Philip of Harvengt: De Damnatione Salomonis

A treatise by Philip of Harvengt answering the question whether King Solomon is to be considered saved or, as some held, damned. Philip notes that it is easy to discuss obscure matters when no one opposes, but when one tries to clarify a doubtful question and is openly resisted, doubt grows among hearers until one side is shown to have stronger testimony. He calls this his second response on the subject. Scripture contains so much good and evil about Solomon that readers are divided: some say he ended in ruin what he began well, others hold the contrary. Philip assembles and weighs the scriptural and patristic evidence, including Augustine’s view that Solomon, like Adam, sinned knowingly.

The question of Solomon’s salvation was a recognised problem in medieval theology, since the Bible praises his wisdom but records his idolatry late in life without mentioning repentance. Philip’s treatise, written as a reply to his brethren and apparently to a critic, is a detailed discussion of the evidence and of the authorities on both sides. It forms a pair with his treatise on the salvation of Adam and shows his interest in disputed questions of biblical theology.