The Song of Songs and the Fashioning of Identity in Early Latin Christianity (Oxford Early Christian Studies)

Synopsis

In This Work, Karl Shuve Provides A New Account Of How The Song Of Songs Became One Of The Most Popular Biblical Texts In Medieval Western Christianity, Through A Close And Detailed Study Of Its Interpretation By Late Antique Latin Theologians. It Has Often Been Presumed That Early Latin Writers Exercised Little Influence On The Medieval Interpretation Of The Poem, Since There Are So Few Extant Commentaries From The Period. But This Is To Overlook The Hundreds Of Citations Of And Allusions To The Song In The Writings Of Influential Figures Such As Cyprian, Ambrose, Jerome, And Augustine As Well As The Lesser-known Theologian Gregory Of Elvira. Through A Comprehensive Analysis Of These Citations And Allusions, Shuve Argues That Contrary To The Expectations Of Many Modern Scholars, The Song Of Songs Was Not A Problematic Text For Early Christian Theologians, But Was A Resource That They Mined As They Debated The Nature Of The Church And Of The Virtuous Life. The First Part Of The Volume Considers The Use Of The Song In The Churches Of Roman Africa And Spain, Where Bishops And Theologians Focused On Images Of Enclosure And Purity Invoked In The Poem. In The Second Part, The Focus Is Late Fourth-century Italy, Where A New Ascetic Interpretation, Concerned Particularly With Women's Piety, Began To Emerge. This Erotic Poem Gradually Became Embedded In The Discursive Traditions Of Latin Late Antiquity, Which Were Bequeathed To The Christian Communities Of Early Medieval Europe.-- Part I: The Song Of Songs In North Africa And Spain. A Garden Enclosed, A Fountain Sealed: The Church As Closed Community In Cyprian And The Donatists ; As A Lily Among The Thorns: The Church As Mixed Community In Pacian, Tyconius, And Augustine ; The Church Is The Flesh Of Christ: The Tractatus De Epithalamio Of Gregory Of Elvira -- Part Ii: The Song Of Songs In Italy. Like The Holy Church, Unsullied By Intercourse: Ambrose, Virgins, And The Song ; For Souls Know Not Covenants Of Wedlock: Ascetic Ideology And Mystical Theology In Ambrose's Later Works ; This Book Contains The Mysteries Of Virginity: Jerome And The Making Of Ascetic Community -- Epilogue: Towards Medieval Exegesis. Karl Shuve. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 221-230) And Indexes.