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In cantica canticorum interpretation

Eusebius of Pamphilus's explanation of the Song of Songs.

It is called the Song of Songs for this reason, because after the other songs comes this one, and after this one there is nothing else to expect; and by "something else," I do not mean a book, but the meaning signified by the book. What it says is of this sort. All divine scripture prophesies concerning the descent of the Logos to us, and his coming in the flesh. For this is the will of God, and it is the primary thing for both the prophets and all divinely inspired scripture to proclaim. And as a consequence to this divine narrative, they compose discourses concerning the nations of Babylon, Damascus, Moab and the others; and through each scripture they rebuke sinners, and urge those who have been caught to repent, threatening the future judgment of fire. The other scriptures, therefore, foretell, for instance Moses: The Lord God will raise up a prophet, he says, from our brothers like me. And Isaiah: Behold, the virgin will conceive in her womb and bear a son. And Micah: In the last days the mountain of the Lord will be manifest. And another foretells in another way. According to the grace of the Spirit and what these men said, the promised Lord was awaited 3.531; for this reason many proclaimed, and when he came, those who prophesied ceased, and all these are songs singing about the coming savior.

But the Song of Songs is not prophesying, nor is it foreshadowing, but him whom the others announced beforehand, this it shows as having already come and already taken flesh, rightly singing a nuptial song for the union of the Logos and the flesh. And the other scriptures, while speaking of the savior, also proclaim in the midst of it about certain other things. But this book sings only of the union of the Logos with the body. And the other scriptures, on account of the things accomplished in the meantime, also contain words of wrath and anger and threats of fear; but this book, since it signifies nothing other than the coming of the Logos alone, has only words of gladness and joy and delight. When the bridegroom is present, it is fitting for all to rejoice and for no one to mourn, as the Lord himself has said. For he, being present, bore our infirmities, and turned our sorrows into joy. Therefore, just as after the economy of the savior we no longer expect a prophet, so after the things signified in the Song of Songs, there is nothing else newer to study or to expect to be signified. For the things signified in the Song are found to be spoken also in the prophets and in the other scriptures at intervals.

And again, just as when John pointed to the lamb, the law and the prophets are until John, so the things signified in the Song of Songs are the end of all the things signified in the divine scripture. For what else should one expect after the savior but res 3.532 urrection and judgment? for this reason those among the Phrygians who bring forth prophets after the Lord, are in error and have been condemned as heretics. Therefore, it is the Song of Songs because after what has been said there is nothing else to expect. And just as after the law there was a holy place, and after the holy of holies there was no more inner place, so after the Song of Songs, one is no longer to expect a more inward, newer promise. For once the Logos became flesh, and has completed the work.

The whole book is full of these dialogues: of the ancient people to the Logos, and of the human race in general to the Logos, and of the church from the nations to him, and of the Logos to it, and again to the human

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In cantica canticorum interpretation

Εὐσεβίου τοῦ Παμφίλου εἰς τὸ ᾆσμα τῶν ᾀσμάτων ἐξήγησις.

Ἆσμα ᾀσμάτων διὰ τοῦτο καλεῖται, ἐπειδὴ μετὰ τὰ μέν τ' ἄλλα ᾄσματα τοῦτο, μετὰ δὲ τοῦτο οὐκ ἔτι ἄλλο προσδοκᾶν ἐστίν· ἄλλο δὲ λέγω, οὐ βιβλίον, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἐκ τοῦ βιβλίου σημαινόμενον. Ὃ δὲ λέγει, τοιοῦτον ἐστί. Πᾶσα θεία γραφὴ περὶ τῆς εἰς ἡμᾶς τοῦ Λόγου καθόδου, καὶ τῆς ἐνσάρκου αὐτοῦ παρουσίας προφητεύει. Τοῦτο γὰρ τὸ βούλημα τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐστὶν, τοῖς τε προφήταις καὶ πάσῃ τῇ θεογραφῇ τοῦτο προηγούμενον ἐστὶν ἀπαγγέλλειν. Παρακολούθημα δὲ τῷ θείῳ διηγήματι τοῦτο ποιοῦνται, λόγους περὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν τῆς Βαβυλῶνος, τῆς ∆αμάσκου, τῆς Μωὰβ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων· καὶ δι' ἑκάστης γραφῆς τοῖς μὲν ἁμαρτάνουσιν ἐπιτιμῶσι, τοὺς δὲ προληφθέντας προτρέπονται μετανοεῖν, ἀπειλοῦντες τὴν μέλλουσαν τοῦ πυρὸς κρίσιν. Αἱ μὲν οὖν ἄλλαι γραφαὶ προλέγουσιν, οἷον Μωϋσῆς μέν· Προφήτην ἀναστήσει, λέγων, Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ἐκ τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἡμῶν ὡς ἐμέ. Ἡσαΐας δέ· Ἰδοὺ ἡ παρθένος ἐν γαστρὶ ἕξει καὶ τέξεται υἱόν. Ὁ δὲ Μιχαίας· Ἐν ταῖς ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις ἐμφανὲς τὸ ὄρος Κυρίου. Καὶ ἄλλος ἄλλως προλέγει. Κατὰ μὲν τὴν τοῦ Πνεύματος χάριν καὶ τούτων λεγόντων, προσεδο 3.531 κάτω ὁ ἐπαγγελλόμενος Κύριος· διὰ τοῦτο καὶ πολλοὶ ἀπήγγελλον, καὶ ὡς ἦλθεν, ἐπαύσαντο οἱ προφητεύοντες, καὶ ἔστι ταῦτα πάντα ᾄσματα ᾄδοντα περὶ τοῦ ἐρχομένου σωτῆρος.

Τὸ δὲ ᾆσμα τῶν ᾀσμάτων οὐχ ὡς προφητεῦόν ἐστιν, οὐδ' ὡς προσημαῖνον, ἀλλ' ὃν οἱ ἄλλοι προαπήγγελλον, τοῦτον ὡς ἤδη ἐλθόντα δείκνυσι καὶ ἤδη λαβόντα τὴν σάρκα, δικαίως ἐπὶ συζυγίᾳ τοῦ Λόγου καὶ τῆς σαρκὸς ἐπιθαλάμιον ᾄδει. Καὶ αἱ μὲν ἄλλαι γραφαὶ λέγουσαι περὶ τοῦ σωτῆρος, μεταξὺ καὶ περὶ ἄλλων τινων ἀπαγγέλλουσιν. Τὸ δὲ βιβλίον τοῦτο μόνην τὴν τοῦ Λόγου συζυγίαν πρὸς τὸ σῶμα ᾄδει. Καὶ αἱ μὲν ἄλλαι γραφαὶ, διὰ τὰ μεταξὺ τελούμενα, εἰσὶ καὶ ὀργῆς καὶ θυμοῦ λόγοι καὶ φόβων ἀπειλή· τὸ δὲ βιβλίον τοῦτο, ἐπειδὴ οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἢ τὴν παρουσίαν μόνην τοῦ Λόγου σημαίνει, θυμηδείας καὶ χαρᾶς καὶ εὐφροσύνης μόνους ἔχει λόγους. Νυμφίου παρόντος, πάντας χαίρειν προσήκει καὶ μηδένα πενθεῖν, ὡς αὐτὸς ὁ Κύριος εἴρηκε. Αὐτὸς γὰρ παρὼν, τὰς ἀσθενείας ἡμῶν ἐβάστασεν, καὶ τὰς λύπας ἐπέστρεψεν εἰς χαράν. Ὥσπερ οὖν μετὰ τὴν οἰκονομίαν τοῦ σωτῆρος οὐκέτι προφήτην προσδοκῶμεν, οὕτω μετὰ τὰ ἐν τῷ ᾄσματι τῶν ᾀσμάτων σημαινόμενα, οὐκ ἔστιν ἄλλο τι καινότερον μελετᾶν ἢ προσδοκᾶν σημαινόμενον. Καὶ γὰρ τὰ ἐν τῷ ᾄσματι σημαινόμενα, ταῦτα καὶ ἐν τοῖς προφήταις καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἄλλαις γραφαῖς ἐκ διαστήματος λεγόμενα εὑρίσκεται.

Πάλιν τε, ὥσπερ δεικνύντος τοῦ Ἰωάννου τὸν ἀμνὸν, ἕως Ἰωάννου ὁ νόμος καὶ οἱ προφῆται εἰσὶν, οὕτω τὰ ἐν τῷ ᾄσματι τῶν ᾀσμάτων σημαινόμενα, τέλος ἐστι πάντων τῶν ἐν τῇ θείᾳ γραφῇ σημαινομένων. Τί γὰρ ἄλλο μετὰ τὸν σωτῆρα προσδοκᾶν δεῖ ἢ ἀ 3.532 νάστασιν καὶ κρίσιν; διὰ τοῦτο οἱ κατὰ Φρύγας προσάγοντες προφήτας μετὰ τὸν Κύριον, σφάλλονται καὶ αἱρετικοὶ κατεκρίθησαν. Ἆσμα ᾀσμάτων οὖν διὰ τὸ μετὰ τὸ ῥητὸν οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἔστι προσδοκᾶν. Καὶ ὥσπερ μετὰ νόμον ἅγια ἦν, καὶ μετὰ τὰ ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων οὐκέτι ἦν ἐσώτερος τόπος, οὕτω μετὰ μὲν τὸ ᾆσμα τῶν ᾀσμάτων, οὐκέτι δὲ προσδοκᾶν ἐστὶν ἐσωτερικὴν καινοτέραν ἐπαγγελίαν. Ἅπαξ γὰρ ὁ Λόγος ἐγένετο σὰρξ, καὶ τετελείωκε τὸ ἔργον.

Ἔστι δὲ ὅλον τὸ βιβλίον διαλόγων πλῆρες τούτων· τοῦ παλαιοῦ λαοῦ πρὸς τὸν Λόγον, καὶ καθόλου τοῦ ἀνθρωπίνου γένους πρὸς τὸν Λόγον, καὶ τῆς ἐξ ἐθνῶν ἐκκλησίας πρὸς αὐτὸν, καὶ τοῦ Λόγου πρὸς αὐτὴν, καὶ πάλιν πρὸς τὸ ἀνθρώπινον