Canticum Canticorum

At least three of the greatest of Christian mystics have left us commentary on that most sensuous book of the Hebrew Scriptures, the Song of Songs. Indeed, Origen and Bernard of Clairvaux are credited (or accused, depending on your point of view) for creating much of the metaphorical eroticism of the Christian mystical tradition through their spiritualized exegesis of this most decidedly earthy book.

It has occurred to me that if I am as serious about studying the western mystics as I say I am, it will probably be important for me, sooner or later, to delve deeply into the mysteries of this ancient love poem. Not only do I need to be reading Origen’s and Bernard’s sermons on the Song of Songs, but also Teresa of Avila’s meditations on the same. And of course, there is a plethora of modern and postmodern explorations of the subject, from the conservative/evangelical (Watchman Nee) to the liberal/feminist (Brenner & Fontaine). And while the 20th-century exegetes of the Song of Songs may not deserve to be called “mystical,” certainly their contemporary unpacking of the text will shed light on how the mystics of old can (or cannot?) speak to us today.

So… in my copious free time (!), I hope to some day dip into the following books, as an initial exploration of the erotic mysteries that may very well prove to be the skeleton key that unlocks the mystical tradition. For those of you who share my passion for this passionate text and its varied interpretations over the ages, here’s a booklist for you to explore.

• Ariel Bloch and Chana Bloch, The Song of Songs: A New Translation With an Introduction and Commentary
• Marvin H. Pope, Song of Songs (Anchor Bible)
• Origen, The Song of Songs, Commentary and Homilies
• Gregory of Nyssa, Commentary on the Song of Songs
• Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermons on the Song of Songs, Volume 1, Volume 2, Volume 3 and Volume 4
• William of St. Thierry, Exposition of the Song of Songs
• Teresa of Avila, Collected Works, Volume Two (includes “Meditations on the Song of Songs”)
• Denys Turner, Eros and Allegory: Medieval Exegesis of the Song of Songs
• Michael Casey, Athirst for God: Spiritual Desire in Bernard of Clairvaux’s Sermons on the Song of Songs
• Richard A Norris, Jr., The Song of Songs: Interpreted by Early Christian and Medieval Commentators
• Athalya Brenner and Carole R. Fontaine, editors, The Song of Songs (A Feminist Companion to the Bible)
• Marcia Falk, Love Lyrics from the Bible: The Song of Songs
• Watchman Nee, The Song of Songs
• Carey Ellen Walsh, Exquisite Desire: Religion, the Erotic, and the Song of Songs
• Renita J. Weems, What Matters Most : Ten Lessons in Living Passionately from the Song of Solomon
• Blaise Arminjon, S.J., The Cantata of Love: A Verse by Verse Reading of the Song of Songs