The song of songs and the fashioning of identity in early Latin christianity

257 Pages·2016·1.43 MB·English

by  Shuve

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OXFORD EARLY CHRISTIAN STUDIES
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GillianClark AndrewLouth
OUPCORRECTEDPROOF–FINAL,29/1/2016,SPi
THE OXFORD EARLY CHRISTIAN STUDIES series includes scholarly volumes
on the thought and history of the early Christian centuries. Covering a wide range
ofGreek,Latin,andOrientalsources,thebooksareofinteresttotheologians,ancient
historians,andspecialistsintheclassicalandJewishworlds.
Titlesintheseriesinclude:
GregoryofNyssa’sTabernacleImagery
inItsJewishandChristianContexts
AnnConway-Jones(2014)
JohnChrysostomonDivinePedagogy
TheCoherenceofhisTheologyandPreaching
DavidRylaarsdam(2014)
ThePracticalChristologyofPhiloxenosofMabbug
DavidA.Michelson(2014)
LawandLegalityintheGreekEast
TheByzantineCanonicalTradition,381–883
DavidWagschal(2014)
TheRoleofDeathintheLadderofDivineAscentand
theGreekAsceticTradition
JonathanL.Zecher(2015)
TheophilusofAlexandriaandtheFirstOrigenistControversy
RhetoricandPower
KrastuBanev(2015)
DebatesovertheResurrectionoftheDead
ConstructingEarlyChristianIdentity
OutiLehtipuu(2015)
TheConsolationofBoethiusasPoeticLiturgy
StephenBlackwood(2015)
TheTheologicalAnthropologyofEustathiusofAntioch
SophieCartwright(2015)
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The Song of Songs and
the Fashioning of
Identity in Early Latin
Christianity
KARL SHUVE
1
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3
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For Melissa
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Preface
As scholars from a variety of disciplines have become increasingly interested
in the history of the Bible’s interpretation, the Song of Songs has become a
lightning rod of controversy. Traditions of wholly allegorizing the poem,
whichstretchnearlyunbrokenfromLateAntiquitytothenineteenthcentury,
have come in for vehement criticism and passionate defense. For some
scholars, these traditions reflect a fear of sexual desire so all-encompassing it
requiredtheologianstoburytheraweroticismoftheSongunderamountain
of spiritual commentaries, from beneath which modern interpreters are still
trying to free it. For others, these traditions reveal a theological sensitivity to
the erotic dimensions of the divine–human relationship and an exegetical
creativity that many contemporary Christians have tragically lost. This
charged debate, however, has obscured the fact that the majority of scholars
are working from a similar premise: namely, that the theologicalsignificance
of the Song was as opaque to early and medieval Christian readers as it is to
modernonesandthattheirexegeticalactivitiesweremeanttoexplainthatthe
textdoesnotreallysignifywhatitseemstosignify(whichmust,ofcourse,be
humanlove).
Thepresentstudychallengesthispremiseandoffersanalternativeaccount
of why the Song of Songs became a central text in Western Christianity,
exploring the origins of the interpretive tradition. I examine the hundreds of
citations of and allusions to the Song in the writings of Latin Christian
theologiansofthethirdandfourthcenturies—whichincludeletters,homilies,
and theological tracts penned by luminaries such as Cyprian, Ambrose,
Jerome, and Augustine—and I present the striking conclusion that the
Song’s earliest Latin readers treated the text as an explanans, not an explan-
andum. That is, the Song did not pose a hermeneutical problem, but it was
often employed to solve theological ones. In particular, the Song became
bound up with the fashioning of ecclesial and ascetic identities, and this
study seeks to trace out the trajectories of interpretation as they developed
in the Western Christian communities of the later Roman Empire and were
therebytransmittedtomedievalEurope.
Thisbookhasbeenalmostadecadeinthemaking,andIhaveaccumulated
numerousdebtsoverthistime,fartoomanytoadequatelyrecounthere.Ifirst
became aware of and interested in attempting to resolve the thorny issues
pertaining to the study of the Song’s interpretation—indeed, that of sacred
texts more generally—as a graduate student at McMaster University, under
the direction of Annette Yoshiko Reed and Peter Widdicombe. Annette has
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viii Preface
beenamodelofscholarlygenerosityandacademicrigor,fromwhomIlearned
to navigate the diverse and exciting world of early Jewish and Christian
biblicalinterpretation.ItwasinaseminartaughtbyPeterthatIfirstencoun-
tered commentaries on the Song, and I have learned from him to appreciate
and understand early Christian theological discourses as well as to strive for
ruthlessclarityinmyprose.Hehasbeenanunfailingmentorandfriendinthe
years since I departed McMaster. I must also thank three undergraduate
mentors at McMaster—Kathleen Garay, Madeleine Jeay, and Jean Wilson—
without whose support, encouragement, and expertise my academic career
wouldhavebeenunimaginable.
ThebasisforthisbookwasaPhDthesisonGregoryofElvira’scommentary
ontheSong,completedattheUniversityofEdinburghunderthedirectionof
SaraParvis.Afteryearsofrewritingandexpansionthereislittleresemblance
now between the two, but I have learned much from her exacting historiog-
raphy and this book could not have taken its present shape without her
guidance and influence. She is also the model of an engaged, incisive, and
caring supervisor, whose example I strive to imitate with my own students.
Paul Parvis was a great assistance with translating Latin (among many other
things!),andTimothyBarneshelpedtorefinesomeofmyobservationsabout
imperial and ecclesiastical politics. I was incredibly fortunate to have had as
myexternalexaminertheinimitableGillianClark,whosesharpeditorialeyeis
matched by her generosity of spirit. Her advice and support were crucial in
transformingthethesisintothepresentbook.
At the University of Virginia, I found a stimulating and collegial environ-
ment in which to undertake the challenging process of deconstructing the
thesis and building it into a book. Special thanks must go to Judith Kovacs,
who generously read and commented on the first new chapters that
I produced, and who has taken a special interest in the project ever since.
Many others have read chapters, listened to talks, answered queries, or
made helpful suggestions during conversation, including (but not limited to)
Ahmedal-Rahim,ElizabethAlexander,HarryGamble,GregGoering,Martien
Halvorson-Taylor(mycomradeinallthingsSongofSongs),KevinHart,Greg
Hays, Matt Hedstrom, Paul Dafydd Jones, Paul Kershaw, Charles Mathewes,
and Janet Spittler. Coulter George heroically double-checked many of the
Latin translations. I have subjected our graduate students to this material
over the years, and have learned much from them, especially Rebecca
Draughon,KellyWestFigueroa-Ray,CarrieFrost,DavidGriffin,AndyGuffey,
David Litwa, and Ashley Tate. Ashley deserves special thanks for her assis-
tancewithindexing.Ialsoreceivedtangibleinstitutionalsupportintheform
ofsummerresearchfundingandaSesquicentennialFellowship.
Many colleagues beyond the UVA community, some of whom I had not
previously met, generously and graciously read portions of the manuscript
and offered incisive feedback. I am particularly grateful to Peter Brown,
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Preface ix
Celia Chazelle, Elaine James, Sr. Maria Kiely, AnneMarie Luijendijk, and
Constant Mews. I have presented bits and pieces of this research as part of
some very stimulating panels at the annual meetings of the North American
Patristics Society and the Society of Biblical Literature, which elicited some
excellentquestionsthatIhavetriedtoaccountforinthebook.
IhavehadthepleasuretoworkwithamarvelousteamatOxfordUniversity
Press.TomPerridgegraciouslyshepherdedthisfirst-timeauthorthroughthe
process, and patiently endured my many delays. Karen Raith has been a
tremendous help with the final stages of submission. I thank Gillian Clark
and Andrew Louth for accepting the monograph into their illustrious
series, which is where I had long hoped that it would appear. David Hunter
was the (no longer) anonymous reviewer for the Press, and his many keen
suggestions—especially regarding chapter 5—helped to strengthen the book
considerably. It was a delight to have as a reviewer one of the people whose
scholarshiphasmostinfluencedmyown.TheteamatUVA’sSpecialCollec-
tions Library helpfully provided me with the high-resolution image of the
initialthatadornsthecover,andonveryshortnotice.
Last, but certainly not least, my extended family has been a true source of
supportovertheyears,inpracticallyeverywayimaginable,andIowetoallof
themanimmensedebtofgratitude.Imust,ofcourse,singleoutmychildren—
Callista(requiescatinpace),Catriona,andCameron—allofwhomwereborn
overthecourseofthisproject,whoenrichedmylifeinwaysbeyondmyability
toarticulateandhelpedalwaystoremindmethattherewasawideworldout
there beyond my piles of books. But my deepest gratitude goes to Melissa
Phillips,apartnerinthetruestsenseoftheword.Shehasreadthebookseveral
times (and the thesis that preceded it), and this work is certainly much the
betterforit.Butmorethanthis,ourliveshavebeensocloselyentwinedover
thepastdecadeandmore,throughtimesofgreathappinessandsorrow,that
this book simply would not have existed without her. It is to her that
Idedicateit.