Altogether Lovely: A Thematic and Intertextual Reading of the Song of Songs

The frank eroticism of the Song of Songs has long seemed out of place in the Hebrew Bible. As a result, both Jewish and Christian interpreters have struggled to read it as an allegory of the relationship between God (as husband) and Israel or the church (as bride). Havilah Dharamraj approaches the Song with a clear vision of the gendering of power relationships in the ancient Near East and through an intertextual method centered not on production but on the reception of texts. She sets the Song's lyrical portrayal of passion and intimacy alongside other canonical portrayals of love spurned, lust, rejection, and sexual violence from Hosea, Ezekiel, and Isaiah. The result is a richly nuanced exposition of the possibilities of intimacy and remorse in interhuman and divine-human relationship. The intertextual juxtaposition of contrasting texts produces a third text, an intracanonical conversation in which patriarchal control and violence are answered in a tender and generous mutuality.

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Altogether Lovely: A Thematic and Intertextual Reading of the Song of Songs

The frank eroticism of the Song of Songs has long seemed out of place in the Hebrew Bible. As a result, both Jewish and Christian interpreters have struggled to read it as an allegory of the relationship between God (as husband) and Israel or the church (as bride). Havilah Dharamraj approaches the Song with a clear vision of the gendering of power relationships in the ancient Near East and through an intertextual method centered not on production but on the reception of texts. She sets the Song's lyrical portrayal of passion and intimacy alongside other canonical portrayals of love spurned, lust, rejection, and sexual violence from Hosea, Ezekiel, and Isaiah. The result is a richly nuanced exposition of the possibilities of intimacy and remorse in interhuman and divine-human relationship. The intertextual juxtaposition of contrasting texts produces a third text, an intracanonical conversation in which patriarchal control and violence are answered in a tender and generous mutuality.

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Altogether Lovely: A Thematic and Intertextual Reading of the Song of Songs

Altogether Lovely: A Thematic and Intertextual Reading of the Song of Songs

Altogether Lovely: A Thematic and Intertextual Reading of the Song of Songs

Altogether Lovely: A Thematic and Intertextual Reading of the Song of Songs

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Overview

The frank eroticism of the Song of Songs has long seemed out of place in the Hebrew Bible. As a result, both Jewish and Christian interpreters have struggled to read it as an allegory of the relationship between God (as husband) and Israel or the church (as bride). Havilah Dharamraj approaches the Song with a clear vision of the gendering of power relationships in the ancient Near East and through an intertextual method centered not on production but on the reception of texts. She sets the Song's lyrical portrayal of passion and intimacy alongside other canonical portrayals of love spurned, lust, rejection, and sexual violence from Hosea, Ezekiel, and Isaiah. The result is a richly nuanced exposition of the possibilities of intimacy and remorse in interhuman and divine-human relationship. The intertextual juxtaposition of contrasting texts produces a third text, an intracanonical conversation in which patriarchal control and violence are answered in a tender and generous mutuality.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781506421728
Publisher: Augsburg Fortress, Publishers
Publication date: 06/01/2018
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 272
File size: 2 MB

About the Author

Havilah Dharamraj is a Langham scholar, and serves as academic dean and head of the department of Old Testament at the South Asia Institute of Advanced Christian Studies (SAIACS) in Bangalore.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments xi

1 Introduction 1

History of Reception 2

Genderization of Power 5

Intertextuality 12

Conclusion 16

Part I Love in Separation

2 The Streets and Squares 19

Separation and Seeking in Song 2:8-3:5 19

Comparing the Seeking Poems 40

The Man Seeks: 5:2-4 45

The Woman Seeks: 5:5-6:3 48

Comparing the Two Seeking Poems 54

3 The Wilderness 57

Estrangement: Hosea 2:2-5 58

The First "Therefore": Hosea 2:6-8 63

The Second "Therefore": Hosea 2:9-13 65

The Third "Therefore": Hosea 2:14-23 70

Conclusion to Hosea 2 75

Love-in-Separation: Man and Woman 76

Love-in-Separation: Deity and Devotee 77

Conclusion 81

Part II In Praise of the Beloved

4 The Golden One 85

The Context of the Praise Poem 86

The Praise Poem 88

The Effect of the Praise Poem 102

The Function of the Praise Poem 105

Conclusion 107

5 The Foundling 109

Birth: Ezekiel 16:3-5 109

Finding: Ezekiel 16:6-8 111

The Rise: Ezekiel 16:9-14 114

The Fall: Ezekiel 16:15-19 119

The Cycle Completed: Ezekiel 16:20-22 123

Beauty: Man and Woman 126

Beauty: Deity and Devotee 132

Conclusion 140

Part III Gardens

6 The Orchard of Pomegranates 145

The First Song of Lebanon: Song 4:8 147

The Second Song of Lebanon: Song 4:9-11 151

The Third Song of Lebanon: Song 4:12-5:1 155

The Woman's Response: Song 4:16 161

The Man Concludes: Song 5:1 163

The Pomegranates of "Paradise" 165

Conclusion 168

7 The Vineyard 171

Reading Isaiah 5 173

The Song of the Vineyard 176

Gardens: Man and Woman 188

Gardens: Deity and Devotee 190

Conclusion 194

Part IV Love-and-Its-Jealousy

8 The Unquenchable Love 199

Introduction: Song 8:5 200

The Seal: Song 8:6a 203

Love and Its Jealousy: Song 8:6a-7 205

The Wall: Song 8:8-10 212

The Vineyard: Song 8:11-12 216

Last Words: Song 8:13-14 219

The Idea of Exclusive Love 219

Conclusion 223

9 The Insatiable Lust 225

The Sisters in Egypt: Ezekiel 23:1-4 225

Oholah: Ezekiel 23:5-8 228

Oholibah: Ezekiel 23:11-21 230

The Sisters Together: Ezekiel 23:40-44 235

Comparing Song 8 and Ezekiel 23 239

Love and Its Jealousy: The Husband in Ezekiel 23 242

Love and Its Jealousy: Deity and Devotee 245

Conclusion 250

10 Conclusion 253

Bibliography 259

Author Index 279

Scripture Index 287

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