The Salus/Hygiea Ring

Yesterday I was on Amazon when I noticed a recommendation for something free. Since ya don't see that every day, I clicked through. It was for an interesting looking Kindle book. I don't have a Kindle, but I noticed the Kindle software was a free download as well. A minute later I was reading The Book of Talismans, Amulets and Zodiacal Gems. It's a very interesting book packed with a lot of curious lore. My kind of book. The reader is very handy on my laptop and includes the ability to bookmark and make notes.

THE PENTAGRAM WITH THE WORD SALUS

While skimming I noticed a neat looking ring. It has a Pentagram inside an Ouroboros. Between the points of the Pentagram are the Roman letters SALVS (Latin for "Salvation"). This is the ring of the Roman Goddess Salus. Salus is a Roman form of the Greek Goddess Hygiea.

THE PENTAGRAM WITH THE NAME HYGIEA

The paragraph on page 85 reads:

"Salus Ring (Illustration No. 112, Plate VIII) was worn by the devotees of Salus, or Hygiea, daughter of Æsculapius, who was worshipped as the goddess of Health. Several holy days were appointed in her honour and worship, and she was publicly invoked for the welfare of the rulers and for the general peace and prosperity of the community; also for an abundant harvest. She is usually represented with a serpent as a tribute to her attainments in the art of medicine, and her symbol was worn for Health and Success in all undertakings, as well as for general Good Fortune."

Thomas, William; Kate Pavitt (2009-12-12). The Book of Talismans, Amulets and Zodiacal Gems (Kindle Locations 847-851). Evinity Publishing Inc. Kindle Edition.

If you actually go to the Wikipedia page for Salus you see the statement:

"She is sometimes erroneously associated with the Greek goddess Hygieia."

It's a good thing someone put that on Wikipedia because a lot of silly Romans seem to have made Salus' statues, Name/Pentagram, symbols and general attributes the same as Hygiea.

Roman Salus Coin

Roman Hygiea Statue

The Testament of Solomon (The Source Material)

One of the things I love about having blogger blogs is the "Stats" tab in the control panel. I get to see what sites link to what blog posts, what countries my blogs are popular in (Go, go, Germany!), and what search terms people use to get to my blogs.

Lately I have noticed people are coming to this blog in search of the Testament of Solomon and related material. Some include "Greek text" and "Greek codex" in their search string for the ToS. They have searched, found this blog and then gone away empty handed. Well, no more of that!

Here are some of my web links related to the Testament of Solomon. You're welcome ;)

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McCown's English Translation of the Testament of Solomon
Includes texts with critical apparatus. Archeological finds since McCown's translation are against some of McCown's assumptions. Foremost for the readers of this blog? McCown assumes the pentagram on Solomon's ring to be a later addition to the text. As I wrote about previously, the pentagram seal on jars and other items was something the author of the Testament of Solomon probably saw with their own eyes. The magical nature of the jars is debatable, but their existence is not.

This having been said, McCown's is the most thorough and scholarly translation of the Testament of Solomon I have seen. More scholarly translations and updated critical devices may exist, but I cannot find them in google.
http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924028957400

The Testament of Solomon translated by F. C. Conybeare
The Jewish Quarterly Review volume 11 (1899)
This is the translation most readily available in a google search.
http://books.google.com/books?id=ylkpAAAAYAAJ&dq=jewish%20quarterly%20review%201899&pg=PA1#v=onepage&q&f=false

Fleck's Greek Testament of Solomon
Wissenschaftliche Reise dur Deutschland, Italien, &c. (1837)
http://books.google.com/books?id=31UvAAAAYAAJ&dq=Wissenschaftliche%20Reise%20durch%20das%20s%C3%BCdli%201837&pg=PA111#v=onepage&q&f=false

Zeitschrift für die historische Theologie, Volume 14
Doctor Friedrich August Bornemann's German translation of Fleck's Greek Testament of Solomon
Das Testament des Salomo (1844)
http://books.google.com/books?id=Z9UAAAAAcAAJ&dq=bornemann%20zeitschrift%20f%C3%BCr%20die%20histor%20theologie%201844&pg=RA2-PA9#v=onepage&q&f=false

Conjectanea in Salomonis Testamentum
A German essay on the Testament of Solomon. This essay is also by Doctor Bornemann.
http://books.google.com/books?id=h5RAAAAAcAAJ&dq=Studien%20von%20Geistlichen%20des%20Konigr.%20Sachsen%201843&pg=PA45#v=onepage&q&f=false

Harley MS 5596
15th century Greek manuscript at the British Library. Contains parts of the Testament of Solomon along with the Magical Treatise of Solomon (a work related to the Key of Solomon) .
http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/Viewer.aspx?ref=harley_ms_5596_f007r

Anecdota Atheniensia
French book. Presents Herley MS 5596.
https://archive.org/stream/MN40020ucmf_0?ui=embed#page/n226/mode/1up