Song of Songs (1)
A series in several parts
I've been leading a group through a series of studies on Song of Songs, which is not an enterprise for the faint-hearted, but it has occasioned some reflections on me. I've been tremendously helped by George Athas' commentary on the book, and that shapes the reading/reflections that I'll offer in this series.
Why don't people read this book?
The first observation to make is that Song of Songs is a very neglected book. I would say it's rarely read, it's rarely preached upon, and people don't really know what to do with it. Here's, I conjecture, why:
It's poetry, and most people aren't great at reading poetry.
It's ancient Hebrew poetry, and even fewer people find reading ancient near-eastern literature a natural undertaking.
It's a book that's (at some points) highly explicit about sex, and that makes people feel uncomfortable (counts for double if you're in a religious tradition that has made sex a taboo subject for any discussion).
On the other side of this, the sexual imagery is difficult to relate to: most of us don't pick up what is sexy here.
It doesn't appear to say very much about God or contribute directly to major biblical or theological themes.
There's just a lot of obscure things going on in it.
I think those are all understandable reasons for reluctance, but avoiding the book doesn't make it disappear out of the canon! And, I think, with some good reading, the book is actually a surprising read...
So, two things that will help us out as we begin:
Firstly, it's not a book by Solomon. It's not Solomon's song in that sense. The preposition used in the title indicates it relates to Solomon. That could be authorship, but the content of the Song speaks strongly against that. It relates to Solomon, because Solomon appears as a dramatic foil in the Song's drama.
Secondly, I think the Song is best read as a drama/narrative. It's not just a song or a series of songs, it's more like a play. In fact, even though it doesn't interact with the Greek dramatic tradition, it's easy to see some parallels. There are two main voices, the Man and the Woman, and there's a "chorus" character, which provides some comment and commentary on the main narrative; that's the "Daughters of Jerusalem", which I take to be representative primarily of Solomon's harem of wives and concubines.
It's not a straightforward narrative - there's no stage directions, there's no "description" of events; the narrative as such needs to be understood from the speeches/songs of the main voices. The cast of characters, then, is:
The Woman: the primary speaker and voice of the poem. It's a story mainly told from her perspective, she is the central point of the dramatic tension. She appears to be from a family that lacks a patriarch figure, as she is in the care of her brothers, and they have arranged a marriage to bring her into Solomon's harem.
The Man: a shepherd boy, he is the love interest of the Woman, and the second major speaker and voice of the poem.
Daughters of Jerusalem: Solomon's harem, with only a few lines (unlike Greek choruses!), they provide an external voice, and primarily interact with the Woman.
The Brothers: have a very small speaking role in the final chapter. But otherwise appear indirectly.
Solomon: Solomon is almost an off-stage figure, but casts a shadow over the narrative, as he is third point of the love-triangle. His relationship to his numerous women acts as the dramatic foil and contrast point to the Man and Woman's relationship.
Okay, that's enough for one day. Look forward to some more posts in which we discuss love, sex, politics, ethics, poetry, and hermeneutics. In no particular order!
