The Song of Songs is one of the books of scripture accepted by both Jewish and Christian tradition. It is sometimes called the Song of Solomon and other times called the Song of Songs. The title comes from the first words written in the book, The song of Songs which is by Solomon. In the Septuagint the book is simply titled The Song.

There is strong evidence that Solomon was the author of the book. The book itself ascribes authorship to Solomon in several places. In other places, the writer is named as a king, a title that would also fit Solomon. In addition, the vocabulary and word usage closely matches that of Solomon used in the book of Ecclesiastes. The writer of the book speaks of abundance as well as royal luxury that King Solomon would have certainly enjoyed.

More than likely, the book was written between the years of 971 and 931 BC. There are linguistic as well as historical evidences that support this time frame. In addition, if authorship by Solomon is accepted, these years also fit into the timeline of his life.

The writing also indicates a single authorship along with one single song. It was not an anthology or a collection of love songs. It makes moves through courtship, the wedding night and then to a maturing love that happens through marriage.

Jewish scholars often interpret the book as an analogy of the love of God for Israel. On the other hand, Christian scholars sometimes interpret the book as a measure of the love of God for the Church. Others interpret the book as a classic Greek tragedy. Still others interpret the book as a Hebrew adaption of the fertility liturgy of the Mesopotamians in the area. However, the simplest interpretation is that the book extols sexual love of a man for a woman. This would indicate that human sexuality is the design of God and blessed by him. The book can be seen as an unfolding drama of courtship, marriage and a growing love.

Many of the verses of the Song of Songs have been quoted in other literature throughout the ages. In addition, the alternate title Song of Solomon has been used as the title of a contemporary novel by Toni Morrison and was featured as one of Oprah’s Book Club books.

Although some scholars have questioned the inclusion of the Song of Songs in the cannon of scripture for both the Christian and Jewish traditions, it has withstood these challenges through the centuries. It remains an affirmation of the God created sexuality that exists between couples beginning in courtship and maturing through marriage. Without the inclusion of this particular text, this aspect of human relationships would be ignored for the most part by the scriptures of both traditions.