demon and set him to work at stone-cutting, so that he might cut the stones in the Temple, which, lying along the shore, had been brought by the Sea of Arabia. But he, fearful of the iron[1], continued and said to me: "I pray thee, King Solomon, let me go free; and I will bring you all the demons." And as he was not willing to be subject to me, I prayed the archangel Uriel to come and succour me; and I forthwith beheld the archangel Uriel coming down to me from the heavens.
12, And the angel bade the whales of the sea come out of the abyss. And he cast his destiny[2] upon the ground, and that [destiny] made subject [to him] the great demon. And he commanded the great demon and bold, Ornias, to cut stones at the Temple. And accordingly I Solomon glorified the God of heaven and Maker of the earth. And he bade Ornias come with his destiny, and I gave him the seal, saying: "Away with thee, and bring me hither the prince of all the demons."
13. So Ornias took the finger-ring, and went off to Beelzeboul, who has kingship over the demons. He said to him: "Hither! Solomon calls thee." But Beelzeboul, having heard, said to him: "Tell me, who is this Solomon of whom thou speakest to me?" Then Ornias threw the ring at the chest of Beelzeboul, saying: "Solomon the king calls thee." But Beelzeboul cried aloud with a mighty voice[3], and shot out a great burning flame of fire; and he arose, and followed Ornias, and came to Solomon.
14. And when I saw the prince of demons[4], I glorified the Lord God, Maker of heaven and earth, and I said: "Blessed art thou, Lord God Almighty, who hast given to Solomon thy servant wisdom, the assessor[5] of the wise, and hast subjected unto me all the power of the devil."
15. And I questioned him, and said: "Who art thou?" The demon replied: "I am Beelzeboul, the exarch of the demons. And all- ↑ In folk-lore old or new the ginn or evil spirit dreads iron.
- ↑ ἔρριψεν τὴν μοῖραν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. The same word μοῖρα is used below. The angels as well as the demons have their "destinies," in which it was written from all eternity what powers they might exercise. The same idea meets us in the Arabian Nights.
- ↑ ἀνέκραχε φωνῇ μεγάλῃ. The words occur in Luke iv. 33. Cf. ἀνεβόησεν φωνῇ μεγάλῃ, LXX, i Sam. xxviii. 12.
- ↑ τὸν ἄρχοντα τῶν δαιμονίων. In Matt. ix. 34, xii. 24; Mark iii. 22, Luke xi. 15, Beelzeboul is described in the same terms.
- ↑ τὴν τῶν σοφῶν πάρεδρον σοφίαν. Cp. Wisd. ix. 4 τὴν τῶν σῶν θρόνων πάρεδρον σοφίαν, where σοφῶν is possible as an alternative reading. Wisdom is in the Testament regarded as a divine power immanent in Solomon as afterwards in Jesus. At the close of the Testament it is called "the Spirit of God."
