Solomon and Sheba: Harmless fiction?

[Matthias]

I did something yesterday which I seldom do: I watched a movie “based” on the Bible.

”The fabulous story of a wise king and the beautiful queen who tried to conquer his young nation!”



The story, as depicted in the movie, is virtually entirely false.

The movie is entertaining but truth in advertising would bill it is ”The fraudulent story of a wise king …”.

What is there to commend falsification of a biblical story?

 

[Matthias]

A review of the movie by Dr. Claude Mariottini, an Old Testament scholar.

“Although the movie is based on the biblical story of the Queen of Sheba’s visit to Solomon, the movie is highly fictionalized and departs almost completely from the biblical text. The whole story about the Queen of Sheba is not in the Bible. The writers who wrote the script for the movie had to develop a story about the Queen in order to make her the second most important person in the movie.

The story of Solomon in the movie is not the story of Solomon that appears in the Bible. In the Bible, Adonijah is killed early in the reign of Solomon. Adonijah never made an alliance with Egypt, he never became the commander of Israel’s army, he never usurped Solomon’s throne, and he never actually sat on the throne of Solomon.

The movie is a beautiful, fictionalized love story between Solomon and Sheba. Yul Brynner plays an almost convincing Solomon and Gina Lollobrigida plays a beautiful and dynamic Queen of Sheba. Her role implies that many women in antiquity exercised power and influence over kingdoms and people.

However, it is tragic that people will learn nothing about the Bible from this movie, except that there was a king called Solomon who became king of Israel upon the death of his father. Even Solomon’s coronation as king of Israel as portrayed in the movie differs from what the Bible says about the way Solomon became king.

I enjoyed the movie, not because it was an Old Testament movie. I enjoyed the movie because of its love story. The way the Queen of Sheba came to the Temple to pray to God and the promise she made to God was very moving.

You should watch this movie, not to learn more about the Old Testament, but to enjoy a beautiful love story, the conversion of a woman from paganism to faith in the true God, and how political ambition is transformed by the power of love.”

Solomon and Sheba – A Movie Review

“Solomon and Sheba” was released in 1959. The movie stars Yul Brynner as Solomon, Gina Lollobrigida as Sheba, George Sanders as Adonijah, and Marisa Pavan as Abishag. The screenplay, written by Ant…

claudemariottini.com

Bold is mine.

 

[Matthias]

A short and ”tame” original trailer for the movie. (I watched a longer trailer but deemed it inappropriate to post here.) The falsehoods - for that is what they are - will be instantly recognized by Bible readers. But what about those who formed and will form their impression of the Bible from the movie, not from reading the Bible?

 

[quietthinker]

I did something yesterday which I seldom do: I watched a movie “based” on the Bible.

”The fabulous story of a wise king and the beautiful queen who tried to conquer his young nation!”

View attachment 68860

The story, as depicted in the movie, is virtually entirely false.

The movie is entertaining but truth in advertising would bill it is ”The fraudulent story of a wise king …”.

What is there to commend falsification of a biblical story?

It happens. Falsification of history, falsification of God, of Jesus, of anything you can think of. Falsification are the building blocks of this World. Why be surprised?

 

[Muna]

You should watch this movie, not to learn more about the Old Testament, but to enjoy a beautiful love story, the conversion of a woman from paganism to faith in the true God, and how political ambition is transformed by the power of love.”

Wow, that is definitely is a fiction, Solomon turning a woman from paganism to faith in the true God when the women Solomon loved all turned him away from the LORD and to false gods.

1Kgs.11​

[1] But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites;
[2] Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love.
[3] And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.
[4] For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.
[5] For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
[6] And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father.
[7] Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon.
[8] And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods.
[9] And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice,
[10] And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the LORD commanded.

 

[Matthias]

It happens. Falsification of history, falsification of God, of Jesus, of anything you can think of. Falsification are the building blocks of this World. Why be surprised?

Surprise is a symptom for some - the ignorant and unwary - of the problem. It doesn’t do anything to solve the problem.