A Two Thousand Year History of the Influence of the Song of Songs on Religion, Literature, Music, and Art

This work presents the wide range of influence of the "Song of Songs" on world culture. It demonstrates the long history of confrontation of the immense number of allegorical interpretations with secular (literal) commentaries. The work presents the unique place of the Song in the Old Testament and the history of Jewish allegorical commentaries. Numerous exegetes, in particular the kabbalists, dedicated special attention to mystical interpretations of the Song. Christian allegorical and mystical commentaries on the Song beginning with Origen, are based on the identification of the bride and the bridegroom of the Song with Christ and the Church. A major part of this book is dedicated to the role of the Song in world literature, music and art. The Song loomed largely as the means of expressing love, longing ecstasy and suffering.