The Chronicon Paschale (350. 19–351. 11) reports that during Pompey’s triumph the ‘litter of Solomon’, stolen from the Temple of Jerusalem, paraded through the streets of Rome. The only Greek source of this ‘litter’ is the Septuagint translation of the Song of Songs (3. 6–11): however, a careful analysis of the text reveals a series of inconsistencies which can only be resolved by correcting the name of ‘Solomon’ in that of the ‘Sulamite’. The original text of the Song, which rather mentioned a ‘litter of the Sulamite’, was later altered, in order to avoid a clear allusion to the controversial relationship between Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. The textual correction predates the Septuagint, which translated an already altered text. From that moment on, thanks to the extraordinary diffusion of the Septuagint, the never-existing ‘litter of Solomon’ has earned a place in history.
The litter of Salomon. Textual and exegetical problems in Cant. 3, 6-11
Luciano Bossina
2022
Abstract
The Chronicon Paschale (350. 19–351. 11) reports that during Pompey’s triumph the ‘litter of Solomon’, stolen from the Temple of Jerusalem, paraded through the streets of Rome. The only Greek source of this ‘litter’ is the Septuagint translation of the Song of Songs (3. 6–11): however, a careful analysis of the text reveals a series of inconsistencies which can only be resolved by correcting the name of ‘Solomon’ in that of the ‘Sulamite’. The original text of the Song, which rather mentioned a ‘litter of the Sulamite’, was later altered, in order to avoid a clear allusion to the controversial relationship between Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. The textual correction predates the Septuagint, which translated an already altered text. From that moment on, thanks to the extraordinary diffusion of the Septuagint, the never-existing ‘litter of Solomon’ has earned a place in history.Pubblicazioni consigliate
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