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ABOUT THIS BOOK AND
ITS AUTHOR |
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The Song of Songs is among the most misunderstood books of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament).
The more commentators have studied it, the less consensus there has been on its authorship, purpose and meaning.
Like the rest of the Hebrew Bible, the Song of Songs was written and transmitted as art
song, the vocal melody of which had been lost in practice. The late
Suzanne
Haïk-Vantoura, through her decipherment of the musical accents (te`amim) of the
Hebrew Masoretic Text, has rediscovered that lost melody, which not only confirms the Song's Solomonic authorship,
but makes clear its spiritual meaning and purpose.
In this book, John Wheeler first summarizes the basis and implications of Mme. Haïk-Vantoura's discovery. He then shows
how the Song of Song's original melos
(an "inspired" complex of "melody-words") describes the connection between human love (in an
ideal marriage) and the relationship between God and His people: the "assembly of God" (kehal ha-'Elohim) throughout history and to the end of
time. Step by step, he then shows how the original melos clarifies the authorship, dating, context, poetry, choral
forms, meaning and purpose of the Song. (Haïk-Vantoura's full score, Cantique
des Cantiques de Salomon dans sa mélodie d'origine, is available separately.) |
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| John Wheeler
(יוחנן רכב)
is the founder and director of King David's Harp, Inc., now
based in Houston, Texas, U.S.A. He is a graduate of Ambassador University (1981) and an associate of Suzanne Haïk-Vantoura's
Institution Roi David since 1982. In 1991 he was the editor of the English translation of Haïk-Vantoura's
French book (The Music of the Bible Revealed,
BIBAL Press/King David's Harp, Inc.). Besides being a student of the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures (in particular
of their accent systems) and of the relationship between biblical theology and other disciplines, he is a Celtic
harper, keyboardist, singer and songwriter. |
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Updated November 05, 2008 |
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