The Cantata of Love: A Verse by Verse Reading of The Song of Songs

by Blaise Arminjon, Nelly Marans (Translator), Henri Cardinal de Lubac (Preface)

What book of Old or New Testament has generated the most commentaries in the history of the Church? Not John's Gospel, not Paul's letter to the Romans, not the prophet Isaiah, no, it is the Song of Songs. It is a book that is unknown to many Catholics, and shocking to those who discover it for the first time because of its descriptions of a lover and his beloved--God is only mentioned once and that is at the very end. And yet the greatest of the Fathers have commented on it. Origen's is the classic and St. Jerome says of it: "Origen, having surpassed all of the interpreters of all the books of Scripture, surpassed himself in this interpretation of the Canticle." St. Bernard of Clairvaux, St. Francis de Sales, St. John of the Cross, all have added to the great tradition of interpreting this book for they see it as God's love for Israel and the Church, Christ's love for Mary, for the Church and for each of us. The author draws on all these classics of Catholic tradition to give us a verse by verse reading of the Song of Songs which will deepen the spiritual lives of all of us--a deepening rooted in God's word and the most profound Catholic tradition.

"A marvelous book of great inspiration. It will touch many a heart with the message of God's love that the Canticle brings. Reading it was a revelation to me. It will do an enormous amount of good."
--Bishop Patrick V. Ahern, Vicar of Staten Island

"This work offers us a whole treatise on the spiritual life. It was slowly brought to maturity, lovingly polished and solidly built. The dramatic realism will be a great help to all who might be tempted to give up somewhere along the way."
--Henri Cardinal de Lubac

Blaise Arminjon, S.J. entered the Society of Jesus in France over 50 years ago. He has been in charge of the formation of younger Jesuits and is a renowned master of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, giving them to religious and laity alike throughout Europe.

Genres: Catholic, Religion, Christian, Spirituality, Nonfiction, Christianity, Scripture

373 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 1988

Reviews

[Father Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did you know that more has been written about this obscure book of Jewish antiquity than any other in the canon? (Maybe it's just among OT books... shoot.) It immediately becomes apparent when glossing over the sources for the numerous quotations from the commentaries by saint after saint: John of the Cross, Francis de Sales, Gregory of Nyssa, Gregory Nazianzen, and the sacred monster of mysticism, Bernard of Clairvaux...the list goes on and on. Arminjon has a deft awareness of them all, yet incorporates the insights of literary criticism into his interpretation in such a way that sheds immense clarity over this baffling "footnote" in the Scriptural canon. He starts by dividing the work into five poems and identifies the various voices that speak. This alone is instructive in itself--who hasn't read this and gotten lost in who is speaking to whom? Over and above the justifications for his interpretive choices comes a theologico-poetic commentary of his own that is truly marvelous. It awakens a desire for the majesty and beauty of the spiritual life that has remained with me for months afterward, recasting it all in the most enriched and embroidered language of love without falling into the wilting sentimentality typical of such writing. It made me want to learn Hebrew simply to read the Song of Solomon in the original ... and to memorize it.
Make your way slowly through this book. If it does not suit your taste, put it down and take it up again when you are inspired to. Lend it to no one from whom you cannot one day retrieve it. And in the meanwhile, think on these words of St. Theresa:

This divine prison
of the love with whom I live
made of God my captive
and freed my heart.
To see God as my prisoner causes such passion in me
that I am dying of not dying.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've finally figured out what book to bring with me to a desert island. It's this one! I could read this book again and again, finding more and more delightful passages and discovering again the depths of God's love for me. And as an added bonus, the book comes with scripture so I'd both be reading the word while reading about the word. What a joy.

I was given this book years ago by some nuns and it took me time in my faith journey to get to the point where I was ready to read this. I'm glad I kept the book, though, instead of giving it away. I have been dazzled throughout my weeks of reading. And have been able to reflect on passages throughout my day to day life. Things will pop up that will remind me of what I read that morning or a week before, which then ultimately reminds me of God's love for me. Such a delight.

The author does a great job of explaining the entire book of the Song of Songs, pointing back to its use throughout scripture, weaving in writings of the early church fathers and later great saints, and helping us now to understand the book. I'm grateful to both him and his translator for this great gift to the world.

[John Sester, LC · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a pearl. Cantata of Love gathers highlights from the great interpreters of the Song of Songs — Origen, Bernard of Clairvaux, John of the Cross, Teresa of Avila, Francis de Sales, Thérèse of Lisieux, and others. It doesn’t replace returning to the original sources, but it collects some of their finest moments and presents them in a rich, concentrated spread... like spiritual charcuterie for lovers of the Canticle.

[Matthew Heidenreich · Rating 5 out of 5]

"When love carries you away... don't ask where it is taking you."

This book really does carry you away, a sweeping commentary of a relatively short book of the Scriptural canon. Yet Arminjon helps us realize what the Song truly is: an epic love story that puts the great bards of history to shame in comparison. Pulling from many different saints and commentators throughout the centuries, Arminjon paints a beautiful picture of the riches of the Song which captivated me. It took me an entire summer to work through this and I know I've only scratched the surface of this great work. I have a feeling I'll be back to reread this again and again.

"He whose illness is called Jesus cannot be cured."

"To talk about Him, to sing His praise, to celebrate His beauty, to deliver the innermost soul of all the admiration and love that is in it is... an absolute necessity. The love for the Bridegroom cannot remain unproclaimed."

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing! Verse by verse explanation and commentary from the author as well as saints and Jewish and non-Jewish scholars. If (when) I began (begin) it again, I’d keep it with my prayer stuff, not my general spiritual reading, and know that it would be slow going. I loved having lots of sources of explanation to draw from in one place, and the index at the back will make a great resource for finding specific words. Anyone who wants to dive into Song of Songs will find a deep well to draw from. Lest my scholarly praise deter anyone, it all amplifies the love song of God, and makes it clearer for those of us who don’t understand the old
Jewish references. So beautiful.

[Dcn. Erik · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot express how much this book resonated with the deepest parts of my being and my heart. What a blessed book of Scripture I never understood before and what a blessed guided journey through it is this book. I would leave prayer bursting with love after reading this book. Deep waters.

Also it greatly unpacks the spiritual journey, specifically the unitive way. I recommend for any Christian who has been walking with the Lord for years and seeks to understand the depths of love to which the Lord invites us.

[Ardens]

Really strong first half, then it felt as if he realized he needed to finish the book so commentary wasn't as in depth for later chapters. This could be attributed to his thesis that the different sections build on each other and so there's a lot of up front work exegesis to do and then less as the chapters go on. Really appreciated the ending section which summed up the main points quite nicely.

[Sara Boghdan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book during my preparation for consecrated life. It's an amazing book that brought me deep into prayer with the Beloved who calls all of us.

[Emma Geis · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I have ever read.

[Adam Zajac · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an incredible exploration of the Song of Songs; Arminjon not only makes this cryptic, poetic part of Scripture understandable, but shows you the beauty and passion in it.