The Song of Songs: Riddle of Riddles (The Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies) - Softcover

Zakovitch, Yair

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0567693961 ISBN 13: 9780567693969

Publisher: T&T Clark, 2020

Synopsis

The Hebrew Bible is religious literature, the fundamental interest of which lies in the relations between humankind, especially the people of Israel, and God. The Song of Songs, on the other hand, is interested in the relations between men and women. In this volume Yair Zakovitch examines the presence of the Song of Songs in the Hebrew Bible, and questions how this enigmatic collection of poetic writings came to be within the Bible.

Zakovitch poses and addresses a range of enticing questions in the eight chapters of this volume, including: what does this erotic poetry have to do with Israel's formative texts? What do the poems tell us about gender relations in those years, and about early Israel's attitudes towards beauty, love, women, and sex? Do we finally get to hear women's voices in the Song, where the rest of the Bible gives a male perspective? How, despite our astonishment, is the Song of Songs nonetheless intrinsically biblical? What does it have in common with the Bible's other books? Was the allegorical interpretation of the Song just an excuse in order to include the book in Scripture?

About this title

About the Authors

Yair Zakovitch is the Emeritus Father Takeji Otsuki Professor of Bible at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel.

Laura Quick is Assistant Professor of Religion and Judaic Studies at Princeton University, USA.

Jacqueline Vayntrub is Assistant Professor of Hebrew Bible at Yale University, USA

Edition details

• Publisher: T&T Clark
• Publication date: 2020
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0567693961
• ISBN 13: 9780567693969
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 136