The Book of Solomon

The Gift of Wisdom

As Solomon lies down to sleep, he asks for wisdom. An angel answers him. Another introduction to the Greater Key places the revelation beneath the trees, in the light of a blazing star. [1][2]

Greater Key · two alternative manuscript introductions

A luminous winged figure stands beside a crowned man reclining in bed within a curtained chamber. — **Artistic interpretation** Homadiel appears as Solomon lies down to sleep.

The angel before sleep

One night, Solomon invoked the divine name IAH as he lay down to sleep. He prayed for wisdom, and as his eyes began to close the angel Homadiel appeared. The angel spoke courteously: Solomon had asked for understanding to perform justice, choosing it over long life, riches and the lives of his enemies. His prayer would be answered with a wise and understanding heart.

[1]

Solomon tells this encounter to his son Roboam in the introduction that Mathers translated from Additional MS 10862. He says that he understood the creatures of heaven and everything beneath it, then judged the writings and wisdom of his age vain and imperfect. He gathered the secrets of magical arts and sciences into a work called the Key. Its name supplies its promise: as a key opens a treasure-house, the book opens hidden knowledge. [1]

The teaching includes preparations, days and hours as well as the experiments themselves. Solomon urges his son to attend to each requirement. The book he entrusts to Roboam is meant to carry the knowledge beyond the night when Homadiel first appeared. [1]

A star among the trees

The introduction from Lansdowne MS 1203 gives a different encounter. While Solomon meditates on divine power, a light appears at the end of a thickly shaded vista of trees. It takes the form of a blazing star and speaks in a voice of thunder, calling his name and telling him not to be afraid. The angel invites him to ask for what he desires. [2]

Recovering from his surprise, Solomon asks only for wisdom. He receives knowledge of natural things and the enjoyment of celestial treasures. In this account he speaks near death, explaining to Roboam how he acquired the knowledge that he now offers as an inheritance. [2]

Sources and editions

Greater Key — Introduction from Additional MS 10862
S. L. MacGregor Mathers, The Key of Solomon the King (1889), manuscript introductions attributed to British Library Additional MS 10862 and Lansdowne MS 1203. Introduction from Additional MS 10862, printed pp. 2–3; PDF pp. 9–10. Homadiel, IAH, wisdom request, Key metaphor and preparation charge.
Greater Key — Introduction from Lansdowne MS 1203
S. L. MacGregor Mathers, The Key of Solomon the King (1889), manuscript introductions attributed to British Library Additional MS 10862 and Lansdowne MS 1203. Introduction from Lansdowne MS 1203, printed p. 5; PDF p. 12. Blazing-star revelation and testament near death.

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The Gift of Wisdom

The angel before sleep

A star among the trees

Sources and editions