Song of Solomon 1-8
The Song of Songs, as it is also known, is the last piece of work of the section of the Tanakh known as the Ketuvim (Writings). It is a story about a man and a woman who are in love and going through the different stages of romance. It starts of with them romancing each other and ends with the final act of love. It is a very odd piece of scripture to be included among the other writings. In fact, through the whole short work of Song of Songs there is only one mention of God. Solomon is never mentioned as the protagonist in the story, in fact Solomon is referenced by the man in the story as the King, which leads one to believe that this main character is someone other than King Solomon. Some people think the song was written for Solomon rather than by him.
According to the Talmud, the Jewish book of tradition compiled by the Jews after the Roman destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D., King Solomon is the author of the Song of Songs and he wrote this piece after first writing the Book of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. However, according to modern scholars the authorship of this book cannot be specified. Scholars can not even agree on an estimated date of authorship. The estimates of these scholars put the origin of this book between 950 B.C.E. to 200 B.C.E. There are some schools of thought that state the original author existed in the 900s B.C.E. and wrote in the language style of that day. Other scholars state that some of the language used in the original texts is actually Persian, which would put the date of composition sometime during or after the exile in 500 B.C.E.
The love story contained within the Song of Songs can be a little sexy compared to the rest of the Tanakh. It really is a mystery as to why it was included in the Jewish Holy scriptures. The use of the book has been, traditionally, as a metaphor for God’s love for his chosen people. Later, it was included in the Christian Canon and used as a metaphor for God’s love for all of his children. Early church history has some of the original leaders interpreting it for their followers and using it as an allegory for Christ’s relationship with Israel and the Gentiles. Some interpretations have lended it to the idea that this is a metaphor for the soul in relation to Christ.
Despite the mystery and uncertainty over the history this is a very beautiful piece of poetry and I bet it's even better when read in its original language.
According to the Talmud, the Jewish book of tradition compiled by the Jews after the Roman destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D., King Solomon is the author of the Song of Songs and he wrote this piece after first writing the Book of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. However, according to modern scholars the authorship of this book cannot be specified. Scholars can not even agree on an estimated date of authorship. The estimates of these scholars put the origin of this book between 950 B.C.E. to 200 B.C.E. There are some schools of thought that state the original author existed in the 900s B.C.E. and wrote in the language style of that day. Other scholars state that some of the language used in the original texts is actually Persian, which would put the date of composition sometime during or after the exile in 500 B.C.E.
The love story contained within the Song of Songs can be a little sexy compared to the rest of the Tanakh. It really is a mystery as to why it was included in the Jewish Holy scriptures. The use of the book has been, traditionally, as a metaphor for God’s love for his chosen people. Later, it was included in the Christian Canon and used as a metaphor for God’s love for all of his children. Early church history has some of the original leaders interpreting it for their followers and using it as an allegory for Christ’s relationship with Israel and the Gentiles. Some interpretations have lended it to the idea that this is a metaphor for the soul in relation to Christ.
Despite the mystery and uncertainty over the history this is a very beautiful piece of poetry and I bet it's even better when read in its original language.
