UCLA UCLA Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title The Jewish Understanding of the Scriptural Solomon Narrative: Examining Biblical, Classical Rabbinic, and Major Medieval Responses Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5sm9073q Author Keiter, Sheila Tuller Publication Date 2018 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles The Jewish Understanding of the Scriptural Solomon Narrative: Examining Biblical, Classical Rabbinic, and Major Medieval Responses A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures by Sheila Tuller Keiter 2018 © Copyright by Sheila Tuller Keiter 2018 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION The Jewish Understanding of the Scriptural Solomon Narrative: Examining Biblical, Classical Rabbinic, and Major Medieval Responses by Sheila Tuller Keiter Doctor of Philosophy in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures University of California, Los Angeles, 2018 Professor Carol Ann Bakhos, Chair The biblical Solomon narrative that appears in the Book of Kings offers a complex portrait of Solomon as both the wise Temple builder as well as an idolatrous sinner. Solomon’s story poses the problem of how the wisest of all men to whom God spoke could have come to worship other gods. Over history, Jewish literature has had to contend with Solomon’s mixed legacy. It has done so by either ignoring the difficult aspects of his narrative, by apologizing for Solomon’s conduct, or by criticizing him for his errors. Even within Tanakh, we see multiple and disparate responses to the Solomonic problem presented in Kings. Chronicles offers a cleansed portrait of Solomon, focusing on his role as Temple builder. Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs, both attributed to Solomon, play a large role in the evolution of Solomon’s character in Jewish thought. Arguably they were written as critiques of Solomon, of his arrogant reliance on wisdom and his failure to maintain faith in God. Yet this purpose seems to have been lost by the ii time of the rabbis of late antiquity. Instead, the rabbis designate these works, which they presume to have been written by Solomon, as divinely inspired. This in turn ultimately establishes a basis on which to redeem Solomon, the rabbis construing his works as expressions of penitence. Solomon’s prophetic status is amplified by the targumic treatment of those works. The popularity of the Targum to the Song of Songs and its use by Rashi in his commentary to the Song, granting its ideas even greater circulation, promoted a highly laudatory reading of Solomon in the Middle Ages. In addition, admiring portrayals of Solomon in Christianity and Islam may have influenced Jewish perceptions. These factors made castigation of Solomon increasingly difficult for the Jewish medieval exegetes. Thus, an apologetic image of Solomon gains ascendance in the Middle Ages which has colored Jewish perceptions of Solomon ever since. As such, we see Jewish exegesis responding to its own theological needs as well as responding to external exegetical influences. iii The dissertation of Sheila Tuller Keiter is approved. Marc Hirshman Yona Sabar William M. Schniedewind Carol Ann Bakhos, Committee Chair University of California, Los Angeles 2018 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................... viii VITA .........................................................................................................................................ix CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................... 1 1.1 Introduction to Challenges Posed by Solomon...............................................................1 1.2 Methodology .................................................................................................................5 1.3 Chapter Breakdown..................................................................................................... 14 CHAPTER TWO: SOLOMON IN THE BIBLE........................................................................ 18 2.1 Solomon in the Book of Kings .................................................................................... 18 Basic Narrative .................................................................................................................. 18 Background to Kings ......................................................................................................... 22 Deuteronomy 17 and 1 Samuel 8 ........................................................................................ 25 The Succession Narrative ................................................................................................... 35 The Golden Age Approach ................................................................................................. 43 Solomon as Flawed From Start........................................................................................... 51 Positive or Negative Portrait .............................................................................................. 67 2.2 Solomon in the Book of Chronicles ............................................................................. 74 Background to Chronicles .................................................................................................. 74 Solomonic Apologetics in Chronicles ................................................................................. 78 The Chronicler’s Effect ...................................................................................................... 88 2.3 Solomon in Other Biblical Sources.............................................................................. 94 Psalms ............................................................................................................................... 94 The Book of Nehemiah ...................................................................................................... 98 CHAPTER THREE: THE SOLOMONIC WORKS AND CANONICITY .............................. 100 3.1 The Three Solomonic Works ..................................................................................... 100 Proverbs ........................................................................................................................... 100 Ecclesiastes ...................................................................................................................... 102 The Song of Songs ........................................................................................................... 108 v 3.2 Solomon in Proverbs ................................................................................................. 111 3.3 Solomon in Ecclesiastes ............................................................................................ 115 3.4 Solomon in Song of Songs ........................................................................................ 126 3.5 The Debate over Canonicity ...................................................................................... 142 Problems Posed ................................................................................................................ 142 The Shape of the Canon ................................................................................................... 148 Defilement of the Hands .................................................................................................. 152 Hiding Books ................................................................................................................... 163 Consequences of Canonization ......................................................................................... 166 CHAPTER FOUR: SOLOMON IN CLASSICAL RABBINIC LITERATURE ....................... 169 4.1 Solomon in Second Temple Literature and Early Christian Writings ......................... 169 Second Temple Literature ................................................................................................ 169 Christian Writings ............................................................................................................ 172 The Esoteric Solomon ...................................................................................................... 176 4.2 Introduction to Midrashic Sources ............................................................................. 178 4.3 Major Midrashic Traditions ....................................................................................... 185 Solomon’s Wisdom .......................................................................................................... 186 Debates over Whether Solomon Sinned............................................................................ 195 Solomon and Fate of the Temple ...................................................................................... 199 Solomon’s Portion in the World to Come ......................................................................... 208 Loss of the Throne and Ashmedai .................................................................................... 212 Agur and Lemuel ............................................................................................................. 223 Solomon’s Repentance ..................................................................................................... 228 4.4 Criticism Versus Apologetics