The Voice of the Beloved
This is to make clear what is brought in dramatically, up to the words, 'Your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely' (Song of Songs 2:14). It is plain that the soul that is the bride of the Word, that is, the Church of Christ, perceives the voice as divine before she understands it. We the faithful experience the same: before we understand the voices of the Law and the Prophets, we are struck by them as full of divine grace.
Such is the phrase 'The voice of my beloved' (Song of Songs 2:8), set before the appearing of the Word from afar. Seeing Him lay hold of great truths without despising even the lesser ones, she says, 'Behold, He comes leaping upon the mountains, bounding over the hills' (Song of Songs 2:8).
Throughout the whole book, some things are said to the Bridegroom as present, and others as of one the bride is seeking. For with hard questions too, at times we search, at a loss for the answer, and at times we enjoy the answer, when the Word, the Bridegroom, shines upon our hearts. Then again we are at a loss over other things, and again He appears to us; and this happens many times, until, made perfect, we find the Bridegroom not only coming to us but also making His dwelling with us (John 14:23). So too the Church longs for Him when she is left to her trials, and He appears to her in His gifts. That is why she says, 'Behold, this One comes leaping upon the mountains' (Song of Songs 2:8).
He comes also upon the nets that the evil one has spread near the Church, and having torn them, He teaches us to tread on them with contempt. To the Church that has passed through every winter of trial (Song of Songs 2:11) the signs in the air are shown, and that summer is near, of which the Psalms say, 'Summer and spring' (Psalm 74:17). For flowers have appeared to her, and the complete cleansing has drawn near, the time of what is called pruning (Song of Songs 2:12).
'Peering through the nets' (Song of Songs 2:9). Perhaps through the fisherman's craft he also meant the apostles. These things, then, the Church hears from the Word, receiving the light of truth through the windows of the Prophets and the nets of the Law, while the wall of teaching in figures still stands (Song of Songs 2:9), I mean the Law, which casts the shadow of the things to come (Hebrews 10:1)…
Greek
Ταῦτα πρὸς τὴν τῶν δραματικῶς ἐπαγομένων σαφηνίαν, μέχρι τοῦ, Ἡ φωνή σου ἡδεῖα, καὶ ἡ ὄψις σου ὡραία. Καὶ δῆλον ὡς ἡ νύμφη τοῦ Λόγου ψυχὴ, ἤγουν Ἐκκλησία Χριστοῦ, φωνῆς πρὶν νοῆσαι αὐτὴν ὡς θείας ἀντιλαμβάνεται, ὅπερ πάσχομεν οἱ πιστοὶ, πρὶν νοῆσαι τὰς νομικὰς καὶ προφητικὰς φωνὰς, ὡς θείας χάριτος πλήρεις καταπληττόμενοι. Τοιοῦτόν ἐστι τὸ, Φωνὴ τοῦ ἀδελφιδοῦ μου, προστεταγμένον τῆς μακρόθεν ἐπιφανείας τοῦ Λόγου· ὃν ἰδοῦσα μεγάλων θεωρημάτων ἁπτόμενον, μετὰ τοῦ μηδὲ τῶν βραχυτέρων καταφρονεῖν, φησίν· Ἰδοὺ αὐτὸς ἥκει πηδῶν ἐπὶ ὄρη, διαλλόμενος ἐπὶ τοὺς βουνούς. ∆ι' ὅλου δὲ τοῦ λόγου, τινὰ μὲν ὡς παρόντι λέγεται τῷ νυμφίῳ· τινὰ δὲ ὥσπερ ζητουμένου παρὰ τῆς νύμφης· ἐπεὶ καὶ τῶν προβλημάτων ποτὲ μέν τινα ζητοῦμεν ἀποροῦντες τῆς λύσεως· ποτὲ δὲ τῆς λύσεως ἀπολαύομεν, τοῦ νυμφίου Λόγου καταυγάζοντος ἡμῶν τὰς καρδίας. Εἶτα πάλιν ἀποροῦμεν ἐν ἑτέροις, καὶ πάλιν ἡμῖν ἐπιφαίνεται· καὶ τοῦτο πολλάκις, μέχρι τελειωθέντες τοῦ νυμφίου τύχωμεν οὐ μόνον ἐρχομένου πρὸς ἡμᾶς, ἀλλὰ καὶ μονὴν ποιουμένου. Καὶ ἡ Ἐκκλησία ποθεῖ μὲν ἐγκαταλειπομένη τοῖς πειρασμοῖς, ἐπιφαίνεται δὲ αὐτῇ τοῖς χαρίσμασι. ∆ιό φησιν· Ἰδοὺ, φησὶν, οὗτος ἥκει πηδῶν ‹69.1285› ἐπὶ τὰ ὄρη. Ἔρχεται δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ δίκτυα τὰ πετασμένα ὑπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ πλησίον τῆς Ἐκκλησίας· ἅπερ σχίσας, καταφρονητικῶς αὐτῶν ἐπιβαίνειν διδάσκει. Τῇ ὑπερβάσῃ Ἐκκλησίᾳ πάντα χειμῶνα πειρασμοῦ, τὰ σημεῖα τοῦ ἀέρος δείκνυται, καὶ τὸ ἐγγίζειν τὸ θέρος, περὶ οὗ ἐν Ψαλμοῖς· Τὸ θέρος καὶ ἔαρ. Ὤφθη γὰρ αὐτῇ ἄνθη, καὶ ἤγγισεν ἡ παντελὴς, κάθαρσις, καιρὸς τῆς τομῆς ὀνομαζομένης. Ἐκκύπτων διὰ τῶν δικτύων. Ἴσως δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἀποστόλους ἐδήλωσεν διὰ τῆς ἁλιευτικῆς τέχνης. Ταῦτα τοίνυν ἀκούει τοῦ Λόγου ἡ Ἐκκλησία διὰ τῶν προφητικῶν θυρίδων καὶ τῶν νομικῶν δικτύων δεχομένη τὴν τῆς ἀληθείας αὐγήν· ἔτι συνεστῶτος τοῦ τυπικοῦ τῆς διδασκαλίας τοίχου, τοῦ νόμου λέγω, τοῦ τὴν σκιὰν ποιοῦντος τῶν μελλόντων