With the shops full of expensive chocolates, fluffy red hearts and a dozen red roses a snip at £40, Valentine’s Day is once again upon us.
The historical origins of St Valentine are, however, sketchy to say the least. There are various early Christian martyrs called Valentine, one of whom was buried in Rome on 14th February. Medieval writers didn’t allow a lack of ancient fact to get in the way of a good legend. Stories developed that the martyr Valentine had been a priest secretly performing marriages against the wishes of the Emperor. For his pains he was imprisoned where he performed a miracle curing the daughter of his jailer. He later fell in love with this young maid and the night before his execution wrote her a note signed, ‘from your Valentine.’
Fact or no, an annual celebration of romantic love strikes me as a good idea. The Bible has a lot to say on the subject famously describing Christian love or ‘agape’ in 1 Corinthians chapter 13. My favourite passage on love, however, is from the Song of Songs. At just eight chapters it is a book which can easily be overlooked but it is packed with beautiful and erotic imagery that speaks powerfully of yearning love and passionate embrace. It reminds us that love is not to be played with and that it’s value should never be underestimated. A timely reminder if you are still to go shopping for that special someone.
“Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for love is strong as death, passion fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, a raging flame. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If one offered for love all the wealth of one’s house, it would be utterly scorned.”
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