Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs: NOTE, this is for class use; no other reading is required for first day of classes; but please bring to class; I'll revise our email list on Tuesday to add or remove students on the list.

Week of 19 February 2008
PROVERBS FOR A SON

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It has been said that if the book of Psalms teaches our relationship to God, the book of Proverbs teaches our relationships. The Egyptian influence is obvious and some proverbs are taken directly from Egyptian texts. Lady Wisdom in the early chapters is a Jewish version of the Egyptian goddess Maat, who held an ankh in her hand (see picture, right, though usually the ankh is in her right hand, as suggested in Proverbs 3:16): "Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honour." Of course, Proverbs refers to Lady Wisdom, but the influence from the Egyptian Maat is obvious. The secularization of Mosaic laws, such as of phylacteries, which Mosaic law requires men to wear on their foreheads and arms, is apparent in Proverbs 3:3: "Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart." The influence on Jesus, as in the Beatitudes, is evident in phrasing, such as Proverbs 3:13: "Blessed is the man who finds wisdom. . . .".  Jesus' famous parable of the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25) is also echoed in Proverbs 3:27: "Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act." Finally, if Lady Wisdom is a Jewish version of Maat, then Jesus is a paternal version of Lady Wisdom. There was always the danger that Lady Wisdom could be seen as God's consort (marriage partner); so John, in his Gospel, replaces Lady Wisdom with Jesus ("In the beginning was the Word"; that is, Jesus, rather than Lady Wisdom; compare Proverbs 8:23). This puts an end to doubt about the relationship between Wisdom and God.
The 1990 setting of Proverbs, by the American composer, Robert Starer, is a good introduction to 20th century concert ("classical") music. Within the limits of a setting for only a trio of instruments (oboe, bass, guitar) and voices, Starer covers a wide range of musical textures, rhythms, and emotions, from lyrical, agitated (the wine proverbs), to serene (the final hymn to peace). As in all vocal settings, there's a lot of repeated words or phrases, which would be tedious to type out each time, though I've indicated mostly the larger sectional repetitions (whole sentences).

My son. Hear the instruction of your father and forsake not the law of your mother, for they shall be an ornament of grace unto your head, a chain about your neck.
    Ladaat chochmah, to know wisdom, l'havin imrei binah, to perceive the words of understanding, the words of the wise and their sayings (the words of the wise and their sayings).
    My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent (if sinners entice you do not consent); if they say, come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause. We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil, my son (my son, my son), walk not in the way with them. Refrain your foot from their path. For their feet run to evil and make haste to shed blood.
    Pleasant words are as honeycomb (*), sweet to the soul and healing to the bones (the bones). (Repeat)
    A good name is better than great riches (a good name is better than great riches) and love is worth more than silver and gold. (Repeat)
    If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat. If he is thirsty, give him water to drink. For so, you will heap live coals upon his head, and the Lord will reward you (the Lord will reward you). (Repeat)
    Boast not yourself of tomorrow, for you know what the day will bring. (Repeat) Let another praise you, and not your own mouth.
    Don't make friends with an angry man. (Repeat) With a furious person you shall not go. Lest you learn his way and get a snare, a snare to your soul.
    My son (repeat), hear the instruction of your father and forake not the law of your mother.
    Ladaat chochmach, to know wisdom. Lehavin imrei binah, to perceive the words of understanding.
    Happy is the man that has found wisdom (2). Ashrei adam matza chochmah. Length of days is in her right hand, and in her left hand is honor, and all her paths are peace (shalom).
    Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has babbling? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? They that tarry long at wine (2). (Repeat) Wine is a mocker; strong drink is raging; and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise (is not wise).
    My son, my son. Happy is the man that has found wisdom (2). Eitz chayim hee. She is a tree of life. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace (and all her paths are peace). Shalom. Shalom.

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PROVERBS 3:5-6
Disciple is a Heavy Metal (HM) Christian band whose lyrics are directly taken from the Bible. This is part of their song, "Coal." This particular verse is taken from Proverbs 3:5-6:
I choose not to lean on my own understanding. I acknowledge you in my ways and you direct me.

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PROVERBS 31:10ff.:

The Wife of Noble Character
This praise to a virtuous woman is one of the most famous chapters in the Bible and it shows an advance in woman's role in Jewish society. It's also an interesting portrait of the life of women at that time.

Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life. She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar. She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens. She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms. She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night. She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff. She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy. She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet. She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple. Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land. She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant. Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come. She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.

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ECCLESIASTES
Like the Song of Songs, this book was one of the latest additions to the biblical canon. The book was deemed too pessimistic and it's argued that references to God were later additions to make the book more suitable for biblical inclusion. Yet a closer study shows that God is by no means an afterthought but is built into the philosopher's logic: life in itself is not meaningless, only life without God is meaningless, and we learn why. In any case, the book is one of the most referenced in our literature; countless writers (including Melville in Moby Dick) have referred to it and many phrases are famous ("vanity of vanities"; "the sun also rises," from which Hemingway named his first novel; "the golden bowl," which served as a title for a Henry James novel; "fly in the ointment"; and "there is a time to every season," which became a folk hit in the Hippie generation).

The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun? One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever. The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose. The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits. All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.

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TURN, TURN, TURN

Folksinger and composer, Pete Seeger, adapted the first verses (1-8) of Chapter Three of the book of Ecclesiastes for this song. Recorded by the Folk-Rock group, The Byrds, it reached Number 1 in 1965 and became one of the most famous songs of the decade with numerous cover versions (including Judy Collins and Dolly Parton). It can be heard, sung by the Byrds, here in a live version. To hear the hit studio version, go here.

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To everything, turn, turn, turn
There is a season, turn, turn, turn
And a time for every purpose under heaven
    A time to be born, a time to die
    A time to plant, a time to reap
    A time to kill, a time to heal
    A time to laugh, a time to weep
A time to build up, a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones
A time to gather stones together
    A time of love, a time of hate
    A time of war, a time of peace
    A time you may embrace
    A time to refrain from embracing
A time to gain, a time to lose
A time to rend, a time to sew
A time of love, a time of hate
A time of peace, I swear it's not too late!

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SONG OF SONGS
(SONG OF SOLOMON)
Also known as Canticle of Canticles ("canticle" means song), this is another book that was almost left out of the Bible. It was considered too carnal but was accepted for one of two reasons, or perhaps both. First, sex has also been seen as part of God's creation and God himself asked his people to "be fruitful and multiply." More importantly, the basic idea of Jewish theology, based in Genesis, is that everything God made is good, and this includes sex. The suspicion of the body and its sexual needs developed only later in Jewish thought, such as in the early Christian era. Another reason why the book was accepted was that it was quickly read as an allegory of God's love for Man (the Lover is God and the Beloved is the person) or, alternately, as God's love for Israel (Jews) or the Church (Christians). For example, Jesus is often called "the Rose of Sharon" and "the Lily of the Valleys." We'll explore such readings in class. Most scholars today believe the book is only a loose collection of love poetry, roughly organized to suggest a plot with two or maybe three characters, the main ones being the Lover (male) and the Beloved (female). What is remarkable about these verses is the equality of the sexes: both sexes desire one another and there is mutual dignity between them with no sense of exploitation. For this reason it has the right to called the greatest celebration of heterosexual love in the history of our literature. There is also a suggestion of an undoing of the Fall of Paradise, with the lovers eating all the fruits of Paradise in their mutual desire. Eden, in other words, has been restored and (the poem suggests) can only be restored in this kind of passion. Consider verses from the final chapter: ""Love is as strong as death, its jealousy (zeal) unyielding as the grave," thus conquering death and even the punishment of the Flood: "Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away. . . ."Here are verses from chapter two.

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Chapter two. I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys. As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters. As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love. Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love. His left hand is under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me. I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please. The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills. My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: behold, he standeth behind our wall, he looketh forth at the windows, shewing himself through the lattice. My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;
The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away. O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely. Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes. My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies. Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether.

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Two Christian songs based on the image of Jesus as Lily of the Valley:
THE LILY OF THE VALLEY

He's the lily of the valley, O my Lord.

THE LILY OF THE VALLEY

I have found a friend in Jesus, he's everything to me. He's the fairest of ten thousand to my soul. The Lily of the Valley, in him alone I see all I need to cleanse and make me fully whole.

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