King Solomon, or Saint Solomon?

[MontChevalier]

Hail brothers and sisters,

I’ve been mulling over a few thoughts in my mind, and I’ve wondered if people like Moses, David and Solomon are considered Saints of the church?

Thanks for whatever help is offered.
-MontChevalier

 

[ByzCat3]

Moses us reckoned a prophet (therefore yes), and David a prophet-king (therefore also yes). I don’t want to give you the wrong info on Solomon, though.

 

[AJV]

Hail brothers and sisters,

I’ve been mulling over a few thoughts in my mind, and I’ve wondered if people like Moses, David and Solomon are considered Saints of the church?

Thanks for whatever help is offered.
-MontChevalier

Moses and David are, as the previous poster had indicated, and their names appear in the Martyrology, and in certain places (likes Jerusalem) there exist Proper texts for their Masses.

Solomon does not appear by name in the Roman martyrology - there are saints named Solomon but none are the biblical Solomon. You could regard him as appearing generically in the commemoration of the holy ancestors of Christ on December 24.

 

[Mintaka]

The pre-Trent translated Martiloge in Englysshe lists the feast of “Salomon” and his son Jeroboam as being on November 12th.

The old regional martyrologies cut a lot of slack in the matter of sainthood. Presumably they were assuming that Solomon repented and was saved when Christ preached to the dead during his descent into little-h hell.

 

[Alfonsus]

For your info, King Solomon is venerated as saint by the Eastern Churches of Byzantine tradition, Catholic and Orthodox alike. His feast day is celebrated on the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers (two Sundays before the Nativity).

 

[MontChevalier]

Thank you all for your posts.

But I still don’t understand. Why is it that King David and Moses are saints, but not Solomon? I mean, he was an influential person too, wasn’t he?

-MontChevalier

 

[Alexander_Roman]

St Solomon the King is honoured in the Eastern Catholic and Orthodox Churches and we have an icon of him.

The fact that he is not commemorated by name in the West does not mean he is not considered a Saint in the West. He could have been a victim of “calendar pruning.”

I’ve never understood such pruning and am happy the Christian East doesn’t engage in such “spiritual gardening.”

Alex

 

[MontChevalier]

St Solomon the King is honoured in the Eastern Catholic and Orthodox Churches and we have an icon of him.

The fact that he is not commemorated by name in the West does not mean he is not considered a Saint in the West. He could have been a victim of “calendar pruning.”

I’ve never understood such pruning and am happy the Christian East doesn’t engage in such “spiritual gardening.”

Alex

Hey Alex,

Could you please explain “calendar pruning”?

Thanks,
-MontChevalier

 

[ESMDHokie77]

There are only 365 days in a year, there are many many many more saints in comparison.

 

[MontChevalier]

There are only 365 days in a year, there are many many many more saints in comparison.

Hey Hokie,

Can’t we just put him somewhere he’ll fit in? Or like in the same feast day as another saint?

-MontChevalier

 

[laszlo]

King 11:5 But Solomon worshipped Astarthe the goddess of the Sidonians, and Moloch the idol of the ammonites.​

He did got repented, his life is not examplary

 

[MontChevalier]

King 11:5 But Solomon worshipped Astarthe the goddess of the Sidonians, and Moloch the idol of the ammonites.​

He did got repented, his life is not examplary

Oh.

Very smooth Solomon…very smooth…

-MontChevalier

 

[laszlo]

Hey Alex,

Could you please explain “calendar pruning”?

Thanks,
-MontChevalier

The Western Calendar was cleaned after the XIX and after the XXI Ecumenical councils.

Solomon was not mentioned in pre Vatican II. I have no record of the pre Trident Martyrology.

 

[de_Tocqueville]

As laszlo said, I think Solomon became an idol worshipper and fell from grace.
St. John of the Cross said, “For who would have said that a man so perfect in wisdom and the gifts of God as was Solomon would have been reduced to such blindness and foolishness of the will as to make altars to so many idols and to adore them himself, when he was old? And no more was needed to bring him to this than the affection which he had for women and his neglect to deny his desires and the delights of his heart.”
I heard a litany of the saints that mentioned Solomon and it made me hesitate. I don’t see any evidence in the Bible that he repented and came back to God.

 

[TrueLight]

To quote some more of 1Kings 11:

1 King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. 2 They were from nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. 3 He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. 4 As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been. 5 He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. 6 So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the LORD; he did not follow the LORD completely, as David his father had done.

7 On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable god of Moab, and for Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. 8 He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods.

9 The LORD became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. 10 Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the LORD’s command. 11 So the LORD said to Solomon, “Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates. 12 Nevertheless, for the sake of David your father, I will not do it during your lifetime. I will tear it out of the hand of your son. 13 Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom from him, but will give him one tribe for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.”

Not only that, God gave most of Solomon’s kingdom to Jeroboam, who rebelled against the king. He gave him 10 tribes, and left one for Solomon’s son. Furthermore, God said to Jeroboam:

37 However, as for you, I will take you, and you will rule over all that your heart desires; you will be king over Israel. 38** If you do whatever I command you and walk in obedience to me and do what is right in my eyes by obeying my decrees and commands, as David my servant did, I will be with you. I will build you a dynasty as enduring as the one I built for David and will give Israel to you**. 39 I will humble David’s descendants because of this, but not forever.’”

What a horrible thing when God turns his back on you.

 

[Melchior_1]

There was also that whole concubine business too.

 

[thistle]

For your info, King Solomon is venerated as saint by the Eastern Churches of Byzantine tradition, Catholic and Orthodox alike. His feast day is celebrated on the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers (two Sundays before the Nativity).

Normally I wouldn’t resurrect an old thread but Solomon came up in a discussion today so I did a search and found this thread.

I’ve read through all the posts but what I would like to know has not been answered by anyone yet even though the question it seems has been asked.

Why would the Eastern Churches consider Solomon a saint when he turned his back on God and worshipped false Gods instead. As far as I can see from scripture there is nothing to indicate he ever repented before he died. I realise only God knows the actual answer but why would Solomon be venerated as a saint by some Churches when scripture would probably lead us to think he might be in Hell. What do these Churches know that we don’t and how did they come by this knowledge?

 

[pdstor]

Normally I wouldn’t resurrect an old thread but Solomon came up in a discussion today so I did a search and found this thread.

I’ve read through all the posts but what I would like to know has not been answered by anyone yet even though the question it seems has been asked.

Why would the Eastern Churches consider Solomon a saint when he turned his back on God and worshipped false Gods instead. As far as I can see from scripture there is nothing to indicate he ever repented before he died. I realise only God knows the actual answer but why would Solomon be venerated as a saint by some Churches when scripture would probably lead us to think he might be in Hell. What do these Churches know that we don’t and how did they come by this knowledge?

Ecclesiastes’ end is evidence of repentance after a life of sin. It would make no sense that this testimony appeared as divinely inspired and then Solomon fell away as he got older and somehow less wise. If it had been the case Solomon died unrepentant then why is this book there?