THE BOOK OF THE SONG
OF SOLOMON
A. B. Fay, DSD
Divine
Science Bible Textbook
Colorado College of Divine Science
Denver, 1920.
This textbook was intended by
the author to be used in conjunction with
the Bible. Original page numbers and
margin references are shown in brackets [
].
[233]
An allegory relating to the Bride and
Bridegroom of the Spirit.
“No one in Israel has ever
doubted that the Song of Songs is a holy
canonical book,” says a devout Jew,
about the end of the first century A.D.,
“for the whole world is not worth
the day on which the Song was given to
Israel. For all the writings are holy,
but the Song of Songs is a holy of
holies.”
Henceforth this idea of the
incomparable value of the book continued
to be the only prevailing one amongst the
Jews, and thus it passed over also into
the Christian Church.
One result of the allegorical
interpretation was the introduction of
the liturgical use of the Song into the
Jewish church.
The Song of Songs--Canticles, along
with Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes,
and Esther, made up the five
“rolls” which were read to
the congregation in the earliest
times.
There was a Jewish regulation that no
one [234] was to read the book till he
was thirty years of age, the age,
according to Num.4:3, at which the Levite
is ready to enter upon his sacred
duties.
The Song of Songs, which is
Solomon’s:
Chapter 1. The Bride speaks with the
daughters of Jerusalem.
Chapter 2. Loving converse between
the Bride and Bridegroom.
Chapter 3. The Bride of the Spirit
searches for its own expression.
Chapter 4. Dialogue in Oriental
language of a lover speaking to his
beloved.
Chapter 5. Bride of the Spirit
speaking to the daughters of Jerusalem
in the same language. Praise of the
Bride and her response at the marriage
feast. The Bridegroom’s
response.
Chapter 6. Temporary separation.
Chapter 7. Mutual praise of
Bridegroom and Bride. Their union in
the consciousness that God is Spirit,
and that that which is born of Spirit
is Spirit; their eternal state of
unity.
[Sol. 8:6,7,12,13.]
Chapter 8. “Set me as a seal
upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine
arm” (strength), says the Spirit,
for Love is as strong as death. Many
waters cannot quench love, neither can
the floods drown it. My vineyard, which
is mine, is before me. Thou, O Solomon,
shalt have the thousand; [235] thou
that dwellest in the gardens (in the
consciousness of Spirit), the
companions hearken to thy voice; cause
me to hear it.”
[Sol. 8:14.]
Make haste, my Beloved!
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