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In Canticum canticorum

GREGORY BISHOP OF NYSSA'S EXPOSITION OF THE SONG OF SONGS

Prologue

To the most venerable Olympias, Gregory, bishop of Nyssa, greetings in the Lord. I have accepted, as befitting your venerable life and your pure soul, the request concerning the Song of Songs which you laid upon us both in person and by letter, that through a suitable contemplation the philosophy hidden in the words might be revealed, purified in its undefiled meanings from the surface sense of the text at 6.4. Therefore I readily accepted the care for this matter, not as though I might be of any use to your own character (for I am persuaded that the eye of your soul is pure from every passionate and defiling thought and looks unhindered toward the undefiled grace through these divine sayings), but so that for those who are more carnal it might become a kind of guidance toward the spiritual and immaterial state of the soul, to which this book leads through the wisdom hidden in it. But since some of the churchmen think it right to adhere to the letter of the holy scripture in all things and do not agree that anything is said by it through riddles and hidden meanings for our benefit, I think it necessary first to make a defense concerning these things to those who bring such charges against us, that nothing improper is done by us in our zeal to hunt out in every way from the God-inspired scripture what is profitable; so that if the letter, understood as it is written, should also be of some benefit, we have readily at hand what is sought; but if something said with 6.5 concealment in certain hidden meanings and riddles should be useless for edification according to its surface meaning, we should re-interpret such sayings, as the word that instructs us through the Proverbs guides, so as to understand what is said either as a parable, or as an obscure saying, or as a saying of the wise, or as one of the riddles. And whether someone should wish to call the contemplation of these things through a higher sense "tropology" or "allegory" or something else, we will not quarrel about the name, provided only that it holds to beneficial meanings; for the great apostle also, saying that the law is spiritual, and including in the name of the law the historical narratives as well—so that all God-inspired scripture is a law for those who read it, instructing those who understand attentively not only through its manifest precepts but also through its historical narratives toward both knowledge of the mysteries and a pure way of life—has used exegesis as he saw fit, looking to what is beneficial, and does not care about the name by which the type of exegesis ought to be called; but at one time he says he is changing his voice, when he is about to transfer the history to a demonstration of the economy concerning the covenants; 6.6 then, mentioning the two children of Abraham, born to him of the handmaid and the free woman, he calls the contemplation about them an allegory, and again, having narrated certain events of the history, he says that *These things happened to them as a type, but they were written for our instruction.* And again, having said that one must not muzzle the ox when it is treading out the grain, he added that *Is it for oxen that God is concerned?* but that *It was written entirely for our sake.* And there are times when he calls the more obscure comprehension and partial knowledge a mirror and a riddle. And again, the transition from corporeal things to intelligible things he calls a turning to the Lord and a removal of a veil. And in all these...

1

In Canticum canticorum

ΓΡΗΓΟΡΙΟΥ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΥ ΝΥΣΣΗΣ ΕΞΗΓΗΣΙΣ ΤΟΥ ΑΙΣΜΑΤΟΣ ΤΩΝ ΑΙΣΜΑΤΩΝ

Πρόλογος

Τῇ σεμνοπρεπεστάτῃ Ὀλυμπιάδι Γρηγόριος ἐπίσκοπος Νύσσης ἐν κυρίῳ

χαίρειν. Ἀπεδεξάμην ὡς πρέπουσαν τῷ σεμνῷ σου βίῳ καὶ τῇ καθαρᾷ σου ψυχῇ τὴν

περὶ τοῦ Ἄισματος τῶν Ἀισμάτων σπουδήν, ἣν καὶ κατὰ πρόσωπον καὶ διὰ γραμμάτων ἡμῖν ἐπέθου, ὥστε διὰ τῆς καταλλήλου θεωρίας φανερωθῆναι τὴν ἐγκεκρυμμένην τοῖς ῥητοῖς φιλοσοφίαν τῆς προχείρου κατὰ 6.4 τὴν λέξιν ἐμφάσεως ἐν ταῖς ἀκηράτοις ἐννοίαις κεκαθαρ μένην. διὸ προθύμως ἐδεξάμην τὴν περὶ τούτου φροντίδα, οὐχ ὡς σοί τι χρησιμεύσων εἰς τὸ σὸν ἦθος (πέπεισμαι γάρ σου καθαρεύειν τὸν τῆς ψυχῆς ὀφθαλμὸν ἀπὸ πάσης ἐμπαθοῦς τε καὶ ῥυπώσης ἐννοίας καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἀκήρατον χάριν διὰ τῶν θείων τούτων ῥητῶν ἀπαραποδίστως βλέπειν), ἀλλ' ἐφ' ᾧτε τοῖς σαρκωδεστέροις χειραγωγίαν τινὰ γενέσθαι πρὸς τὴν πνευματικήν τε καὶ ἄϋλον τῆς ψυχῆς κατάστασιν, πρὸς ἣν ἄγει τὸ βιβλίον τοῦτο διὰ τῆς ἐγκεκρυμμένης αὐτῷ σοφίας. ἐπειδὴ δέ τισι τῶν ἐκκλησιαστικῶν παρίστασθαι τῇ λέξει τῆς ἁγίας γραφῆς διὰ πάντων δοκεῖ καὶ τὸ δι' αἰνιγμάτων τε καὶ ὑπονοιῶν εἰρῆσθαί τι παρ' αὐτῆς εἰς ὠφέλειαν ἡμῶν οὐ συντίθενται, ἀναγκαῖον ἡγοῦμαι πρῶτον περὶ τούτων τοῖς τὰ τοιαῦτα ἡμῖν ἐγκαλοῦσιν ἀπολογήσασθαι, ὅτι οὐδὲν ἀπὸ τρόπου γίνεται παρ' ἡμῶν ἐν τῷ σπουδάζειν ἡμᾶς παντοίως θηρεύειν ἐκ τῆς θεοπνεύστου γραφῆς τὸ ὠφέλιμον· ὥστε εἰ μὲν ὠφελοίη τι καὶ ἡ λέξις ὡς εἴρηται νοουμένη, ἔχειν ἐξ ἑτοίμου τὸ σπουδαζόμενον, εἰ δέ τι μετὰ 6.5 ἐπικρύψεως ἐν ὑπονοίαις τισὶ καὶ αἰνίγμασιν εἰρημένον ἀργὸν εἰς ὠφέλειαν εἴη κατὰ τὸ πρόχειρον νόημα, τοὺς τοιούτους λόγους ἀναστρέφειν, καθὼς ὑφηγεῖται ὁ διὰ τῶν Παροιμιῶν ἡμᾶς παιδεύων λόγος, εἰς τὸ νοῆσαι ἢ ὡς παραβολὴν τὸ λεγόμενον ἢ ὡς σκοτεινὸν λόγον ἢ ὡς ῥῆσιν σοφῶν ἢ ὥς τι τῶν αἰνιγμάτων. ὧν τὴν διὰ τῆς ἀναγωγῆς θεωρίαν εἴτε τροπολογίαν εἴτε ἀλληγορίαν εἴτε τι ἄλλο τις ὀνομάζειν ἐθέλοι, οὐδὲν περὶ τοῦ ὀνόματος διοισόμεθα, μόνον εἰ τῶν ἐπωφελῶν ἔχοιτο νοημάτων· καὶ γὰρ ὁ μέγας ἀπόστολος πνευματικὸν εἶναι λέγων τὸν νόμον, ἐμπεριλαμβάνων δὲ τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ νόμου καὶ τὰ ἱστορικὰ διηγήματα, ὡς πᾶσαν τὴν θεόπνευστον γραφὴν νόμον εἶναι τοῖς ἐντυγχάνουσιν, οὐ μόνον διὰ τῶν φανερῶν παραγγελμάτων ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τῶν ἱστορικῶν διηγημάτων παιδεύουσαν πρός τε γνῶσιν τῶν μυστηρίων καὶ πρὸς καθαρὰν πολιτείαν τοὺς ἐπιστατικῶς ἐπαΐοντας, κέχρηται μὲν τῇ ἐξηγήσει κατὰ τὸ ἀρέσκον αὐτῷ πρὸς τὸ ὠφέλιμον βλέπων, οὐ φροντίζει δὲ τοῦ ὀνό ματος, ᾧ χρὴ κατονομάζεσθαι τὸ εἶδος τῆς ἐξηγήσεως· ἀλλὰ νῦν μὲν ἀλλάσσειν φησὶ τὴν φωνήν, μέλλων μετάγειν τὴν ἱστορίαν εἰς ἔνδειξιν τῆς περὶ τῶν διαθηκῶν οἰκονομίας, 6.6 εἶτα μνησθεὶς τῶν δύο τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ τέκνων, τῶν ἔκ τε τῆς παιδίσκης καὶ τῆς ἐλευθέρας αὐτῷ γεγονότων, ἀλλη γορίαν ὀνομάζει τὴν περὶ αὐτῶν θεωρίαν, πάλιν δὲ πράγματά τινα διηγησάμενος τῆς ἱστορίας φησὶν ὅτι Τυπικῶς μὲν συνέβαινεν ἐκείνοις, ἐγράφη δὲ πρὸς νουθεσίαν ἡμῶν. καὶ πάλιν τὸ μὴ δεῖν κημοῦσθαι τὸν ἀλοῶντα βοῦν εἰπὼν προσέ θηκεν ὅτι Οὐ μέλει τῷ θεῷ περὶ τῶν βοῶν, ἀλλ' ὅτι ∆ι' ἡμᾶς πάντως ἐγράφη. ἔστι δὲ ὅπου τὴν ἀμυδροτέραν κατα νόησιν καὶ τὴν ἐκ μέρους γνῶσιν ἔσοπτρον ὀνομάζει καὶ αἴνιγμα. καὶ πάλιν τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν σωματικῶν πρὸς τὰ νοητὰ μετάστασιν πρὸς κύριον ἐπιστροφὴν λέγει καὶ κα λύμματος περιαίρεσιν. ἐν πᾶσι δὲ τούτοις τοῖς