The Song of Songs: Exploring the Divine Romance

by Charlie Cleverly

The Song of Songs is redolent with poetic imagery, featuring as it does the love songs of a man and a woman as they explore their relationship. Down the centuries it has often been interpreted either as a sexually-charged love story or an entirely metaphorical imagining of the relationship between God and his people. In this deeply-felt book Charlie Cleverly argues that both interpretations are critical to a true understanding of this book that lies right at the heart of the Bible. If our relationships with one another and with God are not both fully in tune with our humanity, in all its richness, and with our spirituality in its highest form, then we will fall short of all we can be in our lives.
Drawing on a wide range of sources, literary and theological and across the ages, Charlie Cleverly makes the case for a new, rounded understanding of this important book.

336 pages, Paperback

Published September 13, 2016

Reviews

[Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a hard slog. Often repetitive, often a thicket of quotes, this has its moments of interest and as a resource for various things to do with the Song it’s unparalleled.
But as an inspirational book, one to encourage and move, it fails. It overspiritualises passages and sometimes begs the question in interpretation; I was often struck by thinking “how on earth did you get this from that?” Equally it might be my theological naivety; but if it is then this form of theology is simple passage linking and textual acrobatics.