andamongCatholicsitwasseenwhenPhilipIIallowedthepiousandgiftedLuisdeLeon，forasimilaroffence，tobethrownintoadungeonoftheInquisitionandkeptthereforfiveyears，untilhishealthwasutterlyshatteredandhisspiritsobrokenthatheconsentedtopublishanewcommentaryonthesong，“astheologicalandobscureasthemostorthodoxcoulddesire。”
Here，too，wehaveanexampleoftheefficiencyoftheolderbiblicaltheologyinfetteringthestrongermindsandinstupefyingtheweaker。JustasthebookofGenesishadtowaitovertwothousandyearsforaphysiciantorevealthesimplestfactregardingitsstructure，sotheSongofSongshadtowaitevenlongerforapoettorevealnotonlyitsbeautybutitscharacter。Commentatorsinnumerablehadinterpretedit；St。
Bernardhadpreachedovereightysermonsonitsfirsttwochapters；Palestrinahadsetitsmosteroticpartstosacredmusic；JewsandGentiles，CatholicsandProtestants，fromOrigentoAbenEzraandfromLuthertoBossuet，haduncovereditsdeepmeaningsandhaddemonstratedittobeanythingandeverythingsavethatwhichitreallyis。AmongscoresofthesestrangeimaginationsitwasdeclaredtorepresenttheloveofJehovahforIsrael；theloveofChristfortheChurch；thepraisesoftheBlessedVirgin；theunionofthesoulwiththebody；sacredhistoryfromtheExodustotheMessiah；ChurchhistoryfromtheCrucifixiontotheReformation；andsomeofthemoreacuteProtestantdivinesfoundinitreferenceseventothereligiouswarsinGermanyandtothePeaceofPassau。Inthesedaysitseemshardtoimaginehowreallycompetentreasonerscouldthusarguewithoutlaughingineachother’sfaces，afterthemannerofCicero’saugurs。HerdershowedSolomon’sSongtobewhatthewholethinkingworldnowknowsittobe——simplyanOrientallove-poem。
Buthisfranknessbroughthimintotrouble：hewasbitterlyassailed。Neitherhisnoblecharacternorhisgeniusavailedhim。Obligedtofleefromonepastoratetoanother，heatlastfoundahappyrefugeatWeimarinthesocietyofGoethe，Wieland，andJeanPaul，andthenceheexercisedapowerfulinfluenceinremovingnoxiousandparasiticgrowthsfromreligiousthought。
ItwouldhardlybepossibletoimagineamanmoredifferentfromHerderthanwastheotherofthetwowhomostinfluencedbiblicalinterpretationattheendoftheeighteenthcentury。ThiswasAlexanderGeddes——aRomanCatholicpriestandaScotchman。