Description
Book SynopsisAs one of the most frequently commentated on biblical books during antiquity and the middle ages, the Song of Songs has played a central role in the history of Christian spirituality. At a time of heightened interest in the Song of Songs among biblical scholars, historians, and students of spirituality, this Companion to the Song of Songs in the History of Spirituality provides a state-of-the art overview of its history, challenges some conventional wisdom, and presents innovative studies of some lesser-known aspects of the Song’s reception. The essays in this volume—including a chapter on Jewish interpretation—present the diverse forms of spirituality inspired by the Song since the beginning of the Christian era. Contributors: Ann W. Astell, Mark S. Burrows, Emily Cain, Catherine Cavadini, Rabia Gregory, Arthur Holder, Jason Kalman, Suzanne LaVere, Hannah Matis, Bernard McGinn, Timothy H. Robinson, and Karl Shuve.
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Abbreviations List of Figures Notes on Contributors Introduction Timothy H. Robinson 1 Mystical Wounds Eastern Patristic Authors on the Song of Songs Emily R. Cain 2 “A Garden Enclosed, a Fountain Sealed” The Song of Songs and Ritual Purity in Early Latin Christianity Karl Shuve 3 The Song of Songs in the Early Middle Ages From Gregory the Great to the Gregorian Reform Hannah W. Matis 4 The Cistercian Song Reception of Bernard of Clairvaux’s Exegesis in Later Cistercian Interpretations of the Song of Songs Catherine Rose Cavadini 5 The Song of Songs as a Call to Action Scholastic Interpretation in the High Middle Ages Suzanne LaVere 6 The Song of Songs in Aelred of Rievaulx’s Liturgical Preaching Ann W. Astell 7 The Beautiful Men of the Song of Songs? Replacing and Erasing the Female Beloved in Ancient and Medieval Jewish Interpretation Jason Kalman 8 Women Interpreting the Song of Songs: 1150–1700 Bernard McGinn 9 Abandonment and Abundance in John of the Cross’s Spiritual Canticle The Poet as the Writer of New Scripture Mark S. Burrows 10 Visual Exegesis of the Song of Songs in European Art Rabia Gregory 11 The Banquet of Love The Song of Songs in Reformed Sacramental Piety: 1586–1729 Timothy H. Robinson Epilogue Christian Reception of the Song of Songs since 1800 Arthur Holder Bibliography Index
