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Presentation
The editors
The Vatican Guidelines on Religious Relations with the Jews (Dec. 1974) state unequivocally that Christians... must strive to learn by what essential traits the Jews define themselves in the light of their owrr religious experience.
While it is undoubtedly true for Christians that the New Testament brings out the full meaning o f the Old, it is equally true that they must also appreciate how the live their Scriptures. It is in this spirit that we present In studying Jewish interpretations of the Song, what human and explicit as our authors will show, is at the what did God do in leading a motley group of slaves out but take them to himself as a bridegroom takes a bride, lyric is that its spiritual meaning is precisely its literal meaning, and that sexual love, the love of man and woman, is the image for the love which God bears his people. How moving it is to feel the love of God expressed in simple dialogue, in the language of everyday life in such a way that the sexual and the spiritual, human and divine lovc, are truly one. Jewish tradition sees it thus, and includes it among the sacred inspired texts of the Bible. Rabbi Akibah goes so far as to say that if all of the Writings (Wisdom literature, Psalms, etc.) are holy, Shir ha-Shirim is the Holy of Holies (Mishnah Yadaim III, 5).
It is very significant indeed that the megillah or scroll for the feast at the time of this feast, is precisely this Song of Solomon. Because of more even than a book of the Bible: It has been rightly called a book If this be so for Jews and Judaism, this fact has certainly comes the paschal theology, the paschal mystery of the New have of themselves as an Exodus people, a Passover people.
That this understanding of the Song was known to early Christians 3rd. cent.), took up its paschal theme for Christianity. This continued in medieval Abbots commenting on this canticle for their monks, as witness homilies. The Christian mystical tradition in its turn has drawn upon soul seen as the beloved. These mystics recognized in the poetic and dramatic movement of the soul loved by and in love with its Creator.
Let us resolve, then, to make good use of this most beautiful of Songs. Let us turn to Judaism and learn the secret of praying it as an expressive summary of the whole history of God's dealings with his people, of his hesed, his lovingkindness and his tender mercies which know no end, of his covenant love; in short, let us read it as o-t Bible within the Bible.
Jews, the authors and interpreters of the Hebrew Bible, this issue on the Song of Songs and its Interpretations.'
is most interesting is to see how this love poem, so intense]v same time read consistently in the light of Passover. Fo.of Egypt to weld them into a nation - his Chosen People - as a lover his beloved. What is so powerful in this love
of Pesach, the megillah read in the synagogu,: its paschal meaning, Shir ha-Shirim is much. which encapsulates the whole Biblical message. something to say to Christians and Christianity, for whenc:Testament if not straight from the understanding that Jew;
is evidenced by the fact that Origen (2nd.the monastic tradition as we see the Bernard of Clairvaux with his eighty-se
it, whether it be the Church or the individuai figurative language of the Song the whole
The Editors
' While most English-speaking readers will probably be familiar with the title of this book as the Song of Songs, being the literal translation of the Hebrew: Shir ha-Shirim (the most beautiful Song), we also make extensive use of the title: The Song of Solomon in this issue, following the RSV translation which we take as our standard text because of its ecumenical connotations and its ready availability.
