THE SEAL OF SOLOMON

177 Messianic symbolism In a second level of meaning, the seal of Solomon is a symbol, andwe will now trace its Jewish origins. Victor Klagsbald explained the relationship of the Star of David or Shield of David (magen David) with the rabbinic symbolism of the lily. The lily symbol is the representation of the people of Israel, and draws its messianic sense from a rabbi’s allegorical interpretation of the Song of Songs.This approach is instructive for the topic under examination sincethe authorship of the Biblical book is traditionally attributed toSolomon. The six-pointed star would originally be the sign announcing the coming of the Messiah of the lineage of David; therefore the conjecture supports the identification of that symbol with the announcement of a new era heralded by the wise king of Judaism and prophet of Islam. Whereas Islamic sources kept thesix-pointed star related to their prophet, they called it “Seal of Solomon.” The Jewish, on the other hand, named it “Shield of David” or “Star of David” (Klagsbald 1997). Islamic eschatological symbolism To some extent the seal is appropriated as a typically eschatological symbol and this is evidenced in the hadit (a story on Muhammad’s sayings or actions transmitted within achain of authority) by Ibn Habib ͤal-Andalusi in the 9th century. This tradition relates how those convicted at Doomsday are identified by the seal of Solomon engraved on their foreheads, by contrast to Moses’ pole identifying the true believers. [... another example, less relevant] The seal of Solomon thus might have assumed a negative meaning in Islamic eschatology at least in al-Andalus.However, there is clear evidence showing that the seal of Solomon took on a specific meaning in orthodox Islam. As Almudena Ariza has noted, the use of the seal in Caliphal coins of al-Andalus is due to a call of support to the berber population. The symbol had been already minted in the Idrisid coins of North Africa and used as a political instrument. It meant the adoption of the attributes of Solomon, wisdom and power, by the rulers; probably containing another hidden meaning to the population since the trend of the [shiit?] current is based in the esoteric interpretation of the sacred book: the Quran (Ariza 2010). https://www.academia.edu/1544509/_The_Seal_of_Solomon_from_magic_to_messianic_device_en_Ilona_Regulski_et_alii_Seals_and_sealing_practices_in_the_Near_East._Developments_in_administration_and_magic_from_Prehistory_to_the_Islamic_period_Orientalia_Lovaniensia_Analecta_219_Louvaine_Peeters_2012_pp._175-187