Testament of Solomon

The Testament of Solomon is an ancient text which was originally written in Korine Greek. Today, it has been translated into a plethora of different languages. The Testament is the Testament of King Solomon. The text essentially concludes that we must be prepared to face demons, because though they were once captured, the demons now roam freely.

The tale commences with King Solomon who was the king of Jerusalem, overseeing the construction of the temple. King Solomon questions one of his workers why he is growing thinner, “Do I not love thee more than all the artisans who are working in the Temple of God? Do I not give thee double wages and a double supply of food? How is it that day by day and hour by hour thow growest thinner?” The boy responds, that a demon named Ornias comes every evening and takes half his food, half his wages, and sucks his right thumb. This act of sucking his right thumb drains the boy’s energy, and causes him to grow thinner every day.

When King Solomon heard of the Demon Ornias feeding from one of his workers, he took action. He prayed that he would be able to control and combat the demons evil presence. The Angel, Michael answered King Solomon’s prayer and gave him a ring which he explained will help him lock up the worlds demons which will safely result in the construction in jerusalem.

King Solomon gave the boy the ring, and that night when Demon Ornias came to rob the boy of food, wages, and energy; the boy captured him through the ring, and brought him to King Solomon.

The Seal of Solomon (or Ring of Solomon), is the signet ring attributed to King Solomon. It was often depicted in either a pentagram or hexagram shape; the latter also known as the Star of David in Jewish tradition.

King Solomon then through this demon, recruited a more powerful demon named, Beezeboul. Beezeboul called other demons, which allowed King Solomon to interrogate them and further understand their name and the way they persecuted the mortals. This is how a large portionate of the Testament of Solomon goes, Solomon continues to interrogate several different demons and seals them in vessels or puts them to work building the temple. He is able to capture the demons with the help of the ring.

The end of the testament portrays King Solomon losing his Grace of God, and therefore the demons are released from captivity. King Solomon is drawn to a woman who urges him to worship a strange god, and eventually he does so. In the moment that he does, the Glory of God departs from him and he becomes darkened.

Ultimately, the moral of the story is evident. First of all, be wary of the lusts which seduce you, despite their beauty, form, or appearance. This is because they may be demons in themselves. Second, the demons of the world are not sealed in containers and freely roam, therefore be mindful and aware of these presences.

The Demon, Ornias

Ornias is the first demon mentioned in the Testament of Solomon. He is the demon who comes every night and takes half of a workman’s, wages, food, and sucks his thumb which drains the worker’s soul. This is problematic for many reasons and especially because the worker was working on the Temple of Jerusalem.

When the King of Solomon questions why the boy is growing thinner, the boy tells the King about the Demon Ornias. The King then gives the boy a ring which the boy will use next time the Demon Ornias come to take the boys energy.

When the Demon Ornias comes to suck the boys energy, he throws the ring at him. Demon Ornias is captured and brought back to King Solomon who interrogates him,

“‘Tell me, in which sign of the zodiac do you reside?’ The demon replied, ‘In Aquarius; I strangle those who reside in Aquarius because of their passion for women whose zodiacal sign is Virgo. Moreover, while in a trance I undergo three transformations. Sometimes I am a man who craves the bodies of effeminate boys and when I touch them, they suffer great pain. Sometimes I become a creature with wings (flying) up to the heavenly regions. Finally, I assume the appearance of a lion. In addition, I am descended from an archangel of the power of God, but I am thwarted by Ouriel, the archangel.’” – TSol 2:2-4

In the case of the Testament of Solomon, Demon Ornias craved the body of a boy. He fed off of the boy until King Solomon interfered. After King Solomon interrogated Demon Ornias, he sealed him in a vessel and made him work on the construction of the temple himself.

Demon Ornias is a key figure in the Testament of Solomon. This is because this demon is the first one to be captured and is also the demon who leads the king to other demons to be captured.

Sources

https://www.deliriumsrealm.com/ornias/

http://www.esotericarchives.com/solomon/testamen.htm

http://overman666.tripod.com/Sol.html

https://www.scribd.com/document/67724043/Testament-of-Solomon