,

before daybreak the sanctuary would resound.

11 The LORD forgave him his sins

and exalted his strength forever;

He conferred on him the rights of royalty

and established his throne in Israel.

12 Because of his merits he had as successor

a wise son, who lived in security:

13 SOLOMON reigned during an era of peace,

for God brought rest to all his borders.

He built a house to the name of God,

and established a lasting sanctuary.

14 How wise you were when you were young,

overflowing with instruction, like the Nile in flood!

15 Your understanding covered the whole earth,

and, like a sea, filled it with knowledge.

16 Your fame reached distant coasts,

and you were beloved for your peaceful reign.

17 With song and proverb and riddle,

and with your answers, you astounded the nations.

18 You were called by that glorious name

which was conferred upon Israel.*

Gold you gathered like so much iron;

you heaped up silver as though it were lead.

19 But you abandoned yourself to women

and gave them dominion over your body.

20 You brought a stain upon your glory,

shame upon your marriage bed,

Wrath upon your descendants,

and groaning upon your deathbed.

21 Thus two governments came into being,

when in Ephraim kingship was usurped.

22 But God does not withdraw his mercy,

nor permit even one of his promises to fail.

He does not uproot the posterity of the chosen,

nor destroy the offspring of his friends.

So he gave to Jacob a remnant,

to David a root from his own family.

April 23, 2013

The Book of the All-Virtuous Wisdom of Joshua ben Sira, commonly called the Wisdom of Sirach or simply Sirach, and also known as The Book Ecclesiasticus or Siracides or Ben Sira, is a work of ethical teachings from approximately 200-175 B.C.written by the Jewish scribe Joshua ben Sirach of Jerusalem. The book was not accepted into the Hebrew Bible and as a result the original Hebrew text was not preserved in the Jewish canon. However, various original Hebrew versions have since been recovered.

There are numerous citations of Sirach in the Talmud and works of rabbinic literature (as "ספר בן סירא", e.g., Hagigah 13a). Despite not finding ultimate acceptance into the scriptural canon of Judaism, it was read as scripture by some Jews. For instance, it was included in the canon of the Jewish Septuagint, the 2nd century BC Greek version of the Jewish scriptures used by Diaspora Jews. Sirach is accepted as part of the Christian biblical canon by Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and most Oriental Orthodox but not by most Protestants. The Greek Church Fathers also called it the "All-Virtuous Wisdom", while the Latin Church Fathers, beginning with Cyprian, termed it Ecclesiasticus because it was frequently read in churches, leading to the title liber ecclesiasticus (Latin and Latinised Greek for "church book").

In Egypt, it was translated into Greek by the author's grandson, who added a prologue. The Prologue to the Book of the All-Virtuous Wisdom of Joshua ben Sirach is generally considered the earliest witness to a canon of the books of the prophets, and thus the date of the text as we have it is the subject of intense scrutiny.

As early as 1896, several substantial Hebrew texts of Sirach, copied in the 11th and 12th centuries, were found in the Cairo geniza (a synagogue storage room for damaged manuscripts). Although none of these manuscripts is complete, together they provide the text for about two-thirds of the Wisdom of Sirach. According to scholars including Solomon Schechter and Frederic Kenyon, this shows that the book was originally written in Hebrew.

In the 1950s and 1960s three copies of portions of Sirach were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls. The largest scroll was discovered at Masada, the famous Jewish fortress destroyed in AD 73. The earliest of these scrolls (2Q18) has been dated to the second part of the 1st century BC, approximately 150 years after Sirach was first composed. These early Hebrew texts are in substantial agreement with the Hebrew texts discovered in Cairo, although there are numerous minor textual variants. With these findings, scholars are now more confident that the Cairo texts are reliable witnesses to the Hebrew original.

Luke_Wilbur · April 24, 2013

Titus Flavius Josephus, also known as Joseph ben Matityahu wrote that the Son of David (Solomon) had great powers of healing.

Antiquities of the Jews - Book VIII - Chapter II

5. Now the sagacity and wisdom which God had bestowed on Solomon was so great, that he exceeded the ancients; insomuch that he was no way inferior to the Egyptians, who are said to have been beyond all men in understanding; nay, indeed, it is evident that their sagacity was very much inferior to that of the king's. He also excelled and distinguished himself in wisdom above those who were most eminent among the Hebrews at that time for shrewdness; those I mean were Ethan, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol. He also composed books of odes and songs a thousand and five, of parables and similitudes three thousand; for he spake a parable upon every sort of tree, from the hyssop to the cedar; and in like manner also about beasts, about all sorts of living creatures, whether upon the earth, or in the seas, or in the air; for he was not unacquainted with any of their natures, nor omitted inquiries about them, but described them all like a philosopher, and demonstrated his exquisite knowledge of their several properties. God also enabled him to learn that skill which expels demons, which is a science useful and sanative to men. He composed such incantations also by which distempers are alleviated. And he left behind him the manner of using exorcisms, by which they drive away demons, so that they never return; and this method of cure is of great force unto this day; for I have seen a certain man of my own country, whose name was Eleazar, releasing people that were demoniacal in the presence of Vespasian, and his sons, and his captains, and the whole multitude of his soldiers. The manner of the cure was this: He put a ring that had a Foot of one of those sorts mentioned by Solomon to the nostrils of the demoniac, after which he drew out the demon through his nostrils; and when the man fell down immediately, he abjured him to return into him no more, making still mention of Solomon, and reciting the incantations which he composed. And when Eleazar would persuade and demonstrate to the spectators that he had such a power, he set a little way off a cup or basin full of water, and commanded the demon, as he went out of the man, to overturn it, and thereby to let the spectators know that he had left the man; and when this was done, the skill and wisdom of Solomon was shown very manifestly: for which reason it is, that all men may know the vastness of Solomon's abilities, and how he was beloved of God, and that the extraordinary virtues of every kind with which this king was endowed may not be unknown to any people under the sun for this reason, I say, it is that we have proceeded to speak so largely of these matters.

Here we see blind mention that Christ as the 'Son of David' and is able to cure people and cast away demons just like Solomon did in the writings of Josephus.

Matthew 9

9:27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, shouting, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”

9:28 When he went into the house, the blind men came to him. Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.”

9:29 Then he touched their eyes saying, “Let it be done for you according to your faith.”

9:30 And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus sternly warned them, “See that no one knows about this.” 9:31 But they went out and spread the news about him throughout that entire region.

9:32 As they were going away, a man who could not talk and was demon-possessed was brought to him.

9:33 After the demon was cast out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowds were amazed and said, “Never has anything like this been seen in Israel!”

9:34 But the Pharisees said, “By the ruler of demons he casts out demons.”

Miracle+10_JesusHeals2Blind.jpg

April 25, 2013

Consider whether Jesus was referencing the Testament of Solomon.

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The Testament of Solomon is an Old Testament pseudepigraphical work ascribed to King Solomon of Jerusalem written withing the 15th and 16th century. The text is only found in Christian sources and is not in the Jewish Tanakh or other Jewish sources. It describes how Solomon was enabled to build his Temple by commanding demons by means of a magical ring entrusted to him by the Archangel Michael,.

McCown allocated the texts of the Testament of Solomon to 3 major recensions, which he called A, B and C. But the earliest form of the text, he argues, is that represented by ms D, which McCown prints as a separate entity in his edition (pp.88-97).

ms D. The first significant MS is D (Dionysius Monastery, Mt Athos, No. 132, fol. 367-374). This is a haggadic folktale building on biographical material about Solomon and characterised by strong interest in demonology, and is datable to the sixteenth century. This, however, should probably not be regarded as a Testament of Solomon, but simply as haggadah: it is entitled PERI TOU SOLOMONTOS. It is not a testament at all but a biography of Solomon, gathering together a number of Solomonic folk-tales in which demons played a large part (McCown 1922, p.35). It contains a long prefatory section giving the OT background to Solomon's story (e.g. David's sin with Bathsheba), which is not found in the other texts, and includes the ring story but less than half of the demonological material found in other manuscripts.

Recension A is represented by H, I, and L, 3 manuscripts dating from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. In these manuscripts the story begins with the building of the Temple and ends with Solomon's fall through the episode of the Shunamite.

ms H (Holkham Hall, No. 99) is datable to the fifteenth century and usually presents an abbreviated text (except 26.8-10), omitting 14.3-16.1. This MS appears to be at least based on a text (or haggadic tradition) regarded by the scribe as the Testament of Solomon on account of the superscription DIEGESIS PERI TES DIATHEKES SOLOMONTOS.

ms I (Paris BN, supplement grec 500), dating from the sixteenth century, is entitled SOLOMONTOS, with DIATHEKE T[OU] carelessly scrawled in the upper margin, suggesting perhaps that the scribe regarded the material with which he was dealing as simply concerning Solomon and called to mind a traditional title for this material after writing the superscription. The abrupt end of the MS at 5.8 suggests that the repetitive material in which this verse occurs was intentionally omitted by a weary scribe, indicating also that this material existed in whatever Vorlage the scribe was using.

ms L (Harleian MSS, British Museum, No. 5596) omits 14.3-16.1 and ends at 18.41, and is datable to the fifteenth century. This MS is a compendium of medieval magical, astrological and demonological lore: McCown suggests it was evidently written by a medieval magician for practical use in his profession (McCown, 1922, p.14). It includes a number of Solomonic fragments, of which the section designated by McCown as the Testament runs from folio 8r to folio 18r; three other fragments contain material associated with McCown's recension.

Recension B is represented by P and Q, 2 manuscripts dating from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. N is also associated with this recension. It contains Òtwo explanations of the writing of the Testament, .. a shorter beginning and ending, and ... more extended accounts of many of the demons.

ms N (Library of the Greek Patriarchate, Jerusalem, Sancti Saba, No. 422) is datable to either the fifteenth or the sixteenth century. Only N and P include 14.3-16.1, incorporating the overtly Christian comment at 15.10-12.

ms P (Paris, BN, Anciens fonds grecs, No. 38 (Colbert 4895)) is a sixteenth century manuscript entitled DIATHEKE SOLOMONTOS.

ms Q (Andreas Convent, Mt Athos, No. 73) is a fifteenth century document which does not include 3.1-20.9.

Recension C is represented by mss V and W with the fragments (parts of other compilations) which McCown designated S, T, and U. This is described by McCown as an entirely different recension, which has undergone a thorough revision, and is more interested in demonology as a means for revealing nature's treasures and mysteries than in its medical aspect (McCown 1922, p.32).

ms S (Vienna, codex philos. graec. 108) is a sixteenth century ms.

ms V (Bologna, Library of the University, MS No. 3632) dates from the fifteenth century.

ms W (Paris BN, Anciens fonds grecs, No. 2419) is a fifteenth century ms.

T is McCown's designation for 3 fragments from msL (see above): fifteenth century.

ms U (Milan, Ambrosian Library, No. 1030) dates from the sixteenth century, and includes some Solomonic material (inlcuding a list of demons) written as page-fillers or across the margins.

http://www.st-andrew...ctures/harding/

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More References

http://www.academia....opaic_Practices

http://www.onb.ac.at...yrus_museum.htm

http://issuu.com/hun...er-the-pharaohs

http://www.scribd.co...CE%91-to-%CE%96

The Vienna Papyrus, is also known by a variety of other names, such as:

Suchos medical papyrus, Fayyum medical papyrus, Crocodilopolis Medical Book

Luke_Wilbur · April 25, 2013

The Testament of Solomon states that the Pentalpha ring as the Seal of Solomon. From what I read the ring is the actual power that gathers all the demons to build Jerusalem. I find this somewhat similar to J. R. R. Tolkien's magical artifact 'One Ring to Rule them All." I wonder if he knew of this story.

(translated from the codex of the Paris Library, after the edition of Fleck, Wissensch. Reise, bd. ii. abth. 3)

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.

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.

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.

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.

The pentacle found in the flag of Morocco symbolizes the Seal of Solomon.Red has considerable historic significance in Morocco, proclaiming the descent of the royal Alaouite family from the Prophet Muhammad via Fatima, the wife of Ali.

http://www.esoterica...on/testamen.htm

April 27, 2013

Look for the the Book of Chamis

Universitätsbibliothek Leipzig

Beethovenstr. 6

04107 Leipzig, Germany

Phone: +49(0) 341 97 30577

Fax: +49(0) 341 97 30596

auskunft@ub.uni-leipzig.de

"We are the angels set over the eight winds. Allah, our Creator and thine, sends us to swear fealty, and to surrender to thee the power over us and the eight winds which are at our command. According to thy pleasure and designs, they shall blow from that quarter to which though shall rise out of the earth to bear thee up, and raise thee above the loftiest mountains." The most exalted of the eight angels then presented to him a jewel with this inscription: "To Allah belong greatness and might:" and said, "If though has need of us, raise this stone toward heaven, we shall appear to serve thee."

The angel of the kingdom of the birds then gave him a jewel with the inscription, "All created things praise the Lord, "By virtue of this stone, which thou needes only to raise above thy head, thou mayest call us at any moment, and impart to us thy commands."

There appeared an angel, whose upper part looked like earch, and whose lower like water. He bowed down toward the earth and said, "I am created by Allah to manifest his will both to the dry land and to teh sea; but he has placed me at thy disposal, and thou mayest command, through me over earth and sea: at thy will the highest mountains shall disappear, and others rise out of the ground; rivers and seas shall dry up, and fruitful countries be turned in seas or oceans." He then presented to him before he vanished a jewel, with the inscription, "Heaven and earth are the servants of Allah."

Finally, another angel brough to him a fourth jewel, which bore the inscription, "There is no God but one, Mohammed is his messenger." "By means of this stone," said the angel, "thou obtainest the dominion over the kingdom of spirits, which is much greater than that of man and beasts, and fills up the whole space between the earth and heaven.

When Solomon returned home, he commanded the four jewels which the angels had given him to be set in a signet ring, in order to rule over spirits and animals, and over winds and water.

The Angel of Death accompanied Solomon unto the hall whose walls were entirely crystal. There Solomon prayed; and, leaning upon his staff, requested the angel to take his soul in that position. The angel consented; and his death was thus concealed from the demons a whole year, till the temple was finished. It was not until the staff, when destroyed by worms, broke down with him, that his death was observed by the spirits, who, in order to revenge themselves, concealed all kinds of magical books under his throne, so that many believers thought Solomon had been a sorcerer. But hew was a pure divine prophet, as it is written in the Koran, "Solomon was no infidel, but the demons were unbelievers, and taught all manner of sorceries." When the king was lying together with his signet ring, to a cave, where they shall guard him until the day of resurrection.

April 27, 2013

Magic rings are certainly known in Jewish lore; they are mentioned in the Talmud and Midrash. Solomon's magical ring had many properties in legend: making him all-knowing, conferring him with the ability to speak with animals and bearing the special sigil that sealed genies into bottles. A story about King Solomon and a ring is found in the Babylonian Talmud, but rings are more fully discussed in Jewish mystical literature. The power of a ring is in the divine name with which it is inscribed; such rings are used to invoke and command various guardians of heavenly palaces and to gain entrance to those heavens. In the Zohar, God is thought to own and use a signet ring, or, at least, a signet.

Luke_Wilbur · April 27, 2013

Scripture does not mention any demons building God's temple. But, there are Christian and Islamic stories that mention Solomon having a signet ring given by angels to control demons to build God's temple. The Christian account has pentagram engraved in the ring. The Islamic version the ring has four gems with inscriptions on them.

http://www.answering...org/Books/Weil/

The Jewish Talmudic account is different.

Babylonian Talmud: Tractate Gittin

Folio 68a

The Master said: Here they translate 'male and female demons'. For what did Solomon want them? — As indicated in the verse, And the house when it was in building was made of stone made ready at the quarry, [there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house while it was in building]; He said to the Rabbis, How shall I manage [without iron tools]? — They replied, There is the shamir which Moses brought for the stones of the ephod. He asked them, Where is it to be found? — They replied, Bring a male and a female demon and tie them together; perhaps they know and will tell you. So he brought a male and a female demon and tied them together. They said to him, We do not know, but perhaps Ashmedai the prince of the demons knows. He said to them, Where is he? — They answered, He is in such-and-such a mountain. He has dug a pit there, which he fills with water and covers with a stone, which he then seals with his seal. Every day he goes up to heaven and studies in the Academy of the sky and then he comes down to earth and studies in the Academy of the earth, and then he goes and examines his seal and opens [the pit] and drinks and then closes it and seals it again and goes away.

Solomon thereupon sent thither Benaiahu son of Jehoiada, giving him a chain on which was graven the [Divine] Name and a ring on which was graven the Name and fleeces of wool and bottles of wine. Benaiahu went and dug a pit lower down the hill and let the water flow into it and stopped [the hollow] With the fleeces of wool, and he then dug a pit higher up and poured the wine into it and then filled up the pits. He then went and sat on a tree.

When Ashmedai came he examined the seal, then opened the pit and found it full of wine. He said, it is written, Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whosoever erreth thereby is not wise, and it is also written, Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the understanding. I will not drink it. Growing thirsty, however, he could not resist, and he drank till he became drunk, and fell asleep.

Benaiahu then came down and threw the chain over him and fastened it. When he awoke he began to struggle, whereupon he [benaiahu] said, The Name of thy Master is upon thee, the Name of thy Master is upon thee. As he was bringing him along, he came to a palm tree and rubbed against it and down it came. He came to a house and knocked it down. He came to the hut of a certain widow. She came out and besought him, and he bent down so as not to touch it, thereby breaking a bone. He said,

That bears out the verse, A soft tongue breaketh the bone. He saw a blind man straying from his way and he put him on the right path. He saw a drunken man losing his way and he put him on his path. He saw a wedding procession making its way merrily and he wept. He heard a man say to a shoemaker, Make me a pair of shoes that will last seven years, and he laughed. He saw a diviner practicing divinations and he laughed.

When they reached Jerusalem he was not taken to see Solomon for three days. On the first day he asked, Why does the king not want to see me? They replied, Because he has over-drunk himself. So he took a brick and placed it on top of another. When they reported this to Solomon he said to them, What he meant to tell you was, Give him more to drink.

On the next day he said to them, Why does the king not want to see me? They replied, Because he has over-eaten himself. He thereupon took one brick from off the other and placed it on the ground. When they reported this to Solomon, he said, He meant to tell you to keep food away from me.

After three days he went in to see him. He took a reed and measured four cubits and threw it in front of him, saying, See now, when you die you will have no more than four cubits in this world. Now, however, you have subdued the whole world, yet you are not satisfied till you subdue me too.

He replied: I want nothing of you. What I want is to build the Temple and I require the shamir. He said: It is not in my hands, it is in the hands of the Prince of the Sea who gives it only to the woodpecker, to whom he trusts it on oath. What does the bird do with it? — He takes it to a mountain where there is no cultivation and puts it on the edge of the rock which thereupon splits, and he then takes seeds from trees and brings them and throws them into the opening and things grow there. (This is what the Targum means by nagar tura).

So they found out a woodpecker's nest with young in it, and covered it over with white glass. When the bird came it wanted to get in but could not, so it went and brought the shamir and placed it on the glass. Benaiahu thereupon gave a shout, and it dropped [the shamir] and he took it, and the bird went and committed suicide on account of its oath.

Benaiahu said to Ashmedai, Why when you saw that blind man going out of his way did you put him right? He replied: It has been proclaimed of him in heaven that he is a wholly righteous man, and that whoever does him a kindness will be worthy of the future world. And why when you saw the drunken man going out of his way did you put him right? He replied, They have proclaimed concerning him in heaven that he is wholly wicked, and I conferred a boon on him in order that he may consume [here] his share [in the future]. Why when you saw the wedding procession did you weep? He said: The husband will die within thirty days, and she will have to wait for the brother-in-law who is still a child of thirteen years. Why, when you heard a man say to the shoemaker, Make me shoes to last seven years, did you laugh? He replied: That man has not seven days to live, and he wants shoes for seven years! Why when you saw that diviner divining did you laugh? He said: He was sitting on a royal treasure: he should have divined what was beneath him.

Solomon kept him with him until he had built the Temple. One day when he was alone with him, he said, it is written, He hath as it were to'afoth and re'em, and we explain that to'afoth means the ministering angels and re'em means the demons. What is your superiority over us? He said to him, Take the chain off me and give me your ring, and I will show you. So he took the chain off him and gave him the ring. He then swallowed him, and placing one wing on the earth and one on the sky he hurled him four hundred parasangs. In reference to that incident Solomon said, What profit is there to a man in all his labor wherein he laboureth under the sun.

http://www.come-and-.../gittin_68.html

Benaiah was the son of the priest Jehoiada and David's general for the army of the Kingdom of Israel and Solomon's chief bodyguard.

The name Asmodai is believed to derive from Avestan language *aēšma-daēva, where aēšma means "wrath", and daēva signifies "demon". While the daēva Aēšma is thus Zoroastrianism's demon of wrath and is also well attested as such, the compound aēšma-daēvas not attested in scripture. This would make sense, Jews and Zoroastrians lived in close proximity during the Talmud period.

Asmodai appears as the king 'Asmoday' in the Ars Goetia, where he is said to have a seal in gold and is listed as number thirty-two according to respective rank.

He "is strong, powerful and appears with three heads; the first is like a bull, the second like a man, and the third like a ram; the tail of a serpent, and from his mouth issue flames of fire." Also, he sits upon an infernal dragon, holds a lance with a banner and, amongst the Legions of Amaymon, Asmoday governs seventy two legions of inferior spirits.

Zohar - Miketz

132) All those who transgress with one thing in the Torah are caught in it. King Solomon, who was wiser than all the people in the world, breached one thing in the Torah—he had many wives—and caused himself to lose his kingship, when he was made a layman by the hand of Asmodeus.

April 28, 2013

Surat Şād (The Letter "Saad")