The Wisdom of Love in the Song of Songs

Dr Gillow Reynolds argues for a unique interpretation of this sensual and mysterious poem, long considered the most important book of the Hebrew Scriptures but nowadays relatively unknown. The Wisdom of Love in the Song of Songs brings cohesion and context to the disparate mystical, academic and secular interpretations of the Song, shedding new light on, and insight into, one of the greatest love poems of all time. The book includes a complete reproduction of the verses from The Song of Songs.

'... A tour de force, The Wisdom of Love in the Song of Songs deserves to be read by all who are willing to have their hearts and minds stretched and enlarged . . . A book for scholars and for a more general readership, it will be a great help in bringing the Song back to life today . . . written with passion - heart and soul - like the Song itself.' Graeme Watson, author of The Song of Songs: A Contemplative Guide

'The Wisdom of Love in the Song of Songs is a beautifully enigmatic biblical text - St Augustine called it 'a puzzle' - that jumps alive in Stefan Gillow Reynolds' close reading. A text usually met in fragments at weddings is presented here as a new whole in a fresh commentary with theological and psychological insight. Dream, erotic story or mystical revelation, or all three? The merging of the different forms of love yields new insight into the divine and human affair.' Laurence Freeman, The Tablet, Books of the Year

'This biblical book, currently neglected, save for an occasional reading at weddings, deserves more attention. Beautifully produced and enhanced by its illustrations, Gillow Reynolds's distinctive interpretation, drawing on his wide general learning, including psychology, the church Fathers, and literature, would be a good place to start.' Canon Anthony Phillips, The Church Times

In the beautifully illustrated The Wisdom of Love in the Song of Songs Stefan Gillow Reynolds reads this literally central book of the Bible as a narrative of King Solomon's love for a woman in his harem who wants a personal relationship that transcends convention. Bringing fine scholarship to the detail of the Song, and the mystical interpretation of many traditions and (superlatively) a Bible-wide context to its meaning, he argues that 'only human love can speak of divine love.' Luke Bell, The Tablet