As I was reading my Bible I have noticed that the Song of Songs talks not about a wedded couple, but an engaged couple. I was wondering how you interpret this, and how can you reconcile this with what Jesus teaches about purity. -- Ildikó Bartha (Budapest)
Interesting you should ask this, as this weekend I am preparing a class on the Song of Solomon and have been doing a lot of study (in reference books and commentaries). Not all interpreters agree whether the love poem describes a married couple or an engaged couple. Romantic feeling seem to be described both before and after the marriage ceremony (3:11). The language of the Song can be shocking to many people, especially those who have a view of sexuality as dirty or a necessary evil. Yet it must be said that there is nothing in the poem about sexual relations taking place between unmarried persons. In fact, Song of Songs is classified by many theologians as part of the Wisdom Literature (along with Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes). What is the "wisdom" it promotes? The wisdom of monogamous heterosexual love.
I have also prepared a CD series on the Wisdom Literature, published in 2004.
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