THE FORGOTTEN BOOKS OF EDEN: Psalms of Solomon Intro
THE FORGOTTEN BOOKS OF EDEN
Translated in the late 1800's
by
Dr. S. C. Malan and Dr. E. Trumpp.
Translated into King James English from both the Arabic version and the
Ethiopic version which was then published in The Forgotten Books of Eden in
1927 by The World Publishing Company.
THE PSALMS OF SOLOMON
part of the "Forgotten" books of Eden
THIS collection of eighteen war songs are the gift of an ancient Semitic writer.
The original manuscript has perished but fortunately Greek translations have been
preserved, and recently a Syriac version of the same songs has turned up and was
published in English for the first time in 1909 by Dr. Rendel Harris.
The date of the writing may be established at the middle of the First Century
B. C. because the theme of these songs is that of Pompey's actions in Palestine
and his death in Egypt in 48 B. C.
These psalms had an important position and were widely circulated in the early
Church. They are frequently referred to in the various Codexes and histories of
the first few centuries of the Christian Era.
Later, they became lost through inexplicable reasons; and have only been recovered
for our use after the lapse of many centuries.
Besides the literary value of the trumpet-like rhythm of these verses, we have
here a chapter of stirring ancient history written by an eyewitness. Pompey comes
out of the West. He uses battering-rams on the fortifications. His soldiers defile
the altar. He is slain in Egypt after a fearful career. In the "righteous" of these
psalms we see the Pharisees; in the "sinners" we see the Sadducees. It is an epic
of a great people in the throes of a great crisis.
