Libri x in Canticum canticorum 90 Let him not betroth me through prophets, she says, but let him speak for himself according to a spiritual sense; (through which John says: "and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life". And she says these things as 91.30 having heard the prophets say: "the king desired your beauty", and elsewhere: "as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall the Lord rejoice over you".) 92 And as often as we, seeking some divine dogma, grasp it, let us consider ourselves "to have been kissed from the mouth" of the bridegroom; but while we are perplexed, let us suppose that we are praying, saying: "let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth". 96 Though there are many wines in the scripture, both better and worse, now the "breasts" of the bridegroom are compared to the better ones; for they would not have been compared to the worse. Therefore the bride, having been gladdened by many and various wines and being prepared to receive the better breasts of the bridegroom, says this, preferring these to the wine "in the law and the prophets". 98 But see how for the evangelical way of life he spoke of a fragrance; but for the legal worship he placed the spices themselves, showing the superiority and spiritual nature of the former, and the crudeness of the latter. 101 Perhaps she prophesies of the name of Christ, the power that filled the world at his coming, so that it became, according to Paul, "to some a fragrance from death to death, but to others from life to life". For if it had been "to life" for all, the bride would have said: for this reason all "have loved you", and not only "the maidens" who are "daily renewed", and "have no wrinkle or spot". But it was "poured out", so as to be no longer kept silent, shut up in secret. 108 "The king brought me into his chamber". That is, by "inner sanctuary" he means the lovely soul or the church or the ruling faculty of Christ, into which Paul, having entered, said: "but we have the mind of Christ, that we may know the things that have been freely given to us by God". And what are these? Those things which "eye has not seen, and 109 ear has not heard, and have not entered into the heart of man; for these God has prepared for those who love him". For in the "chamber" of the bridegroom are "all the hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge". For she, as having preceded the maidens, was brought in and "stood as queen at the right hand of the king in golden apparel" according to David; but concerning the maidens: "virgins shall be brought to the king after her" and what follows. 111 "We will love your breasts more than wine". That is, even if now through weakness "we love", O bridegroom, "the wine" more than your "breasts", when we become better, we "will love" them "more" than it. Therefore, "wine" gladdening "maidens" is the things of the law, but the perfection of the bridegroom is the "breasts". Then, as an apology for not yet loving, he says: "uprightness has loved you". But we have not yet made our own paths straight. 126 Christ "overlooked" me "darkened" by sin because of unbelief, whom the scriptures proclaim "the sun of righteousness". 128 But pay attention to these things as well, regarding the passage, that "the sun", being white and bright, seems to be the cause of "being blackened", not from itself, but from the one who, as we have explained, is "being blackened". Thus, perhaps, also "the Lord hardens the heart of Pharaoh", the cause of this being around him who was "making the life of the Hebrews bitter with hard labor, in mortar and in brick and in all kinds of work", not in the mountains and hills, but "in the fields"; for being someone material from his own wickedness and living in all things according to the flesh, being a friend of "clay", he also wishes to make the Hebrews work in clay, having a ruling faculty not clean of "clay", which, as clay is hardened by the sun, 129 so "was hardened" by the rays of God watching over Israel. That such things are in the passages related to the place and that it is not proposed for the servant to record a bare history, will be clear to the

Libri x in Canticum canticorum 90 Μὴ διὰ προφητῶν με μνηστευσάτω, φησίν, δι' ἑαυτοῦ δὲ ὁμιλησάτω κατ' αἴσθησιν πνευματικήν· (δι' ἧς ὁ Ἰωάννης φησί· «καὶ αἱ χεῖρες ἡμῶν ἐψηλάφησαν περὶ τοῦ λόγου τῆς ζωῆς». Ταῦτα δέ φησιν ὡς 91.30 τῶν προφητῶν εἰπόντων ἀκούσασα· «ἐπεθύμησεν ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῦ κάλλους σου», καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ· «ὃν τρόπον εὐφρανθήσεται νυμφίος ἐπὶ νύμφην, οὕτως εὐφρανθήσεται Κύριος ἐπὶ σοί».) 92 Ὁσάκις δέ τι ζητοῦντες θεῖον δόγμα καταλαμβάνομεν, «καταπεφιλῆσθαι ἀπὸ τοῦ στόματος» τοῦ νυμφίου νομίσωμεν· ἐν ὅσῳ δὲ ἀποροῦμεν, ὑπολάβωμεν εὐχόμενοι λέγειν τό· «φιλησάτω με ἀπὸ φιλημάτων στόματος αὐτοῦ». 96 Πολλῶν ὄντων οἴνων ἐν τῇ γραφῇ κρειττό νων τε καὶ χειρόνων, νῦν τοῖς κρείττοσιν οἱ τοῦ νυμφίου «μαστοὶ» παρατίθενται· οὐ γὰρ ἂν τοῖς χείροσι συνεκρίθησαν. Ἡ τοίνυν νύμφη πολλοῖς καὶ διαφόροις οἴνοις εὐφρανθεῖσα καὶ ἔχουσα παρασκευὴν εἰς τὸ δέξασθαι τοὺς κρείττονας τούτων τοῦ νυμφίου μαστοὺς τοῦτό φησι προτιμῶσα τούτους οἴνου τοῦ «ἐν νόμῳ τε καὶ προφήταις». 98 Ὅρα δέ, ὡς ἐπὶ μὲν τῆς εὐαγγελι κῆς πολιτείας ὀσμὴν ἔφη· ἐπὶ τῆς νομικῆς λατρείας αὐτὰ τέθεικε τὰ ἀρώματα, δηλῶν ἐκείνης τὸ ὑπερέχον καὶ πνευματικόν, ταύτης δὲ τὸ πάχυ. 101 Τάχα προφη τεύει τοῦ ὀνόματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὴν τὸν κόσμον πληρώσασαν δύνα μιν κατὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ παρουσίαν, ὥστε γενέσθαι κατὰ τὸν Παῦλον «οἷς μὲν ὀσμὴ ἐκ θανάτου εἰς θάνατον, οἷς δὲ ἐκ ζωῆς εἰς ζωήν». Εἰ γὰρ πᾶσιν ἦν «εἰς ζωὴν», εἶπεν ἂν ἡ νύμφη· διὰ τοῦτο πάντες «ἠγάπησάν σε», ἀλλ' οὐ μόνον «αἱ νεάνιδες» «ὁσημέραι ἀνανεούμεναι», καὶ «μὴ ἔχουσαι ῥυτίδα ἢ σπῖλον». «Ἐξεκενώθη» δέ, ὡς μηκέτι σιωπᾶσθαι κατακεκλεισμένον ἐν ἀπορρήτοις. 108 «Εἰσήγαγέ με ὁ βασι λεὺς εἰς τὸ ταμιεῖον αὐτοῦ». Ἤγουν «ἄδυτον» τὴν ἀξιέραστον λέγει ψυχὴν ἢ ἐκκλησίαν ἢ τὸ ἡγεμονικὸν τοῦ Χριστοῦ, εἰς ὃ Παῦλος εἰσελ θὼν ἔφη· «ἡμεῖς δὲ νοῦν Χριστοῦ ἔχομεν, ἵνα εἴδωμεν τὰ ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ χαρισθέντα ἡμῖν». Τίνα δὲ ταῦτα; Ἃ «ὀφθαλμὸς οὐκ εἶδε καὶ 109 οὖς οὐκ ἤκουσε καὶ ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἀνέβη· ταῦτα γὰρ ἡτοίμασεν ὁ Θεὸς τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτόν». Ἐν γὰρ «τῷ ταμιείῳ» τοῦ νυμφίου «πάντες οἱ θησαυροὶ τῆς σοφίας καὶ τῆς γνώσεως ἀπόκρυφοι». Αὕτη μὲν γὰρ ὡς προλαβοῦσα τὰς νεάνιδας εἰσήχθη καὶ «παρέστη ὡς βασίλισσα ἐκ δεξιῶν τοῦ βασιλέως ἐν ἱματισμῷ διαχρύσῳ» κατὰ τὸν ∆αυΐδ· περὶ δὲ τῶν νεανίδων· «ἀπενεχθήσονται τῷ βασιλεῖ παρ θένοι ὀπίσω αὐτῆς» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. 111 «Ἀγαπήσομεν μαστούς σου ὑπὲρ οἶνον». Ἤγουν, εἰ καὶ νῦν δι' ἀσθένειαν ὑπὲρ τοὺς σοὺς «μαστοὺς ἀγαπῶμεν», ὦ νυμφίε, «τὸν οἶνον», ὅταν βελτιωθῶμεν, «ὑπὲρ» τοῦτον αὐτοὺς «ἀγαπήσομεν». «Οἶνος» μὲν οὖν εὐφραίνων «νεάνιδας» τὰ νομικά, ἡ δὲ τελειότης τοῦ νυμφίου «μαστοί». Εἶτα εἰς ἀπολογίαν τοῦ μὴ ἤδη ἀγαπᾶν φησιν· «εὐθύτης ἠγάπησέ σε». Ἡμεῖς δὲ οὔπω τὰς ἑαυτῶν πορείας εὐθείας ἐποιησάμεθα. 126 «Σκοτισθεῖσάν» με τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ Χριστὸς «παρεῖδε» διὰ τὴν ἀπιστίαν, ὃν «ἥλιον δικαιοσύνης» ἀναγορεύουσιν αἱ γραφαί. 128 Πρόσχες δὲ καὶ τούτοις εἰς τὸν τόπον, ὅτι «ὁ ἥλιος» λευκὸς καὶ λαμπρὸς ὢν δοκεῖ τὴν αἰτίαν ἔχειν τοῦ «μελανοῦν», οὐ παρ' ἑαυτὸν, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τόν, ὡς ἀποδεδώκαμεν, «μελανούμενον». Οὕτω δὲ μήποτε καὶ «σκλη ρύνει Κύριος τὴν καρδίαν Φαραώ», τῆς αἰτίας τούτου οὔσης περὶ αὐτὸν «κατοδυνῶντα τὴν τῶν Ἑβραίων ζωὴν ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις τοῖς σκληροῖς, τῷ πηλῷ καὶ τῇ πλινθείᾳ καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ἔργοις», οὐχὶ τοῖς ἐν ὄρεσι καὶ βουνοῖς, ἀλλὰ «τοῖς ἐν τοῖς πεδίοις»· ὑλικὸς γάρ τις ἀπὸ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ κα κίας γεγενημένος καὶ κατὰ σάρκα κατὰ πάντα ζῶν, «πηλῷ» φίλος τυγχάνων βούλεται καὶ τοὺς Ἑβραίους πηλοποιεῖν τὸ ἡγεμονικὸν ἔχων οὐ καθαρὸν «πηλοῦ», ὅπερ ὡς πηλὸς ὑπὸ ἡλίου σκληρύνεται, 129 οὕτως ὑπὸ τῶν αὐγῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπισκοπουσῶν τὸν Ἰσραὴλ «ἐσκλη ρύνθη». Ὅτι δὲ τοιαῦτά ἐστιν ἐν τοῖς κατὰ τὸν τόπον καὶ οὐχ ἱστο ρίαν ψιλὴν πρόκειται ἀναγράφειν τῷ θεράποντι, δῆλον ἔσται τῷ