Why is the Song of Solomon in the Bible?

Patheos ^ | 08/19/2014 | Riichard Ostling

[Anitius Severinus Boethius]

Because the proper and wonderful expression of sexual love was part of the plan from the beginning. In the garden, before Adam sinned, the first command that God gave Adam and Eve as a couple was “be fruitful and multiply.”

It is a silly misconception, both within and outside of the Church, that sex is in someway offensive or less than tasteful in the eyes of God.

Does Song of Songs have a spiritual application? Absolutely! The passion and zeal that the young lovers have for each other in the poem is the same passion and zeal that God has for us. We should long and yearn to be pleasing to him, to be ready for our time with him, and to be ever on alert for his voice or his touch.

But it is a celebration of sexual love. A pure sexual love. It gives instruction on why waiting, why longing, and why choosing love is best for us.

[ricmc2175]

It is in the canon because the Council of Jamnia included it on their vote. Its advocate was said to be R. Akiva himself who was reputed to want it in because of its emphasis on the sexual.

[OneWingedShark]

JMO, but I think its because God thinks sex is good stuff.

I think this is the most correct vies — if He didn't he wouldn't have made it necessary for reproduction.

[SisterK]

How did Song of Solomon make the cut, yet The Book of Enoch did not?

[reg45]

JMO, but I think its because God thinks sex between husband and wife is good stuff.

[LearnsFromMistakes]

The spiritual application can be a tough one to figure out. If you can find a good guide, the song of songs is a great study.

[gasport]

Song of Songs has a cameo in this movie.

EGR plays a refined gentleman.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOQeqcPocsQ

[Mrs. Don-o]

That's interesting. I tend to go for the "Council of Jamnia" hypothesis, but many scholar now say that's pure speculation, since there's (they say) no documentary, archaeological or testimentary evidence as to when and where this council was, who and how many were there, what kind of jurisdiction it claimed, or even if it happened at all.

Could you give me a link or a source, that is, for evidence? This is not a"challenge" question: I'm sincerely loking for more info.

[Politicalkiddo]

Terms like “Rose of Sharon” are found in SOS and allude to Christ’s relationship with the church.

[SeekAndFind]

How about the term : “LILY OF THE VALLEY”?

[SeekAndFind]

RE: How did Song of Solomon make the cut, yet The Book of Enoch did not?

Here’s another interesting factoid — The Book of Esther DOES NOT mention the word “God” at all — either by name (Yahweh), title (Adonai), or being (El).

[Fido969]

St John of the Cross used it as the basis for his brilliant “Dark Night of the Soul”.

[Pollster1]

The Song celebrates marital monogamy and exclusivity, whereas King Solomon defied God and took 700 wives and 300 concubines (1 Kings 11:1-4).

I have trouble with this implication, although I'll admit the writing is ambiguous and does not directly state that polygamy was an offense against God. As the son not of David's first seven wives Michal, Ahinoam, Abigail, Maachah, Haggith, Abital, or Eglah, but of his eighth wife, Bathsheba, I have trouble seeing Solomon's multiple wives alone as defiance of God. Certainly his openness to other religious observances on his land was an offense against God, but polygamy alone was not at that time a clear offense.

[Biggirl]

It is in the Bible because it symbolizes the love of Christ for His Bride, the Church.

[BikerTrash]

The Book of Esther DOES NOT mention the word “God” at all — either by name (Yahweh), title (Adonai), or being (El).

FWIW, it does in acrostic form.

You probably already know this.

[hinckley buzzard]

The Song of Songs is the template for contemplative mystics. Read "The Flame of Love" and other poems by St John of the Cross, knowing he was a chaste ascetic monk.

[GreyFriar]

It is there so we can have whine, women, and song

[HarleyD]

The Song of Solomon gets a lot of ‘bad press.’ Are there spiritual lessons to be found in this book?

Next to Revelation, the Song of Solomon is a confusing book for me. There are indeed spiritual lessons in it:

Son 2:15 Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that spoil the vineyards, for our vineyards are in blossom."

but that doesn't make it less confusing.

Son 7:4 Your neck is like an ivory tower. Your eyes are pools in Heshbon, by the gate of Bath-rabbim. Your nose is like a tower of Lebanon, which looks toward Damascus.

[ricmc2175]

I have a number of my seminary texts which I would be happy to share. However, here is an online source: faculty.gordon.edu/.../text/articles/newman-canonjamnia-wtj.pdf. It is not surprising that there are few sources since the Council was after the Roman reconquest of Samaria and Judea and the Jews were being heavily persecuted for the uprising. That included the destruction of the most recent Temple.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Thanks very much for the link, I’ll check it out.