Book 5
[Song of Solomon 5:13] -- His cheeks are like beds of spices, etc. Just as the words on the lips of the Lord expressed what He spoke, so in His cheeks the modest piety and sternness of His countenance are simultaneously expressed. For if it could rightly be said of a mere man, the wisdom of a man shines in his face, how much more in the face of that man who is the power of God and the wisdom of God, would the highest virtue and wisdom shine forth to those who consider well? His cheeks, he said, are like beds of spices planted by perfumers. For as beds of spices decently and orderly arranged grant great pleasure both to those who see and smell them, so He, appearing in man the mediator of God and men, by the sweetness of either His virtues or His doctrine enlightened those present and attracted those who were absent by His fame. By perfumers, by whom these beds are planted, understand the prophets and apostles, who in complete harmony inserted not only His words but also His manners into the sacred pages; these foretold the future mysteries of His incarnation, those narrated the deeds done. I think it is to the appearance of His cheeks that it is to be referred, that He exulted in the spirit, rejoicing in the faith of the little ones, that He grieved over the hardness of the hearts of the unbelievers, that He rejoiced for the disciples when He was about to raise Lazarus so that they might believe, that He looked upon the weeping sisters or friends of Lazarus and wept and troubled Himself, that at the approach of His passion He began to be sorrowful and mournful, that He did not give any time to laughter or vain words, that He did not judge by the sight of His eyes, nor did He rebuke by the hearing of His ears, that like a lamb He was led to the slaughter, and as a sheep before the shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth (Isa. LIII, 7). But His lips, lilies distilling pure myrrh: lilies, because they promise the brightness of the heavenly kingdom; distilling pure myrrh, because they preach that this is to be reached by the contempt of present pleasures. From thence, He said, Jesus began to preach and to say, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matt. IV). Again, His lips are like lilies, because He commands us to shine with the brightness of sanctity; distilling pure myrrh, because He commands us to endure bravely whatever adversity may occur for the preservation of this. He prefigured lilies in His lips when He taught His audience to be poor in spirit, meek, mourning, hungry and thirsty for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, and peacemakers. He promised to each of these the reward of eternal happiness; He added myrrh to the lilies when He immediately added: Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matt. V). Again, His lips shone like lilies when in one and the same person He taught that He was truly God and truly man. For indeed, the golden color which was within was fittingly adapted to the truth of the divinity that was in Christ, especially because it is threefold, as if to represent the one undivided glory of the same holy Trinity. The outer whiteness properly designates the purity and sanctity of the assumed humanity. But the same lips distilled pure myrrh when in His divinity always impassible, He predicted that in the man whom He had assumed, He would suffer bonds, scourging, spitting, reproaches, and death. Therefore, His lips both imitate the appearance and scent of lilies, when He says: The Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works (Rom. II, 6; Matt. XVI, 27; Rev. XXII, 12). They distill pure myrrh when He says: But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation (Luke XVII, 25).
[Song of Solomon 5:14] -- His hands are like cylinders of gold, etc. After the lips, the Church praises the hands of her Redeemer, that is, His deeds after His words, because He showed by His actions that what He taught with words was to be believed. For instance, while teaching on the mountain, the crowds were amazed at His doctrine. But to follow this amazement with faith, He descended from the mountain and cleansed a leper with a mere touch of His hand. This is also why, marveling at His deeds, His fellow citizens said, "Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works?" (Matthew XIII). For wisdom pertains to the lips, and virtues to the hands. Rightly does he declare His hands to be like cylinders, to denote both their easy power and their unfathomable knowledge of action. It is well known that turning (lathe work) is quicker and more inexplicable than other arts. For example, one who works with an adze, chisel, axe, or hammer, operates more laboriously and with frequent use of a ruler and careful scrutiny to avoid errors. But he who works with a compass does not need an external rule; rather, he can maintain the direction of his work within the instrument itself. Therefore, the Lord's hands are like cylinders because He readily accomplishes what He wills, because He speaks and they are made. Finally, He said: "Pick up your mat and walk." And immediately, rising, he took up his mat and walked, who had been paralyzed for thirty-eight years (John V, 8, 9). His hands are like cylinders because He holds within Himself the rule of all justice. Unlike our poverty, He does not need to learn from sacred writings lest His work deviate from the truth. Hence it is said of Him, "How does this man know letters, having never learned?" (John VII, 15). He knew because He was indeed older than the letters and the law, nay, the judge of the lawgiver Himself. His hands are like golden cylinders full of hyacinths. For in gold, which excels all metals, the excellence of divinity is signified as is evident from frequent exposition. Therefore, his hands are golden, because no faithful person is ignorant that the virtues which he exercised in man are accomplished divinely. These are rightly also said to be full of hyacinths, because they undoubtedly excite us to the hope and love of heavenly things. The hyacinth, indeed, is a gem of a sky-blue color. The Lord has hyacinths in his turned hands, so that he may adorn vessels of election, which he prepares for glory, with such gems, that is, he may gladden the hearts of his elect with the desire and expectation of celestial glory. If we take the pigments designated by this name in the hyacinths, it does not deviate from the appropriate significance of truth: for the hyacinth is a pigment of a purple color and a pleasant scent. Hence the poet, gathering precious things as an example of love, adds: The gifts are of laurel, and the sweetly red hyacinth. And the hands of the Lord were full of purple flowers, because dying for our life, he soaked them in the redness of his own blood at the nailing. But another translation teaches that gems rather than flowers are to be understood in this place by the name of hyacinths, which says: His hands are turned, golden, full of tharsis: for tharsis among the Hebrews is the name of a stone which among us is called chalcedony. His belly is ivory, etc. The belly holds the most fragile place in our limbs, because it lacks bones to protect it and it contains the vitals, all of whose wounds are dangerous. But ivory is the bone of the elephant, which is said to be an animal of great chastity and cold blood. Hence, its death is often sought by the dragon, as it desires to cool its burning entrails by drinking its blood. The sapphire is a stone, the color of which, the sacred history testifies, which says: And they saw the God of Israel under his feet, as it were the work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the sky when it is clear (Exodus XXIV, 10). Therefore, the belly of the beloved signifies the fragility of his humanity, by which he was conformable to us. The ivory indicates the beauty of chastity, by which in human flesh he remained undefiled by corruption of sin. The sapphires express the sublimity of heavenly virtues, with which he shone in the flesh. He says, his belly of ivory, adorned with sapphires. As if he openly says, the fragility of the mortal substance in him shall indeed be true, but this shall be utterly free from the lasciviousness of mortality and shall rather shine with the excellent glory of divine works. And beautifully did he say his belly was entirely of ivory, yet not wholly adorned with sapphires, but marked with sapphires, so that part appears ivory, part sapphires. For his belly was indeed of ivory, because the fragility which he assumed was free from all sin, just as no contagious heat can be found in the bone of a dead elephant. He was distinguished by sapphires, because amidst the passions of assumed humanity, he showed frequent signs of perpetual divinity: for it pertains to the frailty of humanity that the little child is born to us, to the power of divinity that he is born of the Virgin, and the same birth is proclaimed by angelic voices and celebrated with mysteries; to the power of divinity that he is shown by the indication of a star, to be adored by the Magi, to the frailty of humanity that he is fled from his homeland by the snares of a treacherous king; to the frailty of humanity that he could be led and tempted by the devil, to the power of divinity that, with him conquered and repulsed, he is honored by angelic ministries; to the frailty of humanity that he asks the Samaritan woman for water, to the power of divinity that he testifies that he can give the same the fountain of living water; to the frailty of humanity that he is wearied from the journey, to the power of divinity that he promises eternal rest to those who follow him; to the frailty of humanity that he sleeps in the boat, to the power of divinity that, when awakened, he commands the winds and the sea; to the frailty of humanity that he was crucified and died, to the power of divinity that at his death the elements trembled along with the earthly and even the heavenly beings; to the frailty of humanity that he was embalmed with spices and buried, to the power of divinity that he rose and ascended into heaven; it pertains to the frailty of humanity that Isaiah says: He has no form or comeliness, and we saw him despised (Isaiah LIII, 3). And shortly after: Like one from whom people hide their faces, he was despised, and we did not respect him (ibid.); to the power of divinity that John says: We saw his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth (John I). Therefore, the sapphire was distinguished as the ivory belly of Christ, because his immaculate and undefiled incarnation shone with frequent miracles of divine majesty. It should be noted that Scripture says of the sapphire color, that it is such in appearance as the sky when it is clear. By the name of the clear sky, the sublimity of divine majesty is not incongruously represented, as attested by the Psalmist, who, describing the incarnation of our Redeemer, says: His going forth is from the end of the heavens, and his circuit to their ends (Psalm XVIII). This is what he himself said to the disciples about himself: And you believe that I came from God; I came from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father (John XVI, 28). But the bride herself saw the form of the sapphire in the ivory belly of her beloved when, with the voice of her first pastor, she said: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matt. XVI, 16), because indeed, in the holy, innocent, undefiled Son of Man, separated from sins, she recognized the pure fullness of divinity.
[Song of Solomon 5:15] -- His legs are marble columns, etc. By the term "legs of the Lord" are indicated the paths of His incarnation, by which He deigned to come to our salvation. These are well compared to marble columns, because they are both strong and straight. For what is stronger than marble? What is straighter than a column? Did the Psalmist not behold the strength of marble in His legs when he said: "And He, as a bridegroom coming out of His chamber; rejoiced as a strong man to run a race" (Ps. 89)? Did he not also see the straightness of the columns when he again said: "The Lord is righteous in all His ways" (Ps. 145:17)? Hence it is that when He was placed on the cross, His legs were not broken, although permitted by the governor, just as His garments could not be torn. For the seamless tunic remained intact, signifying the Church, which is His chosen garment, without spot or wrinkle, forever maintaining its unity. His legs remained unbroken, so that the mystery of His advent in the flesh, sacred and inviolable, might endure against every hammer of false doctrine. For Pilate, the judge, symbolizes the mallet. Yet the columns of marble stand firm and repel the blow, even if the impious mallet of heretical speech attempts to strike. Insane doctrine may say insane things about the Lord, but the truth of the gospel stands and prevails. Regarding these columns, it is aptly added, "which are founded on golden bases." For the golden bases are the counsels of divine providence, in which it was eternally decreed before the ages, that everything to be created temporally in the world would be; including the very incarnation of our Savior and our salvation in Him, as testified by the Apostle who says: "He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him in love" (Eph. 1:4), and Apostle Peter says that we were redeemed by the precious blood of Christ, as a lamb without blemish and without spot; and foreknown indeed before the foundation of the world, but made manifest in these last times (1 Pet. 1:19-20). Thus, the marble columns, to which the Lord’s legs are compared, are founded upon His golden bases, since all the steps of our Savior, by which He willed to come from heaven to earth, to move upon the earth, to descend to the underworld, to rise from the tomb, and to return to heaven, are firm like marble, straight like the heavens, ordered to the rule of divine precept, as if founded upon golden bases. Concerning these bases, He Himself says: "For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak" (John 12:49); and if you wish to know why the bases are golden, listen to what follows: "And I know that His command is eternal life" (John 12:50).
[Song of Solomon 5:15] -- His appearance is like Lebanon, etc. Why, he says, should I labor to describe each of his members individually? I will summarize it briefly. Just as Mount Lebanon, famous in Phoenicia, is notable for its height and grandeur, so our Lord rightfully surpasses all those born of the earth in a superior grace. As the same mountain is fertile with noble trees, thus he uplifts all the saints with his protection, lest they descend to the depths; and having them rooted in himself, he preserves them from being shaken by the winds of temptations. As the beauty, strength, height, and fragrance of cedars surpass all the splendor of forests, so my beloved is beautiful beyond the sons of men; grace is diffused on his lips, therefore God has blessed him forever (Psalm 44:3), and other such things as the following psalm, greatly transcending measure and companionship, describes about him. And it is to be noted that the same beloved is compared both to Lebanon, which produces notable trees, and to the cedar, which Lebanon itself produces among other trees, as if one and the same person both generates and carries trees, and is generated among trees and carried by himself. For our Lord Jesus Christ, who with the grace of his divinity generates, nurtures, and carries all the elect from the beginning of the world to its end to life, also made himself a man among men when he wanted, and filled that man with the grace of his Spirit, albeit far superior to others; indeed it is said of them: To each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift (Eph. 4); but of him: For God does not give the Spirit by measure. For the Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand (John 3). Therefore, the Lord was chosen like the appearance of the cedar, because the entire forest of the holy Church, in which he was born, surpassed in unique and singular dignity. His appearance is like Lebanon, which among remarkable trees also brings forth the cedar, because among his elect he created even himself, the kind of man he wished, as if a tree of life in the midst of paradise, like if a painter also depicts himself among others in his order with suitable colors, or any historian recounts many things of many people: for example, lawgiver Moses or evangelist John describing things worthy of memory about themselves as well. Thus indeed the mountain of whiteness (which the name Lebanon means), that is, our Redeemer among innumerable fruitful trees, which would praise the name of the Lord, also brought forth the cedar, a wood evidently more excellent than others, that is, himself, who not only would praise the name of the Lord, but also would come blessed in the name of the Lord.
[Song of Solomon 5:16] -- His throat is most sweet, etc. If in the lips of the Lord, where it is said above: "His lips are the purest lilies," we take the words of His mouth, then what should we understand by His most sweet throat except sometimes the taste of those same words? For many, when reading or hearing, can speak the words of the Lord, can easily scrutinize the mysteries of faith; but very few are found who truly feel in the palate of their heart how sweet they taste. Hence, in the exceptional praise of the saints, it is said: "They shall abundantly utter the memory of Your great goodness, and shall sing of Your righteousness" (Psalm 145:7). For it belongs to those who rejoice in the justice of God, who have habitually tasted by inner love the abundance of His sweetness, and also preach its memory to others; for those who have not yet learned to taste His sweetness must necessarily fear more than rejoice in the justice of His judgments. Finally, Peter, abundantly conveying to us the memory of the Lord's great sweetness, which he had well tasted, says: "Desire the sincere milk of the word, that you may grow thereby in salvation; if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious" (1 Peter 2:2-3). Likewise, because the vital breath is conducted through the throat to the lips to form speech, just as in the lips of the Lord were the words that He spoke; so in the throat most fittingly can be understood the very internal and hidden disposition of His piety and kindness, by which it was made possible for Him to speak outwardly to us. Indeed, Paul says: "The grace of God our Savior has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world, looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God" (Titus 2:11-13). When He gave us the hope of the glorious appearing of the great God, His lips will then be as lilies; when He taught us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires, to live soberly, righteously, and godly, it is the same lips of His dripping the first myrrh. But that eternal grace, which appeared to us in this promise or teaching, whenever it pleased Christ, is rightfully His most sweet throat to us, as we can have no sweetness apart from it. Finally, the beloved Himself showed what the sweetness of His throat can accomplish not only in the voice of speech but also in the very breath, when after the resurrection, appearing to His disciples, that is, the first members of His bride, He breathed on them and said: "Receive the Holy Spirit" (John 20:22). And He is wholly desirable. The whole Christ is God and man, that is, word, soul, and flesh; and He is wholly desirable because not only from the unchangeable majesty of perpetual divinity but also from the glorified substance of assumed humanity must be understood what the apostle Peter says: "Into which things the angels desire to look" (1 Peter 1:12). I will say something further; he was completely desirable, even before the glorification of his humanity; he was completely desirable from the very moment of conception until the triumph of his passion: desirable to his mother when she said, "Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word" (Luke 1:38); desirable to the blessed womb that bore him; desirable to the breasts that nursed him; desirable to the angels who sang a hymn at his birth; desirable to the shepherds who, seeing him, glorified and praised God; desirable to the magi who, coming from the east to seek him, worshipped him with gifts where they found him; desirable to the old Simeon who, awaiting his promised vision of his birth until his last days, took him in his arms, blessed God, and joyfully embraced death; desirable to the prophetess Anna who, upon seeing his birth, rendered fitting praises to the Lord in her confession; desirable to all who saw him at twelve years of age in the temple, astonishing the elders and teachers with heavenly wisdom; desirable to the disciples when they quickly followed him, leaving behind all they had, when he called them; desirable to those same disciples when they said, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" (John 6:68); desirable to all the people and publicans who, hearing his word, justified God; desirable to Peter on the mountain when he said, "Lord, it is good for us to be here" (Matthew 17:4); desirable on the cross to the thief who prayed, "Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom" (Luke 23:42). And not only is he desirable to those who saw him in the flesh and loved him, but also to those of whom he said to the disciples, "Many prophets and righteous men have desired to see what you see and did not see it; and to hear what you hear and did not hear it" (Matthew 13:17). And to us, who, being born into the world after his ascension to the heavens, share the common promise with the earlier saints, as he said: "If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also" (John 14:3).
[Song of Solomon 5:16] -- Such is my beloved, etc. The more devoutly the Church or any holy soul loves God, the more familiarly it considers God as a friend; for he who still, because of weakness of mind or consciousness of sin, observes the divine commandments with servile fear, must necessarily call Him more as Lord than as Father or friend, because he has not yet reached that apostolic perfection, by which he may deserve to hear: But I have called you friends, because all that I have heard from my Father, I have made known to you (John 15:15). But Abraham, because of his outstanding faith and love, is deservedly called a friend of God; and the Lord speaks to Moses, as a man is accustomed to speak to his friend (Exodus 33:11). However, having heard the quality of the beloved, about which the daughters of Jerusalem had inquired, they add another question, by adding: