Does the Song of Solomon belong in our Bible?

[cooldude]

The Song of Solomon may have been, for whatever reason, an integral liturgical feature for a particular Hebrew order, but does that automatically render it edifying for our Christian context? Not only does the supposed allegory of Christ and his bride violate all our prudish standards, Solomon (assuming he is the author) even rates the Shulamite woman in the context of his vast harem. For, contrary to the theory that this was the wife of his youth prior to his prodigious plunge into polygamy, the text does mention “threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number” (chapter 6:8, 9).

Two questions arise: If she was an actual lover, what number was she? And if this divided love was so pure and exemplary, how come it isn’t OK today? Clearly that very special woman was a favorite, actual lover or not. But that didn’t stop the count from soaring to seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines (i Kings 11:3). Read more...

[Gail]

I love the Song of songs! In our demented secular view of sexuality it strikes us as odd, being included in canon. But to me it is higher than just sex. To me it signifies a soul bond, an intimacy deeper than many ever experience as humans.

God's grace and His ways just get bigger the more I explore! It causes me to sit in awe once again and cry, Holy!

[JoeMo]

Amen, Gail! Christians (especially in America) put to much emphasis on protecting ourselves from sex - like it's "dirty". Sex is one of the most awesome gifts God has given us when used in the context of marriage. In the Song of Solomon, the "romance is simply an allegory of how lavish and intimate God's love for us can be.

Get used to it, guys - if we're going to heaven, we will all be blushing brides one day ! LOL

[cooldude]

Prudish sexual hangups are not unique to Christians. Most if not all major religions have them. The issue here is that this piece of poetry, about which so little is known, dedicated to the Bible's most notorious polygamist, is said to represent the faithful, monogamous spousal relationship between Christ and his bride the church. It seems to me a sacrilegious comparison.

[cooldude]

So I agree with you on the misplaced negative emphasis on sex. But if by "we will all be blushing brides one day," you mean we will be Christ's brides in heaven, then we have to disagree. Christ has only one bride. That's his church. We will not all be his individual brides. And as for literal marriage, Matthew 22:30 tells us there will be none of those bribes "For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven."

[JoeMo]

Picky, Picky! The blushing bride thing was my (obviously)failed attempt at humor. :)

[phkrause]

Absolutely

[phkrause]

And I'll add an Amen to JoeMo's Amen.

[Naomi]

I love the Song of songs! In our demented secular view of sexuality it strikes us as odd, being included in canon. But to me it is higher than just sex. To me it signifies a soul bond, an intimacy deeper than many ever experience as humans.

God's grace and His ways just get bigger the more I explore! It causes me to sit in awe once again and cry, Holy!

[12tribes]

I love the Song of songs! In our demented secular view of sexuality it strikes us as odd, being included in canon. But to me it is higher than just sex. To me it signifies a soul bond, an intimacy deeper than many ever experience as humans.

God's grace and His ways just get bigger the more I explore! It causes me to sit in awe once again and cry, Holy!

That is a good way yo put it

[cooldude]

Sure you love it. It obviously is epic poetry. But in what way does it symbolize Christ's love for his church?

[Gail]

Yes- I can see it.

[JoeMo]

In what way does the Song of Solomon symbolize Christ's love for the church? Very beautifully! What more beautful way to express His passion for intimate relationship with His church than in the way that the two (God and the church) become one - nothing hidden; everything exposed and out in the open? It is only due to our degraded attitude towards God's gift of sex that we can't see the beauty. If we focus on the passion of the poetry rather than alleged adultery (i.e., view the book as symbolic poetry rather than an historic documentation of an adulterous relationship) how can we help but see anything but God's desire for intimate, passionate relationship with His church?

[philo]

I´ts God - given real life !

At the end of Revelation Christ does not have a meal with his knigths in the hall like King Artus, but enjoys the wedding with his bride !

Real lfe : Forget Shyrock, Witschiebe was not writte then, neither Mazat. So we together in our youth sought our way - - in the Song of Solomon !

It is an instructive song : Beware of untimely arousing - - that ye not stir upnor awake my love - - Beware of spontneously following your dreams (3 : 3 and 5 : 3 - 7) just for instance.

It is an appraisal of the unique partnership of one woman and one man, a song of mockery on Solomon and his lifestyle :

The suntanned girl from the country / the young ladies in Jerusalem; she and her friend / the wives and concubines of Solomon; Solomon in a chariot for the Jeruslem girls sake / she inviting her friend for a walk through the fields; her mothers room / the bedroom of Solomon with sixty heroes around the bed (how romantic !); she the keeper of her bretherens vineyard - then at last having her own vineyard, rejoicing about its the fruit / Solomon with the vineyard given to the hands of leaseholders.

And : The bretheren coming a little late with their jealous "caretaking of little sister" : "I AM a wall, and my breasts like towers !" - -

And very clear sex elements , 4 : 6 the pubic hair; - - ". 7 : 1 the joints, 7 : 2 (navel = shift or ephemism for vagina ? ).

THank you, o Lord, for this beautiful depiction of your beautiful Creation !

[philo]

Supplement to yesterday . Why not interpret the connection to Jesus / His Church this way :

At the end of times Jesus will finally unite with his church in a greatfestival. yet not comparing it with King Arthus and his bave knights around the table, but with this great emotionally deepest haappening experienced n humans life - the wedding, so amazingly depicted in Song of Solomon.

[cooldude]

Solomon ended up having 700 wives and more. In the Song there is reference to 60 (threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number). How many brides does Christ have, and how many will he have at his return?