For the English edition of his Il Canatico dei Cantici, published by Paoline Editoriale Libri, Milan in 2004, Barbiero (Pontifical Biblical Institute of Rome) has toned down the confessional
character, leaving the exegetical aspects highlighted for the benefit of scholars. He has also removed the illustrations from the commentary of O. Keel, which are widely known in the
English-speaking world. He argues that The Song of Songs should be interpreted literally, as a poem about human love, but one that is open to a dimension that is supernatural, even theological.
This is not a compromise with allegorical readings, he insists, because the supernatural is an essential part of the love, rather than something love points to. Annotation 穢2011 Book News,
Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
