What would happen if the interpretation of Song of Solomon were to move beyond the layered traditions of rabbinic Judaism, the theological concerns of Christian communities, or even the Enlightenment ideals of a rigorously objective secular hermeneutic? This new reading by Janet Tyson provides a fascinating answer to that question. -Timothy Paul Erdel, Bethel University

The Song of Solomon is an intimate, eyewitness account of the stormy marriage between the last King of Babylon, Nabonidus, and the Egyptian princess Nitocris II. It details the couple's seven-year stay in Tayma, Arabia, during which time the king formulated his plan to reinstate a long-defunct female priesthood at Ur, in honour of the lunar deity, S?n. The Song was written by a female scribe, during the exodus from Babylon in c.538 BCE; she is potentially recorded elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible. Her 'song of praise' tells of magic, blood rites, jealousy and rivalry, contraception, miscarriage, lies and curses. It bears all the signs of an act of vengeance, for it preserves the bitter resentment of a woman who lived in the shadow of the king's most exotic wife.

Topics of interest include:

• A consistent pattern of applied Ishtar/Hathor mythology

• Potential insight into the function of the God's Hand

• The use of Jewish gematria

• Clear allusions to the esoteric rite known today as the Elixir Rubeus

• Internal chronology that mirrors the reign of Nabonidus, including a lunar eclipse

• Profound parallels between Nabonidus and King Solomon

• Strong connections between Herodotus and the Song's narrative

• Potential identification of the Song's author and date of composition

• Other ancient legends revealing this same interpretation

Janet Tyson has an MA in Biblical Studies and was a T&M Wagner Foundation Graduate Fellow (UBC, Canada). She is the Author of The Testament of Lazarus: The Pre-Christian Gospel of John.