in every state; but Symmachus: not ordered battle-arrays; for they are a terror, like an army in battle array, striking the enemies with dread. Turn away your eyes from me, because they have given me wings. The Church by its loveliness and beauty looks upon Christ; being able with greater progress to perceive his divinity; inasmuch as all things came to be through him; and rejoicing in the power of the eyes, whether of the Church or of the soul, the bride of the Word, he commands her to turn away with rational wings toward what is lofty; so that she might come to the height of perfection, so that she too might see him winged, and no longer condescending for her sake, and might be able to say, even though 17.277 we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know him so no longer; with your progress, therefore, he ascended, he says, as you became capable of seeing, and no longer seeking beyond the economy. Your hair is like flocks of goats, which have come up from Gilead; your teeth, like flocks of shorn ewes which have come up from the washing; all of which bear twins, and there is not one barren among them. These things are said a second time to the bride, I think, first to her appearing as such as was possible, when she was still in this life; a second time when she came to perfection; wherefore now he also only alluded; Your teeth are like flocks of shorn ewes; but according to Aquila and Symmachus, your teeth are like flocks of sheep, or, of lambs; and it was fitting for these things to be said at perfection; so that "from the washing" is no longer of the first, but of the second; and "bearing twins" perhaps, as being nourished by the contemplation of intelligible and sensible things; and as none being barren of the nourishment of the word concerning anything whatsoever. There are sixty queens and eighty concubines, and maidens without number; but my dove is one. The maidens without number; not because they do not fall under a number, but because they are worthy to be numbered; and perhaps it is of the same thought, with the difference here of the maidens who are in communion with Christ, as the things said by the Apostle concerning the resurrection of the dead, speaking of "orders"; For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: For the life and word and disposition of each one will cause each to be preferred according to his worth. Do not wonder, if the bridegroom had a beautiful bride, and perhaps a second and a third and more; if you understand his brides as well, you will not be afraid to say from the Song: There are sixty queens and eighty concubines, and maidens without number; but my dove is one. the bridegroom is the Word; the bride is a rational creature; if a soul understands and the bridegroom takes the bride; but since this Word is not in communion with one soul, but with many and various ones, with a certain royal and resplendent honor, let her be called a perfect dove; and to those that are royal, but inferior, for this reason sixty queens; and he is in communion with other souls being instructed in the fear of God; these are the concubines; there are also some other souls, more inferior, having a lesser fear; these are the maidens without number; The bridegroom therefore here also, beautiful ones and those able to be his and his partners, went forth from the heavenly bridal chamber, he has communion with angels and archangels, which are the brides of the Word, and thrones and dominions. I went down into the garden of nuts to see the fruits of the valley; to see whether the vine flourished, whether the pomegranates budded; there I will give my breasts 17.280 to you; my soul is like the earth; he made me the chariots of Amminadab. According to some example the righteous are nut trees, bearing fruit through priestly service toward God, because they have a fence around them; the one something bitter and gall-like, the other something hard of temptations; but temptation might also be called a torrent; according to that which says, the torrent has gone over our soul; therefore the bride wished, having gone down into the garden of nuts, that is, having fallen from paradise to the

τῷ παντὶ καταστάσεσιν· ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος· οὐ τεταγμέ ναι παρατάξεις· θάμβος γάρ εἰσιν ὡς τάγμα παρεμ βολῶν τοὺς πολεμίους ἐκπλήττοντα. Ἀπόστρεψον τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς σου ἀπεναντίον μου, ὅτι αὐτοὶ ἀνεπτέρωσάν με. Ἡ Ἐκκλησία τῇ ὡραιότητι καὶ τῷ κάλλει ἐνορᾷ τοῦ Χριστοῦ· δυναμένη τῇ πλείονι προκοπῇ κατανοεῖν αὐτοῦ τὴν θεότητα· καθὸ πάντα δι' αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο· εὐφραινόμενος δὲ ἐπὶ τῇ δυνάμει τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν, τῆς εἴτε Ἐκκλησίας εἴτε νύμφης τοῦ λόγου ψυχῆς· πτεροῖς αὐτὴν λογικοῖς ἀποστραφῆναι κελεύει πρὸς τὸ μετέω ρον· ὡς ἂν ἐπ' ἄκρον ἔλθοι τῆς τελειότητος, ὡς ἂν κἀκείνη βλέπῃ τοῦτον ἐπτερωμένον, καὶ μηκέτι συγ καταβαίνοντα δι' αὐτὴν, καὶ δύνηται λέγειν, εἰ καὶ 17.277 ἐγνώκαμεν κατὰ σάρκα Χριστὸν, ἀλλὰ νῦν οὐκέτι γινώσκομεν· τῇ σῇ τοίνυν συνανέβη προκοπῇ, φησὶν, χωρησάσης σου ἐνορᾷν, καὶ μηκέτι περαιτέρω τῆς οἰκονομίας ζητεῖν. Τρίχωμά σου ὡς ἀγέλαι τῶν αἰγῶν, αἳ ἀνέβη σαν ἀπὸ τοῦ Γαλαάδ· ὀδόντες σου, ὡς ἀγέλαι τῶν κεκαρμένων αἳ ἀνέβησαν ἀπὸ τοῦ λουτροῦ· αἱ πᾶσαι διδυμεύουσαι, καὶ ἀτεκνοῦσα οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν αὐταῖς. Εἴρηται δεύτερον ταῦτα τῇ νύμφῃ, πρότερον οἶμαι τοιαύτῃ φανείσῃ κατὰ τὸ ἐνδεχόμενον, ἡνίκα ἔτι ἐν τῷ βίῳ τούτῳ ἐτύγχανεν· δεύτερον ὁπότε ἦλθεν ἐπὶ τὴν τελειότητα· διὸ καὶ νῦν μόνον παρῃνίξατο· Ὀδόν τες σου ὡς ἀγέλαι τῶν κεκαρμένων· κατὰ δὲ τὸν Ἀκύλαν καὶ Σύμμαχον, ὀδόντες σου ὡς ἀγέλαι τῶν προβάτων, ἢ, τῶν ἀμνάδων· καὶ ἔπρεπεν εἰρῆσθαι ταῦτα ἐπὶ τῆς τελειότητος· ὡς εἶναι τὸ ἀπὸ τοῦ λου τροῦ οὐκ ἔτι προτέρου, ἀλλὰ τοῦ δευτέρου· διδυ μεύουσαι δὲ τάχα, ὡς τρεφόμεναι τῇ τῶν νοητῶν καὶ αἰσθητῶν θεωρίᾳ· καὶ ὡς μηδεμίαν ἄγονον εἶναι τῆς περὶ οὑτινοσοῦν λόγου τροφῆς. Ἑξήκοντά εἰσι βασίλισσαι καὶ ὀγδοήκοντα παλ λακαὶ, καὶ νεάνιδες ὧν οὐκ ἔστιν ἀριθμός· μία δέ ἐστι περιστερά μου. Αἱ νεάνιδες ἀριθμὸν οὐκ ἔχουσαι· οὐ τῷ μὴ ὑποπίπτειν ἀριθμῷ, ἀλλὰ τῷ ἀξίας αὐτὰς εἶναι ἀρι θμηθῆναι· καὶ τάχα τῆς αὐτῆς διανοίας ἔχεται, τῇ ἐνταῦθα διαφορᾷ τῶν νεανίδων τῶν κοινωνουμένων ὑπὸ Χριστοῦ, καὶ τὰ παρὰ Ἀποστόλου λεγόμενα περὶ ἀναστάσεως νεκρῶν, λόγῳ τάγματα φάσκοντι· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ δι' ἀνθρώπου θάνατος, καὶ δι' ἀνθρώπου ἀνά στασις νεκρῶν· ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐν τῷ Ἀδὰμ πάντες ἀποθνήσκουσιν, οὕτω καὶ ἐν τῷ Χριστῷ πάντες ζωοποιηθήσονται· ἕκαστος ἐν τῷ ἰδίῳ τάγματι· ὁ γὰρ ἑκάστου βίος καὶ λόγος καὶ διάθεσις ποιήσει προκριθῆναι ἑκάστου κατ' ἀξίαν. Μὴ θαύμαζε, εἰ ὁ νυμφίος ἦν ἔχων καλὴν νύμφην, καὶ τάχα δευτέραν καὶ τρίτην καὶ πλείονας· ἐὰν νοή σῃς αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰς νύμφας, οὐ φοβηθήσῃ λέγειν ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἄσματος· Ἑξήκοντά εἰσι βασίλισσαι καὶ ὀγδοήκοντα παλλακαὶ, καὶ νεάνιδες ὧν οὐκ ἔστιν ἀριθμός· μία δέ ἐστι περιστερά μου· λόγος ἐστὶν ὁ νυμφίος· λογικὸν ζῶον ἡ νύμφη· ἐὰν νοήσῃ ψυχὴ καὶ λάβῃ ὁ νυμφίος τὴν νύμφην· ἀλλ' ἐπεί ἐστιν ὁ λόγος οὗτος, οὐ μιᾷ ψυχῇ κοινωνῶν, ἀλλὰ πλείοσι καὶ δια φόροις, τιμῇ τινι βασιλικῇ καὶ διαφαινούσῃ, λεγέτω τελεία περιστερά· ταῖς δὲ βασιλικαῖς μὲν, ὑποδεεστέ ραις δὲ, διὰ τοῦτο ἑξήκοντα βασίλισσαι· ἑτέραις δὲ ψυχαῖς κοινωνεῖ παιδαγωγουμέναις φόβῳ Θεοῦ· αὗταί εἰσιν αἱ παλλακίδες· εἰσί τινες καὶ ἄλλαι ψυχαὶ ὑπο δεέστεραι, ἐλάττονα φόβον ἔχουσαι· αὗταί εἰσιν αἱ νεάνιδες ὧν οὐκ ἔστιν ἀριθμός· ὁ νυμφίος τοίνυν καὶ ἐνθάδε καλὰς καὶ δυναμένας αὐτῷ εἶναι καὶ κοινω νοὺς, ἐξῆλθεν ἀπὸ τοῦ παστοῦ τοῦ ἐπουρανίου, κοι νωνεῖ ἀγγέλοις καὶ ἀρχαγγέλοις, αἵ τινές εἰσιν αἱ νύμφαι τοῦ λόγου, καὶ θρόνοι καὶ κυριότητες. Εἰς κῆπον καρύας κατέβην ἰδεῖν ἐν γεννήματι τοῦ χειμάῤῥου· ἰδεῖν εἰ ἤνθησεν ἡ ἄμπελος, εἰ ἤν θησαν αἱ ῥόαι· ἐκεῖ δώσω τοὺς μαστούς μου 17.280 σοί· γῆ ἐστιν ὡς ἡ ψυχή μου· ἔθετό με ἅρματα Ἀμιναδάβ. Κατά τι παράδειγμα οἱ δίκαιοι καρύαι εἰσὶ, φέ ροντες καρπὸν διὰ τὴν πρὸς Θεὸν θεραπείαν ἱερατι κὴν, διὰ τὸ ἕρκος ἔχειν περὶ αὐτά· ὁ μέν τι πικρὸν καὶ χολῶδες, ἕτερον δέ τι σκληρὸν τῶν πειρασμῶν· ἀλλὰ καὶ χειμάῤῥους ὁ πειρασμὸς λέγοιτο· κατὰ τὸ, χειμάῤῥους διῆλθεν ἡ ψυχὴ ἡμῶν· ἠβουλήθη τοί νυν ἡ νύμφη καταβᾶσα εἰς τὸν κῆπον τῆς καρύας, τουτέστιν ἐκπεσοῦσα τὰ παραδείσου πρὸς τὴν