The “openness” of the Song of Songs

Abstract

More than any other biblical book the Song of Songs has received a wider range of interpretations, most of which seem to be valid, even when they sometimes contradict each other. A literary approach to both the form and contents of the Song can assist psychological investigations into this diverse reception and show that the multiplicity of meanings attributed to the Song, sometimes experienced as disturbing, can also be an invitation to creative play where the recipient almost becomes a participating character in the poem.