TURKEY - King Solomon Amulet Discovered
The rare artifact was found during an ongoing excavation project in Hadrianopolis, an ancient city near Karabük, and dated to the fifth century.
The pendant, made of bronze, shows King Solomon, according to a news release issued by Turkey’s Karabük University. The ancient ruler is seen riding a horse and holding a spear while defeating the devil, according to Dr. Ersin Çelikbaş, an associate professor at the university. Solomon appears in multiple religions, including Judaism, Catholicism and Islam.
The phrase “Our Lord defeated evil” is written on one side of the amulet, and the names of four biblical angels—Azrail, Gabriel, Michael and Israfil—are written on the other side. The pendant would have been used as a charm to protect against evil or danger, Çelikbaş told LiveScience.
Çelikbaş added that the amulet is related to the military nature of the city, noting that previous excavations had “determined the existence of a cavalry unit” in Hadrianopolis. This is the first pendant of its kind to be found in Turkey, Çelikbaş said, though a similar piece was once found in Jerusalem.
-www.cbsnews.com, 21 November 2024
Arno's Commentary
The fact that King Solomon appears on the amulet is not surprising, for this glorious king of Israel influenced the world. His wisdom was exceptional, and under his rule as king of Israel, he built the first temple in Jerusalem. The archaeological discoveries in Turkey reveal the name “Solomon.”
Based on a Quora.com post, “Old Testament: The Books of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon, 2 Chronicles, were all written by King Solomon. (1 Kings 1:4–15. 1 Kings 3, 5–7.)”
At the beginning of the New Testament, we read in Matthew 1:6: “And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias.”
Jesus mentioned Solomon: “The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here” (Matthew 12:42).
Significantly, in the book of Revelation, the seven churches were all located in the territory of the country we call today Turkey.
The CIA Factbook states that Turkey has a population of more than 84 million, of which 99.8% are Muslim. Life expectancy stands at 76.7 years, and per capita GDP is $34,400. According to the Turkish government, Christians make up only 0.2% of the population. That is a sharp decline from 1914, when Christians made up 25% of the population before the Armenian genocide.
Today’s Turkish government is one of the fiercest anti-Israel geopolitical identities.
Nevertheless, the Church—the group of believers, born again of the Spirit of God—are present in the land of Turkey, and they need our prayers.
Arno Froese is the executive director of Midnight Call Ministries and editor-in-chief of the acclaimed prophetic magazines Midnight Call and News From Israel. He has authored a number of well-received books, and has sponsored many prophecy conferences in the U.S., Canada, and Israel. His extensive travels have contributed to his keen insight into Bible prophecy, as he sees it from an international perspective.
