The Synagogue Repents and the Bride Is Praised
So this is the voice of the repentant Synagogue speaking to Christ: 'Make Yourself known to me, so that, while You shepherd the Churches of Your companions, I may not remain with the veil over my heart' (Song of Songs 1:7). 'If you do not know yourself' (Song of Songs 1:8): that is, 'If you do not repent,' He says, 'you will be found behind the nations, since you have no fruits of righteousness but remain fruitless, and behind the flocks that I have gathered to Myself.'
'I have likened you to My mare' (Song of Songs 1:9): that is, 'Having received My faith, O Church, you have been likened to the apostles.' Of them it is said, 'You will mount upon Your horses, and Your riding is salvation' (Habakkuk 3:8); and they were made ready against the chariots of the unseen Pharaoh. 'Your cheeks are like a turtledove's' (Song of Songs 1:10): through the turtledove He shows her modesty toward the Bridegroom, for the turtledove's cheeks are red.
To the Synagogue, on the contrary, it is said: 'You had the face of a prostitute; you were shameless toward all' (Jeremiah 3:3). By the neck (Song of Songs 1:10) He means the soul's readiness to submit; for what a fine ornament is a neck that has learned to bear the yoke of Christ (Matthew 11:29)! In Scripture, silver usually stands for divine teaching, and gold for divine gifts (Song of Songs 1:11). Before Christ came among us, all things were likenesses and, as the Apostle says, a shadow of the good things to come (Hebrews 10:1). But Christ, having risen, has given humankind what is perfect; before the resurrection we had likenesses, drawn from the praises of Him in the Law and the Prophets.
The nard and the bundle of myrrh (Song of Songs 1:12–13) signify the burial of Christ: Nicodemus brought these and wrapped His body in them (John 19:39–40). For breasts the bride has the two Testaments, and between them Christ lodges (Song of Songs 1:13).
The Bridegroom calls her beautiful, no longer only 'among women' as before (Song of Songs 1:8), but now also as one near Him, and so He doubles His praise of the bride (Song of Songs 1:15), praising both her contemplation and her action. By eyes He means the eyes of the mind and heart; and 'of a dove' marks their clear sight, in the sense in which the dove is also taken for the Spirit. He says, then, that the bride has received a mind that sees God alone.
Greek
μετανοοῦσα Συναγωγὴ πρὸς Χριστόν· ∆ήλωσόν μοι σαυτὸν, ὅπως μὴ [cod. μοι] τῶν ἑταίρων σου ποιμαίνων τὰς Ἐκκλησίας, ἐγὼ ἐπὶ τὴν καρδίαν μείνω τὸ κάλυμμα ἔχουσα. Ἐὰν μὴ γνῷς σεαυτήν. Ἤγουν, εἰ μὴ μετανοήσῃς, φησὶν, ὀπίσω τῶν ἐθνῶν εὑρεθήσῃ· ἅτε μὴ ἔχουσα καρποὺς δικαιοσύνης, ἄκαρπος μένουσα, καὶ ὀπίσω ποιμνίων ὧν ἐμαυτῷ συνεστησάμην. Τῇ ἵππῳ μου ὡμοίωσά σε. Ἤγουν δεξαμένη τὴν ἐμὴν, ὦ Ἐκκλησία, πίστιν, τοῖς ἀποστόλοις εἰκάσθης· περὶ ὧν τὸ, Ἐπιβήσῃ ἐπὶ τοὺς ἵππους σου, καὶ ἡ ἱππασία σου σωτηρία· οἳ καὶ κατὰ τῶν ἁρμάτων εὐτρεπίσθησαν τοῦ νοητοῦ Φαραώ. Σιαγόνες σου ὡς τρυγόνος. Ἤγουν τὴν αἰδὼ τὴν πρὸς τὸν νυμφίον παρίστησι διὰ τῆς τρυγόνος. Ἐρυθραὶ γὰρ τῆς τρυγόνος αἱ σιαγόνες. Τῇ δὲ Συναγωγῇ τοὐναντίον, Ὄψις πόρνης ἐγένετό σοι, ἀπηναισχύντησας πρὸς πάντας. Λέγει τράχηλον τὸ ὑποτακτικὸν τῆς ψυχῆς· πῶς γὰρ κόσμος καλὸς, αὐχὴν μελετήσας φέρειν τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὸν ζυγόν. Ἤγουν ἀργύριον μὲν ἐν τῇ Γραφῇ συνήθως, ἡ ‹69.1281› θεία διδασκαλία· χρυσίον δὲ, τὰ θεῖα χαρίσματα. Πάντα δὲ, πρὸ τῆς ἐπιδημίας Χριστοῦ, ὁμοιώματα ἦν καὶ σκιὰ τῶν μελλόντων, κατὰ τὸν Ἀπόστολον, ἀγαθῶν. Ἀναστὰς δὲ Χριστὸς τὰ τέλεια τοῖς ἀνθρώποις δεδώρηται· πρὸ δὲ τῆς ἀναστάσεως ὁμοιώματα εἴχομεν, παρὰ τῶν ἐπαίνων [ita cod.] αὐτοῦ, τοῦ τε νόμου καὶ τῶν προφητῶν. Νάρδῳ καὶ ἀποδέσμῳ στακτῆς ὁ ἐνταφιασμὸς σημαίνεται Χριστοῦ· ἃ Νικόδημος φέρων ἐνετύλιξε τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ. Μαστοὺς δὲ φέρει τὰς δύο ∆ιαθήκας ἡ νύμφη, ὧν ὁ Χριστὸς ἀνὰ μέσον αὐλίζεται. Καλὴν αὐτήν φησιν, οὐχ ὡς 1 πρότερον ἐν γυναιξὶ λέγων μόνον, ἀλλ' ἤδη καὶ ὡς πλησίον αὐτοῦ, ἀναδιπλασιάζει τῆς νύμφης ὁ νυμφίος τὸν ἔπαινον, τό τε θεωρητικὸν αὐτῆς ἐπαινῶν καὶ τὸ πρακτικόν. Ὀφθαλμοὺς δὲ τοὺς εἰς νοῦν καὶ καρδίαν φησίν· καὶ περιστερᾶς τὸ διορατικοὺς, καθ' ὃ καὶ εἰς Πνεῦμα λαμβάνεται. Λέγει οὖν ὡς ἐδέξατο νοῦν ἡ νύμφη