J. Christopher King
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- February 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199272181
- eISBN:
- 9780191603433
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199272182.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
This book explores Origen’s interpretation of the Song of Songs in his Commentary and two Homilies on the Song of Songs. Origen portrays the Song under two complementary and inseparable aspects: ...
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This book explores Origen’s interpretation of the Song of Songs in his Commentary and two Homilies on the Song of Songs. Origen portrays the Song under two complementary and inseparable aspects: first, as the unique Scripture in which the eschatological nuptials of Christ and his Bride are really present as text; second, as the spirit of Scripture unveiled, laid bare, and fully manifest in all its erotic power to lure, inflame, and make the reader ‘one spirit’ with the Lord. The study proceeds in two parts. The first establishes some of the relevant principles of Origen’s hermeneutic, and clears away prior accounts of his Song exegesis that have obscured the actual foundations of the reading developed in the Commentary and Homilies. The second part shows that Origen’s actual exegetical procedure in the Commentary proves that his spiritual reading of the Song is rooted entirely in certain hermeneutical demands, not in psychological or ascetical compulsions. These hermeneutical demands lead Origen to make the greatest conceivable claims for the character of the Song, namely that the Song fully and intelligibly represents the eschatological mystery, manifesting the ‘spirit’ of Scripture in the plan form of a text.Less
This book explores Origen’s interpretation of the Song of Songs in his Commentary and two Homilies on the Song of Songs. Origen portrays the Song under two complementary and inseparable aspects: first, as the unique Scripture in which the eschatological nuptials of Christ and his Bride are really present as text; second, as the spirit of Scripture unveiled, laid bare, and fully manifest in all its erotic power to lure, inflame, and make the reader ‘one spirit’ with the Lord. The study proceeds in two parts. The first establishes some of the relevant principles of Origen’s hermeneutic, and clears away prior accounts of his Song exegesis that have obscured the actual foundations of the reading developed in the Commentary and Homilies. The second part shows that Origen’s actual exegetical procedure in the Commentary proves that his spiritual reading of the Song is rooted entirely in certain hermeneutical demands, not in psychological or ascetical compulsions. These hermeneutical demands lead Origen to make the greatest conceivable claims for the character of the Song, namely that the Song fully and intelligibly represents the eschatological mystery, manifesting the ‘spirit’ of Scripture in the plan form of a text.
David W. Kling
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- April 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780195130089
- eISBN:
- 9780199835393
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195130081.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
This chapter focuses on the history of interpretation of the Song of Songs, with a particular attention given to Bernard of Clairvaux’s Sermons on the Song of Songs. It also considers the important ...
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This chapter focuses on the history of interpretation of the Song of Songs, with a particular attention given to Bernard of Clairvaux’s Sermons on the Song of Songs. It also considers the important contribution of Origen in the history of biblical interpretation, as well as contemporary interpretations (e.g., feminist) of this poetic book in Hebrew Scripture.Less
This chapter focuses on the history of interpretation of the Song of Songs, with a particular attention given to Bernard of Clairvaux’s Sermons on the Song of Songs. It also considers the important contribution of Origen in the history of biblical interpretation, as well as contemporary interpretations (e.g., feminist) of this poetic book in Hebrew Scripture.
J. Christopher King
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- February 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199272181
- eISBN:
- 9780191603433
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199272182.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
This chapter shows that Origen situates the event in which the Song is sung as epithalamium (i.e., the upper register) in a topos that is not local, and a kairos that is not temporal. Hence, the ...
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This chapter shows that Origen situates the event in which the Song is sung as epithalamium (i.e., the upper register) in a topos that is not local, and a kairos that is not temporal. Hence, the contextual variables that root all other biblical books and their revelation in the soil of historical reality have, in the unique instance of the Song, been elevated to a spiritual, heavenly, and eschatological order. Thus, the Song’s eschatologically conditioned logos — while yet standing in the expected formative relation to all of the Song’s discursive elements — constitutes the ‘whole body’ of the text as ‘bodiless’ in the strictest sense, that is, as a purely spiritual and intelligible reality in which not the least trace of sensibility can be discerned.Less
This chapter shows that Origen situates the event in which the Song is sung as epithalamium (i.e., the upper register) in a topos that is not local, and a kairos that is not temporal. Hence, the contextual variables that root all other biblical books and their revelation in the soil of historical reality have, in the unique instance of the Song, been elevated to a spiritual, heavenly, and eschatological order. Thus, the Song’s eschatologically conditioned logos — while yet standing in the expected formative relation to all of the Song’s discursive elements — constitutes the ‘whole body’ of the text as ‘bodiless’ in the strictest sense, that is, as a purely spiritual and intelligible reality in which not the least trace of sensibility can be discerned.
David M. Carr
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199742608
- eISBN:
- 9780199918737
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199742608.003.0016
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies
This chapter adopts criteria developed in chapter 15 (on Proverbs) to assess the extent to which two other purportedly Solomonic books, Song of Songs and Qohelet, might contain early pre-exilic ...
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This chapter adopts criteria developed in chapter 15 (on Proverbs) to assess the extent to which two other purportedly Solomonic books, Song of Songs and Qohelet, might contain early pre-exilic materials. The conclusion is that the evidence for this is better for Song of Songs than for Qohelet. Though elements of Song of Songs may have been added over time, it shows unambivalent dependence on New Kingdom period Egyptian love poetry, and appears to have been the source of several formulations found in Hosea and Deuteronomy. In contrast, the main link of Qohelet to a demonstrable non-Israelite tradition, its links to the song of the alewife in the Old Babylonian edition of Gilgamesh, is relatively isolated. In addition, Qohelet’s orientation to monarchal institutions and other indicators suggest a more likely post-exilic date.Less
This chapter adopts criteria developed in chapter 15 (on Proverbs) to assess the extent to which two other purportedly Solomonic books, Song of Songs and Qohelet, might contain early pre-exilic materials. The conclusion is that the evidence for this is better for Song of Songs than for Qohelet. Though elements of Song of Songs may have been added over time, it shows unambivalent dependence on New Kingdom period Egyptian love poetry, and appears to have been the source of several formulations found in Hosea and Deuteronomy. In contrast, the main link of Qohelet to a demonstrable non-Israelite tradition, its links to the song of the alewife in the Old Babylonian edition of Gilgamesh, is relatively isolated. In addition, Qohelet’s orientation to monarchal institutions and other indicators suggest a more likely post-exilic date.
J. Christopher King
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- February 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199272181
- eISBN:
- 9780191603433
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199272182.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
This chapter examines the hermeneutical rationale that Origen himself develops as the basis of his ‘bodiless’ interpretation of the Song of Songs. The discussion will develop in two stages. First, ...
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This chapter examines the hermeneutical rationale that Origen himself develops as the basis of his ‘bodiless’ interpretation of the Song of Songs. The discussion will develop in two stages. First, Origen’s analysis of the Song’s own self-definition is explored, which he seeks principally in the title of the text. Second, his reading of those hermeneutical markers in the Song — the textual skandala — that decisively proves it to be a ‘bodiless’ text is considered.Less
This chapter examines the hermeneutical rationale that Origen himself develops as the basis of his ‘bodiless’ interpretation of the Song of Songs. The discussion will develop in two stages. First, Origen’s analysis of the Song’s own self-definition is explored, which he seeks principally in the title of the text. Second, his reading of those hermeneutical markers in the Song — the textual skandala — that decisively proves it to be a ‘bodiless’ text is considered.
J. Christopher King
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- February 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199272181
- eISBN:
- 9780191603433
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199272182.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
This introductory chapter discusses the writings of Origen of Alexandria (c.185-c.254), particularly the Commentary and Homilies on the Song. It argues that Origen approaches the Song of Songs ...
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This introductory chapter discusses the writings of Origen of Alexandria (c.185-c.254), particularly the Commentary and Homilies on the Song. It argues that Origen approaches the Song of Songs itself, in its manifest intelligibility, as the summit of the mystical life and the supreme textual point of contact and union between the Christian soul and her heavenly Bridegroom. An overview of the chapters in this volume is presented.Less
This introductory chapter discusses the writings of Origen of Alexandria (c.185-c.254), particularly the Commentary and Homilies on the Song. It argues that Origen approaches the Song of Songs itself, in its manifest intelligibility, as the summit of the mystical life and the supreme textual point of contact and union between the Christian soul and her heavenly Bridegroom. An overview of the chapters in this volume is presented.
J. Christopher King
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- February 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199272181
- eISBN:
- 9780191603433
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199272182.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
This chapter examines the Song of Song’s ‘whole body’ — its character as a unitive text organized by a single logos. It is shown that Origen approaches every individual book of Scripture as a ...
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This chapter examines the Song of Song’s ‘whole body’ — its character as a unitive text organized by a single logos. It is shown that Origen approaches every individual book of Scripture as a discrete revelatory event. The prophet, Origen thinks, stands in the centre of this event. Through him, the surrounding context of corporeal place (topos) and historical time (kairos) conditions the logos of the whole book with a somatic character. This way, the book’s ‘body’ becomes the foundations for a spiritual reading.Less
This chapter examines the Song of Song’s ‘whole body’ — its character as a unitive text organized by a single logos. It is shown that Origen approaches every individual book of Scripture as a discrete revelatory event. The prophet, Origen thinks, stands in the centre of this event. Through him, the surrounding context of corporeal place (topos) and historical time (kairos) conditions the logos of the whole book with a somatic character. This way, the book’s ‘body’ becomes the foundations for a spiritual reading.
J. Christopher King
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- February 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199272181
- eISBN:
- 9780191603433
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199272182.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
This chapter shows that Origen’s ‘bodiless’ reading cannot be explained simply on the grounds of an aversion to, or suspicion of embodied nuptial love or sexual love. It is argued that he not only ...
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This chapter shows that Origen’s ‘bodiless’ reading cannot be explained simply on the grounds of an aversion to, or suspicion of embodied nuptial love or sexual love. It is argued that he not only maintains the goodness of nuptial life in all its aspects — including the erotic and sexual — but also sees in it a typos of the heavenly nuptial mystery. Origen carries this analogy, and hence a hermeneutical ‘body’, over into every virtual reading of nuptial, erotic, and sexual episodes in the Scriptures, with the exception of the Song.Less
This chapter shows that Origen’s ‘bodiless’ reading cannot be explained simply on the grounds of an aversion to, or suspicion of embodied nuptial love or sexual love. It is argued that he not only maintains the goodness of nuptial life in all its aspects — including the erotic and sexual — but also sees in it a typos of the heavenly nuptial mystery. Origen carries this analogy, and hence a hermeneutical ‘body’, over into every virtual reading of nuptial, erotic, and sexual episodes in the Scriptures, with the exception of the Song.
Elliot R. Wolfson
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195137279
- eISBN:
- 9780199849482
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195137279.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
The ascetic impulse manifested in pious devotion may be rooted in erotic desire, which is a recurring element in the phenomenology of religious experience. Matters pertaining to the sacred can be ...
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The ascetic impulse manifested in pious devotion may be rooted in erotic desire, which is a recurring element in the phenomenology of religious experience. Matters pertaining to the sacred can be depicted erotically because there is a presumption with respect to the sacred nature of the erotic. In the medieval setting of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, this is enhanced by the common Platonic heritage according to which the intelligible realm is itself rendered in distinctively erotic language. The confluence of eroticism and asceticism is especially prevalent in the realm of mystical religious experience. A central (if not defining) feature of mysticism cultivated within theistic traditions is the experience of communion of the individual soul with the personal God. This chapter explores asceticism and eroticism in medieval Jewish philosophical and mystical exegesis of the Song of Songs. It discusses the allegorization of the erotic in medieval Jewish exegesis, the ecstatic and theosophic elements in kabbalistic allegoresis, the elevation of the Shekhinah and the transposition of gender, and spiritual eroticism and ascetic renunciation in kabbalistic readings of the Song.Less
The ascetic impulse manifested in pious devotion may be rooted in erotic desire, which is a recurring element in the phenomenology of religious experience. Matters pertaining to the sacred can be depicted erotically because there is a presumption with respect to the sacred nature of the erotic. In the medieval setting of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, this is enhanced by the common Platonic heritage according to which the intelligible realm is itself rendered in distinctively erotic language. The confluence of eroticism and asceticism is especially prevalent in the realm of mystical religious experience. A central (if not defining) feature of mysticism cultivated within theistic traditions is the experience of communion of the individual soul with the personal God. This chapter explores asceticism and eroticism in medieval Jewish philosophical and mystical exegesis of the Song of Songs. It discusses the allegorization of the erotic in medieval Jewish exegesis, the ecstatic and theosophic elements in kabbalistic allegoresis, the elevation of the Shekhinah and the transposition of gender, and spiritual eroticism and ascetic renunciation in kabbalistic readings of the Song.
J. Christopher King
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- February 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199272181
- eISBN:
- 9780191603433
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199272182.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
This chapter examines the status of the literal sense of the Commentary and Homilies on the Song, focusing on Origen’s hermeneutic, in order to place the ‘bodilessness’ of the Song in the context of ...
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This chapter examines the status of the literal sense of the Commentary and Homilies on the Song, focusing on Origen’s hermeneutic, in order to place the ‘bodilessness’ of the Song in the context of his whole doctrine of Scripture. It provides three main conclusions: that all ‘bodiless’ texts retain a vital connection with the sensibility and corporeality of the ‘letter’; that the ‘letter’ of ‘bodiless’ text has not simply disappeared but converged with and terminated in the ‘spirit’; and that the interconnected logoi of the ‘bodiless’ text make higher realities present in pure immediacy. These conclusions apply equally to all ‘bodiless’ texts, not exclusively to the Song.Less
This chapter examines the status of the literal sense of the Commentary and Homilies on the Song, focusing on Origen’s hermeneutic, in order to place the ‘bodilessness’ of the Song in the context of his whole doctrine of Scripture. It provides three main conclusions: that all ‘bodiless’ texts retain a vital connection with the sensibility and corporeality of the ‘letter’; that the ‘letter’ of ‘bodiless’ text has not simply disappeared but converged with and terminated in the ‘spirit’; and that the interconnected logoi of the ‘bodiless’ text make higher realities present in pure immediacy. These conclusions apply equally to all ‘bodiless’ texts, not exclusively to the Song.
Bernard McGinn
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199206575
- eISBN:
- 9780191709678
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199206575.003.00017
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies, Judaism
This chapter explores a neglected topic in the history of Christian reception of the Song of Songs — its interpretation for and by women. The reason for this lack of attention is not hard to find. ...
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This chapter explores a neglected topic in the history of Christian reception of the Song of Songs — its interpretation for and by women. The reason for this lack of attention is not hard to find. Although women began to make major contributions to theology, especially mystical theology, from the 13th century on, even educated women could not receive the formal training in scriptural interpretation that was under the control of male monks and schoolmen.Less
This chapter explores a neglected topic in the history of Christian reception of the Song of Songs — its interpretation for and by women. The reason for this lack of attention is not hard to find. Although women began to make major contributions to theology, especially mystical theology, from the 13th century on, even educated women could not receive the formal training in scriptural interpretation that was under the control of male monks and schoolmen.
Frank Daniel
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195137279
- eISBN:
- 9780199849482
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195137279.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
For both Jews and Christians, the Song of Songs posed a special problem. If its Solomonic authorship assured its scriptural standing, its frank eroticism demanded allegorization. In its depiction of ...
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For both Jews and Christians, the Song of Songs posed a special problem. If its Solomonic authorship assured its scriptural standing, its frank eroticism demanded allegorization. In its depiction of love lost and regained, Jews discovered a parable for the historical relationship between God and Israel, one that sat well with such other biblical passages as Hosea 1–2, Isaiah 54:4–7, Jeremiah 2:2, and Ezekiel 16. But the allegory still required interpretation. Determining the significance of its elaborate symbolism and fashioning a coherent reading of the work as a whole would engage many Jewish exegetes in the Middle Ages—and this even before the philosophers and kabbalists began to read the Song of Songs in new ways during the 12th and 13th centuries. Two Jewish commentaries on the Song survive from 10th-century Jerusalem. Written in Judeo-Arabic by the Karaites Salmon b. Jeroham and Japheth b. Eli, both include substantial introductory observations on the nature of biblical song and incorporate full Arabic translations and verse-by-verse exegesis.Less
For both Jews and Christians, the Song of Songs posed a special problem. If its Solomonic authorship assured its scriptural standing, its frank eroticism demanded allegorization. In its depiction of love lost and regained, Jews discovered a parable for the historical relationship between God and Israel, one that sat well with such other biblical passages as Hosea 1–2, Isaiah 54:4–7, Jeremiah 2:2, and Ezekiel 16. But the allegory still required interpretation. Determining the significance of its elaborate symbolism and fashioning a coherent reading of the work as a whole would engage many Jewish exegetes in the Middle Ages—and this even before the philosophers and kabbalists began to read the Song of Songs in new ways during the 12th and 13th centuries. Two Jewish commentaries on the Song survive from 10th-century Jerusalem. Written in Judeo-Arabic by the Karaites Salmon b. Jeroham and Japheth b. Eli, both include substantial introductory observations on the nature of biblical song and incorporate full Arabic translations and verse-by-verse exegesis.
Elliot R. Wolfson
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- March 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780823224180
- eISBN:
- 9780823235377
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Fordham University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5422/fso/9780823224180.003.0008
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion
This chapter focuses on the interpretation of the Song of Songs (a biblical book that is significant in the history of Judaism and Christianity), and its hermeneutical ...
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This chapter focuses on the interpretation of the Song of Songs (a biblical book that is significant in the history of Judaism and Christianity), and its hermeneutical problem: How does one interpret the exclusively sensual language of a book canonized as part of sacred Scripture? From the standpoints presented earlier in this book, the book is interpreted in the view of medieval kabbalists.Less
This chapter focuses on the interpretation of the Song of Songs (a biblical book that is significant in the history of Judaism and Christianity), and its hermeneutical problem: How does one interpret the exclusively sensual language of a book canonized as part of sacred Scripture? From the standpoints presented earlier in this book, the book is interpreted in the view of medieval kabbalists.
Frank Graziano
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780195136401
- eISBN:
- 9780199835164
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195136403.003.0009
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
The Song of Songs, the sin in Eden, and Mary Magdalen are discussed as prelude to a fundamental paradox of mysticism: the love of God by female mystics vowed to virginity is represented as corporal ...
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The Song of Songs, the sin in Eden, and Mary Magdalen are discussed as prelude to a fundamental paradox of mysticism: the love of God by female mystics vowed to virginity is represented as corporal and erotic. In a section on “the return of the repressed,” an exploration of the visionary experiences of many medieval and early modern beatas, nuns, and saints illustrates how forbidden sexuality gains expression in relations with Christ, often as a child. The chapter concludes by surveying various arguments of why virginal mysticism is experienced and represented in corporal, erotic, and matrimonial tropes.Less
The Song of Songs, the sin in Eden, and Mary Magdalen are discussed as prelude to a fundamental paradox of mysticism: the love of God by female mystics vowed to virginity is represented as corporal and erotic. In a section on “the return of the repressed,” an exploration of the visionary experiences of many medieval and early modern beatas, nuns, and saints illustrates how forbidden sexuality gains expression in relations with Christ, often as a child. The chapter concludes by surveying various arguments of why virginal mysticism is experienced and represented in corporal, erotic, and matrimonial tropes.
Jonathan Kaplan
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- August 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780199359332
- eISBN:
- 9780199359356
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199359332.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
Chapter 2 outlines the various processes of figuration and pre-figuration employed in the tannaitic midrashim in order to correlate Song of Songs to archetypal events in Jewish history, particularly ...
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Chapter 2 outlines the various processes of figuration and pre-figuration employed in the tannaitic midrashim in order to correlate Song of Songs to archetypal events in Jewish history, particularly the exodus, the Sinai theophany, and the wilderness experience. While there is a degree of fluidity in the interpretations of Song of Songs in this corpus, all of the texts fall under the broad rubric of interpreting this work as referring to Israel’s ideal national historical narrative. In doing so, the early rabbinic sages sought to valorize Israel’s past, to interpret and shape their community’s present circumstances, and to imagine the future relationship of exemplary Israel with her beloved.Less
Chapter 2 outlines the various processes of figuration and pre-figuration employed in the tannaitic midrashim in order to correlate Song of Songs to archetypal events in Jewish history, particularly the exodus, the Sinai theophany, and the wilderness experience. While there is a degree of fluidity in the interpretations of Song of Songs in this corpus, all of the texts fall under the broad rubric of interpreting this work as referring to Israel’s ideal national historical narrative. In doing so, the early rabbinic sages sought to valorize Israel’s past, to interpret and shape their community’s present circumstances, and to imagine the future relationship of exemplary Israel with her beloved.
Jonathan Kaplan
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- August 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780199359332
- eISBN:
- 9780199359356
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199359332.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
Chapter 3 examines how the tannaitic midrashim painted an idealized picture of Israel and her practices and piety through the descriptions of the female protagonist’s appearance in Song of Songs. In ...
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Chapter 3 examines how the tannaitic midrashim painted an idealized picture of Israel and her practices and piety through the descriptions of the female protagonist’s appearance in Song of Songs. In particular, it focuses on the interpretations of the longer descriptive songs, or waṣfs. After it explores the ways in which Song of Songs was interpreted in this corpus, it turns to the question of how the early rabbinic sages dealt with the erotic tenor of these passages. While the interpretations found in the tannaitic midrashim of the descriptions of the female protagonist lack the erotic tone of the original text, it argues that they do infuse the affection present in the relationship in Song of Songs into their conceptions of Israel’s relationship with God. This fusion helped shape rabbinic thought and practice characterized by intense, affectionate, and reciprocal devotion between model Israel and her beloved.Less
Chapter 3 examines how the tannaitic midrashim painted an idealized picture of Israel and her practices and piety through the descriptions of the female protagonist’s appearance in Song of Songs. In particular, it focuses on the interpretations of the longer descriptive songs, or waṣfs. After it explores the ways in which Song of Songs was interpreted in this corpus, it turns to the question of how the early rabbinic sages dealt with the erotic tenor of these passages. While the interpretations found in the tannaitic midrashim of the descriptions of the female protagonist lack the erotic tone of the original text, it argues that they do infuse the affection present in the relationship in Song of Songs into their conceptions of Israel’s relationship with God. This fusion helped shape rabbinic thought and practice characterized by intense, affectionate, and reciprocal devotion between model Israel and her beloved.
Marc Brettler
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- March 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780823225712
- eISBN:
- 9780823237067
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Fordham University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5422/fso/9780823225712.003.0014
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies
The statement that best encapsulates the problems of the Song of Songs is the simile attributed to Sa'adiya Gaon, the head of the Babylonian Jewish community in the tenth century: “It ...
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The statement that best encapsulates the problems of the Song of Songs is the simile attributed to Sa'adiya Gaon, the head of the Babylonian Jewish community in the tenth century: “It is like a lock whose key is lost or a diamond too expensive to purchase”. It is a perfect description of the Song: its magnificence is well recognized, yet it refuses to be unlocked. The Song cannot be attributed to Solomon. The language of the book at several points resembles rabbinic Hebrew, suggesting a late date. Several pieces of evidence suggest that there is no reason to take the Song as Solomonic, while there are good reasons to view it as post-Solomonic, and at least in part, as postexilic. There is also no reason for the Song to be understood as an allegory, as Abraham ibn Ezra suggests. Requited versus unrequited love is a recurring problem for the Song.Less
The statement that best encapsulates the problems of the Song of Songs is the simile attributed to Sa'adiya Gaon, the head of the Babylonian Jewish community in the tenth century: “It is like a lock whose key is lost or a diamond too expensive to purchase”. It is a perfect description of the Song: its magnificence is well recognized, yet it refuses to be unlocked. The Song cannot be attributed to Solomon. The language of the book at several points resembles rabbinic Hebrew, suggesting a late date. Several pieces of evidence suggest that there is no reason to take the Song as Solomonic, while there are good reasons to view it as post-Solomonic, and at least in part, as postexilic. There is also no reason for the Song to be understood as an allegory, as Abraham ibn Ezra suggests. Requited versus unrequited love is a recurring problem for the Song.
Paul Mendes‐Flohr
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199206575
- eISBN:
- 9780191709678
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199206575.003.0019
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies, Judaism
This chapter examines how Franz Rosenzweig read and responded to the Song of Songs' juxtaposition of love and death. Rosenzweig viewed the erotic imagery of the Song of Songs as the most eloquent ...
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This chapter examines how Franz Rosenzweig read and responded to the Song of Songs' juxtaposition of love and death. Rosenzweig viewed the erotic imagery of the Song of Songs as the most eloquent statement in the Hebrew Bible on the meaning of revelation, of the divine-human relation. Indeed, he refers to this love-song as the Kernbuch der Offenbarung, the focal-book of revelation. Yet God is not once mentioned, nor even alluded to, in this dialogue between a man and a woman, testifying to the physical delights and anguish of their mutual love.Less
This chapter examines how Franz Rosenzweig read and responded to the Song of Songs' juxtaposition of love and death. Rosenzweig viewed the erotic imagery of the Song of Songs as the most eloquent statement in the Hebrew Bible on the meaning of revelation, of the divine-human relation. Indeed, he refers to this love-song as the Kernbuch der Offenbarung, the focal-book of revelation. Yet God is not once mentioned, nor even alluded to, in this dialogue between a man and a woman, testifying to the physical delights and anguish of their mutual love.
David W. Kling
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- April 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780195130089
- eISBN:
- 9780199835393
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195130081.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
This book examines the dynamic interplay between scripture and society. Kling traces the story of how specific biblical texts have at different times emerged to be the inspiration of movements that ...
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This book examines the dynamic interplay between scripture and society. Kling traces the story of how specific biblical texts have at different times emerged to be the inspiration of movements that have changed the course of history. He selects eight specific texts (sometimes a single verse, other times a selection of verses or chapters, even books) and demonstrates how each shaped the direction of Christian history. These texts include the story of the rich young ruler (Matthew 19: 16–22) as an inspiration for Anthony and the beginnings of monasticism; the “Petrine text” (Matthew 16:18) as the basis for the papacy; the centrality of the Song of Songs in medieval Christendom, particularly as interpreted through the mystical leanings of Bernard of Clairvaux; Romans 1:17 and its influence upon Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation; Jesus’ teachings in the Sermon on the Mount, embraced by Anabaptists as a call to radical discipleship, including pacifism; the varied applications of the exodus motif and Moses figures in African-American history, from slavery to Martin Luther King to liberation theology; the Book of Acts with its references to the outpouring of the Spirit and speaking in tongues as the basis for the rise of modern Pentecostalism; and Galatians 3:28, which has been adopted by feminists as a rallying cry for women’s ordination. Kling’s study demonstrates that scripture has functioned in a dialectical interplay of influences; texts have shaped history and history has shaped the interpretation of texts. Specifically, texts have functioned in at least five ways: (1) as transforming agents to another way of thinking and acting, believing and behaving; (2) as recreated meaning, undergoing multiple interpretations and applications; (3) as comprehending sources, drawing other biblical texts into their thematic orbit; (4) as hermeneutical keys unlocking the essential meaning in or resolving tensions within scripture; and (5) as secondary justifications, legitimizing after the fact to support existing historical realities.Less
This book examines the dynamic interplay between scripture and society. Kling traces the story of how specific biblical texts have at different times emerged to be the inspiration of movements that have changed the course of history. He selects eight specific texts (sometimes a single verse, other times a selection of verses or chapters, even books) and demonstrates how each shaped the direction of Christian history. These texts include the story of the rich young ruler (Matthew 19: 16–22) as an inspiration for Anthony and the beginnings of monasticism; the “Petrine text” (Matthew 16:18) as the basis for the papacy; the centrality of the Song of Songs in medieval Christendom, particularly as interpreted through the mystical leanings of Bernard of Clairvaux; Romans 1:17 and its influence upon Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation; Jesus’ teachings in the Sermon on the Mount, embraced by Anabaptists as a call to radical discipleship, including pacifism; the varied applications of the exodus motif and Moses figures in African-American history, from slavery to Martin Luther King to liberation theology; the Book of Acts with its references to the outpouring of the Spirit and speaking in tongues as the basis for the rise of modern Pentecostalism; and Galatians 3:28, which has been adopted by feminists as a rallying cry for women’s ordination. Kling’s study demonstrates that scripture has functioned in a dialectical interplay of influences; texts have shaped history and history has shaped the interpretation of texts. Specifically, texts have functioned in at least five ways: (1) as transforming agents to another way of thinking and acting, believing and behaving; (2) as recreated meaning, undergoing multiple interpretations and applications; (3) as comprehending sources, drawing other biblical texts into their thematic orbit; (4) as hermeneutical keys unlocking the essential meaning in or resolving tensions within scripture; and (5) as secondary justifications, legitimizing after the fact to support existing historical realities.
Jonathan Kaplan
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- August 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780199359332
- eISBN:
- 9780199359356
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199359332.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
Chapter 1 examines how the interpretation of Song of Songs in the tannaitic midrashim should be characterized—as an allegory, as a mashal(rabbinic parable), or as something entirely different. To ...
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Chapter 1 examines how the interpretation of Song of Songs in the tannaitic midrashim should be characterized—as an allegory, as a mashal(rabbinic parable), or as something entirely different. To frame this exploration, it first examines the various approaches to early rabbinic interpretation of Song of Songs, typified by the work of Daniel Boyarin and David Stern, before offering its own proposal. It contends that figural interpretation, akin to the form of typological interpretation practiced in early Christianity, provides a better description of tannaitic interpretation of Song of Songs. Using a typological mode of interpretation, the first rabbinic interpreters read Song of Songs as an idealized figuration of God’s loving relationship with Israel, which they located in the framework of Israel’s national narrative.Less
Chapter 1 examines how the interpretation of Song of Songs in the tannaitic midrashim should be characterized—as an allegory, as a mashal(rabbinic parable), or as something entirely different. To frame this exploration, it first examines the various approaches to early rabbinic interpretation of Song of Songs, typified by the work of Daniel Boyarin and David Stern, before offering its own proposal. It contends that figural interpretation, akin to the form of typological interpretation practiced in early Christianity, provides a better description of tannaitic interpretation of Song of Songs. Using a typological mode of interpretation, the first rabbinic interpreters read Song of Songs as an idealized figuration of God’s loving relationship with Israel, which they located in the framework of Israel’s national narrative.
