King Solomon's 700 Wives

[MaggieOH]

There are some commentators who say that this love poem could also be applied to the BVM as the Bride with the Holy Spirit as her beloved spouse.

Maggie

 

[Benadam]

MaggieOH:

There are some commentators who say that this love poem could also be applied to the BVM as the Bride with the Holy Spirit as her beloved spouse.

Maggie

What does BVM mean?

I’ve read of the Holy Spirit as the spouse of the soul as a description of the experience of contemplative prayer. Is that it?:whacky:

nevermind…I’m a dork and it’s late… Blessed Virgin Mother.

I have read the Song of Songs applied to comtemplative prayer though.

 

[Maccabees]

MaggieOH:

There are some commentators who say that this love poem could also be applied to the BVM as the Bride with the Holy Spirit as her beloved spouse.

Maggie

That is true as well. Once again the catholic church uses allegory for this book see my point?

 

[Maccabees]

Benadam:

What does BVM mean?

I’ve read of the Holy Spirit as the spouse of the soul as a description of the experience of contemplative prayer. Is that it?:whacky:

nevermind…I’m a dork and it’s late… Blessed Virgin Mother.

I have read the Song of Songs applied to comtemplative prayer though.

Never heard of the contemplative prayer angle?
Sounds new to me any church fathers you can mention took this approch?
I have read the church and Mary allusions and the bridegroom angle which can be Christ.

 

[Benadam]

serendipity:

In Genesis, those who took more than one wife were usually those that did not follow God’s will so well…like the contradiction the line of Cain and the line of Seth.

In Exodus (21:10) God tells Moses that loosely that if a man takes another wife, he must not reduce the amount of food, clothing, or conjugal rights of the first. It is hard to see how a man could treat 700 women equally. Leviticus lays out clearer guidelines about whom a man can marry in terms of blood relations.

The reign of Solomon represents the fall of man from the grace of God in a sense. In the beginning God offered him anything he wanted, and he asked for wisdom, which pleased God and gave him a great beginning in Biblical history. What he did with his wisdom did not always please God. He seemd to be more and more concerned with political ambitions and establishing himself in the world, and less about his relationship with God.

To me, Solomon represents some one more concerned about what his actions signify (look how great he followed the letter of the law), than the substance behind the actions (how poorly he honored the spirit of the law). On the one hand, he built the elaborate first Temple. on the other hand, he had 700 wives.

reading your post reminded me what Paul said: Before there was a Law their was no comdemnation for sin. I would think that the monogamy of Seth’s line was purity of heart that by nature willed God’s law written on it. Same with the line of Cain in regards to the desires of the heart unbound by obedience to a law.

Abraham didn’t desire another wife, that happened because of Sarah’s desire.

I think it’s interesting that in the bible those who had no desire for another wife had no problem with those who did. Conversely it seems that those who practice polygamy find it necessary to purposely scandalize those who don’t.

Fallen man is reduced to animal and the sting of death that accompanies that state produces the need to survive. That purpose drives males to spread genes in every vessel that accepts him and the female to choose the most appealing genetic vessel that will accept her and stick with it.

I think we see the females desires for Solomon in that story and Solomon’s misconception of his own importance in God’s plans. The Messiah is refered to as Adonis, the One who women love. Unfortunately the idolatrous woman loves the gift of the lover and the one she loves mistakes her affections as attached to himself making him think he is loved. The combination of these two realities were more than Solomon could experience and keep his power of reason from being usurped by the defects of his heart.
I call it spiritual bypass and it’s what happens when a person experiences spiritual infusions without having a guide to check with and obey. The more defects of the heart the less powerfull the infusion has to be to overwhelm reason. I would say solomon was relatively pure of heart to be living as a central figure in a theocracy, acknowledged around the world as the wisest man ever, the highest authority obedient to no earthly power, those conditions are the counterpart to the same circumstances in the idolatrous culture that produced Nebuchadnezzer who proclaimed himself god. In that light I see ol’ Solomon as quite saintly. The song of songs reveals him as a man of one wife, at least at heart and the 700 wives just happened and seemed the right thing to do.

 

[Maccabees]

The song of songs reveals him as a man of one wife, at least at heart and the 700 wives just happened and seemed the right thing to do.

Man I have to use this on my wife. Your the only one in my heart ignore all the other women I have they just happened but I loooove you. Think she will buy it?

 

[Benadam]

Maccabees:

Never heard of the contemplative prayer angle?
Sounds new to me any church fathers you can mention took this approch?
I have read the church and Mary allusions and the bridegroom angle which can be Christ.

The contemplative angle was introduced by the Carmelites and most definitely takes a back seat to Mary and the Holy Spirit.

 

[Benadam]

Maccabees:

Man I have to use this on my wife. Your the only one in my heart ignore all the other women I have they just happened but I loooove you. Think she will buy it?

Believe it or not as I was writing that I was also thinking; you ain’t gonna leave that in there are ya? But I thought it fit the humor of the former posts so I left it in. definitely a husbands pun eh?

P.S. If you try it on your wife your life will never be the same again…

 

[Maccabees]

Benadam:

Believe it or not as I was writing that I was also thinking; you ain’t gonna leave that in there are ya? But I thought it fit the humor of the former posts so I left it in. definitely a husbands pun eh?

P.S. If you try it on your wife your life will never be the same again…

Unlike Solomon I don’t have 699 other wives to fall back on. I thought better of it. Somethings are better left unsaid.

 

[MaggieOH]

Benadam:

Believe it or not as I was writing that I was also thinking; you ain’t gonna leave that in there are ya? But I thought it fit the humor of the former posts so I left it in. definitely a husbands pun eh?

P.S. If you try it on your wife your life will never be the same again…

There might be alimony (hell) to pay if you try using it