Divine Marriage from Eden to the End of Days

“Arguably the most important work on the nuptial theme in Scripture published in recent decades. Villeneuve opens up the richness of the rabbinic interpretive tradition to readers unfamiliar with it. The breadth, color, boldness, and pervasiveness of the matrimonial paradigm in rabbinic and patristic exegesis amazes the reader and suggests new interpretive possibilities present in otherwise familiar biblical texts. Essential reading for contemporary theologians, Bible scholars, exegetes, and homilists.”


—John S. Bergsma, author of Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls: Revealing the Jewish Roots of Christianity.





“From the beginning to the end of the biblical canon, marriage is the preferred metaphor for God’s covenant relationship with his people. For that reason, the ancient rabbis and fathers treated the Song of Songs as the interpretive key to the whole Bible. In this illuminating study, Villeneuve recovers that interpretive tradition. This will be a useful resource in biblical theology and historical theology. . . . Highly recommended.”


—Scott Hahn, author of Kinship by Covenant





“Villeneuve has written a beautiful book about a beautiful subject. He shows how the Bible presents the twists and turns of salvation history as a matrimonial adventure—a dramatic story of God wedding himself to a people as his bride. . . . Not many scholars could have pulled off such an ambitious synthesis of this sprawling topic. Villeneuve is one of the few who could manage this. His expert command of ancient sources, combined with his clear and graceful style, make this book a delightful and informing read.”


—Curtis Mitch, associate editor of the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible