1 Kings
Solomon’s reign and the temple, the division of the kingdom in 931 BC, and the ministry of Elijah.
What the sources say, and how sure we are
- The text says
Kings refers to written sources, including the Book of the Acts of Solomon and the Books of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel and of Judah. The books of Kings end with an event from 561 BC.1 Kgs 11:41; 1 Kgs 14:19; 1 Kgs 14:29; 2 Kgs 25:27–30
- Outside evidence
Shalmaneser III’s Kurkh Monolith names “Ahab the Israelite” among the kings who fought him at Qarqar in 853 BC. The Mesha Stele names Omri, king of Israel, and the Moabite king Mesha (compare 2 Kings 3). An Egyptian relief at Karnak records the campaign of Pharaoh Shoshenq I, the “Shishak” of 1 Kings 14:25, in about 925 BC.Kurkh Monolith; Mesha Stele; 1 Kgs 14:25
- Debated
The exact dates of the kings of Israel and Judah are debated. Edwin Thiele’s chronology is widely used, but other scholars date some reigns differently. The two kingdoms use different ways of counting years.
- Debated
Scholars disagree about how much of Solomon’s splendor can be confirmed by excavation. Tradition ascribes Kings to Jeremiah, while many scholars see it as part of a longer history compiled in the exile.