Heidegger's Bible Handbook: Song of Songs: Chapter Summary

The Inscription. Why is the book called, not שיר, the Song, but שיר השירים, the Song of Song? The conjectures of the Hebrews, Athanasius, and others, 1. Why is it said to be לִשְׁלֹמֹה, to Solomon? 2. The Church of Christ in this life is being prepared like a chaste virgin for Christ. Thence the argument of the Son is explained. It is an Epithalamium of the nuptials of Christ and the Church, 3. It is not treated according to the letter concerning the mutual love of Solomon and his Egyptian Bride. Psalm 45 is an Epitome of the Song, 4. The time when the Song was written by Solomon is searched out, 5. What sort of reader does the book require? Do the Hebrews rightly prohibit the young? 6. The most reliable key for understanding or explaining the Song, 7. The order of the book is difficult to explain. Yet some method is shown by Sanchez, Broughton, Lyra. There are two parts: I. The desire for the arrival of the Bridegroom (Song of Songs 1:1-4). II. Conversations between the Bridegroom and the Bride concerning their mutual love, grace and charms, and cases joyful and adverse, unto the time of the coming of the Bridegroom for marriage (Song of Songs 1:5-8:14). A Synoptic Table of the book, and its Interpreters, ancient, Reformed, Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Hebrew, 8.