In an ancient Greek book called The Testament (that is, the Last
Words) of Solomon, the story is told of the way in which Solomon
overcame the demons and made them serve him. The tale is put into the
mouth of the king himself.
When I was engaged upon the building of the temple in Jerusalem,
there was a lad, the son of the foreman of the builders, of whom I
took notice, for he was a clever workman. Indeed, so skilful was he
that I increased his wages and his allowance of food above the rest.
Yet in spite of that, as I saw him by day, I noticed that he was
becoming thin and weak and pale. So one day I called him and asked
him whether anything was the matter with him. At first he would not
tell me, but when I pressed him he said, "I know not whether you will
believe it, O king, but a strange thing has been afflicting me. Every
night when I go to my bed, something comes and sucks my right thumb,
and, moreover, it steals away my food; and I feel that it is taking
away all my strength, and I believe that it is an evil spirit." When
I heard that, I went back to my palace, and thought earnestly, and
consulted the writings of the ancients; and I prayed that a way might
be shown to me how I could set the lad free from the power of the
demon. And after some days there came to me an angel, and brought me
a ring with a stone in it, on which was cut the figure that is called
the Pentalpha and within it the Name that may not be spoken; and he
told me what I must do with it. On the morrow, therefore, I sent for
the lad and gave him the ring, saying, "Take this, and to-night, when
the creature comes, you must cast the ring into its bosom, and say,
'In the strength of the Name, King Solomon calleth thee.' Then rise up
and come running to me, and be not afraid for whatever the demon may
say to you."
So that night at the accustomed hour the wicked demon Ornias came to
the lad's chamber, with intent to suck his blood and take away his
food. But the lad remembered my words, and cast the ring upon the
demon, saying, "Come, for Solomon calleth thee," and set off at once
to my palace. But the demon shrieked out after him, "Boy, what hast
thou done? Take the ring from me, and I will give thee the hidden
gold of the earth; take it off, and bring me not before Solomon!" But
the lad took no heed; and running into the palace, he called to me,
"O king, I have brought the spirit, as you told me; he is there
before the door, screaming and entreating me and promising me the
hidden treasures of the earth if I will not force him to come to
you." Then I rose up from my throne and went out into the court of
the palace, and saw the creature, in the form of a flame of fire,
quivering and shrinking; and I stood over it, and said, "What is thy
name?" And it answered, "Ornias." And I bade Ornias reveal to me, in
the strength of the ring, how I should make him subject to me; and he
told me where his abode was, and how he afflicted men, and all that I
asked him. Then I sealed him with the seal of the ring, and appointed
him to hew stones for the building of the temple.
Thereafter, when I had considered what I should do, I called for
Ornias, and delivered the ring to him, and bade him bring before me
Beelzebul, the prince of all the demons. So Ornias went to Beelzebul,
and found him sitting upon his throne, and said, "Solomon calleth for
thee." And Beelzebul said scornfully, "Who is this Solomon of whom
thou speakest?" And Ornias cast the ring into the bosom of
Beelzebul, and said again, "Solomon calleth for thee." And at that
Beelzebul uttered a mighty roar, and cast forth from his mouth a
great flame of fire; but he must needs rise up from his throne and
follow Ornias, and stand before me. And when I saw him, I gave thanks
to the Most High, who had given me power over the demons. And I spoke
roughly to him; and he promised to bring before me all the demons,
and that they should be subject to me, and do all that I commanded
them. And I appointed him to saw blocks of marble in pieces for the
work of the temple; but when the other demons saw their lord and
master labouring like a slave, they shrieked aloud and were sorely
dismayed.
After that I sent for many of the chief of the demons, one by one,
and questioned them concerning their deeds, what diseases they sent
upon men, and what secret things they knew, and how they were to be
subdued; and when they had told me, I bound them, and set them to
work upon the building of the temple.
Now the shapes in which they appeared before me were manifold: one
was like a beautiful woman, but she had one foot like an ass's hoof;
and another like a man without a head, and a flame of fire coming out
of his neck; another like a great dog. These two I bound together,
and the dog kept watch over the headless man, and the flame of fire
that came from his neck gave light to the workmen by night. There
were also dragons, one with three heads, and one with the head of a
man. Another had a face that shone with a green light, and hair like
serpents, but the rest of his body was darkness; and yet another was
a dark man with shining eyes, and a drawn sword in his hand, who said
that he was the spirit of one of the old giants who perished in the
days of the flood. And of some I saw no shape, but only heard a
voice. But over all of them I had dominion, and I appointed them
tasks. Some I made to carry water to the builders, and some made
ropes; others melted the gold and silver, and others lifted the
stones. So the temple was built speedily, and I, Solomon, enjoyed
great honour and peace and tranquillity in my kingdom, and the kings
and princes of all the regions round about came to visit me, and
brought me precious gifts; and my kingdom was greatly exalted.
Now in those days, as I was sitting on my throne in the midst of my
palace (and Ornias the demon was standing by me), there came before
me an old man, one of my workmen, and cast himself down before me,
and cried to me to do him justice against his son; for his son
ill-treated him and beat him and plucked out his hair. When I heard
that, I had pity on him, for he was an old man, and weak; and I sent
for his son, and asked him why he dealt so with his father. But the
son denied it, saying, "I am not so given over to wickedness that I
should strike my father. Be it far from me, O king: I have done no
such evil." I sent him away, therefore, and called his father again,
and bade him be reconciled with his son; but he said, "Nay, but let
him die the death." Wherefore I was perplexed, and it was in my mind
to give sentence against the young man; but it happened that I
looked at Ornias the demon, and I saw that he was laughing. So I sent
the people away, and said to Ornias, "Accursed one, why dost thou
laugh at me?" He answered, "Forgive me, O king; it was not at
thee that I laughed, but at this wretched old man: because he is
contriving an evil death for his son, and, lo! in three days his son
will fall sick and die." Then said I, "Is this the truth?" And he
said, "It is." Then I sent for the old man and his son, and said to
them, "Strive to make agreement between yourselves, and after three
days come again to me; and in the meantime I will send you your food
from my table." And they did obeisance and departed. And when the
three days were past, I saw the old man come into the judgment-hall;
and he was dressed in garments of mourning, and his face was sad. I
said therefore to him, "Where is thy son?" And he answered, "I
have no son: this day have I carried him to his burial."
So when he was departed, I said to Ornias, "How was it that thou
knewest these things?" And he answered, "It is thus, O king. We who
are spirits can fly up into the air under the firmament, and we hover
about among the stars and overhear the decrees that go forth from the
heavens against the children of men when they are appointed to die.
But we cannot abide there for long, and so we become weak, and fall
like the leaves from the trees; and when men see us they say, 'Look,
there is a falling star.' But they are not in truth stars that fall,
since the stars have their appointed place in the heavens, like the
sun and the moon; but it is we, the spirits of the air, who are in
appearance like stars." And I sent Ornias away, and marvelled
greatly.
Again, in those days there came to me a letter from Adares the king
of the Arabians, saying, "To King Solomon, greeting! We have heard of
the wisdom that has been given to thee, and that thou art a
compassionate man, and that thou hast power over all spirits that are
in the air, or on the earth, or under the earth. Now be it known to
thee that there is a destroying spirit in this land; for every day at
dawn there arises a wind which blows for three hours, and it is so
venomous that every one on whom it blows dies, and it kills the
cattle also. Now therefore we entreat thee in thy wisdom to devise
some means, and if it may be, send us a man who can capture the
spirit; and if thou canst do so, then I and my people will be
tributary unto thee, and Arabia shall keep peace with thee. And, we
beseech thee, make not light of our petition, for we are in a great
strait. And so farewell."
When I had read this letter, I folded it up again and gave it to my
chief counsellor, saying, "Bring it again to my remembrance after
seven days." Then I thought upon the matter; and after the seven days
I called one of my servants and said to him, "Make ready a camel,
and get an empty wine-skin." And he did so. Now the wine-skin was
made of a whole hide of a beast, so that it had the upper parts of
the four legs remaining upon it, the legs being sewn up, and the neck
open. I said to him further, "Take this ring and go into Arabia, to
the place where the venomous wind blows, and take the skin and hold
the ring in front of the mouth of the skin towards the wind, so that
the wind shall blow through the ring; and when the skin is blown up,
you will know that the demon is inside it. Then hasten and tie up the
neck of the skin, and seal it with the ring, and put it upon the
camel, and bring it to me. But if on the way the demon promise you
gold and silver and treasures to let him go, see that you do not obey
him; but rather make him reveal to you where the treasures are hid,
and mark the places, and come on to me. Now go, and good success be
with you." So my servant set out and came to Arabia; and the men of
the country doubted much whether he could capture the spirit. But
when the day was dawning, even the first day after his coming, he
rose up and set the skin with its mouth towards the wind, and laid
the ring in the mouth of it; and the wind blew through the ring and
entered into the skin and puffed it up. And the man caught the neck
of the skin and closed it, and sealed it with the ring in the name of
the Most High. Then he abode yet three days in the place to make
trial of his success; but the poisonous wind blew no more, so that
all the Arabians were assured that the demon was safely shut up. And
they rejoiced greatly, and gave him many precious gifts, and did him
great honour; and when he set forth to come back to me, they
accompanied him to their borders. So he brought the skin back to
Jerusalem, and put it in the midst of the temple.
Now at this time I, Solomon, was somewhat troubled, because I had a
great stone made ready to be placed upon the corner of the temple, and
none of my workmen and none of the demons were able to lift it and set
it in its appointed place; but I was exceedingly desirous to put it
there, because it was of such beauty and excellence. And on the morning
after my servant was come back out of Arabia, I went down to the temple,
thinking by what means I could lift the stone. And as I entered the
temple I saw the skin; and it rose up and hopped seven paces, and fell
on its face and did obeisance to me; and I marvelled, and bade it stand
up; and it stood on its feet, puffed up with wind. Then I asked, "Who
are you?" And a voice answered me from within the skin, "I am Ephippas
who dwell in Arabia." And I said, "What can you do." And it answered, "I
can overturn kings' palaces, and wither the green trees of the wood, and
I can move mountains." Then I said, "Are you able to move this stone,
and lift it up and set it upon the corner of the temple?" And it said,
"Not only can I do so, O king, but if I have the demon that is in the
Red Sea to help me, I can bring up the great Pillar that is there, and
set it in whatever place you command." So I said, "Lift up the
corner-stone." And the skin first of all became flattened, as if the
wind was gone out of it, and slipped itself under the stone; and then it
blew itself out again so that the stone was lifted up upon its back, and
it walked upon its stumps, bearing the stone, to the ladder, and climbed
up and set the stone safely in its place upon the corner of the temple;
and I was greatly rejoiced, and all Jerusalem with me.
After that I sent Ephippas to fetch to me the demon that is in the
Red Sea, and commanded them to bring with them the great Pillar; and
after a while I saw the Pillar being borne through the air, and was
astonished at the strength of the two demons. And when I considered
with myself how mighty they were, and how they could shake the whole
world in a moment of time, I feared to let them go; I made therefore
a circle about them in the air with my ring, and said, "Stay there!"
And the demons stayed, holding the Pillar sloping between heaven and
earth; and there they are to this day. And if any one looks, he can
see the Pillar sloping in the heavens, but the demons he cannot see.
But when they let fall the Pillar, then will be the end of the
world.1
1 I believe that the Pillar is the Milky Way: it is certainly meant
to be one of the constellations.
Then I questioned the demon of the Red Sea and he told me how in old
times he resisted Moses in Egypt, and helped Jannes and Jambres, the
two wizards who fought against Moses; and how when Pharaoh followed
after the children of Israel he went with him; and when the sea
returned back and drowned the Egyptians, he was overtaken by it and
shut up in the depths, and he remained there until Ephippas came and
brought him to me.
Thus I, Solomon, had power over the spirits of the earth, and of the
air, and of the water, and made them serve me; and my kingdom was
exalted, and there was peace in my days. But when I became mighty my
heart was lifted up, and I committed foolishness; for I saw the
daughter of a certain Jebusite, and loved her exceedingly, and asked
for her in marriage. But her kinsfolk said, "You shall not take her
to be your wife except you worship our gods, even the great gods
Remphan and Moloch." Then I said, "I cannot worship strange gods; why
would you that I should do this?" They said, "Because they are the
gods of our fathers." And I refused. Then I went to the maiden and
entreated her; and she also said, "I will not hearken to you, except
you worship my gods." So I departed from her. But after a little, she
sent me five locusts by the hand of a messenger, saying, "Take these
five locusts and crush them in the name of the god Moloch, and I will
be your wife." And I did so. And forthwith my glory departed from me,
and I forgot my wisdom, and became weak and foolish in my mind; and
the heathen woman compelled me to build temples to the false gods, to
Baal, and Remphan, and Moloch; and my spirit was darkened within me,
and I became a byword among men and demons.
Therefore have I written this testament, that men might remember me,
and think of their latter end as well as of their beginning.
THE STORY OF EBEDMELECH THE ETHIOPIAN, AND OF THE DEATH
OF JEREMIAH
When the time was come when it was ordained that Jerusalem should be
laid waste by the king of the Chaldeans, God spake to Jeremiah the
prophet, saying, "Depart out of this city, for I am about to destroy
it for the wickedness of them that dwell therein." But Jeremiah
answered, "Suffer me, I beseech thee, Lord, to speak a word." And He
said, "Say on." And Jeremiah said, "Wilt Thou indeed deliver Thy
chosen city into the hand of the Chaldeans, that their king may boast
himself against it and say, 'I have prevailed against the Holy City
of God'? Not so, Lord; but if it be Thy will to destroy it, overthrow
it rather with Thine own hand." And He said, "Neither the king nor
his power shall prevail to destroy it, unless I first open the gates
thereof to him. Come therefore at the sixth hour of the night to the
city wall, thou and Baruch the scribe, and I will show you what I
will do." Jeremiah therefore rent his clothes and put ashes upon his
head, and went and found Baruch in the temple; and when Baruch saw
him he was dismayed, and cried out, "What is the matter?" And when
Jeremiah had told him that which was proposed concerning the city, he
also rent his clothes; and they remained both of them in the holy
place all that day weeping.
But at the sixth hour of the night they went out and walked upon the
city wall. And suddenly they heard the sound of a trumpet in heaven,
and there came down angels bearing torches of fire in their hands,
and alighted upon the four corners of the wall of the city. Then
Jeremiah and Baruch perceived that the desolation of Jerusalem was
indeed at hand; and Jeremiah cried out to the angels, "I beseech you,
destroy not the city until I have spoken a word to the Most High." So
the angels stayed their hand; and Jeremiah said, "Lord, now we know
of a truth that the city will be delivered into the hands of the
Chaldeans; tell us, therefore, what wilt Thou that we shall do with
the holy vessels of the temple?" And he answered, "Commit them to the
earth, and say unto it, 'Hear, O earth, the voice of Him that
separated thee from among the waters, and sealed thee with seven
seals unto seven ages, even until the time wherein thou shalt be
renewed in beauty: keep these vessels of the sanctuary until the
coming of the Beloved.'" And Jeremiah continued and said, "I beseech
Thee, show me what I shall do for Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, because
he showed me great kindness and delivered me out of the pit wherein
Zedekiah cast me; and I would not have him see the desolation of the
city, for it would grieve him to the heart." The Lord said, "Send him
to the vineyard of Agrippa which is on the other side of the hill,
and I will shelter him until I bring back the people to the city. And
as for thee, go thou with thy people to Babylon, and remain there to
comfort them until they return hither. And let Baruch abide here
until I send him word."
Then he commanded the angels, and they brake down the corners of the
wall and loosened the foundations, and made weak the fastenings of
the gates; and after that a great voice sounded out of the temple,
saying, "Enter, ye enemies, and come in, ye adversaries; for He that
kept the house hath departed from it." And the angels went up again
into heaven. But Jeremiah and Baruch went into the temple, and took
the vessels of the sanctuary and delivered them to the earth, as they
were commanded; and forthwith the earth opened her mouth and
swallowed them up. And for the rest of that night they wept and
lamented; and in the morning Jeremiah called for Ebedmelech and said
to him, "Take a basket and go to the vineyard of Agrippa, and fetch
me some figs, that I may give them to the sick and needy among the
people; and the blessing of God go with thee." And Ebedmelech set
forth.
On that same morning the host of the Chaldeans surrounded the city,
and a trumpet sounded in heaven, and they came against the city; and
the gates gave way before them, and the wall fell, and they entered
the city and laid it desolate, and took the people captive. But
Jeremiah took the keys of the temple, and went outside the city and
threw them up towards the sun, saying, "O sun, I say unto thee, take
these keys and keep them until God shall require them of thee; for we
are not found worthy to keep them any longer." And they vanished out
of his sight. Then he returned, and the Chaldeans took him prisoner
and carried him away to Babylon. But Baruch fled, and took refuge in
a tomb, and there he remained in great sorrow of heart.
Now Ebedmelech had gathered the figs, and filled his basket; and by
the time he had finished, the day had become burning hot. So he sat
him down under a tree to rest a little, and then laid his head on the
basket of figs and fell into a slumber. And he slept for sixty-six
years without waking.
And when the sixty-six years were over, and the time of deliverance
of the children of Israel was near, Ebedmelech woke up, and said to
himself, "I should have been glad to sleep a little longer, for my
head is still heavy; I have not slept my sleep out." And he uncovered
his basket and looked at the figs, and saw that they were oozing with
juice; and said again, "Well, I should like to sleep yet a little,
but I am afraid I may oversleep myself; and if I do, father Jeremiah
will be disappointed; for if he had not been in haste for the figs,
he would not have sent me out so early." So he rose and picked up his
basket of figs and put it on his shoulder, and went back to
Jerusalem. When he came near the city he could not recognise it, and
when he had entered the gate he could not either find his own house
or see any of his acquaintance. He said therefore within himself,
"Some strange delusion has come upon me; I have missed my way in
coming over the hills: it must be that I was not fully awake. This
will be a wonderful thing to tell Jeremiah when I meet with him." And
he went out of the city. But when he looked back upon it, he could
see that it was indeed Jerusalem; and he said, "It is surely the
city, yet there is something wrong." He went into the city the second
time, but he could find none that knew him. And he said, "God
preserve me! Verily a delusion has fallen upon me," and went outside
the city and sat down with the basket of figs, saying, "Here will I
sit until my eyes are opened, and I can discern the truth." After
some time he saw an old man coming from the fields, and said to him,
"Old man, what is this city, I pray you?" The old man said, "It is
Jerusalem." Ebedmelech said, "Where are Jeremiah the prophet and
Baruch the scribe?" The old man answered, "You are certainly not of
this city, that you inquire concerning these men. Jeremiah is in
Babylon with the people that were carried away captive by
Nebuchadnezzar the king." Then Ebedmelech marvelled and said, "If
you were not an aged man, whom it is not lawful to mock, I should
have said you were mad. How many hours is it, think you, since
Jeremiah sent me to the garden of Agrippa for some figs for the sick
people, and I went and gathered them and slumbered for a little under
a tree, and have just now brought them back; and here they are with
the juice oozing from them, just as when I picked them; and you say
the people and Jeremiah are gone to Babylon!" And he opened the
basket and showed the figs. And when the old man saw them he said,
"Verily, my son, God has had mercy on you. He has spared you from
seeing the desolation of the city. Behold, to-day it is sixty-and-six
years since the people were carried away. And, if you believe not me,
look upon the trees and see that it is not the time of figs." Then
Ebedmelech asked, "What then is this month, and what is the day?"
And he answered, "It is the twelfth day of Nisan." And Ebedmelech
believed, and gave thanks to God; and after that he gave the old man
some of the figs, and bade him farewell, saying, "May God guide thee
to the Jerusalem which is above." And he went to find Baruch.
And after a while he found him dwelling in a tomb; and they greeted
one another, and rejoiced, and Ebedmelech told Baruch all that had
happened to him, and Baruch marvelled and praised God. Then they
consulted how they might send word to Jeremiah at Babylon; for they
perceived that the time of the return of Israel was at hand. And it
was revealed to them that on the morrow at dawn there should come a
messenger whom they might send.
On the morrow, therefore, Baruch rose early and went out of the tomb,
and saw an eagle sitting upon a rock hard by; and he called to it
and it came, and spoke with a man's voice, saying, "I am sent hither
to bear a message for thee." Baruch said, "Canst thou carry a letter
to Babylon, to Jeremiah the prophet?" And the eagle said, "To that
end am I sent." So they wrote a letter, and took fifteen of the figs
from the basket and hung them on the eagle's neck; and Baruch blessed
it, saying, "I say unto thee, O king of the birds, go in peace, and
bring back an answer to me. Be not like the raven, which Noah sent
out, and it returned no more to the ark; but be like the dove, which
returned the third day with an answer of peace. And if the birds of
the air come against thee, fight with them, and the power of God be
with thee. Turn neither to the right hand nor to the left, but go
straight as an arrow in the strength of the Most High."
Then the eagle flew and rested not till it came to Babylon; and there
it perched upon a tree in a desert place outside the city, and waited
until Jeremiah and some of the people passed by, carrying a dead man
to burial. And it rose up and lighted upon the bier of the dead man,
and he revived. And the eagle said to Jeremiah, "Gather the people
together, and take the letter which is upon my neck, and read it in
their ears." And he did so; and the people rejoiced, because the time
of their deliverance was at hand. Then Jeremiah wrote a letter to
Baruch, and put it upon the eagle's neck. And he blessed the eagle,
and sent it away; but the figs he gave to the sick among the people.
And the eagle returned to Jerusalem, and gave the letter to Baruch;
and when he read it he wept, because Jeremiah had written in it all
the afflictions which the people suffered at the hands of the
Chaldeans.
Now when the time was fulfilled, the people were set free from
Babylon, and returned to Jerusalem. And when they came back, they
rejoiced and gave thanks for their deliverance for nine days. And on
the tenth day Jeremiah stood up before all of them and sang a hymn of
praise; and when he had ended it, he fell on the ground and became as
one dead. When they saw that, Baruch and Ebed-melech lifted up their
voices and wept, saying, "Our father Jeremiah, the priest of God, is
departed from us!" And all the people ran together and saw Jeremiah
lying as dead; and they rent their clothes and bewailed him, and then
made ready to bury him. But there came a voice, saying, "Bury not the
living." And at that they left off preparing a sepulchre for him, and
waited, keeping watch about his body, till he should revive again.
And after three days the spirit of Jeremiah returned to him again,
and he rose up and prophesied; and in his prophecy he said, "There
shall be a Tree set up, which shall make the barren trees fruitful,
and the proud and fruitful trees barren; and the snow shall be turned
to blackness, and the sweet waters become bitter, and the scarlet
shall be white as wool. Moreover, He shall bless the isles that they
shall bear fruit by the word of His mouth; and He shall satisfy the
hungry souls." And thereafter he began to speak to them of the coming
of the Beloved into the world.
Now when the people heard it they were very angry and said, "He
blasphemeth. These are the words that Isaiah spake, and they sawed
him asunder with a saw of wood. Let us slay Jeremiah also, but him we
will stone with stones." And Baruch and Ebedmelech cried out against
them, "Do not this great wickedness!" But Jeremiah said, "Be silent,
for they shall not kill me before I have delivered to you all that I
have seen and heard. Fetch me a great stone." And when it was
brought, Jeremiah prayed and said, "O Light of the Ages, cause this
stone to appear in my likeness." And immediately the stone took upon
it the likeness of Jeremiah, and the people began to stone it,
believing that it was Jeremiah. And in the meantime he went on
speaking to Baruch and Ebedmelech until he had committed to them all
the mysteries which he had heard while he lay in a trance.
Then he arose and stood forth in the midst of the people, and the
stone cried out with a loud voice, "O foolish people, why stone ye
me, thinking that I am Jeremiah; and behold, he is in the midst of
you!" And their eyes were opened, and they ran upon him and stoned
him; and his ministry was accomplished.
But Baruch and Ebedmelech buried his body; and they took the stone
and set it up over his grave, and wrote upon it, "This is the helper
of Jeremiah."