Procopius of Gaza, Chain on the Song of Songs

Catena in Canticum canticorum

OF PROCOPIUS OF GAZA, A CHRISTIAN SOPHIST, AN EPITOME OF EXEGETICAL SELECTIONS ON THE SONG OF SONGS, FROM THE VOICE OF GREGORY OF NYSSA, AND CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA, AND ORIGEN, AND PHILO OF CARPATHOS, APOLLINARIUS, EUSEBIUS OF CAESAREA AND VARIOUS OTHERS, NAMELY DIDYMUS, SAINT ISIDORE, THEODORET AND

THEOPHILUS. 1545 FIRST CHAPTER. {Gregory of Nyssa.} Through what is written here the soul is somehow adorned as a bride for the immaterial and spiritual union with God; and it requires listeners clothed in white with undefiled thoughts, so as to be within the undefiled bridal chamber. For even the inscription urges us toward this. For just as the Holy of Holies is exalted in holiness, so this present song surpasses those of David and of Moses and of the other prophets; and in the manner of a wedding song it describes the mingling with the Divine of the human soul; for this reason Solomon, showing through wedding words, both the ineffable desire that is owed to God (for conjugal desire is greater than any other appetite), and the utmost dispassion; for it is necessary for one who cleaves to God to be so pure, as to make passionate impulses a subject of dispassion. Solomon proceeded in such an order, teaching thus; for 1548 to the still youthful soul, having proposed proverbs, he commands it to love wisdom; wherefore also, he often says, "My son," and to him as a youth, he promises a necklace and a crown; and towards the end he praises the virtuous woman; then for one so introduced, in Ecclesiastes he tears down everything, calling the transient things vanity; so that he might give wings to the soul toward the things that abide; and now he joins the soul thus purified to him who is truly and alone good; wishing the soul, not by fear of punishment, nor by hope of rewards; for both are servile; but by the love-charm of charity to run to God. 1. Song of songs. {Nilus.} The book of songs is like a woman, radiant with natural beauty, and having enhanced her natural beauty with costly ornament, yet dignified in character and outward appearance, being very differently disposed in what is hidden. For just as with such a woman, her appearance stirs pleasure in the licentious, but experience proves her modesty, which does not consent to the ready display; so with the present book, the language, being fashioned rather erotically, seems somehow to become a bait for the uneducated, but the meaning, revealing the austerity of the mysteries to those who draw near, makes the difficulty of the thoughts acceptable through the delight in the language; and persuading one to serve the solemnity of contemplation, from the apparent passion in the letter, artfully guiding to the mystical initiation of the doctrines signified. Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth The bridegroom is the fount of life who cries, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink;" and from his mouth the words of life pour down like rain; to which the soul hastens to press its own mouth, according to the prophet, to draw in spirit; for this kiss is a cleansing from all defilement; wherefore it seems to me the Lord offers such a thing reproachfully to Simon the leper, that "You gave me no kiss;" for otherwise you would have been cleansed of your affliction. {Origen.} And otherwise; Not through prophets, etc. For your breasts are better than wine, [2.] and the fragrance of your ointments is above all spices. {Gregory.} The childlike teaching of God is above the vigorous and most fervent sophistry of the world; and from the topical

Catena in Canticum canticorum

ΠΡΟΚΟΠΙΟΥ ΓΑΖΑΙΟΥ ΧΡΙΣΤΙΑΝΟΥ ΣΟΦΙΣΤΟΥ ΕΙΣ ΤΑ ΑΣΜΑΤΑ ΤΩΝ ΑΣΜΑΤΩΝ ΕΞΗΓΗΤΙΚΩΝ ΕΚΛΟΓΩΝ ΕΠΙΤΟΜΗ ΑΠΟ ΦΩΝΗΣ ΓΡΗΓΟΡΙΟΥ ΝΥΣΣΗΣ, ΚΑΙ ΚΥΡΙΛΛΟΥ ΑΛΕΞΑΝ∆ΡΕΙΑΣ, ΩΡΙΓΕΝΟΥΣ ΤΕ ΚΑΙ ΦΙΛΩΝΟΣ ΤΟΥ ΚΑΡΠΑΘΙΟΥ, ΑΠΟΛΙΝΑΡΙΟΥ, ΕΥΣΕΒΙΟΥ ΚΑΙΣΑΡΕΙΑΣ ΚΑΙ ΕΤΕΡΩΝ ∆ΙΑΦΟΡΩΝ, ΗΓΟΥΝ ∆Ι∆ΥΜΟΥ, ΤΟΥ ΑΓΙΟΥ ΙΣΙ∆ΩΡΟΥ, ΘΕΟ∆ΩΡΗΤΟΥ ΚΑΙ

ΘΕΟΦΙΛΟΥ. 1545 ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΠΡΩΤΟΝ. {Γρηγορίου Νύσσης.} ∆ιὰ τῶν ἐνταῦθα γεγραμμένων νυμφοστολεῖταί πως ἡ ψυχὴ πρὸς τὴν ἄϋλόν τε καὶ πνευματικὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ συζυγίαν· καὶ δεῖται λευχειμονούντων ἀκροατῶν ἀμιάντοις νοήμασιν, ὡς ἐντὸς γενέσθαι τοῦ ἀκηράτου νυμφῶνος. Καὶ ἡ προγραφὴ γὰρ ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ τοῦτο προτρέπεται. Ὡς γὰρ τὸ Ἅγιον τῶν ἁγίων ὑπερῆρται τῇ ἁγιότητι, οὔτω τὸ νῦν ᾆσμα ὑπεραίρει τά τε τοῦ ∆αβὶδ καὶ τοῦ Μωϋσέως καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν προφητῶν· ἐν ἐπιθαλαμίου δὲ τρόπῳ τὴν πρὸς τὸ Θεῖον ἀνάκρασιν τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης ὑφηγεῖται ψυχῆς· διὰ ταῦτα ὁ Σολομὼν, ἐμφαίνων διὰ τῶν γαμηλίων ῥημάτων, τήν τε ἄφατον ἐπιθυμίαν τὴν ὀφειλομένην Θεῷ (μείζων πάσης ὀρέξεως ἡ γαμικὴ), καὶ τὴν εἰς ἄκρον ἀπάθειαν· τοσοῦτον γὰρ δεῖ καθαρεύειν τὸν κολλώμενον τῷ Θεῷ, ὡς τὰς ἐμπαθεῖς ὁρμὰς ἀπαθείας ὑπόθεσιν τίθεσθαι. Τάξει δὲ προῆλθεν ὁ Σολομὼν τοιαύτῃ παιδεύων· τῇ 1548 γὰρ ἔτι νεαζούσῃ ψυχῇ παροιμίας ὑποθέμενος, κελεύει τῆς σοφίας ἐρᾷν· διὸ καὶ, Υἱέ μου, λέγει πυκνῶς, καὶ μανιάκην ὡς νέῳ καὶ στέφανον ἐπαγγέλλεται· καὶ πρὸς τὸ τέλος τὴν ἀνδρείαν ἐπαινεῖ γυναῖκα· εἶτα τῷ οὔτως εἰσαχθέντι ἐν τῷ Ἐκκλησιαστῇ πάντα καθαιρεῖ, τὰ ῥευστὰ καὶ ματαιότητα λέγων· ὅπως ἂν ἀναπτερώσει πρὸς τὰ μένοντα τὴν ψυχήν· καὶ νῦν τὴν οὕτω κεκαθαρμένην αὐτῷ συνάπτει τῷ ὄντως καὶ μόνῳ ἀγαθῷ· τὴν ψυχὴν ἐθέλων, μήτε κολάσεως φόβῳ, μήτε μισθῶν ἐλπίδι· δουλοπρεπῆ γὰρ ἀμφότερα· ἀγάπης δὲ φίλτρῳ προσδραμεῖν τῷ Θεῷ. αʹ. Ἆσμα ᾀσμάτων. {Νείλου.} Τὸ τῶν ᾀσμάτων βιβλίον ἔοικε γυναικὶ φυσικῷ κάλλει φαιδρυνομένῃ, καὶ κόσμῳ πολυτελεῖ τὸ φυσικὸν προσεξησκημένῃ κάλλος, σεμνῇ δὲ τὸ ἦθος καὶ τῷ φαινομένῳ σχήματι, πολὺ κατὰ τὸ κεκρυμμένον ἐναντίως διακειμένῃ. Ὡς γὰρ ἐπὶ τῆς τοιαύτης γυναικὸς ἡ μὲν ὅψις ἡδονὴν κινεῖ τοῖς ἀκολάστοις, ἡ δὲ πεῖρα διελέγχει τὴν σωφροσύνην οὐ συναινοῦσαν τῇ προχείρῳ σκηνῇ· οὕτως ἐπὶ τοῦ προκειμένου βιβλίου, ἡ μὲν λέξις ἐρωτικότερον ἐσχηματισμένη, δοκεῖ πως δέλεαρ γίνεσθαι τοῖς ἀπαιδεύτοις, ἡ δὲ διάνοια τὸ αὐστηρὸν τῶν μυστηρίων ἀνακαλύπτουσα τοῖς προσεγγίζουσι, τὴν τῶν νοημάτων δυσχέρειαν ἀπαράδεκτον ποιεῖ, διὰ τῆς ἐν τῇ λέξει τέρψεως· καὶ δουλεύειν πείθουσα τῇ τῆς θεωρίας σεμνότητι, ἐκ τῆς περὶ τὸ γράμμα δοκούσης ἐμπαθείας, εὐμηχάνως ἐπὶ τὴν τῶν σημαινομένων δογμάτων ὁδηγούσης μυσταγωγίαν. Φιλησάτω με ἀπὸ φιλημάτων στόματος αὐτοῦ Πηγὴ ζωῆς ἐστι ὁ νυμφίος ὁ βοῶν, "Εἴ τις διψᾷ, ἐρχέσθω πρός με καὶ πινέτω·" ἐκ τοῦ στόματος δὲ αὐτοῦ τῆς ζωῆς ἀνομβροῦσιν οἱ λόγοι· ᾧ σπουδάζει προσερείσουσα τὸ ἴδιον ἡ ψυχὴ στόμα, κατὰ τὸν προφήτην, ἑλκῦσαι πνεῦμα· παντὸς γὰρ ῥύπου καθάρσιον τοῦτο τὸ φίλημα· διό μοι δοκεῖ τῷ λεπρῷ Σίμωνι τὸ τοιοῦτον ὀνειδιστικῶς προσφέρειν ὁ Κύριος, ὅτι "Φίλημά μοι οὐκ ἔδωκας·" ἢ γὰρ ἂν ἐκαθάρθης τοῦ πάθους. {Ὠριγένους.} Καὶ ἄλλως· Μὴ διὰ προφητῶν, κ. τ.λ. Ὅτι ἀγαθοὶ οἱ μαστοί σου ὑπὲρ οἶνον, [βʹ.] καὶ ὀσμὴ μύρων σου ὑπὲρ πάντα τὰ ἀρώματα. {Γρηγορίου.} Τὸ νηπιῶδες δίδαγμα τοῦ Θεοῦ ὑπὲρ τὸ εὔτονον καὶ θερμότατον τοῦ κόσμου σόφισμα· ἐκ δὲ τῆς τοπικῆς