Join celebrated Great Books professor Fr. Nicholas Ayo in exploring one of the Bible’s most unusual books.
At once sensual (even erotic) and sacred, The Song of Songs, sometimes known as the “Canticle of Canticles” or “The Song of Solomon,” contains some of the world’s most beautiful love poetry. Now, discover how these unique and astonishing poems found their way into the Bible.
The mutuality and equality of man and woman in courtship are rarely encountered in the Bible and antiquity. Nowhere else in the Bible is human love so suffused with such descriptive beauty. You will examine these poems line by line, looking at their implications for human love, which is affirmed and uplifted. Our contemporary culture seems at some times to be too puritan, and at other times, too lascivious. Discover how these timeless biblical poems find a medium, honoring both soul and body in human love.
With Fr. Ayo as your guide, you will gain clarity about the overall scheme of the poetry, examining its language and historical backgrou
Join celebrated Great Books professor Fr. Nicholas Ayo in exploring one of the Bible’s most unusual books.
At once sensual (even erotic) and sacred, The Song of Songs, sometimes known as the “Canticle of Canticles” or “The Song of Solomon,” contains some of the world’s most beautiful love poetry. Now, discover how these unique and astonishing poems found their way into the Bible.
The mutuality and equality of man and woman in courtship are rarely encountered in the Bible and antiquity. Nowhere else in the Bible is human love so suffused with such descriptive beauty. You will examine these poems line by line, looking at their implications for human love, which is affirmed and uplifted. Our contemporary culture seems at some times to be too puritan, and at other times, too lascivious. Discover how these timeless biblical poems find a medium, honoring both soul and body in human love.
With Fr. Ayo as your guide, you will gain clarity about the overall scheme of the poetry, examining its language and historical background. You will discover how the Song of Songs spoke to the ancient listener and how it continues to speak to our contemporary world. You will gain invaluable insight into the beauty and wisdom in the Song of Songs.
Explore the timeless power of Song of Songs today.
This course is part of the Learn25 collection and includes a free PDF study guide.
This course was previously published as Song of Songs
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Fr. Nicholas Ayo, C.S.C., is Professor Emeritus of Liberal Studies at Notre Dame University. A priest in the Congregation of Holy Cross, he received the S.T.L. degree from the Gregorian University in Rome and the Ph.D. in literature from Duke University. He was the Director of Novices for the Congregation of Holy Cross in North America for six years and taught in the Great Books Program at the University of Notre Dame until 2004. He is the award-winning author of fourteen books, including The Creed as Symbol, The Lord’s Prayer, Gloria Patri: The History and Theology of the Lesser Doxology, and The Hail Mary: A Verbal Icon, which won the 1994 Cardinal John J. Wright Mariological Book Award.
Photo by Matt Cashore.
Preliminary Matters and How the Song of Songs is Composed
How the Song of Songs Has Been Read and How it Should Be Read
The Song of Songs is the Woman's Song
Poem One: Let the Courtship Begin
Poem Two: Love's Banter and Delight
Poem Three: An Invitation to Run Away and Poem Four: A Dark Night
Poem Five: The King of Hearts Cometh and Poem Six: His Litany of Her Charms
Poem Seven: Her Nighttime Visitation, Desperation, and Delight
Poem Eight: Overwhelming is Her Beauty and Poem Nine: She Dances and He Delights Of Litanies and Nouns and Gardens
Poem Ten: Strong as Death is Love
Conclusions and Final Reflections
1 review for Song of Songs 101: Understanding the Bible’s Most Unusual Book
Rated 5 out of 5
Andre –
This scripture opened up to me.
The richness of the material about the Song of Songs was remarakable from scriptural, historical, and social perspectives. I learned about words, art, history, and the society as this scripture opened up to me.
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Andre –
This scripture opened up to me.
The richness of the material about the Song of Songs was remarakable from scriptural, historical, and social perspectives. I learned about words, art, history, and the society as this scripture opened up to me.