While I was someones "Bible Study", I recall being assured that King Solomon was so wealthy, that
"most of the gold in circulation today was originally owned by him!"
This supposed fact was even stated in one of the WTS publications.
I must admit, that - at the time - I saw no reason to question that claim.
However, since starting work a year ago with a major gold-mining company, I came across some information compiled by the World Gold Council.
Not surprisingly, these figures tell quite a different story
(Without,of course, in any way denying that King Solomon was certainly wealthy).
According to the World Gold Council:
- more than 90% of the gold that has ever been produced has been mined since the year 1848 (i.e. following the first discovery of gold in California).
- 64% of the gold ever produced has been mined since 1950.
(This data is available from the website www.gold.org/discover).
Once again, the AWAKE university certainly keeps a person well informed!
(If you are studying for a Diploma in Idiocy, anyway).
Can anyone remember in what publication that claim was made concerning King Solomon's wealth?
King Solomon's Wealth - WTS versus the World Gold Council
by Reefton Jack 6 Replies latest jw friends
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Reefton Jack
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fokyc
Watchtower 1996
10/15 pp.8-9 Is King Solomon’s Wealth Exaggerated?fokyc
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Clam
Fokyc what does it say?
If a WTS publication did say "most of the gold in circulation today was originally owned by him!" I just wondered how on earth did they know?
Needless to say there was gold all over the place, from the Mesopotamian and Mycenaen cultures over to the Inca and Aztec ones. Jack's figures don't surprise me, as a world demand for gold has not only grown with the earth's population but gold is now utilised in non precious ubiquitous articles such as electronics, dental crowns and cabling. This has of course been faciliated by mechanisation and modern extraction processes. King Solomon must have been the ancient world's version of Auric Goldfinger.
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fokyc
w 1996
10/15 pp.8-9 Is King Solomon’s Wealth Exaggerated?"The weight of the gold that came to Solomon in one year amounted up to six hundred and sixty-six talents."—1 Kings 10:14.
ACCORDING to that Bible verse, King Solomon acquired over 25 tons of gold in a single year! This would be valued today at $240,000,000. It is almost twice as much gold as was mined worldwide in the year 1800. Is this possible? What does archaeological evidence show? It suggests that the Bible’s record of Solomon’s wealth is certainly plausible. Biblical Archaeology Review says:
? King Thutmose III of Egypt (second millennium B.C.E.) presented approximately 13.5 tons of gold items to the temple of Amon-Ra at Karnak—and this was just part of the gift.
? Egyptian inscriptions record gifts totaling approximately 383 tons of gold and silver offered by King Osorkon I (early first millennium B.C.E.) to the gods.
Furthermore, the volume Classical Greece of the series Great Ages of Man reports:
? The mines of Pangaeum in Thrace yielded more than 37 tons of gold each year for King Philip II (359-336 B.C.E.).
? When Philip’s son Alexander the Great (336-323 B.C.E.) captured Susa, the capital of the Persian empire, treasures amounting to well over 1,000 tons of gold were found.—The New Encyclopædia Britannica.
So the Bible’s description of King Solomon’s wealth is not farfetched. Remember, too, that Solomon was "greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth" at that time.—1 Kings 10:23.
How did Solomon use his wealth? His throne was overlaid with "refined gold," his drinking vessels were "of gold," and he possessed 200 large shields and 300 bucklers of "alloyed gold." (1 Kings 10:16-21) Above all, Solomon’s gold was used in connection with Jehovah’s temple in Jerusalem. The temple lampstands and sacred utensils, such as forks, bowls, pitchers, and basins, were made of gold and silver. The 15-foot-tall [4.5m] cherubs in the Most Holy, the altar of incense, and even the entire inside of the house were overlaid with gold.—1 Kings 6:20-22; 7:48-50; 1 Chronicles 28:17.
What about a gold-plated temple? Interestingly, such use of gold was by no means unusual in the ancient world. Biblical Archaeology Review notes that Amenophis III of Egypt "honored the great god Amun with a temple at Thebes that was ‘plated with gold throughout, its floor adorned with silver, [and] all its portals with electrum’"—an alloy of gold and silver. Furthermore, Esar-haddon of Assyria (seventh century B.C.E.) plated the doors and coated the walls of the shrine of Ashur with gold. Regarding the temple of Sin at Harran, Nabonidus of Babylon (sixth century B.C.E.) recorded: "I clad its walls with gold and silver, and made them shine like the sun."
Thus, historical records suggest that the Biblical account of King Solomon’s wealth is not exaggerated.
fokyc
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Reefton Jack
fokyc and Clam, thanks for those remarks.
The WTS publication that I recall, however, was a long time before 1996.
(I heard that particular claim about Solomon's wealth sometime in the late 1960s).
Just the same, how many of us would turn down the offer of 25 tonnes of gold!
Gold was one of the first metals - maybe THE first metal - to be used by ancient civilisations.
There were several practical reasons for this:
- For one thing, gold does not react with water or oxygen, which means that it can be found in its native state;
such as in the form of gold nuggets in the bed of a river or a stream.
(Where I come from, this is known as alluvial gold - I believe the term used in Canada and the USA is placer gold).
The only other metal like this that I know of is tin.
- Also, gold is an easy metal to work.
Clam's observations about modern mining and extraction methods certainly have a bearing on matters, too.
At the mine that I work for, it takes 8 tonnes of ore to produce one ounce (i.e. 31.1035 grammes)
of gold.
And that ore is actually considered to be high yielding!
That WTS quote that sparked off this discussion might have to remain another one of life's mysteries!
Jack. -
Warlock
According to the World Gold Council:
- more than 90% of the gold that has ever been produced has been mined since the year 1848 (i.e. following the first discovery of gold in California).
- 64% of the gold ever produced has been mined since 1950.Here is my question about statements like this, notwithstanding any reference to the WTS.
How does the World Gold Council know this for sure? Not to sound sarcastic, but, has anyone been alive long enough to confirm this? I think not.
Warlock
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Reefton Jack
There is a whole branch of science - called "Archealogy" - that is devoted to finding out what happened
before anyone now alive was around to remember.
Jack.