1. Authorship, Date, and Canonicity “The Song of Songs” is a literal translation of the Hebrew title, šîr haššîrîm,1 which appears in the editorial superscription (1:1*) together with an attribution of the work to Solomon. Whoever contributed the superscription presumably had in mind 1 Kings 5:12 [4:32]* where Solomon is said to have authored more than a thousand songs as well as some three thousand proverbs. In the editor’s view, the Song was thus a superlative work, either the greatest