Today, we began by reviewing concepts we have learned in the few weeks before about Jerusalem as a sacred space, as it attracts numerous Biblical passages. It is often viewed as the axis of Heaven and Earth (axis mundi, as termed by Mircea Eliade).
Then, we moved on to analyze Solomon's rule over Jerusalem. As a disclaimer, there is not much archaeological evidence for Solomon's empire, meaning we must stay with literary evidence through the Bible. Many believe that this is reason enough to disregard the existence of Solomon entirely. However, we will be focusing on literary texts that seem to state otherwise.
One of these texts is known as "Solomon's Prayer of Dedication" found in 1 Kings 8, where he claims that he as "provided a place for the ark." Important to note in this passage is the idea that the Lord is physically in the temple. However, this idea is challenged when the temple is burned down by the Babylonians.
More biblical accounts of Solomon's existence can be found in 1 Kings 1, where he is anointed at Gihon Spring. Also, he is believed to have authored the Book of Proverbs, ecclesiates (Qohelet), and Song of Songs (provacative writing that Solomon is credited for because he had many wives).
Though there is a lot of biblical evidence for his existence, there is very little archaeological evidence, as mentioned before. There is no palace, and hardly any evidence for the temple's existence because it is destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE, and it is believed that the ruins of Solomon's temple were cleared out when Herod rebuilds it. However, at this point, Professor Cargill raises an interesting question: "Is the absence of evidence, evidence of absence?" This question seems to be a recurring motif in the scholarly debate over Solomon's Temple.
One example of this debate can be found in studies of the Megiddo, where different scholars are looking at the same sediments, but are coming up with different conclusions and interpretations as to what the sediments mean. Two opposing viewpoints include: the conventional chronology (follows the Bible's telling of Solomon's existence) and the low chronology (where the sediment associated with Solomon in the 10th century BCE in the conventional chronology is actually associated with Ahab, who is a descendant of Solomon, meaning Solomon didn't build the temple).
In 1 Kings 6 -7, Solomon's temple is described with the Ark of the Covenant in the very back section, called the "Holy of Holies." In the front, there are 2 pillars (Boaz and Jackin according to 1 Kings 7). Furthermore, there is an inscription that says "may you be blessed by the Lord and his Asherah (female foreign God, who may have been the Lord's wife)." This may be evidence of how monotheism, as we know it today, was nonexistent. Finally, there is a Bronze Sea as described in 1 Kings 7 that could symbolize the sea as a cosmic element.
Though there is no solid evidence of the temple's existence, there are parallels that can be made with other temples at the time in design. Comparative evidence can be found in the Tel Arad Temple, Tel Ta'yinat (9th century BCE North Syrian Temple), and 'Ain Dara (10th century BCE). These temples all have similar designs to the one described in 1 Kings 6-7. Out of these temples, 'Ain Dara is given significance because it has, quite literally, the "footsteps of God" at its entrance, which reveals that at this point in time, God was still viewed as a being who physically dwelled in the temple.
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