The Song of Songs is a fascinating text. Read as an allegory of Gods love for Israel, the Church, or individual believers, it became one of the most influential texts from the Bible. This volume includes twenty-three essays that cover the Songs reception history from antiquity to the present. They illuminate the richness of this reception history, paying attention to diverse interpretations in commentaries, sermons, and other literature, as well as the Songs impact on spirituality, theological and intellectual debates, and the arts.

Annette Schellenberg, Vienna University, Austria.