A Companion to the Song of Songs in the History of Spirituality ed. by Timothy H. Robinson (review)

Reviewed by: A Companion to the Song of Songs in the History of Spirituality ed. by Timothy H. Robinson Tom Schwanda (bio) A Companion to the Song of Songs in the History of Spirituality. Edited by Timothy H. Robinson. Leiden: Brill, 2021. xiii + 419 pp. 253. 00. The Song of Songs has consistently been seen over the centuries as a premier book on intimacy, typically though not exclusively with God, and as a foundational biblical source for the study of mysticism. This welcome volume expands the horizons of this understanding in exploring the Jewish and Christian traditions in their various interpretations of the book of Canticles across the centuries. There are four guiding purposes for this companion. First, it presents a comprehensive introduction to the "complicated history" of the Song's reception in Christian spirituality from its origin to 1800, which follows the format of the Brill Companion series. Next, the chapters seek to address gaps in the history of reception by examining neglected writers such as Cyprian of Carthage, Catholic women visionaries, and Puritans from both sides of the Atlantic. Third, and significantly, this collection revisits commonly held beliefs that require revision upon more recent scholarship. A key example is the forgotten voices of medieval women who wrote on the Song of Songs. And fourth, moving beyond the standard treatment of commentaries and sermons on the Song, readers are introduced to how liturgies and sacraments, visual arts, letters, and poetry were inspired by the Song of Solomon (2). Editor Timothy Robinson is to be congratulated on assembling a diverse spectrum of authors who have achieved these four goals. A brief survey of the individual chapters will provide a helpful overview of the topics covered in this stimulating study. Emily Cain's initial chapter examines the Eastern patristic authors focusing especially on Origen, Athanasius, Gregory of Nyssa, and Theodore of Mopsuestia, who was an early outlier in eschewing the allegorical interpretation of the Song. Karl Shuve moves to the Western church in his consideration, which includes Cyprian of Carthage's use of the Song to resolve the rebaptism debate of his day. Hannah Matis's treatment of the reception of the Song from Gregory the Great through the Venerable Bede to the Gregorian reform contains a valuable insight that serves better understanding of many entries in this study. She wisely observes that the eroticism that many have perceived in the Song "was not repressed or denied" as many critics contend, "so much as it was harnessed. " (73). The fourth chapter, authored by Catherine Cavadini, traces the Cistercian reception of Bernard of Clairvaux's usage of this magnificent mystical text and his influence on William St. Thierry, Gilbert of Hoyland, John of Ford, and Thomas of Perseigne. Several of the quotations employed in this chapter capture the rich imagery of the kiss (Song 1: 2). One from Thomas of Perseigne reminds readers, "It was then that he gave his kiss, as if, opening his mouth, he promises the joy of the Kingdom of Heaven to his disciples" (119). In chapter 5, Suzanne LaVere examines how the Song was interpreted as a call for action during the High Middle Ages. Instead of its more common contemplative nature, it was understood as a call to action in which preachers needed to purify themselves to better proclaim their sermons. Ann Astell continues the theme of preaching in her End Page 173 essay that builds on the life of Aelred of Rievaulx and his sermons on the liturgical year. Within his treatment, special devotion is accorded to the Virgin Mary. Jason Kalman's lengthy chapter, which is almost twice the length of the next longest contribution, provides an intriguing overview to the Jewish resistance to the female beauty of the bride and in its place exalts a masculine appraisal of beauty. This medieval pattern of exegesis was intent on removing the erotic nature of the Song. Bernard McGinn's illuminating chapter recovers the frequently neglected contribution of female writers on the Song. While these voices were silenced for much of the first millennium, Hildegard of Bingen, Clare of Assisi, and several beguines began to rectify this. Additional contributions of Teresa of Avila, the Augustinian nun. . .