The Testament of Solomon
SOLOMON'S DIVINE AUTHORITY OVER DEMONS
When the Temple of Jerusalem was being built, an evil demon named Ornias began to torment the chief-deviser’s young son. Every evening after sunset, Ornias would appear, take half the boy’s pay and food, and suck the thumb of his right hand, causing the beloved child to grow thinner each day. When King Solomon learned of this, he went to the Temple and prayed night and day to God for authority over the demon.
In response to his prayer, the Lord Sabaoth sent the archangel Michael with a gift: a small ring with a seal engraved with a Pentalpha. Michael instructed Solomon to wear the ring, explaining that with it he could lock up all male and female demons and compel their help in building Jerusalem. Overjoyed, Solomon gave the ring to the boy and instructed him to throw it at the demon’s chest and say, “In the name of God, King Solomon calls thee hither.”
The child did as he was told. When Ornias appeared, the boy cast the ring at him and spoke the command. The demon shrieked, begging the child to take back the ring and offering him all the gold of the earth. But the boy refused and ran to the king, reporting that the demon was now crying out at the palace gates. Solomon went out and saw the demon trembling. When questioned, Ornias identified himself and revealed that he was subject to the zodiacal sign of the Water-pourer (Aquarius) and that he was the offspring of the archangel Uriel. At the mention of the archangel, Solomon sealed the demon with the ring and put him to work cutting stones for the Temple.
THE SUMMONS AND INTERROGATION OF DEMON PRINCES
Fearing the iron seal, Ornias begged for his freedom, offering in return to bring Solomon all the other demons. Solomon prayed for the archangel Uriel’s help, who appeared and subdued Ornias, commanding him to obey. Solomon then gave Ornias the ring and ordered him to bring forth Beelzeboul, the prince of all demons.
Ornias went to Beelzeboul and threw the ring at his chest, summoning him in Solomon’s name. Beelzeboul cried out, shot forth a great flame, and followed Ornias to the king. Solomon questioned the prince of demons, who identified himself as Beelzeboul, the exarch (ruler) of the demons, who controls all those bound in Tartarus and makes manifest the apparition of each spirit. He promised to bring all the unclean spirits to Solomon in bonds.
When Solomon expressed a desire to see a female demon, Beelzeboul brought forth Onoskelis, a spirit with a beautiful female form but the legs of a mule. She described herself as a spirit who lurks on earth, strangling men or consorting with them in the guise of a woman, especially those with dark skin who worship her star. She revealed she was born from the echo of a man’s ordure in a wood and is governed by the full moon. When Solomon threatened her, she confessed she was subject to the angel Joel. The king then commanded her to spin hemp for the ropes needed to build the Temple.
Next, the demon Asmodeus was brought before the king, bound and full of rage. He claimed to be of angelic seed born from a human woman, with his star being the Wain (the Great Bear). He prophesied that Solomon's kingdom was temporary and that the demons would again have free range over mankind. Solomon had him flogged with ox-hide thongs until he humbly stated his name and purpose. Asmodeus confessed that his business was to plot against newlyweds, destroy the beauty of virgins, and drive men to madness, lust, and murder. He revealed that he is frustrated by the archangel Raphael and put to flight by the smoke from the liver and gall of a fish called the Glanos, found in the rivers of Assyria. Solomon condemned him not to water, as he had begged, but to make clay for the Temple construction, forcing him to carry water in ten jars.
A CATALOG OF SUBJUGATED SPIRITS
Solomon again summoned Beelzeboul, who explained that his employment was to destroy kings, ally himself with foreign tyrants, and excite faithful men to wicked sins, heresies, envy, and murder, with the ultimate goal of destroying the world. He revealed he is thwarted by the holy name of God, which is Emmanuel among the Greeks, with a numerical value of 644. Solomon set him to sawing Theban marbles.
The king then called forth a spirit of ashes named Tephras, who appeared as a dust-wind. Solomon stopped him by spitting on the ground and sealing it with the ring. Tephras confessed that his work was to bring darkness and fire to fields and homes, and that he was countered by the archangel Azael. He was commanded to toss great stones up to the workmen building the Temple.
Next came seven female spirits, bound together, who identified themselves as elements of the cosmic rulers of darkness. They were Deception, frustrated by the angel Lamechalal; Strife, frustrated by Baruchiachel; Battle (Klothod), frustrated by Marmarath; Jealousy, frustrated by Balthial; Power, frustrated by Asteraôth; Error, frustrated by Uriel; and a seventh, the worst of all, who works through the bonds of Artemis. Solomon sealed them and commanded them to dig the foundations of the Temple.
A headless demon appeared, identifying himself as Envy. He said he devoured heads and was wholly a voice, having inherited the voices of many men. He confessed to smashing the heads of dumb children and causing incurable mutilations, emitting fire from the Day-star. He revealed he was frustrated by "the fiery flash of lightning." He was followed by a huge hound named Rabdos, the spirit of a formerly mighty man who now harms people. The hound led Solomon’s servant to a green stone for the Temple and was then bound with the headless demon, its fiery maw used to provide light for the artisans. The hound confessed he was countered by the great Brieus.
A roaring, lion-shaped spirit named Rath came forward, who enfeebles the sick but also commands legions of demons. He revealed that he and his legions are bound by Emmanuel (644), who will one day cast them under water. Solomon condemned him to saw wood for the Temple furnace with his teeth. He was followed by a three-headed dragon, the crest of dragons, who blinds and harms unborn children and causes seizures. This demon prophesied that he would be frustrated by the "angel of the great counsel," who will dwell on the cross at the place called "of the head" (Golgotha). The king set him to making bricks.
A female spirit with a head but no limbs, named Obizuth, appeared next. She confessed that her sole purpose was to go throughout the world and strangle newborn children. She revealed that she is thwarted by the angel Afarôt (Raphael), whose name, with the numerical value of 640, if written on a woman in childbirth, would prevent her from entering. Solomon ordered her to be hung by her hair in front of the Temple for all to see.
A winged dragon with a man's face and hands then appeared. He explained that he impregnates beautiful women, but their demonic offspring cannot be carried to term. As a demonstration of his power, he breathed out a spirit that consumed the Temple’s wood supply with fire. He confessed he was countered by the angel Bazazeth and was set to sawing marble. Following him was a three-formed goddess-like spirit named Enêpsigos, who resides in the moon. She was frustrated by the angel Rathanael. After being sealed, she delivered a long prophecy: Solomon’s kingdom would be broken, the Temple destroyed, Jerusalem undone by the Persians, Medes, and Chaldaeans, and the demons released until the Son of God, born of a virgin and with the name Emmanuel (644), is stretched upon the cross.
Then came a fierce horse-fish sea spirit called Kunospaston, who takes the form of waves to capsize ships and steal gold. He was countered by the angel Iameth, and Solomon trapped him in a phial with ten jugs of sea-water. He was followed by a lascivious spirit born from a dead giant, who haunts tombs and kills passersby with his sword. He revealed he is thwarted by the sign of the Saviour, whose number written on the forehead would cause him to retreat in fear.
THE THIRTY-SIX DECANS
Solomon then commanded the thirty-six world-rulers of darkness to appear. They came as a group of spirits with human bodies but the heads of dogs, asses, oxen, and birds, representing the elements of the zodiac. One by one, Solomon questioned them:
The first, Ruax of the Ram, causes headaches and is thwarted by Michael. The second, Barsafael, brings migraines and is countered by Gabriel. The third, Arôtosael, injures the eyes and is opposed by Uriel. The fifth, Iudal, causes deafness and is countered by Uruel. The sixth, Sphendonaêl, brings tumors and is countered by Sabrael. The seventh, Sphandôr, weakens shoulders and paralyzes nerves but is stopped by Araêl. The eighth, Belbel, distorts hearts and minds and is also stopped by Araêl. The ninth, Kurtaêl, sends colic and is countered by Iaôth. The tenth, Metathiax, causes kidney pain and is stopped by Adônaêl. The eleventh, Katanikotaêl, creates strife in homes and is banished by washing the house with water in which laurel leaves inscribed with angelic names have been steeped. The twelfth, Saphathoraél, inspires partisanship and stumbling, but is countered by an amulet worn around the neck or ear. The thirteenth, Bobêl, causes nervous illness and is stopped by Adonaêl. The fourteenth, Kumeatêl, inflicts shivering and is countered by Zôrôêl. The fifteenth, Roêlêd, causes cold and stomach pain and is banished by an incantation. The sixteenth, Atrax, brings harmful fevers and is frustrated by smearing chopped coriander on the lips while reciting a charm. The seventeenth, Ieropaêl, causes convulsions and is stopped by whispering angelic names into the victim's right ear. The eighteenth, Buldumêch, separates spouses and is banished by writing the names of the patriarchs and placing the paper in the house.
The nineteenth, Naôth, sits on the knees and is countered by a written charm. The twentieth, Marderô, sends incurable fever and is stopped by an amulet tied around the neck. The twenty-first, Alath, causes coughing in children and is likewise countered by an amulet. The twenty-third, Nefthada, causes kidney pain and is stopped by a tin plate with angelic names fastened to the loins. The twenty-fourth, Akton, causes rib pain and is stopped by an engraved piece of copper from a ship. The twenty-fifth, Anatreth, sends fevers into the entrails and is stopped by the words "Arara, Charara." The twenty-sixth, Enenuth, steals minds and is pursued by the angel Allazoôl. The twenty-seventh, Phêth, causes consumption and is stopped by an exorcism in wine. The twenty-eighth, Harpax, sends sleeplessness and is countered by a charm bound to the temples. The twenty-ninth, Anostêr, engenders uterine mania and is stopped by an oil-and-laurel-seed unguent and the name Marmaraô. The thirtieth, Alleborith, deals with fish bones swallowed by accident and is banished by coughing while holding another fish bone. The thirty-first, Hephesimireth, causes lingering disease and is stopped by anointing with oil and salt while invoking the Seraphim and Cherubim. The thirty-second, Ichthion, paralyzes muscles and is stopped by Adonaêth. The thirty-third, Agchoniôn, who lies in swaddling clothes, is banished by a charm of diminishing letters written on fig leaves. The thirty-fourth, Autothith, causes grudges and is frustrated by writing "Alpha and Omega." The thirty-fifth, Phthenoth, casts the evil eye and is stopped by a drawing of the "eye much-suffering." The thirty-sixth, Bianakith, lays waste to houses and flesh and is thwarted by the names "Mêltô, Ardu, Anaath" on the front door.
After hearing them all, Solomon glorified God and commanded all the demons he had interrogated to either perform heavy labor for the Temple, be imprisoned, or work with fire to refine gold and silver.
DEMONIC KNOWLEDGE AND THE NATURE OF REALITY
While Solomon reigned in peace, an old workman came to him, complaining that his only son beat him and threatened his life. As Solomon was about to pass judgment, he saw the demon Ornias laugh. The king angrily demanded to know why, and Ornias revealed that it was not at the king he laughed, but at the old man's folly, for his son was destined to die in just three days.
Solomon asked Ornias how he knew such things. The demon explained: “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.” He further explained that what men perceive as falling stars are actually demons, who, having no place to rest, lose their strength and fall from the air like leaves, setting cities and fields on fire. After five days, the old man returned, grieving, for his son had died just as the demon predicted. Solomon, understanding now, glorified God.
THE DEMONS AND THE CORNERSTONE
The Temple was nearing completion, but there was a great cornerstone that all the workmen and demons together could not lift into place. At this time, Solomon received a letter from Adares, King of Arabia, begging him to capture a terrible wind demon that plagued his land. Solomon sent his servant with a leather flask and the divine ring. The servant held the flask and ring before the wind, and the demon blew itself inside. The servant sealed the flask and brought it back to Jerusalem.
Inside the Temple, the flask stood up and did homage to Solomon. The spirit within identified himself as Ephippas from Arabia. When asked by what angel he was frustrated, he answered: “By the only-ruling God… He that is to be born of a virgin and crucified by the Jews on a cross.” Solomon asked if he could lift the cornerstone, and Ephippas replied that he could, and that with the help of the demon of the Red Sea, he could also bring the pillar of air and set it wherever the king wished.
Ephippas placed himself under the great stone and lifted it into place at the head of the corner, fulfilling the scripture. Then, Ephippas and the Red Sea demon brought the pillar and held it suspended in mid-air. Solomon interrogated the Red Sea demon, who identified himself as Abezithibod, an angel who had descended from heaven. He confessed that he was the one who hardened Pharaoh’s heart and fought against Moses alongside Iannes and Iambres. He was trapped under the pillar when the Red Sea collapsed on the Egyptian army, and remained there until Ephippas freed him. Solomon made both demons swear to support the pillar until the end of the world, which they said would come on the day the stone falls.
THE KING'S DOWNFALL AND FINAL TESTAMENT
Solomon’s kingdom was prosperous and at peace, and kings from all over the earth, including the queen of the South, came to see the Temple and honor his wisdom. In his peace, he took countless wives from every land. He fell violently in love with a Jebusite woman and asked her priests for her hand. The priests of Moloch told him he could not have her unless he worshipped their gods, Raphan and Moloch.
Terrified of God’s glory, Solomon at first refused. The priests then instructed the maiden not to sleep with him until he complied. Distraught, Solomon was approached by the woman, who was prompted by a crafty Eros (love). She gave him five grasshoppers and said, “Take these grasshoppers, and crush them together in the name of the god Moloch; and then will I sleep with you.”
Solomon did this, and at that very moment, the Spirit of God departed from him. His spirit was darkened, he became weak and foolish, and he was compelled to build temples to Baal, Rapha, Moloch, and other idols, becoming the sport of idols and demons. For this reason, he wrote this testament, so that those who read it might pity him and attend to the last things rather than the first, and thereby find grace forever.
Concise Summary
King Solomon recounts how he received a divine ring to command and interrogate a vast host of demons, compelling them to build his Temple, but ultimately falls from grace through an act of idolatry for a foreign woman, writing this testament as a warning to posterity.