Homilies on the Song of Songs: Translated with an Introduction and Notes by Richard A. Norris Jr. (Writings from the Greco-Roman World)

For the importance of this for Gregory, see less than, p. 23 (Jaeger), and n. eleven. 10. The midrash at the music of Songs (Midr. Rab. 1. 1:10) increases the query of the order within which Solomon wrote his 3 books (Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and tune of Songs). R. Jonathan argued: “When a guy is younger he composes songs; whilst he grows older he makes sententious comments; whilst he turns into an previous guy he speaks of the self-esteem of items. ” Origen, in contrast, starts off with the order of the 3 books within the Septuagint and co-workers them, in that very order, with a department of the subject material of philosophy (into ethics, physics, theoretics) and argues that the Greeks borrowed this department from Solomon, who outlined the disciplines by way of discussing them in 3 separate books: Proverbs (ethics), Ecclesiastes (physics), and the music of Songs (theoretics). The music of Songs, hence, on his account, treats of the contemplation 24 five 10 15 20 GREGORY OF NYSSA: HOMILIES at the tune OF SONGS ἐν οἷς τὸ μὲν ὑπογραφόμενον ἐπιθαλάμιός τίς ἐστι διασκευή, τὸ δὲ νοούμενον τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης ψυχῆς ἡ πρὸς τὸ θεῖόν | ἐστιν ἀνάκρασις. διὰ τοῦτο νύμφη ὧδε ὁ ἐν ταῖς Παροιμίαις υἱὸς ὀνομάζεται καὶ ἡ σοφία εἰς νυμφίου τάξιν ἀντιμεθίσταται, ἵνα μνηστευθῇ τῷ θεῷ ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἁγνὴ παρθένος ἐκ νυμφίου γενόμενος καὶ κολληθεὶς τῷ κυρίῳ γένηται πνεῦμα ἓν διὰ τῆς πρὸς τὸ ἀκήρατόν τε καὶ ἀπαθὲς ἀνακράσεως νόημα καθαρὸν ἀντὶ σαρκὸς βαρείας γενόμενος. ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν σοφία ἐστὶν ἡ λαλοῦσα, ἀγάπησον ὅσον δύνασαι ἐξ ὅλης καρδίας τε καὶ δυνάμεως, ἐπιθύμησον ὅσον χωρεῖς. προστίθημι δὲ θαρρῶν τοῖς ῥήμασι τούτοις καὶ τὸ ἐράσθητι· ἀνέγκλητον γὰρ τοῦτο καὶ ἀπαθὲς ἐπὶ τῶν ἀσωμάτων τὸ πάθος, καθώς φησιν ἡ σοφία ἐν ταῖς Παροιμίαις τοῦ θείου κάλλους νομοθετοῦσα τὸν ἔρωτα. ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ νῦν προκείμενος λόγος τὰ ἴσα διακελεύεται οὐ γυμνήν σοι τὴν περὶ τούτου συμβουλὴν προσάγων, ἀλλὰ δι’ ἀπορρήτων φιλοσοφεῖ τοῖς νοήμασιν εἰκόνα τινὰ τῶν κατὰ τὸν βίον ἡδέων εἰς τὴν τῶν δογμάτων τούτων κατασκευὴν προστησάμενος. ἡ δὲ εἰκὼν γαμική τίς ἐστι διασκευή, ἐν ᾗ κάλλους ἐπιθυμία μεσιτεύει τῷ πόθῳ, οὐ κατὰ τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην συνήθειαν τοῦ νυμφίου τῆς ἐπιθυμίας κατάρξαντος, ἀλλὰ προλαμβάνει τὸν νυμφίον ἡ παρθένος ἀνεπαισχύντως τὸν πόθον δημοσιεύουσα καὶ εὐ|χὴν ποιουμένη τοῦ νυμφικοῦ ποτε κατατρυφῆσαι φιλήματος. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οἱ ἀγαθοὶ τῆς παρθένου προμνήστορες, πατριάρχαι τε καὶ προφῆται καὶ νομοθέται, προσήγαγον τῇ μεμνηστευμένῃ τὰ θεῖα χαρίσματα, ἅπερ ἕδνα καλεῖ ἡ συνήθεια τὰ πρὸ τῶν γάμων δῶρα οὕτω κατονομάζουσα (ταῦτα δὲ ἦν ἄφεσις παραπτωμάτων, 23 24 HOMILY 1 25 what's defined there's an account of a marriage, yet what's intellectually discerned is the human soul’s | mingling with the Divine. this is why the person who is termed “son” in Proverbs is right here referred to as “bride,” and knowledge, correspondingly, is transferred into the function of bridegroom. this can be to guarantee that the human individual, as soon as separated from the bridegroom, will be betrothed to God as a holy virgin (cf. 2 Cor 11:2), and, as soon as joined to the Lord, may perhaps turn into “one spirit” (1 Cor 6:17) via being mingled with that that's inviolate and impassible, having turn into purified notion instead of heavy flesh.