MTL - To Four Thousand Years Later-Chapter 11 Tradition
By the time Priest Zadok finished treating Solomon's injuries, it was already early morning, which was a good time to hurry.
If there is no accident, they will be able to return to Jerusalem before the sun rises to the midline.
"Waiting, Abigail, Noam."
Although his left hand was injured, it still did not delay Solomon's riding. He slowly approached Abigail and Noam who were sitting on the side of the carriage. He greeted them with a smile: "I'm back."
"Is your injury all right?"
Norm looked over with concern.
Solomon nodded with a smile, and then shook his head lightly: "I'm fine... Unfortunately, Adonijah escaped at some point. Priest Zadok was very angry. He also wanted to take Adonijah with him." to question the sinner before King David."
Now, with the exception of Adonijah and Field Marshal Joab, the names of all casual people are green for friendliness. And Joab also became a little friendlier for no reason, and his name changed to light red, representing slight hostility.
How should I put it... Solomon could tell that Adonijah was still decisive. Not that indecisive piece of crap.
However, he made a major mistake in his decision-the source of the mistake was that he far underestimated the terrifying power of the formed public opinion.
If he had been smarter, he should have killed Solomon and Priest Zadok in a sneak attack, and then used his power and status to suppress other people from resisting, and then looked for opportunities to kill them on the road.
Once Solomon, Zadok, and these "witnesses" return to Jerusalem, it means that the power of the entire Jerusalem people will dissolve in them. At that time, what Adonijah will fight against is not the two individuals "Solomon" and "Zadok", but the entire Israeli tradition.
He didn't realize the seriousness of the problem at all. In other words, he didn't think that if he became a king, the rumors could cause much damage to his rule.
Just like he doesn't care about other people except military commanders and priests.
—still too young.
Solomon narrowed his eyes slightly.
Find a chance and kill Adonija in one go. However, as a firewood to provide himself with prestige, he can probably squeeze out some oil and water from him.
Noam on the side was still chanting: "Priest Zadok? Heh, the old man looks really angry... Why are you making such a trip? Let Abigail heal you. It's over. Abigail can heal you directly for burns of this degree..."
"No no, it's different, Norm."
Solomon got off his horse and let Benaya lead the horse for him, while he jumped into Noam's carriage.
He handed Abigail his hand and said to Noam with a smile: "Priest Zadok is my elder, and it is his intention that he wants to heal me. I have suffered such a serious injury, and if he is not allowed to heal me, he will not I will rest assured."
Rather than saying that Solomon asked the old priest to heal his burns, it is better to say that Solomon used the matter of "asking him to heal his wounds" to coax him to play.
Norm didn't understand what Solomon meant, he just smacked his mouth and didn't take it seriously.
"Ha, yes. Anyway, priests are such unreasonable guys."
Noam smiled and handed Solomon a salted fish: "Your Highness, this is my pickled salted fish. Try it, it's okay."
"Priests can't be flexible. It's their class."
Solomon smiled lightly, took the salted fish, and took a bite: "They represent the traditions of Israel. If the traditions of a country or a nation are too fickle and flexible, it is not good in this era."
In terms of taste, it's pretty average. The slightly fishy fish, which was not seasoned with spices, was too chewy. But Solomon still nodded with a smile: "Well...it tastes good."
"As long as you like it."
Noam smiled happily, and then he asked curiously, "That...can you tell me why it's not good?"
"Well... let's put it this way. Compared with papyrus and slate, which one has been preserved for a longer time? Which one is easier to change?"
Solomon chewed the salted fish slowly and asked casually.
"Of course it's a slate," Noam replied without hesitation. "I've seen papyrus too...it will break if you pull it, and it won't work if you leave it for a long time. It's easier to change it. But the slate can last forever. The ones that survived...such as the Ten Commandments that Moses left us."
"It's not forever... well, but it's about the same. Compared with the same kind of culture, those carved on stone tablets may be more widely spread than those written on papyrus, but the former will take a longer time to preserve There are many."
Solomon explained peacefully: "Noam, the priest is the slate."
"Tradition represents the ideas, desires and feelings of the past. Without tradition there is no civilization. If Moses had written the Ten Commandments on papyrus, we might not know them at all today."
Solomon said softly.
Although the rigidity of the priests is an obstacle to Israel's progress, it is also a protection of Israel's traditions in a sense.
One characteristic of Hebrew is that it lacks enough adjectives. But at the same time, its synonyms are rich and nuanced enough to describe actions and things. This is also the reason why the Bible likes to use metaphors to explain its principles.
From around 1200 BC, Hebrew has been spoken in what is now Palestine. Its own alphabet can be regarded as very good for this era, and it can be used for many years without being eliminated. The sanctity of the Hebrew language has led to it rarely absorbing other languages.
This means the solidification of the priestly class of scriveners. In the long run, it may lead to the weakening of kingship and the increase of theocracy.
—But if it is deliberately guided, it may become Solomon's advantage.
This kind of scriptures written with a lot of metaphors will retain more perfect content after translation. This means that the words left by Solomon can be passed on to later generations—and then can have a lasting impact on the sages of later generations.
This is what Solomon planned, his "task" in this life.
This is the "tablet" Solomon was looking for.
In order to ensure that the nature of Hebrew will not be changed due to the inhalation of other languages, and then the cultural influence will be interrupted or distorted, Solomon cannot suppress too much the Israeli priests who have the function of solidifying words.
He knows his own affairs.
Even according to genetics, it is impossible for one's offspring to have their own wisdom - because one's own wisdom does not come from the excellence of the body at all, but from the knowledge of the future. It is the crystallization of the wisdom of countless sages.
Therefore, the supremacy of kingship is not a good thing for Israel. Solomon hoped that he could enact a procedural law in his lifetime to distribute power from his descendants to priests.
...Probably, this should be regarded as a vision beyond the times.
Solomon sighed deeply. He felt mixed feelings and a little lonely.
"Slate..."
Norm thought about it.
He hesitated for a long time, finally made up his mind, lowered his voice and asked Solomon: "So, if the tradition is wrong... Your Highness Solomon, what should we do?"
"Tradition wrong?"
Solomon smiled, looking at Norm.
His smile sent a chill down Norm's back. But he still looked directly into Solomon's eyes.
Because Norm bets...he believes that Solomon is definitely not an unreasonable person like Adonijah.
Solomon was silent for a long time, then chuckled out loud.
"If the tradition is wrong, just destroy it."
"There can be no civilization without tradition...but there can be no human progress without the destruction of tradition."
Solomon looked up at the sky and said calmly, "Building some sort of traditional structure and then destroying it when it's no good for society...that's what 'I' is for. Do you understand, Norm?"
"I... I think I might understand a little bit."
Norm frowned tightly, and said with some hesitation.
"No, you don't understand."
Solomon couldn't help laughing: "You must not understand!"
He looked at the thinking old man and smiled embarrassingly, and the smile softened again: "Don't think about what you have. Take it easy and take a look at the scenery."
"Ahead... is Jerusalem, Noam."