The names of Characters in a Song of Solomon are strange and one gets the impression that all
seem to have some sort of complex meaning.
Many of the names are taken from the Bible. Up to now,
I have encountered three of these: Pilate,
Magdalene, and First Corinthians.
What is the purpose of this?
Well, according to the book, the tradition of choosing
biblical names goes back to the late Macon Dead, who was illiterate and selected
names at random by passing his finger through the Bible. This is the
explanation he gave on account of naming his firstborn daughter Pilate: “That’s
where my finger went down at”(p.19)
To better understand the connection between the names
and the characters, I looked them up on Wikipedia:
Pilate
“Pontius Pilatus (Greek: Πόντιος Πιλᾶτος, Pontios Pīlātos),
known in the English-speaking world as Pontius Pilate (pron.: /ˌpɒnᵗʃəs ˈpaɪlət/ or /ˌpɒnti.əs ˈpaɪlət/[1][2][3]), was the fifth Prefect
of the Roman province of Judaea, from AD 26–36.[4][5] He is best known as the
judge at the trial of Jesus and the man who authorized the crucifixion of
Jesus. As prefect, he served under Emperor Tiberius.”
There are several possible
interpretations for why this character was named after the man who sentenced
Jesus. In any case, it is important to note that Pilate is a man’s name, and
not a very flattering one. In some way, this reminds me of the colonial phenomenon
that still takes place in Colombia in which humble families sometimes use very uncommon
and actually undesirable names in an attempt to emulate those with influence.
Magdalene
“Mary Magdalene (original Greek Μαρία ἡ Μαγδαληνή),[2] or Mary
of Magdala and sometimes The Magdalene, is a religious figure in Christianity.
She has been called the second-most important woman in the New Testament after Mary the mother
of Jesus.[3] Mary Magdalene traveled with Jesus as one of his
followers. She was present at Jesus' two most important moments: the
crucifixion and the resurrection.[4] Within the four Gospels, the oldest
historical record mentioning her name, she is named at least 12 times, more
than most of the apostles. The Gospel references describe her as a courageous
servant leader, brave enough to stand by Jesus in his hours of suffering, death
and beyond.”
Being named after
Mary Magdalene puts Lena on a two-way street. She can be seen a Jesus’s most faithful
supporter or as something in the lines of a prostitute. In a more positive
perspective, the name can also symbolize the successful escape from a dark
past.
First Corinthians
“The First Epistle
to the Corinthians, often referred to as First Corinthians (and
written as 1 Corinthians), is the seventh book of the New Testament
of the Bible. The Apostle Paul and "Sosthenes
our brother" wrote this epistle
to "the church of God which is at Corinth", in Greece.[1Cor.1:1-2]
This epistle contains
some of the best-known phrases in the New Testament, including (depending on
the translation) "all things to all men" (9:22), "without love,
I am nothing" (13:2), "through a glass, darkly" (13:12), and "when I was a child, I spoke as a child, I felt as a child, I
thought as a child" (13:11).”
This is an interesting one. Basically, because she is
not named after a person but after an Epistle. There are so many possible
interpretations of this that one is left with nothing concise. Maybe that’s on
purpose.
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