Ruler, Lover, Sage and Sceptic: Receptions of King Solomon

The proposed research focuses on the image of King Solomon: the biblical portrait and its reception in literature and music. A comprehensive image of Solomon throughout the Bible is still a desideratum of biblical studies. Another innovative aspect is music: texts as part of music, like librettos and lyrics, have hardly come into the focus of biblical reception up to now. The project will show how the biblical narrative in 1 Kings 111 unfolds as an ongoing process of reading and rewriting. This development does not end with the completion of the biblical canon. Instead, it is continued in the religious communities, their studies and teaching, but also in the arts. While demonstrating how Solomon is created and recreated in literature and music, we also want to show that this creative process has two sides: It is not only the reception, adaptation and reinterpretation of a biblical figure but at the same time a way to present a current situation from a specific perspective, namely Solomons. The image of the biblical king acts as a lens through which the respective present is shown. This project means to be a follow-up study of the FWF-project Ruler, Lover, Sage and Sceptic: Receptions of King Solomon (P 25473-G15, 1.12.2013-30.11.2016), which focused on the biblical texts and their receptions in the era of Baroque (appr. 1600-1750) and modern times (appr. 1900- 2016). Now we will look at the years 1750-1900, a period of radical change especially regarding the arts; and we will trace the reception of Solomon in early modern times (1490-1600) that already prepared the Baroque era. Together with the previous study, this project will - for the first time - be able to give a detailed insight into the reception history of Solomon in literature and music from the 16th to the 21st century.

The research project "Ruler, Lover, Sage and Sceptic: Receptions of King Solomon" was dedicated to the reception of King Solomon in literature and music in German-speaking countries. In two successive projects, it was possible for the first time to create a detailed insight into the representations of Solomon in literature and music for the period from the 16th to the 21st century. In the course of its reception history, the image of Solomon is continuously broadened. This process already begins in the biblical writings and continues through the early legends, the theological interpretations, and the artistic receptions. Each period presents Solomon against the background of its own cultural, political, and religious issues as well as its own literary and musical ideas. At the same time, the artistic interpretations use the biblical king to (critically) examine their own times. Hymns of praise for kings and leaders who are compared to Solomon can be found alongside critical depictions of rulers or systems of rule throughout the centuries. The adaptations exhaust the entire range of possible characterisations of Solomon -- from appreciation to humorous or critical-doubting portraits to harsh, dismissive criticism. While analysing the literary and musical works, four motif complexes have emerged that are particularly important for the reception history of Solomon: 1) The motif of "Solomon the King" is taken up by almost all works. However, the way in which kingship is portrayed varies greatly, ranging from the depiction of an exemplary king to an incompetent ruler or cruel tyrant. 2) Closely linked to the portrayal of Solomon as king is the image of "Solomon as judge", which also unfolds in very different facets. 3) "Solomon's wisdom" is already mentioned in the biblical narratives as an important basis for his rule. In later receptions, Solomon appears as a wisdom teacher, as a sceptical philosopher, as a magician, as a representative of religious tolerance or as a fool who has lost the gift of wisdom. 4) The motif "Solomon the Lover" widely elaborates the almost incidental mention of Solomon's numerous wives in the biblical texts and grants the addressees a seemingly intimate insight into Solomon's emotions and world of thought. The results of this project offer not only an overview, but also a basis on which further studies in the fields of biblical studies, literature and theatre studies, German studies, librettology as well as musicology and the performing arts can follow.