Description
Rarely read and even less rarely preached, Ecclesiastes and the Song of Songs have been compared to riddles wrapped in enigmas. While included in the trilogy of Solomonic works along with Proverbs, they are often ignored because one seems to be overly pessimistic and the other is almost risqué in its description of physical love. Sometimes readers wonder why these books are in their Bibles! Employing a key that is found near the back door of each of these neglected books, William Varner attempts to shed light on the purpose and value of these treasures hidden away in a dark corner of the Old Testament. His suggested reading strategy sheds valuable light on their purpose and leads to a very practical message for our lives and for our loves.
Table of Contents
Preface
1. Overview of Solomon’s Life
2. But What about Proverbs?
3. The Challenge of the Song of Songs
4. A Translation of the Song of Songs
5. Ecclesiastes or the Kohelet
6. Tracing the Goads and Nails
7. The Preacher and the Song of Solomon
Index
Endorsements
“Packed with thoughtful insights accessible to any reader, Dr. William Varner has produced an invigorating handbook for these two Solomonic works that offers refreshing strategies based on internal features of the text. By surveying their ‘big picture,’ Varner applies a top-down method of discourse analysis that views the entire text as a literary unit rather than the sum of individual verses. What emerges are internal literary structures that brilliantly suggest three intermingling characters engaged in the dramatic love story of the Song and a two-part interpretive frame for Kohelet following the text’s ‘goads’ and ‘nails’ arrangement. The Preacher and the Song offers an engaging and readable volume that exalts the divine beauty and theology of these two ancient masterpieces.”
Cory Marsh, Ph.D., Professor of New Testament, Southern California Seminary
“With his gift for making deep insights easy to grasp, Dr. Varner grounds Solomon’s writings in his personal journey. Joined with careful attention to context, the result emphasizes the constructive message in Ecclesiastes
as well as an interpretation of The Song of Songs that seeks to do justice both to its details and the formative choices in the life of Solomon–the wayward cum chastened king.”
Brian Morley, Ph.D., Chair of Online Degree in Biblical Studies, The Master’s University
“Professor William Varner’s work on Song of Solomon and Ecclesiastes is the best treatment of these books I have ever read—scholarly, orthodox, yet practical and uplifting. His treatment of the other ‘poetic books’ is also eye-opening. If I were to teach these books today, I would require Varner’s book as the number one required reading. It opens up the reader’s understanding to these under-appreciated works and gives them a clarity that applies to the Christian life in an uplifting manner.”
Gary G. Cohen, Th.D., Retired Seminary Professor and Army Chaplain
About the Author
William Varner teaches Bible exposition and Greek exegesis at The Master’s University. He has led more than fifty trips throughout Israel and has written more than a dozen books, some for laymen and some for scholars, including a trilogy on the Messiah and James: A Commentary on the Greek Text (Fontes, 2017).
