Some people ask why the compilers of the biblical canon were right in including Ecclesiastes and the Song of Songs in it. This concern stems from the fact that both of these books are pretty unique in the Biblical cannon and were considered somewhat controversial at times.
For Christians the concern about these books has never really been a huge issue. They were included in the Septuagint, and that pretty much settled the question for many years.
Then came Martin Luther. Luther and those who followed him in the reformation were part of a quest to get back to the early sources of the Bible. This led to some re-evaluation of what was in and what was out, and they decided that some of the Old Testament that had always been accepted was now out.
What got thrown out were the books that Jewish leaders were said to have eliminated at the hypothetical council of Jamnia (Where the Pharasees differentiated themselves from the Christians in light of a post-temple reality and became the only sect of Judaism other then Christianity to survive).
Rabbis had decided books like Tobit, and Sirach were not canonical however they did included Song of Songs and Ecclesiastes, but just barely. Because of this these books have remained in all Bibles, but never comfortably.
Many people believe that Song of Songs only got in by people interpreting this very beautiful erotic poetry as an allegory for God’s love of Israel. (This is the interpretation of it that is found in the Midrash and in the Targums).
Christians Generally have followed suit and have looked at the book as speaking about God’s love for his people. However this is not the only view. The Catholic church has defined the book in many instances as reflecting both a literal interpretation (where the lovers are seen as two people, having real sex) and the allegorical sense (where the women is the people of God and God is the man).
Some feminists have approached it differently. They argue that it isn’t about God as much as it is about reinforcing patriarchal structures. The book Song of Songs is a text that they believe can lead to to the oppression of women. Even if it’s allegorical some people have difficulty connecting with God presented as a patriarchal figure that objectifies “his” beloved.
Ecclesiastes is quite different than Song of Songs in it’s content, but still presents God in a way that is difficult. Ecclesiastes talks of God in a non-personal, yet definite way. God is spoken of as הָאֱלֹהִ֛ים (THE GOD) rather then common tetragrammaton, God’s proper name. In fact the use of הָאֱלֹהִ֛ים is unique to Ecclesiastes within the canon of scripture.
The name of God is not the only thing that is controversial in Ecclesiastes. The content is also very unique. In it God is presented with a tinge of doubt, and life is presented as a vapor. The author presents the whole of human actions in a light were we see them as fleeting, evanescent, and absurd. The reader is told to fear God (3:14, 5:6-7, 7:18, 8:12), but even that is done out of a sense of duty rather then out of love.
Reading the book, you sometimes get the impression that the author ought to have gotten psychiatric help rather then have been included in the Bible. The whole thing just doesn’t seem to fit at all. In fact the House of Hillel (an ancient school of Jewish law) was opposed to it’s inclusion in the 1st century for just this reason
However I am glad these books are in the Bible.
In fact I count them among my most cherished members of the canon.
Without them I don’t think there is enough space for God to roam around. Although these books are certainly unique in their presentation of God, they are unique in a Good way that opens our imaginations to new ways to encounter the divine. They open up mystical playgrounds, and theological escape hatches. I love it.
I need to be able to love God deeply, madly, passionately, and with abandon; like in the Song of Songs. I also need a place where my own sexuality is affirmed and even used by God to communicate beauty and poetry. Our culture is awash in cheap sex. I need a place where it is rich. Song of Songs can provide that place.
I also need to be reminded of a God that can meet me in the midst of my duty. Sometimes the feeling of passion for God are gone. My fear of the LORD is tainted with doubt and God does not seem personal at all. The world can seem empty at times, and even the good things I have can appear fleeting, evanescent, and absurd. Ecclesiastes gives me a sacred space in those times. It helps lead me into the desert where God can work something new in me. Ecclesiastes guides me to under the wings of the monastic traditions of my faith and through the dark night of the soul. It demonstrates that even in austerity there is richness in God.
I love that.
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