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\s \* MERGEFORMAT SEQ CHAPTER \h \r 1The Song of Solomon“A hot carnal pamphlet written by a loose cupid” (Westminster assembly)INTRODUCTION1.The author of the book?A. The book claims that it is (lit.) “The Song of Songs which is of Solomon” (1:1). 1.Six other verses refer to Solomon by name (1:5; 3:7,9, 11; 8:11,12); beyond this, he is referred to as "king" several other times (1:4,12; 3:9,11; 7:5).2.The difficulty: B.Most scholars today conclude:2.Interpretation of the book“Whoever sings the Song of Songs with a tremulous voice in a banquet hall and (so) treats it as a sort of ditty has no share in the world to come” (Rabbi Aqiba, ca. AD 100, quoted by T. Longman, DthIB, 758)1.Jewish Allegorical ApproachIdea: the song represents the love of YHWH for His chosen nation, Israel.Passages in the Mishnah, Talmud, and Targumim clearly follow this pattern.For example: 1:13 is taken as a reference to the Shekinah Cloud between the cherubim.2.Christian Allegorical ApproachIdea: the song represents the love of Christ for His Church.Ch 1-3The mutual love of Christ & His churchCh 4The graces of the churchCh 5Christ's love to the churchCh 6-7The church professes her faith & desireCh 8The church's love to ChristIntroduced into Christian thought by Origen, espoused by Jerome, Athanasius, and Augustine. This was the dominant position of the church for over 1000 years. Origen: Jerome: John Wesley: Some examples of this interpretation--1:5 = black with sin, but comely through conversion (Origen)--1:13 = the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, between which is Christ (Cyril of Alexandria)--2:12 - cooing of the doves = the preaching of the apostles of Jesus (Pseudo-Cassiodorus)--5:1 = the Lord's Supper (Cyril of Alexandria)3.The Non-narrative (or Anthology) ApproachIdea: This is not a narrative or a story; it is simply an arranged collection of love-lyrics and wedding songs that were sung during the extended nuptial festivities common in ancient Eastern cultures.The claim is made that during such wedding festivities the bride and groom were often celebrated in song under the figure of a king and queen; thus the references to King Solomon and a princess in the book.The anthological approach sees anywhere from 1 song per verse, to only 14 different love poems. Longman is in the middle with 23 different songs.“The Song of Songs is, thus, what its title implies: a single song constructed from a number of different songs. It is an anthology of love poems, bound together by a unity of purpose, consistency of character, and a few repeated refrains. The goal of the interpreter is not to describe the story, but rather to unpack the rich metaphors and explore the strong emotions expressed by the poet” (T. Longman III, DthIB, 760)4.The LITERAL/NARRATIVE ApproachIdea: The Song poetically tells a real story, but the story is designed to be an ode to the glories and delights of pure wedded love, and to encourage young men and women to maintain their purity.Theodore of Mopsuestia espoused this basic position in the 6th century, and the position was thus condemned at the Second Council of Constantinople (AD 533).Taken today in many popular Christian interpretations (Song of Solomon Conference, Tommy Nelson; Driscoll?)3. Arguments for View 4: Non-Narrative (Anthology) ApproachSex before marriage? Lack of clear narrative progression (e.g. 11:8-9).Parallel with the contemporary WasfWasf is an Arabic term that means “description” Wasf (4:1-7, 12-14; 5:10-16; 6:4-6; 7:2-8).4. StructureAccording to the Non-Narrative Approach (of Longman III), there are 23 different love poems in the book:1:2-41:5-61:7-81:9-111:12-141:15-172:1-72:8-173:1-53:6-114:1-74:8-94:10-5:15:2-6:36:4-106:11-126:13-7:107:11-138:1-48:5-78:8-108:11-128:13-145.The Theological Contribution of Song of Songs (or, why is this book in the Canon?)Why would God inspire this book? “Without the Song, the Church and synagogue would be left with spare and virtually exclusively negative words about an important aspect of our lives. Sexuality is a major aspect fo the human experience, and God in his wisdom has spoken through the poet(s) of the Song to encourage us as well as warn us about its power in our lives” (Longman, Song of Songs, 59).Is it Theological?“The allegorical approach was not wrong in insisting that we read the Song as relevant to our relationship to God. The more we understand about marriage, the more we understand about our relationship with God. More than any other human relationship marriage reflects the divine-human relationship” (Longman, Song of Songs, 70). ................
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