Song of Solomon: Love Poetry of the Spirit

by Lawrence Boadt (Editor), John Updike (Foreword by)

The Song of Solomon is unique among the books of the Bible in that its central theme is the celebration of erotic love. In this book, Biblical scholars look at the bride who declares her desire and admiration for her lover while the bridegroom expresses his delight in the supreme physical beauty of his bride as the Daughters of Jerusalem watch. The complete text of the Song of Solomon is reproduced here from the classic King James Version of 1611.

64 pages, Paperback

First published June 16, 1999

About the author

Lawrence Edward Boadt, C.S.P. (October 26, 1942 – July 24, 2010), was an American Paulist priest and Biblical scholar, who advocated on behalf of improved communication and understanding between Christians and Jews.

Reviews

[Kara Demetropoulos · Rating 4 out of 5]

A scholarly look at the Song of Solomon, this book provided a nice contextual preamble to the classic Biblical text. It traces the main symbolic elements in the text as they have been applied throughout literature from the BC era to the 1900's. Very interesting.

[ava · Rating 5 out of 5]

“My beloved is mine, and I am his:
he feedeth among the lilies.”

“Thy navel is like a round goblet,
which wanteth not liquor.”

“for love is strong as death;
jealousy is cruel as the grave.”

[Andrew Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great introduction, great format.

It's a beautiful poem, and this edition makes it much more approachable than picking up your family bible and trying to make sense of the text without the additional formatting included here.

Truly a work of art. Only wish it were a hardcover pocket edition!