World religions in Solomons time

Solomon’s Likely Religious Framework

1. Inherited Oral Traditions

By Solomon’s time (~970–930 BCE), Israelite religion was not yet “Judaism” in the later sense.

The oral traditions he inherited included:

Yahweh worship from the southern clans (especially those with ties to Shiloh and the wilderness tradition).

Tribal covenantal traditions like blessings, curses, and heroic tales (Exodus, Judges).

These were not yet codified, and Yahweh was seen more as a national deity among others rather than as the sole god of the universe.

2. Strong Influence from Canaanite Religion

Canaanite religion was dominant in the land: Baal, El, Asherah, and Anat were worshipped widely.

Archaeology shows Yahweh was often worshipped alongside Asherah as his consort in popular religion (see inscriptions from Kuntillet Ajrud and Khirbet el-Qom, 9th–8th c. BCE).

Solomon, ruling in Jerusalem (a Canaanite city until David conquered it), would have been deeply exposed to this religious milieu.

3. Cosmopolitan Exposure

Solomon’s marriage alliances (Pharaoh’s daughter, Moabites, Ammonites, Phoenicians, etc.) were political necessities, and each alliance brought its deities.

As a regional king, Solomon would have had to accommodate these cults diplomatically, just as Egyptian and Mesopotamian rulers did.

4. Temple Theology

Solomon built the Temple of Yahweh in Jerusalem, but the model followed Phoenician-Canaanite temple architecture (Hiram of Tyre designed and helped build it).

This suggests Solomon saw Yahweh within a familiar Near Eastern royal cult framework: Yahweh as chief deity of the realm, enthroned in a temple, but not necessarily excluding other gods.

📖 The “Seduction” Claim in Kings

1 Kings 11 says Solomon’s foreign wives led him to worship their gods (Chemosh, Molech, Astarte, etc.), and this angered Yahweh.

This claim is almost certainly a later theological interpretation:

Written by Deuteronomistic historians (7th–6th century BCE), who promoted exclusive Yahweh worship after Josiah’s reforms.

They retrojected their monotheistic ideals backward into Solomon’s story, portraying him as the king who failed by tolerating foreign gods.

Historically, Solomon probably saw no contradiction in honoring Yahweh while also permitting other deities’ shrines. That was the norm for Iron Age kings.

✅ Conclusion

Solomon’s religious framework: Likely a blend of early Yahwism, Canaanite religion, and international deities brought through diplomacy. Yahweh was central, but not exclusive.

Later “seduction by wives” claim: Best understood as theological propaganda by later monotheistic editors. It reflects the concerns of Josiah’s era (7th century BCE) more than Solomon’s.

In other words: Solomon wasn’t “seduced” away from monotheism—because monotheism didn’t exist yet. He was acting like a typical Near Eastern king, managing a multi-god religious landscape.