WISDOM OF LOVE IN THE SONG OF SONGS

The Song of Solomon from the Bible is a poem that has exercised great minds for centuries. Dr Gillow Reynolds explores a difficult and controversial subject bringing his vast knowledge of art, literature, medieval mystics, psychology, the classics and not least the Bible to analyse the poem and his unique approach is refreshing, accessible and often humorous. Long considered the most important book of the Hebrew Scriptures, the Song of Solomon is nowadays relatively unknown yet it remains one of the greatest love poems of all time and this superb book brings context to the disparate mystical, academic and secular interpretations of the Song bringing us new light and insight. The book includes a complete reproduction of the verses from The Song of Songs. It is a story of human love imbued with divine poetry which until the 18th century was presumed that the Eros, the erotic relations portrayed in the Song, were really and only about the longing for God and a guide to the mystical and experiential relationship to God. Today despite parts being read at marriages, this beautiful text as a whole languishes, largely unread and only seen in disconnected fragments. The aim of the book is to join the dots to tell the real story and significance over the course of ecclesiastical history. The Song points to a garden of paradise where human and divine love is one and the same, and where man and woman are in harmony and where power is wisdom. 355 glamorous pages in clothbound hardback with useful Glossary, 13 colour plates and black and white illustrations including Simon Reynolds' from 1984 where each picture depicts three figures - the maiden, the king and a winged and haloed figure representing wisdom and love and containing a leading quote from the Song.