The Entities

 

King Solomon was the first Entity that incorporated when John was sixteen years old, John was told by Santa Rita de Cassia, to go to the Redemptor Spiritual Center in Camp Grande where many people would be waiting for him. On entering the welcoming Center he fainted and when he came to was told that King Solomon had come through him and healed many people that where there. John was at first unbelieving, but with the stories being told by those present, finally he was convinced, and thus started his path of healing.

 

King Solomon (Hebrew: שְׁלֹמֹה, Standard Šəlomo or Šlomo Tiberian Šəlōmōh; Ge'ez: ስለሞን, Arabic: سليمان, Sulayman, all from the triliteral root S-L-M, "peace")^[1] is a figure described in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and the Qur'an. The biblical accounts identify Solomon as the son of David.^[2] He is also called Jedidiah in the Tanakh (Old Testament), and is described as the third king of the United Monarchy, and the final king before the northern Kingdom of Israel and the southern Kingdom of Judah split; following the split his patrilineal descendants ruled over Judah alone.

The Bible accredits Solomon as the builder of the First Temple in Jerusalem,^[2] and portrays him as great in wisdom, wealth, and power. Solomon is the subject of many other later references and legends.

Contents [hide] 1 Historical figure 2 Biblical account 2.1 Succession 2.2 Buildings and related works 2.3 Solomon's Pools 2.4 Wisdom 2.5 Marriages 2.6 Queen of Sheba 3 Jewish scriptures 4 Christianity 5 Islamic view 5.1 Death 6 Later legends 6.1 One Thousand and One Nights 6.2 Demons and magic 6.3 Throne 6.4 Apocryphal texts 7 Fiction 7.1 Literature 7.2 Theatre 7.3 Film 7.4 Music 8 See also 9 References 10 Notes 11 External links

Historical figure

Historical evidence of King Solomon, independent of the biblical accounts, is scarce. Nothing indisputably of Solomon's reign has been found. Archaeological excavations at Hazor, Megiddo, Bethshan and Gezer have uncovered structures that Israeli archaeologists Ammon Ben-Tor, Amihai Mazar and US Professor William G. Dever argue all belong to his reign and all were simultaneously destroyed by a raid of Shishaq,^[3] but Finkelstein argues that these structures are dated to the Omride period, more than a century after Solomon's reign.^[4] Excavations on these sites are ongoing. Recently researchers have dated a copper smelting plant at Khirbat en-Nahas in southern Jordan to the 10th century BCE ^[5] This finding is consistent with the time frame associated with Solomon in the Bible and has been claimed to bolster evidence for Solomon’s historical existence. Archeological excavation however finds no evidence of complex societies in Judah or in Edom, where Khirbat en-Nahas lay, during this period. The legend of "King Solomon’s mines" is a fictional concept from a 19th century CE novel by Sir Henry Haggard.

Biblical account

Succession

According to the biblical book of 1 Kings, when David was "old and stricken" he "gat no heat":

2 Wherefore his servants said unto him, Let there be sought for my lord the king a young virgin: and let her stand before the king, and let her cherish him, and let her lie in thy bosom, that my lord the king may get heat. 3 So they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the coasts of Israel, and found Abishag a Shunammite, and brought her to the king. 4 And the damsel was very fair, and cherished the king, and ministered to him: but the king knew her not. 1 Kings 1:2-4

When Adonijah, the fourth son of David and heir-apparent to the throne after the death of his elder brothers Amnon and Absalom, heard this he acted to have himself be declared king. But Bathsheba (Solomon's mother) and Nathan induced David to give orders that his younger son Solomon should immediately be proclaimed king. Adonijah fled and took refuge at the altar, and received pardon for his conduct from Solomon on the condition that he showed himself "a worthy man" (1 Kings 1:5-53).

Adonijah asked to marry Abishag the Shunammite, but Solomon denied authorization for such an engagement, although Bathsheba now pleaded on Adonijah's behalf. He was then seized and put to death (1 Kings 2:13-25).

David's general Joab was killed, in accord with David's deathbed request to Solomon, and David's priest Abiathar was exiled. Shimei was confined to Jerusalem and killed three years later when he went to Gath to retrieve some runaway servants. [1]

[edit] Buildings and related works

During Solomon's long reign of 40 years, the Hebrew monarchy, according to the Bible, gained its highest splendour. This period has been called the Augustan Age of the Jewish annals. In a single year, according to 1 Kings 10:14, Solomon collected tribute amounting to 680 talents of gold (39,960 pounds). Some feel that based on the archeological evidence, ^[4] the kingdom of Israel at the time of Solomon was little more than a small city state, so they consider this to be an implausibly large amount of money. According to Israel Finkelstein and Neil Silberman, authors of The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts^[6], at the time of the Davidic and Solomonic kingdoms, Jerusalem may have been unpopulated, or at most with only a few hundred residents. They consider this insufficient to have ruled an empire stretching from the Euphrates to Eilath. They write that the earliest independent reference to the Kingdom of Israel is about 890 BCE, whilst for that of Judah is about 750 BCE. They suggest that due to religious prejudice, later writers (i.e. the Biblical authors) suppressed the achievements of the Omrides (whom the Bible describes as being polytheist), and instead pushed them back to a supposed golden age of godly rulers (i.e. monotheist, and Yahweh worshiping). Also some like the biblical minimalists notably Thomas L. Thompson suggest that Jerusalem only became a city and capable of acting as a state capital in the middle of the seventh century^[7].

These views are strongly criticized by William G. Dever,^[8] Helga Weippert, Amihai Mazar and Amnon Ben-Tor.

André Lemaire states in ^[9] that the principal points of the biblical tradition with Solomon as generally trustworthy as does Kenneth Kitchen who argue that Solomon ruled over a comparatively wealthy 'mini-empire' rather than a small city-state so consider this sum to be a rather modest amount of money. Mr. Kitchen calculates that over a 30 year period such a kingdom might have accumulated from this up to 500 tons of gold which is small when compared to other examples such as the 1,180 tons of gold that Alexander the Great took from Susa ^[10]. Likewise, the magnitude of Solomon's temple is considered excessively large by some, for example, Finkelstein; however, others such as Kenneth Kitchen ^[11] consider it a reasonable and typically sized structure for the region at the time.

William G. Dever states "that we now have direct Bronze and Iron Age parallels for every feature of the 'Solomonic temple' as described in the Hebrew Bible".^[12]

The archaeological remains that are still considered to actually date from the time of Solomon are notable for the fact that Canaanite material culture appears to have continued unabated; there is a distinct lack of magnificent empire, or cultural development - indeed comparing pottery from areas traditionally assigned to Israel with that of the Philistines points to the Philistines having been significantly more sophisticated. However there is a lack of physical evidence of its existence, despite some archaeological work in the area.^[4] This is not unexpected as the area was devastated by the Babylonians, then rebuilt and destroyed several times^[11]. Also it should be noted that little archaeological excavation has been conducted around the area known as the Temple Mount; in what is thought to be the foundation of Solomon's Temple as attempts to do so are met with protest from adherents to the Muslim and Jewish faiths (http://www.sacred-destinations.com/israel/temple-mount-excavation.htm).

Solomon is described as surrounding himself with all the luxuries and the external grandeur of an Eastern monarch, and his government prospered. He entered into an alliance with Hiram I, king of Tyre, who in many ways greatly assisted him in his numerous undertakings. For some years before his death David was engaged in the active work of collecting materials for building a temple in Jerusalem as a permanent abode for the Ark of the Covenant Solomon is described as completing its construction, with the help of an architect, also named Hiram, and other materials, sent from Hiram king of Tyre. The description of the temple is remarkably similar to that of surviving remains of Phoenician temples of the time, and it is certainly plausible, from the point of view of archaeology, that the temple was constructed to the design of Phoenicians. It has also been suggested that the Phoenicians built it for themselves.^[4]

From a critical point of view, Solomon's building of a temple for Yahweh should not be seen as an act resulting from particular devotion to Yahweh, since Solomon is also described as erecting temples for a number of other deities^[13] (1 Kings 11:4). Solomon's apparent initial devotion to Yahweh appearing in for example his dedication prayer (1 Kings 8:14-66) are seen by textual scholars as a product of a much later writer, Solomon being credited with the views only after Jerusalem had actually become the religious centre of the kingdom (rather than, for example, Shiloh, or Bethel). Textual scholars consider the authorship of passages such as these in the Books of Kings to be separate from the remainder of the text, and consider these passages to be probably the result of the Deuteronomist.^[14]

After the completion of the temple, Solomon is described as erecting many other buildings of importance in Jerusalem; for the long space of thirteen years he was engaged in the erection of a royal palace on Ophel (a hilly promontory in central Jerusalem); Solomon also constructed great works for the purpose of securing a plentiful supply of water for the city, and the Millo (Septuagint, Acra) for the defense of the city. However, excavations of Jerusalem have shown a distinct lack of monumental architecture from the era, and remains of neither the Temple nor Solomon's palace have been found (although it should be noted that a number of significant but politically sensitive areas have not been extensively excavated, including the site that the Temple is traditionally said to have been located).

Solomon is also described as rebuilding major cities elsewhere in Israel, creating the port of Ezion-Geber, and constructing Tadmor in the wilderness as a commercial depot and military outpost. Solomon is additionally described as having amassed a thousand and four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen. Though the location of Solomon's port of Ezion-Geber is known, no remains have ever been found. More archaeological success has been achieved with the major cities Solomon is said to have strengthened or rebuilt (for example, Hazor , Megiddo and Gezer- 1 Kings 9:15); these all have substantial ancient remains, including impressive six-chambered gates, and ashlar palaces, as well as trough-like structures outside buildings that early archaeologists have identified as the stables for Solomon's horses.

According to the Bible, during Solomon's reign Israel enjoyed great commercial prosperity, with extensive traffic being carried on by land with Tyre, Egypt, and Arabia, and by sea with Tarshish (Spain), Ophir, and South India.

Solomon's Pools

Main article: Solomon's Pools

Solomon's Pools are located near the town of al-Khader about 5 miles southwest of Bethlehem. They are named after the Biblical Solomon, probably because of his mention in Ecclesiastes 2.6, that "I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees".[2] However the pools of more recent evidence were probably the work of the Romans under Herod the Great to provide source water for the aqueduct built to supply water to Bethlehem and to Jerusalem where it terminated under the Temple Mount. These source pools consist three open cisterns, each at different elevations, fed from an underground spring. The total water capacity is about 11,36 million liters. [3]

Wisdom

One of the qualities most ascribed to Solomon is his wisdom. One account, that of Solomon suggesting to divide a baby in two to determine its real mother, is from the Old Testament of the Bible in the book of Kings (chapter 3 verse 16-28). In this often-quoted passage, two prostitutes came before Solomon to resolve a quarrel about which of them was the true mother of a baby. (The other's baby died in the night and each claims the surviving child as hers.) When Solomon suggests dividing the living child in two with a sword, the true mother is revealed to him because she is willing to give up her child to the lying woman rather than have the child killed. Solomon then declares the woman who shows the compassion is the true mother.

Marriages

According to 1 Kings 11: 3 Solomon had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines. The wives are described as foreign princesses, including Pharaoh's daughter and women of Moab, Ammon, Sidon and of the Hittites. These wives are depicted as leading Solomon astray. According to 1 Kings 11: 4 "his wives turned his heart after other gods", their own national deities, to whom Solomon built temples, thus incurring divine anger and retribution in the form of the division of the kingdom after Solomon's death (1 Kings 11).

Queen of Sheba

Main article: Queen of Sheba

In a brief, unelaborated, and enigmatic passage, the Bible describes how the fame of Solomon's wisdom and wealth spread far and wide, so much so that the queen of Sheba decided that she should meet him. The queen is described as visiting with a number of gifts including gold and rare jewels to decorate the temple, and also bringing with her a number of riddles. When Solomon gave her "all her desire, whatsoever she asked," she left satisfied (1 Kings 10:10).

Whether the passage is simply to provide a brief token foreign witness of Solomon's wealth and wisdom, or whether there is meant to be something more significant to the queen's visit and her riddles is unknown; nevertheless the visit of the Queen of Sheba has become the subject of numerous stories.

Sheba is typically identified as Saba, a nation once spanning the Red Sea on the coasts of what are now Eritrea, Somalia, Ethiopia and Yemen, in Arabia Felix. In a Rabbinical account (e.g. Targum Sheni), Solomon was accustomed to ordering the living creatures of the world to dance before him (Rabbinical accounts say that Solomon had been given control over all living things by God), but one day upon discovering that the mountain-cock or hoopoe (the Hebrew name for the creature is Shade) was absent, he summoned it to him, and the bird told him that it had been searching for somewhere new.

The bird had discovered a land in the east, exceedingly rich in gold, silver, and plants, whose capital was called Kitor and whose ruler was the Queen of Sheba, and the bird, on its own advice, was sent by Solomon to request the queen's immediate attendance at Solomon's court.

In an Ethiopian account (Kebra Nagast) it is maintained that the Queen of Sheba had sexual relations with King Solomon (of which the Biblical account gives no hint) and gave birth by the Mai Bella stream in the province of Hamasien, Eritrea. The Ethiopian tradition has a detailed account of the affair. (See Queen_of_Sheba#Ethiopian_account)

The child was a son who went on to become Menelik I, King of Axum, and founded a dynasty that would reign in the eventual stalwart Christian Empire of Ethiopia the 2900+ years (less one usurpation episode and interval of ca. 133 years until a "legitimate" male heir regained the crown) until Haile Selassie was overthrown in 1974. Menelik was said to be a practicing Jew, had been gifted with a replica Ark of the Covenant by King Solomon, but moreover, the original was switched and went to Axum with him and his mother, and is still there, guarded by a single priest charged with caring for the artifact as his life's task. The Claim of such a lineage and of possession of the Ark has been an important source of legitimacy and prestige for the Ethiopian monarchy throughout the many centuries of its existence, and had important and lasting effects on Ethiopian culture as a whole. The Ethiopian government and church deny all requests to view the alleged ark^[15].

Some classical-era Rabbis, attacking Solomon's moral character, have claimed instead that the child was an ancestor of Nebuchadnezzar, who destroyed Solomon's temple some 300 years later.^[16]

Jewish scriptures

King Solomon is one of the central Biblical figures in Jewish heritage that have lasting religious, national and political aspects. As the constructor of the first temple in Jerusalem and last ruler of the united Jewish Kingdom of Israel from ancient times, until it was re-established in the modern State of Israel, Solomon is associated with the peak "golden age" of the independent Kingdom of Israel as well as a source of judicial and religious wisdom. According to Jewish tradition, King Solomon has written three books of the Bible:

• Mishlei (Book of Proverbs), a collection of fables and wisdom of life
• Kohelet (Ecclesiastes), a book of contemplation and his self reflection.
• Shir ha-Shirim (Song of Songs), a chronicle of erotic love (there are contrasting opinions whether its subject is a woman or God).

The Hebrew word "To Solomon" (also by Solomon) appears in the title of two hymns in the book of Psalms (Tehillim), suggesting to some that Solomon wrote them.

In modern Israel, the debate about the historical accuracy of the Biblical account of Solomon has political as well as scientific dimensions. In general, those who uphold the Biblical account are identified as nationalists who support an exclusive Israeli-Jewish territorial claim to the whole Land of Israel. Those who doubt this account and assert that the actual Solomon, if he existed, had a far smaller and poorer kingdom than the one depicted in the Bible are identified as those who might be inclined to territorial concessions in present-day politics.

Christianity

Christianity has traditionally accepted the historical existence of Solomon, though some modern Christian scholars have also questioned at least his authorship of those biblical texts ascribed to him, if not his actual existence. Such disputes tend to divide Christians into traditionalist and modernist camps.

Of the two Genealogies of Jesus given in the Gospels, Matthew mentions Solomon, but Luke does not. Jesus mentions Solomon twice. The first reference is the famous simile of Matthew 6:28-29 and Luke 12:27, in which Jesus compares the lilies of the field with "Solomon in his glory". In the second reference Jesus alludes to the Queen of Sheba's visit to the court of David (Matthew 12:42, Luke 11:31). Saint Stephen, in his testimony before the Sanhedrin, mentions Solomon's construction of the Temple (Acts 7:47).

In the Eastern Orthodox Church, Solomon is commemorated as a saint, with the title of "Righteous Prophet and King". His feast day is celebrated on the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers (two Sundays before the Great Feast of the Nativity of the Lord).

Islamic view

Main article Islamic view of Solomon

See also Biblical narratives and the Qur'an

Solomon also appears in the Qur'an, where he is called سليمان in Arabic, which is transliterated in English variously as Sulayman, Suleiman, Sulaimaan etc. The Qur'an refers to Sulayman as the son of David (Arabic: Dawud), as a prophet and as a great ruler imparted by God with tremendous wisdom, favor, and special powers just like his father, David. The Quran states that Sulayman had under his rule not only people, but also hosts of Jinn. It also states that Sulayman was able to understand the language of the birds and ants, and to see some of the hidden glory in the world that was not accessible to common human beings. Ruling a large kingdom that extended south into Yemen, he was known throughout the lands for his wisdom and fair judgments.

Solomon is said to have been given control over various elements, such as the wind and transportation. Thus the Quran says,

And to Solomon (We subjected) the wind, its morning (stride from sunrise till midnoon) was a month's (journey), and its afternoon (stride from the midday decline of the sun to sunset) was a month's (journey i.e. in one day he could travel two months' journey). And We caused a fount of (molten) brass to flow for him, and there were jinn that worked in front of him, by the Leave of his Lord, And whosoever of them turned aside from Our Command, We shall cause him to taste of the torment of the blazing Fire. Quran 34:12

And before Sulayman were marshaled his hosts,- of Jinns and men and birds, and they were all kept in order and ranks. Quran 27:17

And Solomon was accordingly grateful of God, he says

"O ye people! We have been taught the speech of birds, and on us has been bestowed from everything: this is indeed the Grace manifest (from God)." Quran 27:16

Death

According to the Quran, the death of Solomon was a lesson to be learned,

Then, when We decreed (Solomon's) death, nothing showed them his death except a little worm of the earth, which kept (slowly) gnawing away at his staff: so when he fell down, the Jinns saw plainly that if they had known the unseen, they would not have tarried in the humiliating Penalty (of their Task). Quran 34:14

When Solomon was to die, he was standing watching the work of his (Jinn) slaves while reclining on his cane. There he silently passed away, but did not fall. He remained in this position, for days and the Jinns thought that he was still alive watching them work, and so they kept working extra days. But the termites were eating at the cane all these days so that the body of Sulayman fell after forty days. It was thereafter that the Jinn (along with all humans) fell in their hands that they did not know more than God had allotted them to know.

Later legends

One Thousand and One Nights

A well-known story in the One Thousand and One Nights describes a genie who had displeased King Solomon and was punished by being locked in a bottle and thrown into the sea. Since the bottle was sealed with Solomon's seal, the genie was helpless to free himself, until freed many centuries later by a fisherman who discovered the bottle.

This story is not derived from the Qu'ran.

Demons and magic

According to the Rabbinical literature, on account of his modest request for wisdom only, Solomon was rewarded with riches and an unprecedentedly glorious realm, which extended over the upper world inhabited by the angels and over the whole of the terrestrial globe with all its inhabitants, including all the beasts, fowls, and reptiles, as well as the demons and spirits. His control over the demons, spirits, and animals augmented his splendor, the demons bringing him precious stones, besides water from distant countries to irrigate his exotic plants. The beasts and fowls of their own accord entered the kitchen of Solomon's palace, so that they might be used as food for him, and extravagant meals for him were prepared daily by each of his 700 wives and 300 concubines, with the thought that perhaps the king would feast that day in her house.

A magic ring called the "Seal of Solomon" was supposedly given to Solomon, and gave him power over demons. The magical symbol said to have been on the Seal of Solomon which made it work is now better known as the Star of David. Asmodeus, king of demons, was one day, according to the classical Rabbis, captured by Benaiah using the ring, and was forced to remain in Solomon's service. In one tale, Asmodeus brought a man with two heads from under the earth to show Solomon; the man, unable to return, married a woman from Jerusalem and had seven sons, six of whom resembled the mother, while one resembled the father in having two heads. After their father's death, the son with two heads claimed two shares of the inheritance, arguing that he was two men; Solomon, owing to his huge wisdom, decided that the son with two heads was only one man.

The Seal of Solomon, in some legends known as the Ring of Aandaleeb, was a highly sought after symbol of power. In several legends, different groups or individuals attempted to steal it or attain it in some manner.

One legend concerning Asmodeus goes on to state that Solomon one day asked Asmodeus what could make demons powerful over man, and Asmodeus asked to be freed and given the ring so that he could demonstrate; Solomon agreed but Asmodeus threw the ring into the sea and it was swallowed by a fish. Asmodeus then swallowed the king, stood up fully with one wing touching heaven and the other earth, and spat out Solomon to a distance of 400 miles. The Rabbis claim this was a divine punishment for Solomon having failed to follow three divine commands, and Solomon was forced to wander from city to city, until he eventually arrived in an Ammonite city where he was forced to work in the king's kitchens. Solomon gained a chance to prepare a meal for the Ammonite king, which the king found so impressive that the previous cook was sacked and Solomon put in his place; the king's daughter, Naamah, subsequently fell in love with Solomon, but the family (thinking Solomon a commoner) disapproved, so the king decided to kill them both by sending them into the desert. Solomon and the king’s daughter wandered the desert until they reached a coastal city, where they bought a fish to eat, which just happened to be the one which had swallowed the magic ring. Solomon was then able to regain his throne and expel Asmodeus. (The element of a ring thrown into the sea and found back in a fish's belly earlier appeared in Herodotus' account of Polycrates of Samos).

In another familiar version of the legend of the Seal of Solomon, Asmeodeus disguises himself. In some myths, he's disguised as King Solomon himself, while in more frequently heard versions he's disguised as a falcon, calling himself Gavyn (Gavinn or Gavin), one of King Solomon’s trusted friends. The concealed Asmeodeus tells travelers who have ventured up to King Solomon's grand lofty palace that the Seal of Solomon was thrown into the sea. He then convinces them to plunge in and attempt to retrieve it, for if they do they would take the throne as king.

Other magical items attributed to Solomon are his key and his Table. The latter was said to be held in Toledo, Spain during the Visigothic rule and was part of the loot taken by Tarik ibn Ziyad during the Umayyad Conquest of Iberia, according to Ibn Abd-el-Hakem's History of the Conquest of Spain. The former appears in the title of the Lesser Key of Solomon, a grimoire whose framing tale is Solomon capturing demons using his ring, and forcing them to explain themselves to him.

Demons also help out Solomon in building the Temple; though not by choice. The edifice was, according to rabbinical legend, throughout miraculously constructed, the large, heavy stones rising to and settling in their respective places of themselves. The general opinion of the Rabbis is that Solomon hewed the stones by means of a shamir, a mythical worm whose mere touch cleft rocks. According to Midrash Tehillim, the shamir was brought from paradise by Solomon's eagle; but most of the rabbis state that Solomon was informed of the worm's haunts by Asmodeus. The shamir had been entrusted by the prince of the sea to the mountain cock alone, and the cock had sworn to guard it well, but Solomon's men found the bird's nest, and covered it with glass. When the bird returned, it used the shamir to break the glass, whereupon the men scared the bird, causing it to drop the worm, which the men could then bring to Solomon.

Early adherents of the Kabbalah portray Solomon as having sailed through the air on a throne of light placed on an eagle, which brought him near the heavenly gates as well as to the dark mountains behind which the fallen angels Uzza and Azzael were chained; the eagle would rest on the chains, and Solomon, using the magic ring, would compel the two angels to reveal every mystery he desired to know. Solomon is also portrayed as forcing demons to take Solomon's friends, including Hiram, on day return trips to hell.

Other forms of Solomon legend describe Solomon as having had a flying carpet that was 60 miles square, and could travel so fast that it could get from Damascus to Medina within a day. One day, due to Solomon exhibiting pride, the wind shook the carpet and caused 40,000 men to fall from it; Solomon on being told by the wind why this had happened, felt ashamed. Another day Solomon was flying over an ant-infested valley and overheard an ant warning its fellow ants to hide lest Solomon destroy them; Solomon desired to ask the ant a question, but was told it was not becoming for the interrogator to be above and the interrogated below. Solomon then lifted the ant above the valley, but the ant said it was not fitting that Solomon should sit on a throne while the ant remained on the ground, so Solomon placed the ant upon his hand, and asked it whether there was any one in the world greater than he. The ant replied that she was much greater as otherwise God would not have sent him there to place it upon his hand; this offended Solomon and he threw the ant down reminding it who he was, but the ant told him that it knew Solomon was created from a corrupted drop, causing Solomon to feel ashamed.

According to one legend, while magically traveling Solomon noticed a magnificent palace to which there appeared to be no entrance. He ordered the demons to climb to the roof and see if they could discover any living being within the building but the demons only found an eagle, which said that it was 700 years old, but that it had never seen an entrance. An elder brother of the eagle, 900 years old, was then found, but it also did not know the entrance. The eldest brother of these two birds, which was 1,300 years old, then declared it had been informed by its father that the door was on the west side, but that it had become hidden by sand drifted by the wind. Having discovered the entrance, Solomon found an idol inside that had in its mouth a silver tablet saying in Greek (a language not thought by modern scholars to have existed 1000 years before the time of Solomon) that the statue was of Shaddad, the son of 'Ad, and that it had reigned over a million cities, rode on a million horses, had under it a million vassals, and slew a million warriors, yet it could not resist the angel of death.

Throne

Solomon's throne is described at length in Targum Sheni, which is compiled from three different sources, and in two later midrash. According to these, there were on the steps of the throne twelve golden lions, each facing a golden eagle. There were six steps to the throne, on which animals, all of gold, were arranged in the following order: on the first step a lion opposite an ox; on the second, a wolf opposite a sheep; on the third, a tiger opposite a camel; on the fourth, an eagle opposite a peacock, on the fifth, a cat opposite a cock; on the sixth, a sparrow-hawk opposite a dove. On the top of the throne was a dove holding a sparrow-hawk in its claws, symbolizing the dominion of Israel over the Gentiles. The first midrash claims that six steps were constructed because Solomon foresaw that six kings would sit on the throne, namely, Solomon, Rehoboam, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon, and Josiah. There was also on the top of the throne a golden candelabrum, on the seven branches of the one side of which were engraved the names of the seven patriarchs Adam, Noah, Shem, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Job, and on the seven of the other the names of Levi, Kohath, Amram, Moses, Aaron, Eldad, Medad, and, in addition, Hur (another version has Haggai). Above the candelabrum was a golden jar filled with olive-oil and beneath it a golden basin which supplied the jar with oil and on which the names of Nadab, Abihu, and Eli and his two sons were engraved. Over the throne, twenty-four vines were fixed to cast a shadow on the king's head.

By a mechanical contrivance the throne followed Solomon wherever he wished to go. Supposedly, due to another mechanical trick, when the king reached the first step, the ox stretched forth its leg, on which Solomon leaned, a similar action taking place in the case of the animals on each of the six steps. From the sixth step the eagles raised the king and placed him in his seat, near which a golden serpent lay coiled. When the king was seated the large eagle placed the crown on his head, the serpent uncoiled itself, and the lions and eagles moved upward to form a shade over him. The dove then descended, took the scroll of the Law from the Ark, and placed it on Solomon's knees. When the king sat, surrounded by the Sanhedrin, to judge the people, the wheels began to turn, and the beasts and fowls began to utter their respective cries, which frightened those who had intended to bear false testimony. Moreover, while Solomon was ascending the throne, the lions scattered all kinds of fragrant spices. After Solomon's death King Shishak, when taking away the treasures of the Temple (comp. I Kings xiv. 26), carried off the throne, which remained in Egypt till Sennacherib conquered that country. After Sennacherib's fall Hezekiah gained possession of it, but when Josiah was slain by Pharaoh Necho the latter took it away. However, according to rabbinical accounts, Necho did not know how the mechanism worked and so accidentally struck himself with one of the lions causing him to become lame; Nebuchadnezzar, into whose possession the throne subsequently came, shared a similar fate. The throne then passed to the Persians, who their king Darius was the first to sit successfully on Solomon's throne since his death, and after that the throne passed into the possession of the Greeks and Ahasuerus.

Apocryphal texts

To Solomon are attributed, by rabbinical tradition, the Wisdom of Solomon, probably written in the 2nd century BCE where Solomon is portrayed as an astronomer, and other books of wisdom poetry such as the Odes of Solomon and the Psalms of Solomon. The Jewish historian Eupolemus, who wrote about 157 BCE, included copies of apocryphal letters exchanged between Solomon and the kings of Egypt and Tyre.

The Gnostic Apocalypse of Adam, which may date to the 1st or 2nd century, refers to a legend in which Solomon sends out an army of demons to seek a virgin who had fled from him, perhaps the earliest surviving mention of the later common tale that Solomon controlled demons and made them his slaves. This tradition of Solomon's control over demons appears fully elaborated in the early Gnostic work called the "Testament of Solomon" with its elaborate and grotesque demonology.^[17]

Fiction

Literature

• In Friedrich Dürrenmatt's Die Physiker, the physicist Möbius claims that Solomon appears to him and dictates the "theory of all possible inventions" (based on Unified Field Theory).
• In The Divine Comedy the spirit of Solomon appears to Dante Alighieri in the Heaven of the Sun with other exemplars of inspired wisdom.
• In Neal Stephenson's three-volume The Baroque Cycle, 17th century alchemists like Isaac Newton believe that Solomon created a kind of "heavier" gold with mystical properties and that it was cached in the Solomon Islands where it was accidentally discovered by the crew of a wayward Spanish galleon.
  In the third volume of The Baroque Cycle, The System of the World, a mysterious member of the entourage of Czar Peter I of Russia, named "Solomon Kohan" appears in early 18th century London. The czar, traveling incognito to purchase English-made ships for his navy, explains that he added him to his court after the Sack of Azov, where Kohan had been a guest of the Pasha. Solomon Kohan is later revealed as one of the extremely long-lived "Wise" (like Enoch Root), and compares a courtyard full of inventors' work-stations to "an operation I used to have in Jerusalem a long time ago," denominating either facility as "a temple."
• Isaac Rosenberg, the famous 20th century Jewish poet, references Solomon in a great number of his early poems.
• King Solomon is the subject of the Afrikaans poem 'Salomo O Salomo'

Theatre

• The Israeli musical King Solomon and Shalmai the Shoemaker based on a Jewish folk story about King Solomon and a shoemaker that looks exactly like him.
• Solomon is a featured character in a one-act play by playwright John Guare, entitled "The General of Hot Desire"
• King Solomon is featured in a two-act play by Swiss playwright Friedrich Dürrenmatt, entitled Die Physiker

Film

• Solomon and Sheba (1959)
• There have been at least 3 English language versions filmed of the Allan Quatermain story, "King Solomon's Mines", written by Sir Henry Haggard. "King Solomon's Mines" is also a famous Walt Disney comic story featuring the character Uncle Scrooge, written and drawn by Carl Barks. The diamond mines of King Solomon are also sought after in the book and in the movie Congo by the author of Jurassic Park Michael Crichton.

Music

• Händel composed an oratorio entitled Solomon in 1748. The story follows the basic Biblical plot.
• Ernest Bloch composed a Hebraic Rhapsody for cello and orchestra entitled Schelomo, based on King Solomon.
• In the U2 song "Wave of Sorrow" a cryptic reference is made to Solomon and David.

See also

• The Bible Unearthed
• Goetia
• Kabbalah
• Lesser Key of Solomon
• Seal of Solomon
• Solomon and Morcolf
• This too shall pass

References

• Dever, William G. (2003). Who Were the Early Israelites and Where Did They Come From?. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. ISBN 0-8028-0975-8. 
• Finkelstein, Israel; Neil Asher Silberman (2006). David and Solomon: In Search of the Bible's Sacred Kings and the Roots of the Western Tradition. Free Press. ISBN 0-7432-4362-5. 
• Finkelstein, Israel; Neil Asher Silberman. The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision. ISBN 978-0684869131. 
• Thomas E. Levy & Thomas Higham (eds.), ed.. The Bible and Radiocarbon Dating: Archaeology, Text and Science. London ; Oakville, CT.: Equinox Publishing (UK). ISBN 978-1845530563. OCLC 60453952. 
• Dever, William G.. What Did the Biblical Writers Know and When Did They Know It?: What Archaeology Can Tell Us about the Reality of Ancient Israel. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans Pub.. ISBN 978-0802847942. OCLC 45487499. 
• Kitchen, Kenneth A.. On the reliability of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans. ISBN 0-8028-4960-1. 

Notes

External links

• A collection of King Solomon links on the web
• Wars of King Solomon The Wars of King Solomon: Summaries and Studies: www.warsofisrael.com
• Jewish Encyclopedia (1901-1905)
• Catholic Encyclopedia: Solomon entry by Gabriel Oussani (1913)
• Solomon at the Internet Movie Database Animated depiction of the life of Solomon
• Solomon at the Internet Movie Database Artistic movie about the rise and the reign of King Solomon

 

 

 

Dr. Oswaldo Cruz was the founder of Medicina Experimental Brasileira and is credited with eradicating the yellow fever epidemic in Brazil. Often when he is incorporated he will ask visitors to remove their wristwatches so that they do not disturb the energy of the current. While he is very direct and forthright when dealing with the visitors, he does so with so much love and compassion, that it has been noted that John of Gods eyes will actually change colors and appearance and radiate unconditional love while incorporated with Dr. Cruz

 

 

Oswaldo Gonçalves Cruz, better known as Oswaldo Cruz (pron. IPA: [osvawdu cɾuz]), (August 5, 1872, São Luíz do Paraitinga, São Paulo state, Brazil – February 11, 1917, Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro state) was a Brazilian physician, bacteriologist, epidemiologist and public health officer and the founder of the Oswaldo Cruz Institute.

Contents [hide] 1 Early years 2 Work in Brazil 3 Smallpox Vaccination Controversy 4 Later Work 5 References 6 External links

Early years

Oswaldo Gonçalves Cruz was born on August 5, 1872 in São Luis do Paraitinga, a small city in São Paulo State, to the physician Bento Gonçalvez Cruz and Amália Bulhões Cruz. Still a child, he moved to Rio de Janeiro with his family. At the age of 15 he started to study at the Faculty of Medicine of Rio de Janeiro and in 1892 he graduated as medical doctor with a thesis on water as vehicle for the propagation of microbes. Inspired by the great work of Louis Pasteur, who had developed the germ theory of disease, four years later he went to Paris to specialize in Bacteriology at the Pasteur Institute, which gathered the great names of this branch of science of that time. He was financed by his father-in-law, a wealthy Portuguese merchant.

Work in Brazil

Cruz found the seaport of Santos ravaged by a violent epidemic of bubonic plague that threatened to reach Rio de Janeiro and engaged himself immediately in the combat of this disease. The mayor of Rio de Janeiro authorized the construction of a plant for manufacturing the serum against the disease which had been developed at the Pasteur Institute by Alexandre Yersin and coworkers, and asked the institution for a scientist who could bring to Brazil this know-how. The Pasteur Institute responded that such a person was already available in Brazil and he was Dr. Oswaldo Cruz.

Thus, on May 25, 1900, the Federal Serotherapy Institute destined to the production of sera and vaccines against the bubonic plague was created with the Baron Pedro Afonso as Director General and the young bacteriologist Oswaldo Cruz as Technical Director. The new Institute was established in the old farm of Manguinhos at the western shores of Guanabara Bay. In 1902, Cruz accepted the office of Director General of the new institute and soon amplified its scope of activities, now no longer restricted to the production of sera but also dedicated to basic and applied research and to the building of human resources. In the following year, Oswaldo Cruz was appointed Director General of Public Health, a position corresponding to that of a today's Minister of Health. Using the Federal Serotherapy Institute as technical-scientific base, he started a quick succession of memorable sanitation campaigns. His first adversary: a series of yellow fever endemics, which had earned Rio de Janeiro the sinister reputation of Foreigners' Grave. Between 1897 and 1906, 4,000 European immigrants had died there from this disease.

Cruz was initially successful in the sanitary campaign against the bubonic plague, to which end he used obligatory notification of cases, isolation of sick people, treatment with the sera produced at Manguinhos and extermination of the rats populating the city.

Smallpox Vaccination Controversy

In 1904, a smallpox epidemic was threatening the capital. In the course of the first five months of that year, more than 1,800 persons had already been hospitalized. A law imposing smallpox vaccination of children had existed since 1837 but had never had been put into practice. Therefore, on June 9, 1904, following a proposal by Oswaldo Cruz, the government presented a bill to the Congress requesting the reestablishment of obligatory smallpox vaccination. The extremely rigid and severe provisions of this instrument terrified the people. Popular opposition against Oswaldo Cruz increased sharply and opposition newspapers started a violent campaign against this measure and the federal government in general. Members of the parliament and labor unions protested. An Anti-vaccination League was organized.

On November 10, the Vaccine Revolt exploded in Rio. Violent confrontations with the police ensued, with strikes, barricades, and shootings in the streets, as the population rose in protest against the government. On November 14, the Military Academy adhered to the revolt but the cadets where dispersed after an intense shooting. The government declared a state of siege. On November 16, the uprising was controlled and the obligatory vaccination was suspended. But in 1908, a violent smallpox epidemic made the people rush en masse to the vaccination units and Cruz was vindicated, and his merit recognized.

Later Work

Among the international scientific community, his prestige was already uncontested. In 1907, on occasion of the 14th International Congress on Hygiene and Demography in Berlin, he was awarded with the gold medal in recognition of the sanitation of Rio de Janeiro. In 1909, Oswaldo Cruz retired from the position as Director General for Public Health, dedicating himself exclusively to the Manguinhos Institute, which has been named after him. From the Institute he organized important scientific expeditions, which allowed a better knowledge about the health and life conditions in the interior of the country and contributed to the colonization of different regions. He eradicated the urban yellow fever in the State of Pará. His sanitation campaign in the state of Amazonas allowed concluding the construction of the Madeira-Mamoré railroad, which was interrupted due to the great number of deaths of malaria and yellow fever among the workers.

In 1913, he was elected a member of the Brazilian Academy of Arts and Letters. In 1915, due to health problems, he resigned from the directorship of the Oswaldo Cruz Institute and moved to Petrópolis, a small city in the mountains near Rio. On August 18, 1916, he was elected mayor of that city and outlined an extensive urbanization project he would not see implemented. In the morning of February 11, 1917, at only 44 years of age, he died of kidney failure.

As a consequence of the short but fruitful life of Dr. Oswaldo Cruz, an extremely important scientific and health institution was born, which marked the beginning of experimental medicine in Brazil in many areas. To this day it exerts a strong influence on Brazilian science, technology and public health.

References

• Buss, Paulo (June 2001). The Oswaldo Cruz Foundation: 100 years. TDRNews 65. Retrieved 2005-03-02.
• Oswaldo Cruz (1872-1917) at FIOCRUZ: Oswald Cruz Foundation. Retrieved 2005-03-02. (website in Portuguese with English section)

External links

• Cruz on the Brazilian 50 Cruzados banknote
• Museum of Live - Where you can visit an exhibition about Oswaldo Cruz

Chico Xavier, one of Brazils most popular Spiritualist, was also John of Gods Mentor when he was still alive, and incorporates through John now that he has passed over. Chico Xavier was instrumental in getting John of God to Abadiania Brazil, where the Casa de Dom Inacio was built, and is still in service today. When Chico incorporates, he is funny and compassionate and full of love for the people that come before him.

More on Chico Xavier Chico Xavier thank to Wikipedia   Chico Xavier (born Francisco Cândido Xavier; April 2, 1910 - June 30, 2002) was a popular medium in Brazil´s spiritism movement. In his life he wrote more than 400 books in a process known as Automatic writing. He was born in the city of Pedro Leopoldo, State of Minas Gerais and is popularly known as "Chico Xavier" (Chico is the Brazilian nickname for Francisco). Throughout his life he wrote more than 400 books, using a process known as psychography, where his hand was said to be guided by spirits that wanted to leave a written message, or sometimes entire books. Xavier's spiritual guide was called Emmanuel. According to the medium's writings, in Roman times Emmanuel had been Senator Publius Lentulus; he had been reincarnated in Spain as Father Damian, and later as a professor at the Sorbonne. Some of his books are considered by Brazilian spiritist followers to be fundamental for the comprehension of the practical and theoretical aspects of Allan Kardec's doctrine. As reported by Xavier, his spiritual guide Emmanuel specifically warned him that if any teaching seemed to be in contradiction with Jesus Christ's or Allan Kardec's teachings, that he should stay with Jesus Christ and Allan Kardec. Chico Xavier kept a simple life, donating all the income from the books he wrote and the donations he received to charity. He provided food to the needy every day in Uberaba, who would form long lines to also get a word with him. He believed that the message of Spiritism belonged to the world. He received a book in English reportedly from US-born spirit authors ("Between Brothers of Other Lands") while on a trip to the US in 1965, and messages in various languages to the effect that every country has a role to play in spreading the Gospel, including Brazil (Brasil, Coração do Mundo, Pátria do Evangelho (Brazil, Heart of the World, Home of the Gospel). These messages contained guidelines directing that the word foreign must be scratched from the dictionary -- "The children of other homelands must be treated as true brothers". His appearances on TV talk shows in the late 1960s and early 1970s helped to establish Kardecist Spiritism as one of the main religions professed in Brazil. At the peak of his activities, it was common for celebrities to visit his home in the city of Uberaba, Minas Gerais, for moral and spiritual advice, or just for talking. For more than 30 years he was seen as a kind of national "guru" whose advice people sought out. He often stressed the point that none of the abilities attributed to him were really his, but that he was only a channel for the work of the spirits; that he was not able to produce any miracle, such as healing people, and he could not contact someone that was dead, unless that person was willing to be contacted. He had many public presentations and on national TV, with live spiritual communication at the request of attendees, who could positively verify the personal or informative details of such communications. He did not concern himself with proving the veracity of his claims or submitting to scientific experiments, in order to convince skeptics of his claims. His attitude is common in spiritism, where followers are usually not concerned about proselitism.[citation needed] He claimed in a public TV interview (see first question and answer in national TV segment) that the very size of his body of work (about a hundred thousand pages), the diversity of their subjects, the large number of supposedly different authors (more than 400, some of them foreign), their different styles and their elevated moral would make it impossible for him to be their author. Chico Xavier's popularity remained unchanged in Brazil throughout his life. Despite his health problems (general weakness as a consequence of old age), he kept working up to his death, on June 30, 2002. His death was marked by a remarkable coincidence, as he died on the same day the Brazilian football (soccer) team won the 2002 World Cup. He had declared in a TV interview, years before, that he wished to die on a very happy day for the country, so that his death would not be remembered with sorrow.[citation needed] Contents [hide] 1 Notes 2 List of Works by Chico Xavier 3 See also 4 External links 5 References Notes A letter channeled by Chico Xavier from a supposed victim of a murder once helped to establish the innocence of the presumed murderer. The case became nationally famous because the case had already been tried and a man was convicted. The letter, among other evidence presented in trial, caused the presumed murderer to be freed.[1] As told in his biography As Vidas de Chico Xavier (The Lives of Chico Xavier), Xavier, on a trip to the United States, supposedly encountered the spirit of Marilyn Monroe while visiting her grave. According to Xavier, Marilyn revealed to him that while she was suffering from depression at the time of her death, her death was accidental. [List of Works by Chico Xavier The following is an incomplete (he wrote about 400 books) alphabetical list which includes only some of the titles that are still popular and influential in Brazilian Spiritism: A Caminho da Luz (Towards the Light) Ação e Reação (Action and Reaction) A Vida Continua (Life Goes On) Crianças no Além (Children from Beyond) Desobsessão (Disobsession) Entre Dois Mundos (Between Two Worlds) Há 2000 Anos (2000 Years Ago) Jesus no Lar (Jesus at Home) Livro da Esperança (Book of Hope) Nos Domínios da Mediunidade (In the Realms of Mediunity) Nosso Lar (Our Home): Translated to English as The Astral City O Pão Nosso (Our Daily Bread) Parnaso de Além-Túmulo (Poetry from Beyond the Grave) See also Spiritism The Spirits Book The Book on Mediums The Gospel According to Spiritism The Genesis According to Spiritism Heaven and Hell [External links Chico Xavier on the Internet: The Messenger (Video Series) Chico Xavier o medium (in Portuguese) Biografia de Chico Xavier (in Portuguese) Obituary of Chico Xavier--Guardian Unlimited Francisco de Paula Candido Xavier Biography The Most Prolific Spiritist Medium in Brazil, Francisco de Paula Candido Xavier, returns to the Spiritual Plane Allan Kardec Educational Society Spiritist Society of Baltimore

For the opera by Olivier Messiaen see Saint-François d'Assise.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Saint Francis by Cimabue Lower Church, San Francesco, Assisi.
Confessor
Born	1181/1182, Assisi, Italy
Died	October 3, 1226, Assisi, Italy
Venerated in	Roman Catholic Church
Canonized	July 16, 1228, Assisi by Pope Gregory IX
Major shrine	Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi
Feast	September 17 October 4
Attributes	Cross, Dove, Pax et Bonum, Poor Franciscan habit, Stigmata
Patronage	animals, Catholic Action, environment, merchants, Meycauayan, Italy, Philippines, stowaways[1]

Francis of Assisi (Giovanni Francesco Bernardone; born 1181/1182 – October 3, 1226)^[2] was a friar and the founder of the Order of Friars Minor, more commonly known as the Franciscans.

He is known as the patron saint of animals, the environment and Italy, and it is customary for Catholic churches to hold ceremonies honouring animals around his feast day of 4 October.^[3]

Contents [hide] 1 Childhood and early adulthood 2 Founding of the Order of Friars Minor 3 Later life 4 Feast day 5 Saint Francis, nature, and the environment 6 Saint Francis in other media 7 Main writings by St. Francis 8 Primary sources for the life of Saint Francis 9 See also 10 References 11 External links

Childhood and early adulthood

Francis was one of seven children born to Pietro di Bernardone, a rich cloth merchant, and his wife Pica Bourlemont, about whom little is known except that she was originally from France^[4]. Pietro was in France on business when Francis was born, and Pica had him baptized as Giovanni di Bernardone^[3] in honor of Saint John the Baptist, in the hope he would grow to be a great religious leader. When his father returned to Assisi, he was furious about this, as he did not want his son to be a man of the Church and decided to call him Francesco, in honor of his commercial success and enthusiasm for all things French.^[5]

As a youth, Francesco—or Francis in English—became a troubador and yearned to become a writer of French poetry.^[2][5] And although many biographers remark about his bright clothing, rich friends, street brawls, and love of pleasure,^[4] his displays of disillusionment toward the world that surrounded him came fairly early in his life, as is shown in the "story of the beggar." In this account, he was selling cloth and velvet in the marketplace on behalf of his father when a beggar came to him and asked for alms. At the conclusion of his business deal, Francis abandoned his wares and ran after the beggar. When he found him, Francis gave the man everything he had in his pockets. His friends quickly chided and mocked him for his act of charity. When he got home, his father scolded him in rage.^[6]

In 1201, he joined a military expedition against Perugia, he was taken as a prisoner at Collestrada, and spent a year as a captive.^[7] It is probable that his conversion to more serious thoughts was a gradual process relating to this experience. Upon his return to Assisi in 1203, Francis returned to his carefree life and in 1204, a serious illness led to a spiritual crisis. In 1205 Francis left for Puglia to enlist in the army of the Count of Brienne. In Spoleto, a strange vision made him return to Assisi, deepening his ecclesiastical awakening ^[2].

It is said that thereafter he began to avoid the sports and the feasts of his former companions; in response, they asked him laughingly whether he was thinking of marrying, to which he answered "yes, a fairer bride than any of you have ever seen", meaning his "lady poverty". He spent much time in lonely places, asking God for enlightenment. By degrees he took to nursing lepers, the most repulsive victims in the lazar houses near Assisi. After a pilgrimage to Rome, where he begged at the church doors for the poor, he said he had had a mystical vision of Jesus Christ in the Church of San Damiano just outside of Assisi, in which the Icon of Christ Crucified came alive and said to him three times, "Francis, Francis, go and repair My house which, as you can see, is falling into ruins". He thought this to mean the ruined church in which he was presently praying, and so sold his horse and some cloth from his father's store, to assist the priest there for this purpose.^[2][8]

His father Pietro, highly indignant, attempted to change his mind, first with threats and then with corporal chastisement. After a final interview in the presence of the bishop, Francis renounced his father and his patrimony, laying aside even the garments he had received from him. For the next couple of months he lived as a beggar in the region of Assisi. Returning to the town for two years this time, he restored several ruined churches, among them the Porziuncola, little chapel of St Mary of the Angels, just outside the town, which later became his favorite abode.^[8]

Founding of the Order of Friars Minor

At the end of this period (according to Jordanus, on 24 February 1209), Francis heard a sermon that changed his life. The sermon was about Matthew 10:9, in which Christ tells his followers that they should go forth and proclaim that the Kingdom of Heaven was upon them, that they should take no money with them, nor even a walking stick or shoes for the road.^[2] Francis was inspired to devote himself to a life of poverty.^[2]

Clad in a rough garment, barefoot, and, after the Evangelical precept, without staff or scrip, he began to preach repentance.^[2] He was soon joined by his first follower, a prominent fellow townsman, the jurist Bernardo di Quintavalle, who contributed all that he had to the work. Within a year Francis had eleven followers. Francis chose never to be ordained a priest and the community lived as "lesser brothers," fratres minores in Latin.^[2]

The brothers lived a simple life in the deserted lazar house of Rivo Torto near Assisi; but they spent much of their time wandering through the mountainous districts of Umbria, always cheerful and full of songs, yet making a deep impression on their hearers by their earnest exhortations.^[2]

In 1209 Francis led his first eleven followers to Rome to seek permission from Pope Innocent III to found a new religious order.^[9] Upon entry to Rome, the brothers encountered Bishop Guido of Assisi, who had in his company Giovanni di San Paolo, the cardinal bishop of Sabina. The Cardinal, who was the confessor of Pope Innocent III, was immediately sympathetic to Francis and agreed to represent Francis to the pope. Reluctantly, Pope Innocent agreed to meet with Francis and the brothers the next day. After several days, the pope agreed to informally admit the group, adding that when God increased the group in grace and number, they could return for an official admittance. The group was tonsured and Francis was ordained as a deacon, allowing him to read Gospels in the church.^[10]

Later life

From then on, his new order grew quickly with new vocations.^[11] When hearing Francis preaching in the church of San Rufino in Assisi in 1209, Clare of Assisi became deeply touched by his message and she realized her calling.^[11] Her brother Rufino also joined the new order.

On Palm Sunday, 28 March 1211 Francis received Clare at the Porziuncola and hereby established the Order of Poor Dames, later called Poor Clares.^[11] In the same year, Francis left for Jerusalem, but he was shipwrecked by a storm on the Dalmatian coast, forcing him to return to Italy.

On 8 May 1213 he received the mountain of La Verna (Alverna) as a gift from the count Orlando di Chiusi who described it as “eminently suitable for whoever wishes to do penance in a place remote from mankind.”^[12][13] The mountain would become one of his favorite retreats for prayer.^[13] In the same year, Francis sailed for Morocco, but this time an illness forced him to break off his journey in Spain. Back in Assisi, several noblemen (among them Tommaso da Celano, who would later write the biography of St. Francis) and some well-educated men joined his order.

In 1215 Francis went again to Rome for the Fourth Lateran Council. During this time, he probably met Dominic de Guzman.^[1]

In 1216 Francis received from the new pope Honorius III the confirmation of the indulgence of the Porziuncola, now better known as the Pardon of Assisi, which the Pope decreed to be a complete remission of their sins for all those who prayed in the Porziuncola.

In 1217 the growing congregation of friars was divided in provinces and groups were sent to France, Germany, Hungary, Spain and to the East.

In 1219 Francis left, together with a few companions, on a pilgrimage of non-violence to Egypt. Crossing the lines between the sultan and the Crusaders in Damietta, he was received by the sultan Melek-el-Kamel.^[14][1] Francis challenged the Muslim scholars to a test of true religion by fire; but they retreated.^[1] When Francis proposed to enter the fire first, under the condition that if he left the fire unharmed, the sultan would have to recognize Christ as the true God, the sultan was so impressed that he allowed Francis to preach to his subjects.^[1][15] Though Francis did not succeed in converting the sultan, the last words of the sultan to Francis of Assisi were, according to Jacques de Vitry, bishop of Acre, in his book "Historia occidentalis, De Ordine et praedicatione Fratrum Minorum (1221)" : “Pray for me that God may deign to reveal to me that law and faith which is most pleasing to him.”.^[16]

At Acre, the capital of what remained of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, he rejoined the brothers Elia and Pietro Cattini. Francis then most probably visited the holy places in Palestine in 1220.

Although nativity drawings and paintings existed earlier, St Francis of Assisi celebrated Christmas by setting up the first known three-dimensional presepio or crèche (Nativity scene) in the town of Greccio near Assisi, around 1220.^[17] He used real animals to create a living scene so that the worshipers could contemplate the birth of the child Jesus in a direct way, making use of the senses, especially sight.^[17] Thomas of Celano, a biographer of Francis and Saint Bonaventure both tell how he only used a straw-filled manger (feeding trough) set between a real ox and donkey.^[17] According to Thomas, it was beautiful in its simplicity with the manger acting as the altar for the Christmas Mass.

When receiving a report of the martyrdom of five brothers in Morocco, Francis returned to Italy via Venice.^[18] Cardinal Ugolino di Conti was then nominated by the Pope as the protector of the order. When problems arose in the order, a detailed rule became necessary. On September 29, 1220 Francis handed over the governance of the order to brother Pietro Cattini at the Porziuncola. However, Brother Cattini died on March 10, 1221. He was buried in the Porziuncola. When numerous miracles were attributed to the late Pietro Cattini, people started to flock to the Porziuncola, disturbing the daily life of the Franciscans. Francis then prayed, asking Pietro to stop the miracles and obey in death as he had obeyed during his life. The report of miracles ceased. Brother Pietro was succeeded by brother Elia as vicar of Francis.

During 1221 and 1222 Francis crossed Italy, first as far south as Catania in Sicily and afterwards as far north as Bologna.

On November 29, 1223 the final rule of the order (in twelve chapters) was approved by Pope Honorius III.

While he was praying on the mountain of Verna, during a forty day fast in preparation for Michaelmas (September 29), Francis is said to have had a vision on or about September 14, 1224, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, as a result of which he received the stigmata.^[19] Brother Leo, who had been with Francis at the time, left a clear and simple account of the event, the first definite account of the phenomenon of stigmata.^[2][19] "Suddenly he saw a vision of a seraph, a six-winged angel on a cross. This angel gave him the gift of the five wounds of Christ."^[19]

Suffering from these Stigmata and from an eye disease, he received care in several cities (Siena, Cortona, Nocera) to no avail. In the end he was brought back to the Porziuncola. He was brought to the "transito," the hut for infirm friars, next to the Porziuncola. Here, in the place where it all began, feeling the end approaching, he spent the last days of his life dictating his spiritual testament. He died on the evening of October 3, 1226 singing Psalm 141.

On July 16, 1228 he was pronounced a saint by the next pope Gregory IX, the former cardinal Ugolino di Conti, friend and protector of St Francis. The next day, the pope laid the foundation stone for the Basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi.

He was buried on May 25, 1230 under the Lower Basilica. His burial place remained inaccessible until it was rediscovered in 1818. Pasquale Belli then constructed for his remains a crypt in neo-classical style under the Lower Basilica. It was refashioned between 1927 and 1930 into its present form by Ugo Tarchi, stripping the wall of its marble decorations. In 1978 the remains of St. Francis were identified by a commission of scholars, appointed by Pope Paul VI and put in a glass urn in the ancient stone tomb.

Saint Francis is considered the first Italian poet by literary critics. He believed commoners should be able to pray to God in their own language, and he wrote always in the dialect of Umbria instead of Latin. His writings are considered to have great literary value, as well as religious.^[20]

Feast day

Saint Francis' feast day is observed on October 4. In addition to this feast, a secondary feast is still observed amongst Traditional Roman Catholics and Franciscans world-wide in honor of the stigmata received by St Francis celebrated on September 17 called "The Impression of the Stigmata of St Francis, Confessor" (see the General Roman Calendar as in 1954, the General Roman Calendar of Pope Pius XII, and the General Roman Calendar of 1962).

Saint Francis, nature, and the environment

Many of the stories that surround the life of St Francis deal with his love for animals.^[21] Perhaps the most famous incident that illustrates the Saint’s humility towards nature is recounted in the 'Fioretti' (The "Little Flowers"), a collection of legends and folk-lore that sprang up after the Saint’s death. It is said that one day while Francis was traveling with some companions they happened upon a place in the road where birds filled the trees on either side. Francis told his companions to "wait for me while I go to preach to my sisters the birds".^[21] The birds surrounded him, drawn by the power of his voice, and not one of them flew away. Francis spoke to them:

My sister birds, you owe much to God, and you must always and in everyplace give praise to Him; for He has given you freedom to wing through the sky and He has clothed you…you neither sow nor reap, and God feeds you and gives you rivers and fountains for your thirst, and mountains and valleys for shelter, and tall trees for your nests. And although you neither know how to spin or weave, God dresses you and your children, for the Creator loves you greatly and He blesses you abundantly. Therefore… always seek to praise God.

Main article: Wolf of Gubbio

Another legend from the Fioretti tells that in the city of Gubbio, where Francis lived for some time, was a wolf “terrifying and ferocious, who devoured men as well as animals”. Francis had compassion upon the townsfolk, and went up into the hills to find the wolf. Soon, fear of the animal had caused all his companions to flee, though the saint pressed on. When he found the wolf, he made the sign of the cross and commanded the wolf to come to him and hurt no one. Miraculously the wolf closed his jaws and lay down at the feet of St. Francis. “Brother Wolf, you do much harm in these parts and you have done great evil…” said Francis. “All these people accuse you and curse you…But brother wolf, I would like to make peace between you and the people.” Then Francis led the wolf into the town, and surrounded by startled citizens made a pact between them and the wolf. Because the wolf had “done evil out of hunger”, the townsfolk were to feed the wolf regularly, and in return, the wolf would no longer prey upon them or their flocks. In this manner Gubbio was freed from the menace of the predator. Francis, ever the lover of animals, even made a pact on behalf of the town dogs, that they would not bother the wolf again. It is also said that Francis, to show the townspeople that they would not be harmed baptised the wolf.

These legends exemplify the Franciscan mode of charity and poverty as well as the saint's love of the natural world.^[22] Part of his appreciation of the environment is expressed in his Canticle of the Sun, a poem written in Umbrian Italian in perhaps 1224 which expresses a love and appreciation of Brother Sun, Sister Moon, Mother Earth, Brother Fire, etc. and all of God's creations personified in their fundamental forms. In "Canticle of the Creatures," he wrote: "All praise to you, Oh Lord, for all these brother and sister creatures."^[3]

Francis's attitude towards the natural world, while poetically expressed, was conventionally Christian.^[4] He believed that the world was created good and beautiful by God but suffers a need for redemption because of the primordial sin of man. He preached to man and beast the universal ability and duty of all creatures to praise God (a common theme in the Psalms) and the duty of men to protect and enjoy nature as both the stewards of God's creation and as creatures ourselves.^[21]

Legend has it that St. Francis on his deathbed thanked his donkey for carrying and helping him throughout his life, and his donkey wept.

Saint Francis in other media

• Franco Zeffirelli's film Brother Sun, Sister Moon
• Olivier Messiaen's opera Saint-François d'Assise
• Francesco (1990), a film by Liliana Cavani, somewhat slow moving film which follows Francis of Assisi's evolution from rich man's son to religious humanitarian and eventually to full-fledged self-tortured saint. This movie was inspired by Hermann Hesse's novel Peter Camenzind. St. Francis is played by Mickey Rourke, and the woman who later became Saint Clare, is played by Helena Bonham Carter
• Reluctant Saint: The Life of Francis of Assisi a book by Donald Spoto (2002)
• Flowers for St Francis (2005), a book by Raj Arumugam
• Saint Francis et His Four Ladies (1970) a book by Joan Mowat Erikson
• Brother, Sister (2006), third full-length album by indie rock band MewithoutYou, featuring the song "The Sun and Moon"
• Sant Francesc (Saint Francis, 1895), a book of forty-three Saint Francis poems by Catalan poet-priest Jacint Verdaguer, three of which are included in English translation in Selected Poems of Jacint Verdaguer: A Bilingual Edition, edited and translated by Ronald Puppo, with an introduction by Ramon Pinyol i Torrents (University of Chicago, 2007). The three poems are "The Turtledoves", "Preaching to Birds" and "The Pilgrim".
• Frank McCourt's autobiography Angela's Ashes contains some references to St. Francis.
• In Fyodor Dostoevsky's 'The Brothers Karamazov,' Ivan Karamazov invokes the name of 'Pater Seraphicus,' an epithet applied to St. Francis, to describe Alyshosha's spiritual guide Zosima. The reference is also found in Goethe's "Faust," Part 2, Act 5, lines 11918–25.
• The song "Fifty Gallon Drum" from the album Talkin Honky Blues by Buck 65 contains the lyric "I've got a Francis of Assisi keychain, and a wallet made of Corinthian leather."

Main writings by St. Francis

• Canticum Fratris Solis or Laudes Creaturarum, Canticle of the Sun.
• Prayer before the Crucifix, 1205 (extant in the original Umbrian dialect as well as in a contemporary Latin translation).
• Regula non bullata, the Earlier Rule, 1221.
• Regula bullata, the Later Rule, 1223.
• Testament, 1226.
• Admonitions.

For a complete list, see [1].

Primary sources for the life of Saint Francis

• Friar Elias, Epistola Encyclica de Transitu Sancti Francisci, 1226.
• Pope Gregory IX, Bulla "Mira circa nos" for the canonization of St. Francis, 19 July 1228.
• Friar Tommaso da Celano: Vita Prima Sancti Francisci, 1228; Vita Secunda Sancti Francisci, 1246 – 1247; Tractatus de Miraculis Sancti Francisci, 1252 – 1253.
• Friar Julian of Speyer, Vita Sancti Francisci, 1232 – 1239.
• St. Bonaventure of Bagnoregio, Legenda Maior Sancti Francisci, 1260 – 1263.
• Ugolino da Montegiorgio, Actus Beati Francisci et sociorum eius, 1327 – 1342.
• Fioretti di San Francesco, the "Little Flowers of St. Francis", end of the 14th century: an anonymous Italian version of the Actus; the most popular of the sources, but very late and therefore not the best authority by any means.
• The Little Flowers of Saint Francis (Translated by Raphael Brown), Doubleday, 1998. ISBN 978-0-385-07544-2

For an exhaustive list of sources, see [2].

See also

• Fraticelli

• Saint Juniper, one of Francis' original followers.
• Saint David
• St. Bonaventure University, a school founded in the Franciscan tradition inspired by St. Francis of Assisi.
• Franciscan University of Steubenville, a school run by Franciscan TOR's in Southeastern Ohio.
• University of Saint Francis (Illinois), a school founded in the tradition of St. Francis of Assisi.
• Saint Francis University (Pennsylvania)
• List of people on stamps of Ireland
• Saint Margaret of Cortona
• Saint-François d'Assise, an opera by Olivier Messiaen
• Society of Saint Francis
• The Flowers of St. Francis (1950), a film by Roberto Rossellini
• Christian mystics
• Siena College
• Saint-François (places called for Francis of Assisi in French-speaking countries)
• Lynn Townsend White, Jr.
• San Francisco, California, a major city named for this saint

References

External links

• ORDO FRATRUM MINORUM — OFM — The homepage of the first order of Franciscans, Friars Minor.
• Franciscans International
• The Capuchin-Franciscan Friars
• The Third Order Regular, founded by Francis
• The Franciscan Archive
• Life of St. Francis of Assisi by Paul Sabatier at Project Gutenberg
• Opuscula omnia Sancti Francisci Assisiensis Writings of St. Francis, in Latin
• The Writings of St. Francis of Assisi
• Works by or about Francis of Assisi in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
• Biography of St. Francis of Assissi

 

 

 

 

 

 

Entity is defined in most dictionaries as “That which is known or perceived or inferred to have its own distinct existence (living or nonliving). Aptly named are those that work with and through John of God.

 

 

There are thirty three, at the very least, Entities that work through John of God. Some are frequently incorporated, while others make rare and special appearances. Many of the Entities remain nameless, while others announce their presence during incorporation.  King Solomon, Dr. Oswaldo Cruz, Chico Xavier, Dr. Augusto de Almeida, Dr. Jose Valdivino,  Saint Francis of Assisi, and Saint Ignatius of Loyola, whom the Casa de Dom Inacio is named after, are perhaps the most recognizable of all the Entities. While John of God is only incorporated with one Entity at a time, there have been some occasions during a session when the Entities will switch from one to another.

 

 

King Solomon was the first Entity that incorporated when John was sixteen years old, John was told by Santa Rita de Cassia, to go to the Redemptor Spiritual Center in Camp Grande where many people would be waiting for him. On entering the welcoming Center he fainted and when he came to was told that King Solomon had come through him and healed many people that where there. John was at first unbelieving, but with the stories being told by those present, finally he was convinced, and thus started his path of healing.

 

 

Chico Xavier, one of Brazils most popular Spiritualist, was also John of Gods Mentor when he was still alive, and incorporates through John now that he has passed over. Chico Xavier was instrumental in getting John of God to Abadiania Brazil, where the Casa de Dom Inacio was built, and is still in service today. When Chico incorporates, he is funny and compassionate and full of love for the people that come before him.

 

 

Saint Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals, the environment, and Italy, is a rare, special incorporation. While John of God does not work on animals through the lines, or with pictures, you are always welcome to put pictures and letters of concern for your animal friends in the Prayer Triangles. St. Francis works with a deep love and respect for visitors at the Casa. His work is evident in the Casa grounds, where wildlife is all around, and the foliage is breathtaking.  The Casa grounds are serene, beautiful and relaxing, with wonderful places to sit, meditate, and heal.

 

 

Dr. Oswaldo Cruz was the founder of Medicina Experimental Brasileira and is credited with eradicating the yellow fever epidemic in Brazil. Often when he is incorporated he will ask visitors to remove their wristwatches so that they do not disturb the energy of the current. While he is very direct and forthright when dealing with the visitors, he does so with so much love and compassion, that it has been noted that John of Gods eyes will actually change colors and appearance and radiate unconditional love while incorporated with Dr. Cruz.

 

Dr. Augusto de Almeida is the most frequent Entity that incorporates through John of God. He is said to have been in the Military, a rubber tapper, and a doctor in his previous incarnations. While he is recognized, when incorporated, by his authoritarian and strong personality, his is also very kind and compassionate and deeply loved by all that go before him.  “My phalange comprises not of ten, nor a hundred, but thousands of Healing Spirits. I am the one who reaches to the very depths of the abyss to save a soul” ~Dr. Augusto de Almeida~

 

 

Dr. Jose Valdivino possesses the most powerful healing energy for paraplegics. While there is little known about his life, when asked he simply said he was the protector of families.  There is a picture in the assembly hall of the Casa that shows John of God so fully incorporated with this Entity, that John’s body is almost completely replaced by Dr. Valdivino. Vistors to the Casa that have been before Dr. Jose Valdivino say he is extremely gentle, compassionate, and loving.

 

 

Saint Ignatius of Loyola, called Dom Inacio de Loyola in Portuguese, is the principle Entity for whom the Casa was named. Calmly, and with compassion kindness and patience, he works tirelessly for hours at a time. Miraculous healings have been noted when John of God is incorporated with Dom Inacio. “For those who believe, no proof is necessary, for those who do not believe, no amount of proof is sufficient.”~ Saint Ignatius of Loyola~

 

 

No matter which of the Entities you go before while at the Casa, there are numerous more Entities that are not incorporated working with you during your healing process. They can come to you in your room at the Pousada, while you are having a Crystal Bed session, or while you’re in the plane coming or going to Brazil. They are even with you once you return to your own home. The Entities are here with us to assist us in finding physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual healing. Most importantly they do this for us with honor, patience, respect, compassion, kindness, and love.