The Song of Songs and the Eros of God A Study in Biblical Intertextuality

includes index and biblioraphy

1. The title and the question of dating 6 2. Rabbi Akiva 8 3. The question of canonicity 12 4. Origen 5. The`Bride`and`Friend`distinction i 6. Bridal imagery in the ascendant 19 7. The rise of the `Friend` psychology 22 8. From Luther to Herder 9. From Herder to the present 26 10. The question of provenance 35 11. The author 39 12. Some clarifications 42 1. The Eros Strand in Wisdom 46 1. ... which belongs to Solomon 46 2. A wisdom book 47 3. Correspondences with the book of Ben Sira (i) 14: 20-7 49 4. Ben Sira (ii) 24: 13-21 50 5. Ben Sira (iii) 24:8-12 : 52 6. Correspondences with the book of Proverbs (i) 5: 18-19 54 7. Proverbs (ii) 7: 12-18 57 8. The question of wisdom vocabulary 59 9. Wine, milk, honey, lips, and tongue 10. Palate/taste; uprightness/smoothly 64 11. Gold 65 12. Pleasant/delightful; pleasant/sweet 67 13. `Bless`and`praise` 68 14. Master workman 70 15. Despise/contempt; wealth 71 2. Breast Imagery 1. In the Bible 2. In Ezekiel v 3. In the Song ` ` 4. The pre-Masoretic evidence for `breasts` at Song 1: 2 and 4 5. Links with Egyptian liturgy and poetry 6. The Odes of Solomon 3. Symbols of Israel ` 1. Hosea 14: 6-9 (ET 5-8) 2. Dew 3. Lily 4. Lebanon 5. Fragrance 6. Shadow 7. Vine 8. Wine 9. A luxuriant fir tree 10. Fruit 11. 4 Ezra 5: 23-8 12. Vine and vineyard 13. Planting-place 14. The lily 15. The river 16. Zion 17. The dove 18. Sheep 19. One people, one root, one perfect one 4. Mythical Elements 1. Jerusalem—the omphalos of the world 2. The body as myth and as metaphor 3. Visionary seeing, and the `two camps` 4. `The chariots of my willing people` 5. `The curved lines of your thighs` 6. The round bowl 7. A heap of wheat 8. A tower of ivory; Heshbon; and a tower of Lebanon 9. Weaving in scarlet and purple 10. `Mountains of cutting` 11. `Come from Lebanon` 12. `Love is strong as death` 5. The Garden Temple 155 1. The garden of Eden and sanctuary symbolism 155 2. `A garden barred` 158 3. `A paradise of pomegranates` 159 4. `All the chief spices` 161 5. `Flowing streams from Lebanon` 162 6. `Awake north wind, and come O south!` 164 7. `My beloved has gone down to his garden` 165 8. `The Four Who Entered Pardes 169 6. The Beloved 179 1. `This is my beloved, and this is my friend` 179 2. Links with Daniel 182 3. The Shiur Koma 185 4. `The Body of the Glory` 189 5. Akiva again 192 6. A fragment from the Chaldean Oracles 193 7. The Eros of God 197 1. The imagery of marriage and death 197 2. Three witnesses to the cros of God 199 3. The necessary equipment 202 4. `Turn your eyes from me` 204 5. `I am faint from love` 205 6. `I sleep, but my heart is awake` 207 7. `My beloved is mine and I am his` 209 8. The seeking/calling motif 211 9. `I have put off my tunic` 215 10. The Qumran Psalm scroll of Sirach 51 217 11. The wound of love 219 Commentary: Looking at the Whole 223