Jewish interpretations of the Song of Songs

The aim of this article on Jewish interpretation of the Canticle is to study an aspect of the Covenant theology known as the nuptial motif. Early Jewish understanding of the Canticle was literal and allegorical as the Tannaitic literature and the Targum have it. The nuptial motif present also in the New Testament and in the writings of the Church Fathers must be explained in the light of the early Jewish understanding of the marriage between God and Israel as portrayed in the Bible and in Jewish Literature. Many themes are linked to this subject such as the Garden of Eden, Mount Sinai and the Temple built on Mount Moriah. In later texts polemics between the Synagogue and the Church are responsible for different readings of the theme.