Color Me Beautiful. The Polychrome Aesthetic of the Song of Songs
Color Me Beautiful. The Polychrome Aesthetic of the Song of Songs
Color has become a topic of interest in Classical Studies and in ancient Near Eastern Studies, and there are now many studies on ancient pigments and dyes and the methods for producing them. My paper will not focus on the science of color or its production, but on the literary use of color in the Song of Songs and how it intersects with the use of color in the Bible and in other ancient art and literature.
Adele Berlin is Professor Emerita of Biblical Studies at the University of Maryland. Her interests lie primarily in the literary nature of the Hebrew Bible and in biblical interpretation through the ages. An interpreter herself, Professor Berlin has written commentaries on several books of the Bible, most recently Psalms 120-150, published by The Jewish Publication Society. She co-edited, with Marc Brettler, The Jewish Study Bible, now in its second edition, and co-edited, with Jeffrey Tigay, The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, Volume 1: Ancient Israel, from Its Beginnings through 332 BCE. She is now at work on a commentary on Song of Songs for the Hermeneia series.