Religiosity in the aesthetic of the Song of Songs

Abstract

Two extremes in the interpretation of the Song of Songs are the allegorical and the literal, respectively representing the ancient and the modern way of understanding this poetry. As a result of this shift from the ancient to the modern, the religious elements of the Song have often been sacrificed. When its aesthetic nature, which has not been sufficiently appreciated, is considered from a psychological perspective, its embedded religious dimension can also be recognised and regained, even if it is different from what has traditionally been read into the Song.