Solomon and Solomonic LiteratureConway, Moncure Daniel
History
Solomon and Solomonic Literature
Conway, Moncure Daniel
Hebrew literature -- History and criticism; Solomon, King of Israel
"Speak to the two women thus: 'As we do not know to which of
you two the boy belongs, let her who is the strongest take the
boy.' When each of them has taken hold of one of the boy's hands,
and he begins to cry out on account of the pain, the real mother
will let go, being full of compassion for him, and knowing that
if her child remains alive she will be able to see it again; but
the other, who has no compassion for him, will not let go. Then
beat her with a switch, and she will thereupon confess the truth
of the whole matter."
In comparing this with the famous judgment of Solomon there appear
some reasons for believing the Oriental tale to be the earlier. In
the Biblical tale there is evidently a missing link. Why should the
false mother, who had so desired the child, consent to have it cut
in two? What motive could she have? But in the Tibetan tale one of
the women is the wife, the other the concubine, of a householder. The
wife bore him no child, and was jealous of the concubine on account of
her babe. The concubine, feeling certain that the wife would kill the
child, gave it to her, with her lord's approval; but after his death
possession of the house had to follow motherhood of the child. If,
however, the child were dead, the false claimant would be mistress of
the house. Here, then, is a motive wanting in the story of Solomon,
and suggesting that the latter is not the original.
In the ancient "Mahosadha Jataka" the false claimant proves to be a
Yakshini (a sort of siren and vampire) who wishes to eat the child. To
Buddha himself is here ascribed the judgment, which is much the same
as that of the "wise Champa maiden," Visakha. Here, also, is a motive
for assenting to the child's death or injury which is lacking in the
Biblical story.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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