Title: The Passionate Prince: A Pastoral Exposition of the Song of Solomon
Author: David Balsley
Publisher: WestBow Press
ISBN: 978-1490875484
Pages: 176
Genre: Nonfiction / Religion & Spirituality
Reviewer: Christina Avina
Pacific Book Review
In any lens, exploring the development and impact of a relationship, especially a marriage, between two people is always engaging and insightful into who the people are as individuals and as a couple. In recent years, people’s understanding of relationships has become broader and more open to exploration through various lenses. One of the biggest lenses to utilize is through religion, and how a couple’s faith impacts their marriage.
For those of the Christian faith, exploring their faith inside of a marriage often means looking back on the Bible to find how relationships in biblical times evolved, and for author David Balsley, his book The Passionate Prince: A Pastoral Exposition of the Song of Solomon,” the author does just that. Exploring the pre and post marriage relationship between King Solomon and the Shulammite, a young Jewish girl from Northern Israel, the book takes both a literal and spiritual look at how that relationship unfolded, and why it was the most rewarding relationship the infamous King Solomon had throughout his life.
What really makes this book so fascinating is the author’s approach to the source material. Recognizing how some interpretations of the biblical text regarding King Solomon could be a bit ambiguous and could come across a bit heated, the author brings both a spiritual leader viewpoint and literal approach to the text instead, allowing readers to explore the actual events being brought to life in the verses and the deeper meaning which they are intended to invoke. The straightforward and honest approach to the subject matter and the author’s honest tone in his writing style allows readers to become more engaged with the author and hear the points he was making about this book.
Readers who enjoy nonfiction books, especially those that explore relationships and religion & spirituality in the same context of a book, and those who enjoy the history and stories of King Solomon, this is the perfect book to dive headfirst into. The way the author both acknowledges Solomon’s many relationships throughout his life and yet emphasizes the reason his relationship with the Shulammite embodied the complex yet heartfelt connection the two had for one another and how that translated into the power of monogamous relationships through a religious lens makes this book feel enlightening and compelling to religious-led readers. The history and cultural exploration of relationships through this story of King Solomon and the Shulammite also gave non-religious readers a unique perspective and educational look into the way intimacy played a role in the relationships of that period of history as well.
