Authorship, Date, message and theology of Song
of Songs
Introduction
Song
of Songs portrays the deep, genuine love between a man and a woman in marriage.
It is a collection of love songs which clearly celebrate the joys of physical,
intimate love. The songs use highly figurative and poetic language.[1] It
is placed first among the five scrolls (Megilloth) in the Jewish canon used on
festive season, assigned to be read at Passover.[2] The
inclusion of Song of Songs in the poetical books remains enigmatic.[3] This
book can be interpreted in many ways, From Christian perspective this points to
the mutual commitment between Christ and His Church and the fullness of fellowship
which ought to subsist between them.
1)
Title
The Hebrew title of
this book is Sir has sirim that is,
The song of songs or the best of songs. The Septuagint rendered this title
literally as asma asmaton and the
Vulgate as Canticum Canticorum both of which mean Song of Songs. It is from the
Latin word canticum the term Canticles is derived as another[4]
title for this book. Some English translations have kept the title “Song of
Songs” (e.g., NIV, TNIV), but many have changed it to “Song of Solomon” based
on 1:1 (e.g., NASB, AV, RSV, NKJV).[5]
2)
Author
Many references to
Solomon throughout the book confirm the claim of 1:1 that Solomon wrote this
book, and it begins with the formula which is to Solomon. Some scholars have
interpreted this phrase as a formula of dedication rather than a true
attribution of authorship, but it should be understood that this preposition
le, “to”, is the only convenient way of expressing possession or authorship in
Hebrew where the same author have composed many other works. Delitzsch, Raven,
Steinmueller and Young have denied the authorship of Solomon. Richard Hess
believed the writer is unknown.[6]
3)
Date
The
lack of historical references in the song makes dating difficult, but much of
the setting and tone reflect Solomon’s age. H.J schonfield argues for the
Persian period precisely between 430 and 350.[7] Liberal
scholars assign the composition of the books to a period later than tenth
century B.C. Moderates like W.R.Smith and S.R Driver favored a pre exilic date,
that is before 600 B.C. Radicals Kuenen, Cornill, Cheyne, Budde, Kautzsch and
Eissfeldt confidently dated it in the post exelic or even Hellenistic period.
W. Baumgartner assigns it to the late third century.[8] But
it have been transmitted orally, added to and then given its present setting by
a nameless, inspired poet around the time of exile.[9]
4)
Theories
of interpretation
The
interpretation of this Song helps us to know the message of it. There are
numerous interpretations of this poetic composition.[10] There
is great diversity and much overlapping among interpretations of the Song of
Songs. The main interpretations are:
4.1
Allegorical: - This theory may be Jewish, Christian or
a combination of these. The first regards the song as descriptive of the love
of God and his people Israel; second discerns the love of Christ and the
Church. Hippolytus and Origen introduced this interpretation into the church.[11] The
nineteenth century conservatives Hengstenberg and Keil tend to favor an
allegorical line of interpretation.[12] Roman
Catholic understanding of this song as allegory is illustrated in the
commentary of A.Robert, R.Tournay, A.Feuillet.[13]
4.2
Literal: - The literal interpretation speaks of human love or
a secular love not intended to convey a spiritual message, but simply a lyric expression
of human love on a high romantic plane.[14] In
other words the literal view is that the book presents actual history and
nothing more.[15]
4.3
Typical view: - In many ways this seems to be the most
satisfactory of the theories. This interpretation is defended by Raven and
Unger, who understand the poem as based upon actual historical incident in
Solomon’s life.[16]
The typical interpretation combines literal and allegorical views, maintaining
both the historicity and the spiritualizing of the book.[17]
4.4
Dramatic: - The presence of dialogue, soliloquy[18]
and choruse[19]
has led to treat it as drama,[20] drama
based on the marriage of Solomon to a Shulammite girl. The book is not labeled
drama, which was not a widely used Hebrew literary form.[21]
4.5
Liturgical rites: - Canticles derived from liturgical rites
of the cult of Tammuz,[22] or
borrowed pagan liturgy associated with fertility cults.[23]
4.6
Love song or erotic literary view: - Scholars have viewed
the song as a poem or collection of love poems, perhaps not connected with
wedding celebration or other specific occasion.
4.7
Nupital song: - J.G.Wetzstein’s study of Syrian wedding
rites fostered a fresh view of the song. Schonfield’ contention that similar
wedding customs can be traced in Jewish antiquity is accepted. J.P. Audet understands the song as an
engagement pact.[24]
4.8
Didactic- Moral: - This interpretation holds that the book
presents the purity and wonder of true love. It regards the book as history and
also agrees that the love portrayed does direct us to the greater love of
Christ, in accordance with the history of Christian interpretation.[25]
5) Message
For many years,
believers considered this book to be a revelation of God's love for the
believer and the believer's love for God, expressed in vivid metaphorical
language. This was the predominant viewpoint for centuries when most people did
not talk about the intimacies of human physical love publicly. Some have even
suggested that it is an inspired marriage manual that God has given us to
enable us to develop strong marriages. The values of this book are primarily
two:
5.1
Supremacy of human love
When this book was
written, it was a poem about the love of two people, a man and a woman, for
each other. It is a revelation of the true nature of human love and it also
emphasizes the supremacy of love. Human
life finds its highest fulfillment in the love of a man and a woman. God gave it to us so we could
understand the nature of love primarily. God wanted us to apply that understanding: both
in our love for our spouses, and in our love for our Savior. This is also the
view of many contemporary evangelical scholars, including Merrill, Hubbard, and
Hess. There are four things revealed in this book about human love:
i)
The foundation
of love is mutual satisfaction that is both complementary and exclusive.
ii)
The strength
of love is the strongest force in life and commitment to satisfy each other
more than themselves.
iii)
To love is reaching out to his loved one
with intensity and protecting her.
iv)
The fruits
of love are rest in home, joy in suffering, courage, gain strength and recover
from failures.
5.2
Relationship with God
Loving God was the
ultimate intention of the divine Author and the belief of Jewish interpreters,
as well as Christian scholars, in both Old and New Testament times. It is
therefore important that we take these revelations concerning the nature of
love, and apply them to our relationship with God, and not only to our
relationship with our spouse.
i)
The foundation of our love for
God and His love for us is also mutual satisfaction. He satisfies our every
need and our every want and He also finds satisfaction in us.
ii)
The strength of God’s love for us
can be seen on Calvary. The strength of our love for God is the extent to which
we respond to Him in obedience (1 John 2:3-6).
iii)
God initiated love for us, reaching out
intensely and protectively and we express our love for Him by yielding to Him
and trusting in Him.
iv)
The fruit of love is the same in
our relationship with God as in our relationship with another human being. We
enjoy rest, joy, and courage. God does too; He experiences courage in the sense
of encouragement.[26]
6)
Theology
of Song of Songs
Every
book of the Bible teaches us about God, and so does this one. The word God is not directly mentioned in this
book, References to God have only been indirectly concluded, and also in a
wisdom saying where a short form of the name Yahweh is used as a superlative:
“a mighty flame / the flame of Yah” (8:6). A text’s theological base is not
determined solely by the explicit presence of the name of God or if the text is
ascribed to an author who lays claim to a theological context.
Song
of Songs utterances can be linked to creational theology. Several parallels
between this garden and the Garden of Eden have been claimed: the plants, the
fruits, the spices, the rivers and the flowing water. Landy, analysis and
concludes that this garden is in close correspondence to the imagery of the
Garden of Eden. Since the garden is a metaphor for the woman, the beauty of the
garden corresponds to her beauty. The Garden of Eden is locked and mankind has
been expelled (Gen 3:22-24) but metaphorically, in Song of Songs, the woman
herself is a locked garden (4:12). She does not restrain herself from her lover
but opens up to him (4:16). The union of the two lovers takes place in the
garden. She is a fruitful orchard (4:13.14), like a paradise. She is a
fountain, a well of living waters, a stream, and she alone allows him to drink
(4:15). He experiences the intimacy of two lovers, which is also the ideal
within the wisdom tradition (Prov 5:15-19). Her fragrance and luxurious
appearance give a sensual pleasure like the choicest food and drink. The
intimacy of lovemaking is the place of recreation. Barbiero suggests that love
is the way back to paradise. God is implicated in this scene and summons the
lovers to become intoxicated with lovemaking, love becomes the remedy for regaining
paradise. Thus there is two structural focuses namely, a wisdom teaching on the
strength of love as a gift of Yahweh (8:6b.7) and an intimate scene of lovers
(4:16-5:1) guaranteed by God.
Christian
interpreters have extended allegorical interpretations to Christ as the
bridegroom and the Church or the believer or even Mary, as the bride. Phillips
identifies the bride with the church or the individual believers, the shepherd
with Jesus Christ, who has won the heart of the believer or the church, and Solomon
with the seducer, who leads the believers astray. In each interpretive instance
the theological contribution is found in the allegorical transformation.[27]
Conclusion
Song
of Songs is a book of controversies based on its title, authorship, setting,
and inclusion in canonical order and interpretations but it is included because
of its rich wisdom. To understand the message of this book theory of
interpretations is used. The most suited interpretation is allegorical
interpretation, which says that this book is about love of human and love of
God, human and God’s love. There is no mentioning of the word God in this book
but a shorter form of the word Yahweh can be found. This Song can be compared
with creation theology and modern Christian scholars interpret allegorically to
Christ as bridegroom and the church as bride. Theological contribution can be
found only in allegorical interpretation.
Bibliography
Douglas, J.D. Merril. C. Tenny. New International Bible Dictionary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan , 1963.
Gleason L.Archer, A survey of Old Testament introduction. Chicago: Moody press, 1964
Samuel J. Schultz. The Old Testament speaks. London: Larper and Row publishers, 1960
Sanford lasor, William. David Allan Hubbard,
Frederic WM Bush. Old Testament survey. Michigan:
William B. Eerdmans publishing company
Webliography
Accessed
from http://www.danielakin.com/content/uploads/old/
Resource_392/ Song%20 of%20Solomon%20Manual.pdf
on 10-02-2015 at 10:03pm
Accessed from http://www.westminsterreformedchurch.org/OTSurvey.05-06.PDFs/
17.1%20Song% 20of% 20Songs.pdf
on 10-02-2015 at 10:03 pm
Accessed from http://beginningwithmoses.org/bt-articles/218/song-of-songs-a-biblical- theology on 10-02-2015
at 10:03 pm
Accessed from http://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/bed/view.cgi?n=660
on 10-02-2015 at 10:03 pm
[1]Accessed
from http://www.danielakin.com/content/uploads/old/Resource_392/Song%20of%20
Solomon%20Manual.pdf on 10-02-2015 at 10:03 pm
[2]
William Sanford lasor, David Allan Hubbard, Frederic WM Bush Old Testament
survey, (Michigan: William B. Eerdmans publishing company), 601. (Here after
cited as William Sanford lasor… )
[3]
Samuel J. Schultz. The Old Testament speaks, (London: Larper and Row
publishers, 1960), 295. (Here after cited as Samuel J. Schultz. The Old
Testament speaks… )
[4]
Gleason L.Archer, A survey of Old Testament introduction, (Chicago: Moody
press, 1964), 488. (Here after cited as
Gleason L.Archer, A survey… )
[6] Gleason L.Archer, A survey… 489.
[7] William Sanford lasor…,603.
[8] Gleason L.Archer, A survey…,489.
[9]William Sanford lasor…,603.
[10] Samuel J. Schultz. The Old
Testament speaks…,296.
[11]
J.D.Douglas, Merril. C. Tenny. New
International Bible Dictionary, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan , 1963), 956.(Here
after cited as J.D.Douglas, Merril. C. Tenny…..)
[12] Gleason L.Archer, A survey…, 492.
[13]William Sanford lasor…, 607.
[14] Gleason L.Archer, A survey…, 492.
[15]
J.D.Douglas, Merril. C. Tenny…, 956.
[16] Gleason L.Archer, A survey…, 492.
[17]
J.D.Douglas, Merril. C. Tenny…, 956.
[18] An act of speaking one’s
thoughts aloud when alone or regardless of hearers, especially by a character
in a play
[19] Large group of singers, a part
of a song which is repeated after each verse.
[20] William Sanford lasor…
[21]
J.D.Douglas, Merril. C. Tenny… 956.
[22] William Sanford lasor… P.609
[23]
J.D.Douglas, Merril. C. Tenny… 956.
[24] William Sanford lasor…, 608,
609.
[25]
J.D.Douglas, Merril. C. Tenny… 957.
[26]
Accessed from http://www.westminsterreformedchurch.org/OTSurvey.05-06.PDFs/17.1%20Song%
20of% 20Songs.pdf on 10-02-2015 at 10:03 pm.
[27]
Accessed from http://beginningwithmoses.org/bt-articles/218/song-of-songs-a-biblical- theology on 10-02-2015 at 10:03
pm
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