Next to the Temple in its magnificence, it is the throne of Solomon
that perpetuates the name and fame of the wise king. None before him
and none after him could produce a like work of art, and when the
kings, his vassals, saw the magnificence of the throne they fell down
and praised God. The throne was covered with fine gold from Ophir,
studded with beryls, inlaid with marble, and jewelled with emeralds,
and rubies, and pearls, and all manner of gems. On each of its six
steps there were two golden lions and two golden eagles, a lion and an
eagle to the left, and a lion and an eagle to the right, the pairs
standing face to face, so that the right paw of the lion was opposite
to the left wing of the eagle, and his left paw opposite to the right
wing of the eagle. The royal seat was at the top, which was round.
On the first step leading to the seat crouched an ox, and opposite to
him a lion; on the second, a wolf and a lamb; on the third, a leopard
and a goat; (67) on the fourth perched an eagle and a peacock; on the
fifth a falcon (68) and a cock; and on the sixth a hawk and a sparrow;
all made of gold. At the very top rested a dove, her claws set upon a
hawk, to betoken that the time would come when all peoples and nations
shall be delivered into the hands of Israel. Over the seat hung a
golden candlestick, with golden lamps, pomegranates, snuff dishes,
censers, chains, and lilies. Seven branches extended from each side. On
the arms to the right were the images of the seven patriarchs of the
world, Adam, Noah, Shem, Job, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and on the
arms to the left, the images of the seven pious men of the world,
Kohath, Amram, Moses, Aaron, Eldad, Medad, and the prophet Hur.
Attached to the top of the candlestick was a golden bowl filled with
the purest olive oil, to be used for the candlestick in the Temple, and
below, a golden basin, also filled with the purest olive oil, for the
candlestick over the throne. The basin bore the image of the high
priest Eli; those of his sons Hophni and Phinehas were on the two
faucets protruding from the basin, and those of Nadab and Abihu on the
tubes connection the faucets with the basin.
On the upper part of the throne stood seventy golden chairs for the
members of the Sanhedrin, and two more for the high priest and his
vicar. When the high priest came to do homage to the king, the members
of the Sanhedrin also appeared, to judge the people, and they took
their seats to the right and to the left of the king. At the approach
of the witnesses, the machinery of the throne rumbled the wheels
turned, the ox lowed, the lion roared, the wolf howled, the lamb
bleated, the leopard growled, the goat cried, the falcon screamed, the
peacock gobbled, the cock crowed, the hawk screeched, the sparrow
chirped all to terrify the witnesses and keep them from giving false
testimony.
When Solomon set foot upon the first step to ascend to his seat, its
machinery was put into motion. The golden ox arose and led him to the
second step, and there passed him over to the care of the beasts
guarding it, and so he was conducted from step to step up to the sixth,
where the eagles received him and placed him upon his seat. As soon as
he was seated, a great eagle set the royal crown upon his head.
Thereupon a huge snake rolled itself up against the machinery, forcing
the lions and eagles upward until they encircled the head of the king.
A golden dove flew down from a pillar, took the sacred scroll out of a
casket, and gave it to the king, so that he might obey the injunction
of the Scriptures, to have the law with him and read therein all the
days of his life. Above the throne twenty-four vines interlaced,
forming a shady arbor over the head of the king, and sweet aromatic
perfumes exhaled from two golden lions, while Solomon made the ascent
to his seat upon the throne. (69)
It was the task of seven heralds to keep Solomon reminded of his duties
as king and judge. The first one of the heralds approached him when he
set foot on the first step of the throne, and began to recite the law
for kings, "He shall not multiply wives to himself." At the second
step, the second herald reminded him, "He shall not multiply horses to
himself"; at the third, the next one of the heralds said, "Neither
shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold." At the fourth
step, he was told by the fourth herald, "Thou shalt not wrest
judgment"; at the fifth step, by the fifth herald, "Thou shalt not
respect persons," and at the sixth, by the sixth herald, "Neither shalt
thou take a gift." Finally, when he was about to seat himself upon the
throne, the seventh herald cried out: "Know before whom thou standest."
(70)
The throne did not remain long in the possession of the Israelites.
During the life of Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, it was carried to
Egypt. Shishak, the father-in-law of Solomon, appropriated it as
indemnity for claims which he urged against the Jewish state in behalf
of his widowed daughter. When Sennacherib conquered Egypt, he carried
the throne away with him, but, on his homeward march, during the
overthrow of his army before the gates of Jerusalem, he had to part
with it to Hezekiah. Now it remained in Palestine until the time of
Jehoash, when it was once more carried to Egypt by Pharaoh Necho. His
possession of the throne brought him little joy. Unacquainted with its
wonderful mechanism, he was injured in the side by one of the lions the
first time he attempted to mount it, and forever after he limped,
wherefore he was given the surname Necho, the hobbler. (71)
Nebuchadnezzar was the next possessor of the throne. It fell to his lot
at the conquest of Egypt, but when he attempted to use it in Babylonia,
he fared no better than his predecessor in Egypt. The lion standing
near the throne gave him so severe a blow that he never again dared
ascend it. Through Darius the throne reached Elam, but, knowing what
its other owners had suffered, he did not venture to seat himself on
it, and his example was imitated by Ahasuerus. The latter tried to have
his artificers fashion him a like artistic work, but, of course, they
failed. (72) The Median rulers parted with the throne to the Greek
monarchs, and finally it was carried to Rome. (73)