Solomon

[David Dietrich]

Is Solomon a saint? If not, what does the Church say about him? I'm interested because he is the son of my patron but primarily because he is extremely prominent in Muslim thought (or at least in the Arabian Knights ;) as have irresistable powers of the physical and demonic forces. Why have I heard so little about the wisest man in history?

[Robert Hegwood]

http://www.hellenic-art.com/painted/solomon.jpg

there is an icon of him...soooo yes...probably a saint.

It is said that he repented of his sinful lapse near the end of his life and the Lord forgave him. It was not so great a repentence as tht offered by his father David and so after him the kingdom was divided.

We probably don't hear more about him than we do because of the somewhat iffy nature of his end.

[Mary]

It is said that he repented of his sinful lapse near the end of his life and the Lord forgave him. It was not so great a repentence as tht offered by his father David and so after him the kingdom was divided.



It is interesting that you should say that Solomon's repentance wasn't as great as that of his father's, and that's why the kingdom was divided. I dont' think it's possible to judge how deep a repentance is by what happens later.

If I recall, David repented deeply after his mess with Uriah/Bathsheba, but God didn't change his mind about the baby, and the baby died anyway. Also, there was much sin within his own family and his own sons hurt him a lot, and the pain he lived through continued for the rest of his life.

But then, when the Ninevites repented, God didn't punish them as planned. Same with many others, who repented and escaped God's judgement. I think the reason David and Solomon couldn't 'escape' the consequences of their sin is because of their deep relationship with God before they sinned so greatly. They had known God at a level that most folks don't - the Ninevites, didn't know God at all.

Their sins were 'greater'... They knew exactly what they were doing. So... they both received forgiveness, but they also had to live with the consequences, which weren't in anyway diminished because of their repentance.

Mary

[Olga]

Solomon is indeed venerated by the Orthodox Church, as are the other Old Testament prophets and patriarchs. Their common feast day is two Sundays before the Nativity of the Lord. It is customary to refer to OT holy figures as Prophet, Patriarch, Righteous, etc, rather than Saint XYZ (though the Antiochians often refer to Prophet Elijah/Elias as St Elias), however, this does not diminish their veneration by the Church.

[Antony Solomon]

I wish I had his wisdom as much as I have his faults...