Reading Ahead.....
Reading ahead to Song of Solomon, I have to say that this (very brief) book confirms to me that the Bible is indeed a very diverse piece of literature to say the least. I wouldn't say the book stands at odds with the values expressed in the remainder of the Old Testament or the New Testament, especially the Old Testament, because there are hundreds of instances in the Old Testament where sex itself is mentioned, and usually without any negative connotation. The interesting part about Song of Solomon is that it is one of the only holy books that I can think of that is dedicated not to God, but to the romantic love between a man and a woman. Growing up in a pretty devotedly Christian household, I had read the Bible often and as kids, when we got bored during Sunday school, my friends and I would read funny verses to each other under our breath - like the verse from our Harper Collins translation (7/8)"You are stately as a palm tree and your breasts are like its clusters. I say I will climb the palm tree and lay hold of its branches" - which sounded funnier in our NIV version: "Your stature is like that of a palm, and your breasts are like clusters of fruit. I said I will climb the palm tree and take hold of its fruit." That was about all I remember about Song of Solomon or Song of Songs.
Now reading back through the book I am struck as to the nature of the lovers' statements, who are presumably characters created by the author. The female, for instance, mentions yearning for her lover (3/1), "Upon my bed at night I sought him whom my soul loves." And no, she isn't talking about seeking God in prayer. Also she seems to want her partner to make love to her, which sounds more erotic in the NIV translation (7/11) - "Come, my lover, let us go to the countryside, let us spend the night in the villages. Let us go early to the vineyards to see if the vines have budded, if their blossoms have opened, and if the pomegranates are in bloom- there I will give you my love." This verse becomes more suggestive when you take into context the fact that throughout the book the male (lover) and the female (beloved) characters have been comparing one another to fruit, so when the beloved speaks of vines budding and blossoms opening, one naturally looks to the symbolism of the flowering and budding of the body, and one can not help but think of sexual connotations.
I was always taught that the Bible taught that to really lust after anything that wasn't the knowledge of God was a sin. See Matthew 6/31:" But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." I was taught that to dwell all day on something other than God was a sin in the eyes of Scripture, i.e. don't go thinking about some girl all day, which is something the male character does in this text, and that the beloved admits to doing: "I will seek him whom my soul loves." Taking into account the fact that Christ stayed chaste throughout his life, and that he said, "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery'. But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart" it would seem that he might not approve of what the male is doing in the text either, though it could be argued that, in effect, what Christ was really getting at was that you shouldn't go around fantasizing about other mens' wives, hence the reason that he says to lust after a woman is adultery, which means the breaking of the martial code, and not simply a sin, which would imply that perhaps it is perfectly healthy to lust after your own wife (a concept which I don't think any Christian would deny.) Paul later writes in the NIV 1 Corinthians (7/1) : It is good for a man not to marry or in the Harper Collins: It is well for a man not to touch a woman". He goes on to say that marriage and marital sex are, in effect, a concession to the weak, because of sexual immorality, and writes: "To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is well for them to remain unmarried as I am. But if they are not practicing self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to be aflame with passion." He says it outright: to flame with passion is an evil thing.
And yet, throughout the whole book of Song of Solomon, the verses are filled with passion, with desire, with yearning for a lover's touch. I would pick specific verses of the text, but nearly every single verse (except when the "friends" of the couple remind us not to awaken love before it is ready) is an example of poetic sexual love. The whole book is a celebration of the love which Paul calls a neccessary evil. One of the things that has troubled me about all of organized religion is that those who are the chief teachers of its principles seem to want to take the joy and passion out of love and sex. I think that if we are to take a look at the entire Bible, then to harrumph at the idea that passionate romantic love is a Biblical concept would be incorrect, because the entire text of the book is a celebration of the human-physical-earthly-erotic concept of desire, one presumably breathed into the soul of every human, if indeed God created man, breathing life into his body.
Reading ahead to Song of Solomon, I have to say that this (very brief) book confirms to me that the Bible is indeed a very diverse piece of literature to say the least. I wouldn't say the book stands at odds with the values expressed in the remainder of the Old Testament or the New Testament, especially the Old Testament, because there are hundreds of instances in the Old Testament where sex itself is mentioned, and usually without any negative connotation. The interesting part about Song of Solomon is that it is one of the only holy books that I can think of that is dedicated not to God, but to the romantic love between a man and a woman. Growing up in a pretty devotedly Christian household, I had read the Bible often and as kids, when we got bored during Sunday school, my friends and I would read funny verses to each other under our breath - like the verse from our Harper Collins translation (7/8)"You are stately as a palm tree and your breasts are like its clusters. I say I will climb the palm tree and lay hold of its branches" - which sounded funnier in our NIV version: "Your stature is like that of a palm, and your breasts are like clusters of fruit. I said I will climb the palm tree and take hold of its fruit." That was about all I remember about Song of Solomon or Song of Songs.
Now reading back through the book I am struck as to the nature of the lovers' statements, who are presumably characters created by the author. The female, for instance, mentions yearning for her lover (3/1), "Upon my bed at night I sought him whom my soul loves." And no, she isn't talking about seeking God in prayer. Also she seems to want her partner to make love to her, which sounds more erotic in the NIV translation (7/11) - "Come, my lover, let us go to the countryside, let us spend the night in the villages. Let us go early to the vineyards to see if the vines have budded, if their blossoms have opened, and if the pomegranates are in bloom- there I will give you my love." This verse becomes more suggestive when you take into context the fact that throughout the book the male (lover) and the female (beloved) characters have been comparing one another to fruit, so when the beloved speaks of vines budding and blossoms opening, one naturally looks to the symbolism of the flowering and budding of the body, and one can not help but think of sexual connotations.
I was always taught that the Bible taught that to really lust after anything that wasn't the knowledge of God was a sin. See Matthew 6/31:" But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." I was taught that to dwell all day on something other than God was a sin in the eyes of Scripture, i.e. don't go thinking about some girl all day, which is something the male character does in this text, and that the beloved admits to doing: "I will seek him whom my soul loves." Taking into account the fact that Christ stayed chaste throughout his life, and that he said, "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery'. But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart" it would seem that he might not approve of what the male is doing in the text either, though it could be argued that, in effect, what Christ was really getting at was that you shouldn't go around fantasizing about other mens' wives, hence the reason that he says to lust after a woman is adultery, which means the breaking of the martial code, and not simply a sin, which would imply that perhaps it is perfectly healthy to lust after your own wife (a concept which I don't think any Christian would deny.) Paul later writes in the NIV 1 Corinthians (7/1) : It is good for a man not to marry or in the Harper Collins: It is well for a man not to touch a woman". He goes on to say that marriage and marital sex are, in effect, a concession to the weak, because of sexual immorality, and writes: "To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is well for them to remain unmarried as I am. But if they are not practicing self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to be aflame with passion." He says it outright: to flame with passion is an evil thing.
And yet, throughout the whole book of Song of Solomon, the verses are filled with passion, with desire, with yearning for a lover's touch. I would pick specific verses of the text, but nearly every single verse (except when the "friends" of the couple remind us not to awaken love before it is ready) is an example of poetic sexual love. The whole book is a celebration of the love which Paul calls a neccessary evil. One of the things that has troubled me about all of organized religion is that those who are the chief teachers of its principles seem to want to take the joy and passion out of love and sex. I think that if we are to take a look at the entire Bible, then to harrumph at the idea that passionate romantic love is a Biblical concept would be incorrect, because the entire text of the book is a celebration of the human-physical-earthly-erotic concept of desire, one presumably breathed into the soul of every human, if indeed God created man, breathing life into his body.
posted by Matt McLeod at 1:43 PM
1 Comments:
A little linguistic clarification: I think Christians would say all lust is wrong, but having erotic thoughts about your wife would not be lust.
F.Y.I.
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