Ancient Poem, Ancient Practice
The Song of Songs in Spiritual Direction
Keywords:
The Song of Songs, The Song of Songs in Spiritual Direction, mystical aesthetic, Spiritual DirectionAbstract
The Song of Songs, an ancient poem, is often referred to as ‘the Holy of Holies of Scripture’ or the text of all texts that speaks of divine-human love. Spiritual direction, an ancient practice, has been described as ‘the science of all sciences and the art of all arts’, ‘the greatest of all sciences’, and the ‘greatest of the arts’. Yet, within the plethora of classical and contemporary works on the ancient poem and the ancient practice, very little research has been done on the Song of Songs in spiritual direction. The resonance between the poetics of the Song of Songs and the practice of spiritual direction is profound given the poem’s love lyrics, human dynamics, and mystical aesthetic. This article draws on this resonance in elucidating the transformation of the human beloved; the purpose is to highlight the validity and feasibility of the Song of Songs as biblical-poetic paradigm for contemporary spiritual direction.
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