Sunday, August 19, 2012

DID YOU KNOW THAT... King Solomon Tokens



As early as in 6-7 century AD christian pilgrims were carrying King Solomon talismans. The simplest of those talismans were made of clay and measured only half an inch.Those Solomon charms (properly called Eulogiai or Blessings) carried the name of Solomon and a drawing of Solomonic roots that have the power to dispossess demons and cure diseases. The first-century Jewish historian Josephus tells of a man who was cured of a demonic spell when a shaman pronounced Solomon’s name and had the possessed man inhale from “a ring which had under its seal one of the roots prescribed by Solomon.” The Solomon charms were meant to assure a pilgrim of safety. Sometimes, to get the proper effect, the eulogia was rubbed or scraped. In the Byzantine period, the burial place of Solomon and David was believed to be about a half mile from Bethlehem. This is where these charms were probably manufactured and sold to pilgrims. 


Great news: Soon it will be possible to purchase similar tokens from my website:
Let me know if you are interested!

Source: Solomon’s Blessings by Hershel Shanks, BAS 27:05 Sep-Oct 2001