A statue?
The Bride Searches for Her Beloved – Song of Songs 5:2-6:3
Saint Augustine of Hippo was a strange character. From the time he was 16 years old, St. Augustine led an immoral life. He had a child out of wedlock, embraced heretical teachings, and was even a thief. His reaction to God during this time was, “Lord, give me chastity, but not yet.” Then he was converted to Christianity, and his opinion changed.
She
2 I slept, but my heart was awake.
A sound! My beloved is knocking.
“Open to me, my sister, my love,
my dove, my perfect one,
for my head is wet with dew,
my locks with the drops of the night.”
3 I had put off my garment;
how could I put it on?
I had bathed my feet;
how could I soil them?
4 My beloved put his hand to the latch,
and my heart was thrilled within me.
5 I arose to open to my beloved,
and my hands dripped with myrrh,
my fingers with liquid myrrh,
on the handles of the bolt.
6 I opened to my beloved,
but my beloved had turned and gone.
My soul failed me when he spoke.
I sought him, but found him not;
I called him, but he gave no answer.
7 The watchmen found me
as they went about in the city;
they beat me, they bruised me,
they took away my veil,
those watchmen of the walls.
8 I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
if you find my beloved,
that you tell him
I am sick with love.Others
9 What is your beloved more than another beloved,
O most beautiful among women?
What is your beloved more than another beloved,
that you thus adjure us?She
10 My beloved is radiant and ruddy,
distinguished among ten thousand.
11 His head is the finest gold;
his locks are wavy,
black as a raven.
12 His eyes are like doves
beside streams of water,
bathed in milk,
sitting beside a full pool.
13 His cheeks are like beds of spices,
mounds of sweet-smelling herbs.
His lips are lilies,
dripping liquid myrrh.
14 His arms are rods of gold,
set with jewels.
His body is polished ivory,
bedecked with sapphires.
15 His legs are alabaster columns,
set on bases of gold.
His appearance is like Lebanon,
choice as the cedars.
16 His mouth is most sweet,
and he is altogether desirable.
This is my beloved and this is my friend,
O daughters of Jerusalem.Others
6 Where has your beloved gone,
O most beautiful among women?
Where has your beloved turned,
that we may seek him with you?She
2 My beloved has gone down to his garden
to the beds of spices,
to graze in the gardens
and to gather lilies.
3 I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine;
he grazes among the lilies.Song of Songs 5:2-6:3
The Shulammite’s gaze tracks along her lover’s body, He is gradually revealed to us piece by piece. The interplay between hands and gaze shows us that in a way, the lover is being carved before us as a statue. The construction of the lover as a statue doesn’t indicate that he’s far removed from the situation. Instead, because the Shulammite’s gaze takes the role of an artist. She recreates the sense of intimacy between artist and artwork for herself and her lover.
What does this have to do with Augustine, the unlikely saint? It highlights his shift from a hedonistic lifestyle to an ascetic one. For Augustine, sex was meant only for marriage, and even there, only for procreation. Yet, he was not as anti-sex as some might believe; other early church leaders like Origen were stricter. Augustine permitted enjoyment in trying to conceive. In contrast, Origen interpreted the Song of Songs as purely allegorical, viewing its sexual elements as anti-carnal. He suggested that a kiss symbolises “the Word of God bestowed on the perfected soul.” There can be no erotic love according to Origen.
Unfortunately for Augustine and Origen, the passion in the Song of Songs remains strong. The poems’ eroticism is clear, no matter how much we try to interpret them allegorically. Allegories can shift the love of youth toward God, which can be a positive development.
Why is it a good thing? It is good because bodies desire contact, and that desire enables the propagation of the species. Erotic desire is about bringing pleasure to another person, a pleasure that helps bind them together as one. If someone uses a prostitute, it will strengthen their bond with prostitutes. Sex addiction is real. If they stay faithful to their spouse, it will strengthen that mutual bond. Keep your bonds strong.
The Bible does not condemn prostitutes or the solicitation of a prostitute is a sin. Paul, writing to the church in Corinth, says:
16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.” 17 But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. 18 Flee from sexual immorality.
1 Corinthians 6:16-18 ESVUK
Corinth was a very religious City full of temples and the temple prostitutes that worked there. Paul may have had temple prostitutes in mind when writing that; his phrase, “your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit” (verse 19), points that way. However, I think that if he were thinking of temple prostitutes only, he would have made that explicit. My opinion is that he was including street prostitutes and escorts by his vagueness.
The level of temple prostitution in Corinth at the time of Paul is still being debated. Although situated in Greece, Corinth was a Roman City, and many of the women serving in Roman temples would be Vestal Virgins. So not temple prostitutes. But Paul is still linking being with prostitutes to worship in any case.
In this passage from the Song of Songs, the woman is seen as an artist shaping her man. Traditionally, if we view the man as Jesus and the woman as the church, it seems like idolatry with the church sculpting Jesus. However, since the Song is part of the Wisdom books of the Old Testament, where Wisdom is considered to represent God and is depicted as a woman, if we swap the roles—viewing the woman as God and the church as the man—it makes more sense. God shapes the Church into His image, similar to how Jeremiah sees the potter moulding clay in Jeremiah 18. Our choices can lead us to God’s beautiful plan or away from His blessings. This chapter reassures us that God will forgive and reshape us when we submit to Him.
Marriage in the Bible is not about ceremonies, licenses, or parties, even though weddings and parties are mentioned. What truly matters is the commitment between two people.
There’s also longing, something that is missing in TV shows such as Married at First Sight or Stranded on Honeymoon Island. The couple in the Song spend a lot of time apart, longing for the other to be there.
The Song is a song of commitment. The allegory in the Song points to a commitment to God because you cannot stand being apart. God is already committed to you.
Making an ass of myself 