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← Sermones super Cantica Canticorum (Sermons on the Song of Songs)/Book 1 · Sermones super Cantica Canticorum
Chapter 79SermC.1.79

Sermo 79

The Burning Language of Love

The bride's burning love for the Bridegroom is so all-consuming that only those who love can truly understand the Song of Songs.

Have you seen the one my soul loves?✦ O love — headlong, burning, blazing, rushing past all restraint! You won't let me think of anything beyond you; you scorn everything else, you treat all things as nothing beside you, and are satisfied with you alone!1 You overturn every order, disguise custom, and set aside measure; everything that seems governed by opportunity, reason, modesty, or judgment — you triumph over it all within yourself and bring it into captivity.2 Look: everything she thinks and everything she says sounds of you, smells of you, and nothing else. So you have claimed for yourself both her heart and her tongue.3 He says: 'Have you seen the one my soul loves?'✦ As if these people truly know what she herself is thinking!4 The one your soul loves — about him do you inquire? And he has no name? So who, then, are you — and who is that one? I say this because of the distinctive character of its language and the striking carelessness of its wording, by which the writing in front of us is clearly set apart from the rest. So in this wedding song what matters isn't the words to be weighed but the affections. Why is this so, unless it's that holy love — which is agreed to be the single subject of this whole volume — isn't to be judged by speech or tongue, but by action and truth? Love speaks everywhere, and if anyone who reads these things longs to grasp their meaning, let them love. Otherwise, anyone who doesn't love comes to hear or read the song of love entirely in vain, because a cold heart simply can't receive its burning utterance. For just as someone who doesn't know Greek can't understand a speaker of Greek, and someone who isn't Latin can't understand a speaker of Latin, and so with other languages — so the language of love will be foreign to the one who doesn't love, and will be like bronze clanging or a cymbal crashing. But those who are watchful — I mean those who have received from the Spirit so that they might love — they know what the Spirit is saying, and because they have already tested love's voices most thoroughly, they are ready at once to answer in a like tongue, that is, in the practices of love and in acts of devotion.

Passing Through to the Beloved

The bride is instructed by the watchmen and passes through them to find the one her soul loves, because Christ himself calls all who desire him.

And so, in a short while, they let her go, having pointed her toward the one she seeks, so that she might say: 'When I had gone a little way past them, I found the one my soul loves.'✦ It's good that it was brief, for they handed on to her a shortened word, entrusting her with the Symbol of faith. And what follows is like this. The bride indeed needed to pass through them, by means of whom she would come to know the truth; but she also needed to go beyond them. For unless she had passed through them as well, she would not have found the one she was seeking. And that she was urged on by them, you may be sure. For they were not proclaiming themselves, but their Lord Jesus, who is without doubt above them and beyond them. Whence he also says: 'Come to me, all you who desire me.'✦

Crossing Completely in Christ

Because Christ both rose and ascended, the bride must pass completely through, not merely pass — faith in the resurrection is crossing, faith in the ascension is crossing through.

It wasn't enough to cross over — she is taught to cross completely. For the one she had been tracking had crossed completely. For he had crossed over not only from death to life, but had crossed completely to glory. Why, then, shouldn't she too have crossed completely? Otherwise she could not have seized the one she would not have followed along the same tracks, wherever he had gone. And so that what I'm saying may be clearer: if my Lord Jesus had indeed risen from the dead but had not at all ascended into the heavens, it could not be said of him that he had passed through, but only that he had passed; and so, for the bride seeking him, it would be necessary only to pass, not to pass through. But now, since by rising he had already passed, and had added by ascending to pass through — deservedly she too declared that she had not merely passed but passed through, she who had followed him with faith and devotion all the way to the heavens. Therefore, to believe the resurrection is to pass; to believe the ascension is to pass through. And perhaps — which I remember someone saying one day when I was treating this passage — she knew the one but did not know the other. Therefore, what she had been lacking was supplied by those who instructed her — namely that he who had risen had also ascended — and she herself likewise ascended too, that is, she passed through, and found. Why wouldn't she find, reaching with her mind where he is in the body? When I had passed through them a little while. And well them — for our head preceded both them and his other members, which are above the earth, by two points and transcended them: by resurrection, as we have already said, and by ascension.

Wherever Christ Is, She Is

Christ as the firstfruits has gone ahead into heaven and hell and the ends of the sea, so the Church by faith is already seated with him at the Father's right hand.

For Christ is the first fruits. And if he has gone ahead, so has our faith. For how could she not follow him? If he has ascended into heaven, she is there; if he has descended into hell, she is present; and if she has taken her wings at daybreak and dwelt at the ends of the sea, there, he says, your hand will lead me, and your right hand will hold me.5 Has not, then, the almighty and supremely good Father of the bridegroom, in accordance with this, raised us with him and made us sit at his right hand?✦6 And this is because the Church said, 'I passed through them,' because she too passed through, standing by faith toward a goal she has not yet reached in reality. I also think it's clear why she preferred to say she had passed through rather than simply crossed over. And let us cross over to the things that follow.

She Will Not Let Him Go

The Church has held Christ and will not release him; founded on the rock, no force can separate her from the love of God, for she desires not his blessings but himself alone.

I have held him, and I will not let go until I bring him into my mother's house, and into the chamber of the one who bore me.✦ So it is: from then on and from that time forth the Christian race has not failed, nor faith on earth, nor love in the Church. The rivers came, the winds blew, and they beat against it, and it did not fall, because it had been founded upon the rock.✦ The rock, however, is Christ.✦ Therefore neither the wordiness of philosophers, nor the quibbles of heretics, nor the swords of persecutors, has been able, or will ever be able, to separate this from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus: so powerfully does the soul hold fast to the one it loves, so good it is to cling to God.✦ It is good for clinging, says Isaiah. What is more tenacious than this glue, which is not washed away by waters, nor dissolved by winds, nor torn apart by swords? In the end, many waters will not be able to extinguish love.✦ I've held on to him, and I won't let go.✦ And the holy patriarch says, "I won't let you go unless you bless me."✦ So she doesn't want to let him go—and perhaps even more than the patriarch didn't—because not even for a blessing: after all, he let him go once he'd received the blessing, but she didn't.✦ "I don't want your blessing," she says, "but you." For what do I have in heaven, and what have I wanted from you on earth? I won't let you go—not even if you bless me.✦

The Mutual Embrace of Love

Christ delights to be with humanity and promises his presence, so the soul holds him and is herself held by him — a mutual grasp of faith and devotion sustained by grace.

I have held him, and I will not let him go. And yet perhaps he wants to be held no less, since he himself attests it, saying, 'My delight is to be with the children of humanity'; and further promises, saying, 'See, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.'78 What bond is stronger than this one, established by the shared, burning will of two?910 I have held him, she says. But nonetheless she in turn is held by the one she holds, who says elsewhere, 'You have grasped my right hand.'1112 The one who is held and yet holds — how could she ever fall now?13 She holds with the firmness of faith, she holds with the affection of devotion.14 But she would not hold for long, if she were not herself held.15

Sharing the Beloved with the Synagogue

The Church's love is so generous that she wills to share Christ even with the Synagogue, desiring that all Israel be saved, since the gift of salvation is not diminished by being common.

He is held by the power and mercy of the Lord. I held him and will not let go until I bring him into my mother's house, and into the chamber of the one who bore me.✦ Great is the Church's love, which does not envy even her rival the Synagogue her own delights. What could be more generous than for the soul to be ready to share the one she loves even with her enemy? And yet no wonder, since salvation comes from the Jews.✦ Let the Savior return to the place from which he came, so that the remnant of Israel may be saved.✦ Let branches not be ungrateful to the root, nor sons to their mother. Let branches not envy the root for what they drew from it; nor sons the mother for what they suckled from her breasts.16 Let the Church, then, hold firmly to the salvation it seized from Judah, until the fullness of the Gentiles enters in, and so all Israel may be saved.✦ Let it will to come into the common salvation in common, which is received by all in such a way that nothing is diminished for any individual. Indeed, it does this—and more. What more? That it desires for itself both the name of the bride and the grace. Truly, this is above salvation.

Into the Bridal Chamber

The bride longs to bring Christ not only into the house of salvation but into the secret bridal chamber of intimate contemplation, a deeper grace reserved for the soul alone.

Love beyond belief — if the very words she spoke hadn't made faith possible. For she meant, if you've followed me, that the one she was holding she longed to bring in — not only into her mother's house, but even into the bridal chamber, which is the sign of a special prerogative. Simply entering the house would have been enough for salvation — but the seclusion of the chamber signifies a deeper grace. Today, it says, salvation has come to this house. How could it not be salvation for the household, once the Savior has entered the house? But the one who deserves to receive him in the bridal chamber has a secret place that's all her own. Salvation comes to the house; in the bridal chamber, delights are hidden away. I will bring him into my mother's house, she says.

The Bridegroom Returns to His Mother

The Savior who departed in indignation from his house and inheritance now returns as bridegroom, turning wrath away and restoring salvation to the Church his mother.

Into which house? Unless it's the one about which he once foretold to the Jews: 'Look, your house will be left desolate.'✦ He has done what he said — you have his testimony about this in the prophet: 'I have left my house,' he says; 'I have sent away my inheritance.' And now he promises to bring him back and to restore the lost salvation of the Lord's mother.✦ And if this seems like too little, listen to what further good he adds: 'And into the chamber of my mother.'✦ Whoever enters the bridal chamber is the bridegroom. Great is the power of love! The Savior had gone out in indignation from his house and his inheritance; and now, softened by her grace, he is turned back so that he returns not only as Savior but also as bridegroom. Blessed are you by the Lord, daughter, who both restrain his indignation and have restored his inheritance. Blessed are you to your mother, through whose good gift wrath is turned away and salvation returns — returns so that she may say to her: 'I am your salvation.'✦

One Bride, One Bridegroom

Christ betroths his bride in faithfulness, justice, mercy, and compassion, making both one so that there is one bride and one bridegroom — Jesus Christ our Lord, God blessed forever.

This is not enough; let him add and say: 'I will betroth you to myself in faithfulness, I will betroth you to myself in justice and right judgment, I will betroth you to myself in mercy and compassion.'✦ But remember this: the one who brings about these reconciliations is the bride. How, then, can he yield the bridegroom — and this bridegroom to another? I should not say 'desires to.' It is not so. A good daughter indeed desires him for her mother, yet not so that she yields to her, but so that she shares him. One is enough for two, except that now they were no longer two, but one in him. For he himself is our peace, who makes both one, so that there may be one bride and one bridegroom — Jesus Christ our Lord, who is God over all, blessed forever.✦ Amen.

Read the original Latin

Num quem diligit anima mea vidistis? O amor praeceps, vehemens, flagrans, impetuose, qui praeter te aliud cogitare non sinis, fastidis caetera, contemnis omnia praeter te, te contentus! Confundis ordines, dissimulas usum, modum ignoras; totum quod opportunitatis, quod rationis, quod pudoris, quod consilii iudiciive esse videtur, triumphas in temetipso, et redigis in captivitatem. En omne quod cogitat ista, et quod loquitur, te sonat, te redolet, et aliud nihil: ita tibi ipsius et cor vindicasti, et linguam. Ait: Num quem diligit anima mea vidistis? Quasi vero hi sciant quid cogitet ipsa. Quem diligit anima tua, de ipso sciscitaris? Et non habet nomen?

Quaenam vero tu, et ille quis? Et haec ita dixerim propter singularitatem eloquii, et insignem vorborum incuriam, qua praesens scriptura caeteris dissimilis satis apparet. Unde in epithalamio hoc non verba pensanda sunt, sed affectus. Cur ita, nisi quod amor sanctus, quem totius huius voluminis unam constat esse materiam, non verbo sit aestimandus, aut lingua, sed opere et veritate? Amor ubique loquitur: et si quis horum quae leguntur cupit adipisci notitiam, amet. Alioquin frustra ad audiendum legendumve amoris carmen, qui non amat, accedit: quoniam omnino non potest capere ignitum eloquium frigidum pectus. Quomodo enim Graece loquentem non intelligit qui Graecum non novit, nec Latine loquentem, qui Latinus non est, et ita de caeteris; sic lingua amoris ei qui non amat, barbara erit, eritque sicut aes sonans, aut cymbalum tinniens. Isti vero (vigiles loquor) quoniam de Spiritu et ipsi acceperunt ut ament, sciunt quid loquitur Spiritus, et amoris vocibus optime compertis sibi, in promptu habent respondere in simili lingua, id est studiis amoris pietatisque officiis.

Denique, ita in brevi edoctam emittunt de eo quod quaerit, ut dicat: Paululum cum pertransissem eos, inveni quem diligit anima mea. Bene paululum, quia verbum abbreviatum fecerunt ei, Symbolum fidei tradentes. Et quod sequitur, tale est. Oportebat quidem sponsam transire per eos, per quos cognosceret veritatem; sed tamen et pertransire. Nisi enim pertransisset et ipsos, non invenisset quem quaerebat. Atque hoc ipsum suasam ab illis non ambigas. Non enim praedicabant semetipsos, sed Dominum suum Iesum, qui absque dubio et supra ipsos est, et ultra. Unde et ait: Transite ad me, omnes qui concupiscitis me.

Nec sufficiebat transire, sed et pertransire docetur. Siquidem pertransierat is quem vestigabat. Non modo enim de morte ad vitam transierat, sed pertransierat ad gloriam. Quidni etiam hanc oportuit pariter pertransire? Alioquin non poterat apprehendere, quem non per eadem vestigia sequeretur quocunque ierat.

Et ut quod dico clarius sit, si Dominus meus Iesus surrexisset quidem a mortuis, sed ad coelos minime ascendisset, non poterat dici de eo, quod pertransierit, sed tantum transierit; ac per hoc sponsam illum quaerentem transire solummodo oporteret, non pertransire. Nunc vero, quoniam iam resurgendo transierat, et adiecerat pertransire, utique ascendendo; merito se etiam ista non transisse, sed pertransisse perhibuit, quae hunc quidem fide et devotione ad coelos usque secuta est. Igitur credere resurrectionem transire est, credere etiam ascensionem pertransire. Et fortasse (quod una dierum dixisse me memini cum tractarem noverat illam, istam non noverat. Ergo, quod sibi deerat instructa ab illis, quia scilicet qui resurrexerat, etiam ascendisset; ascendit et ipsa pariter, hoc est pertransiit, et invenit. Quidni invenerit pertingens mente, ubi ille corpore est? Paululum cum pertransissem eos. Et bene eos: nam tam ipsos, quam caetera membra sua, quae sunt super terram, caput nostrum punctis praecessit duobus atque transcendit, resurrectione, ut iam diximus, et ascensione.

Etenim primitiae Christus. Quod si ille praecessit; et fides nostra. Ubi enim illa eum non sequeretur? Si ascenderit in coelum, ipsa illic est; si descenderit in infernum, adest; et si sumpserit pennas suas diluculo, et habitaverit in extremis maris, illuc, ait, manus tua deducet me, et tenebit me dextera tua. Nonne denique secundum hanc omnipotens et summe bonus Pater sponsi consuscitavit, et consedere nos fecit in dextera sua? Atque hoc pro eo quod dixit Ecclesia, quia pertransivi eos; quoniam et semet pertransiit, fide stans, quo necdum re ipsa pervenit. Arbitror et illud planum, cur se pertransisse potius, quam transisse dicere maluit. Et nos transeamus ad ea quae sequuntur.

Tenui eum, nec dimittam, donec introducam illum in domum matris meae, et in cubiculum genitricis meae. Ita est, ex tunc et deinceps non deficit genus Christianum, nec fides de terra, nec charitas de Ecclesia. Venerunt flumina, flaverunt venti, et impegerunt in eam, et non cecidit, eo quod fundata esset supra petram. Petra autem est Christus. Itaque nec verbositate philosophorum, nec cavillationibus haereticorum, nec gladiis persecutorum potuit ista, aut poterit aliquando separari a charitate Dei quae est in Christo Iesu : adeo fortiter tenet quem diligit anima sua, adeo illi adhaerere Deo bonum est. Glutino bonum est, ait Isaias. Quid hoc tenacius glutino, quod nec aquis eluitur, nec ventis dissolvitur, nec scinditur gladiis? Denique, aquae multae non poterunt exstinguere charitatem.

Tenui eum, nec dimittam. Et sanctus patriarcha: Non te, inquit, dimittam, nisi benedixeris mihi. Ita ista non vult eum dimittere, et forte magis quam patriarcha id non vult, quia nec pro benedictione quidem: siquidem ille benedictione accepta dimisit eum, haec autem non sic. Nolo, inquit, benedictionem tuam, sed te. Quid enim mihi est in coelo, et a te quid volui super terram. Non dimittam te, nec si benedixeris mihi.

Tenui eum, nec dimittam. Nec minus forsitan ille teneri vult, cum perhibeat dicens: Deliciae meae esse cum filiis hominum : quodque pollicens ait: Ecce ego vobiscum sum omnibus diebus usque ad consummationem saeculi. Quid hac copula fortius, quae una duorum tam vehementi voluntate firmata est? Tenui eum, inquit. Sed nihilominus ipsa vicissim tenetur ab eo quem tenet, cui alibi dicit: Tenuisti manum dexteram meam. Quae tenetur et tenet, quomodo iam cadere potest? Tenet fidei firmitate, tenet devotionis affectu. At nequaquam diu teneret, si non teneretur.

Tenetur autem potentia et misericordia Domini. Tenui eum, nec dimittam, donec introducam illum in domum matris meae, et in cubiculum genitricis meae. Magna Ecclesiae charitas, quae ne aemulae quidem Synagogae suas delicias invidet. Quid benignius, quam ut, quem diligit anima sua, ipsum communicare parata sit et inimicae? Nec mirum tamen, quia salus ex Iudaeis est. Ad locum unde exierat, revertatur Salvator, ut reliquiae Israel salvae fiant. Non rami radici, non matri filii ingrati sint. Non rami radici invideant quod ex ea sumpsere: non filii matri, quod de eius suxere uberibus.

Teneat itaque Ecclesia firmiter salutem, quam Iudaea perdidit, ipsa apprehendit, donec plenitudo gentium introeat, et sic omnis Israel salvus fiat. Velit in commune communem venire salutem, quae sic ab omnibus capitur, ut nil singulis minuatur. Utique hoc facit, et plus. Quid plus? Quod et nomen sponsae illi optat, et gratiam. Prorsus super salutem hoc.

Incredibilis charitas, si non sermo quem locuta est ipsa, fecisset fidem. Dixit enim, si advertisti, velle se introducere quem tenebat, non modo in domum matris, sed et in cubiculum quoque, quod est praerogativae indicium. Sufficiebat ad salutem, si domum intraret: at secretum cubiculi signat gratiam. Hodie, ait, huic domui salus facta est. Quidni sit domesticis salus, Salvatore ingresso domum? Sed quae in cubiculum meretur recipere, seorsum habet secretum suum sibi. Salus domui fit; thalamo deliciae reconduntur. In domum matris meae introducam eum, inquit.

In quam domum, nisi de qua olim praenuntiarat Iudaeis: Ecce relinquetur vobis domus vestra deserta? Fecit quod dixit, sicut habes et de hoc testimonium eius in propheta: Reliqui, ait, domum meam, dimisi haereditatem meam : et nunc ista pollicetur reducere illum, et domni matris suae perditam salutem restituere. Et si hoc parum videtur, audi quid boni adiiciat: Et in cubiculum genitricis meae. Qui ingreditur thalamum, sponsus est. Magna amoris potentia! Salvator indignabundus exierat de domo et haereditate sua: et nunc ad huius gratiam mitigatus inflectitur ita, ut redeat non modo Salvator, sed et sponsus. Benedicta tu a Domino filia, quae et indignationem compescis, et haereditatem restituistis. Benedicta tu matri tuae, cuius beneficio avertitur ira, revertitur salus, revertitur qui dicat illi: Salus tua ego sum.

Non sufficit hoc; addat et dicat: Desponsabo te mihi in fide, desponsabo te mihi in iudicio et iustitia, desponsabo te mihi in misericordia et miserationibus. Sed memento quia, quae has conciliat amicitias, sponsa est. Quomodo ergo sponsum, et hunc sponsum alteri cedit, ne dicam cupit? Non est ita. Cupit quidem illum matri filia bona, non tamen ut cedat illi, sed ut communicet. Sufficit unus duabus, nisi quod iam non erant duae, sed una in ipso. Ipse est enim pax nostra, qui facit utramque unam, ut sit una sponsa, et sponsus unus Iesus Christus Dominus noster, qui est super omnia Deus benedictus in saecula. Amen.

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩Song.3.1-Song.3.4 — On my bed, night after night, I sought the one my soul loves; I sought him, but I did not find him. Song.3.2 — I will rise now and go about the city, through the streets and through the squares; I will seek the one my soul loves. I sought him, but I did not find him. Song.3.3 — The watchmen who go about the city found me. "Have you seen the one my soul loves?" Song.3.4 — Scarcely had I passed them when I found the one my soul loves. I held him and would not let him go until I had brought him to my mother's house, to the room of her who conceived me.
  2. ↩Song.3.1-Song.3.4 — On my bed, night after night, I sought the one my soul loves; I sought him, but I did not find him. Song.3.2 — I will rise now and go about the city, through the streets and through the squares; I will seek the one my soul loves. I sought him, but I did not find him. Song.3.3 — The watchmen who go about the city found me. "Have you seen the one my soul loves?" Song.3.4 — Scarcely had I passed them when I found the one my soul loves. I held him and would not let him go until I had brought him to my mother's house, to the room of her who conceived me.
  3. ↩Song.3.4 — Scarcely had I passed them when I found the one my soul loves. I held him and would not let him go until I had brought him to my mother's house, to the room of her who conceived me.
  4. ↩Song.3.4;Isa.55.1 — Scarcely had I passed them when I found the one my soul loves. I held him and would not let him go until I had brought him to my mother's house, to the room of her who conceived me. Isa.55.1 — Come, all who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.
  5. ↩Eph.2.6 — and raised us up with him, and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus
  6. ↩Song.3.4 — Scarcely had I passed them when I found the one my soul loves. I held him and would not let him go until I had brought him to my mother's house, to the room of her who conceived me.
  7. ↩Matt.7.24-Matt.7.25 — Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. Matt.7.25 — And the rain came down, and the rivers rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.
  8. ↩1Cor.3.11 — For no one can lay another foundation besides the one that is already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
  9. ↩Rom.8.38-Rom.8.39 — For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor rulers, neither the present nor the future, nor powers Rom.8.39 — nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord
  10. ↩Song.8.7 — Many waters cannot quench love, and rivers cannot sweep it away. If a man were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it would be utterly despised.
  11. ↩Song.3.4 — Scarcely had I passed them when I found the one my soul loves. I held him and would not let him go until I had brought him to my mother's house, to the room of her who conceived me.
  12. ↩Gen.32.26 — And he saw that he could not prevail against him, and he touched the hollow of his thigh, and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was dislocated as he wrestled with him.
  13. ↩Gen.32.26-Gen.32.30 — And he saw that he could not prevail against him, and he touched the hollow of his thigh, and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was dislocated as he wrestled with him. Gen.32.27 — He said, 'Let me go, for the dawn has risen.' But he said, 'I will not let you go unless you bless me.' Gen.32.28 — And he said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob." Gen.32.29 — And he said, 'No longer shall your name be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.' Gen.32.30 — So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, 'For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been preserved.'
  14. ↩Gen.32.26 — And he saw that he could not prevail against him, and he touched the hollow of his thigh, and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was dislocated as he wrestled with him.
  15. ↩Song.3.4 — Scarcely had I passed them when I found the one my soul loves. I held him and would not let him go until I had brought him to my mother's house, to the room of her who conceived me.
  16. ↩John.4.22 — You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, because salvation is from the Jews.
  17. ↩Rom.11.26 — And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: 'The Deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn away ungodliness from Jacob.'
  18. ↩Rom.11.25-Rom.11.26 — For I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be wise in your own estimation: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. Rom.11.26 — And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: 'The Deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn away ungodliness from Jacob.'
  19. ↩Matt.23.38 — Look, your house is left to you desolate.
  20. ↩Jer.12.7-Jer.12.9;Jer.22.5-Jer.22.9 — I have forsaken my house; I have abandoned my heritage; I have given the beloved of my soul into the hand of her enemies. Jer.12.8 — My heritage has become to me like a lion in the forest; she has raised her voice against me — therefore I hate her. Jer.12.9 — Is my heritage to me like a speckled vulture? Are the birds of prey all around her? Go, gather all the wild beasts; bring them to devour. Jer.22.5 — But if you do not listen to these words, I myself have sworn — declares the LORD — that this house will become a ruin. Jer.22.6 — For thus says the LORD concerning the house of the king of Judah: You are Gilead to me, the summit of Lebanon. Yet I will surely make you a wilderness, cities uninhabited. Jer.22.7 — And I will consecrate against you destroyers—each man and his weapons—and they will cut down your choicest cedars and cast them into the fire. Jer.22.8 — Many nations will pass by this city, and they will say to one another, "Why has the LORD done this to this great city?" Jer.22.9 — And they will say, 'Because they forsook the covenant of the LORD their God and bowed down to other gods and served them.'
  21. ↩Song.1.4 — Draw me after you—let us run together! The king has brought me into his chambers. We will rejoice and be glad in you; we will remember your love more than wine. The upright love you.
  22. ↩Luke.1.47 — and my spirit rejoiced in God my Savior
  23. ↩Hos.2.19-Hos.2.20 — And I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, and they shall no more be mentioned by their name. Hos.2.20 — And I will make a covenant for them on that day with the beasts of the field, and with the birds of the sky, and with the creeping things of the ground; and I will break the bow and the sword and war from the land, and I will make them lie down in safety.
  24. ↩Eph.2.14 — For he himself is our peace, who made both one and broke down the dividing wall of hostility

Notes

  1. 1 ↩The Latin piles up four intensifiers (praeceps, vehemens, flagrans, impetuose) to convey love's overwhelming force. Rendered with a series of concrete adjectives rather than a single flattened equivalent to preserve the rhetorical accumulation.
  2. 2 ↩The four genitives (opportunitatis, rationis, pudoris, consilii iudiciive) name the structures of prudential human conduct that love overpowers. The rhetorical force is that sacred love transcends ordinary measure, not that prudence is bad.
  3. 3 ↩En is rendered 'Look' as an interjection of pointing. Redolet ('smells of') carries the sensory metaphor of the Song of Songs tradition — the beloved's fragrance.
  4. 4 ↩Quasi vero is ironic: the speaker doubts that outside observers can truly read the soul's interior thoughts. Hi ('these people') refers to those who presume to judge.
  5. 5 ↩The closing clause quotes Psalm 138:10 (Vulg. 137:10).
  6. 6 ↩The language echoes the raising and seating with Christ (cf. Eph 2:6).
  7. 7 ↩'Deliciae meae esse cum filiis hominum' echoes Proverbs 8:31 (Vulgate). 'Ecce ego vobiscum sum...' is Matthew 28:20 (Vulgate).
  8. 8 ↩'Nec minus' rendered 'no less' to preserve the comparative force; 'quodque' after the colon rendered 'and further' to carry the additive sense.
  9. 9 ↩'copula' rendered 'bond' (not 'chain' or 'union') to keep the concrete image of something that binds two parties.
  10. 10 ↩'tam vehementi voluntate' rendered 'burning will' to capture the intensity of shared desire.
  11. 11 ↩'Tenuisti manum dexteram meam' echoes Psalm 72:23 (Vulgate) / Psalm 73:23 (Hebrew), a psalm of intimate divine union.
  12. 12 ↩'Sed nihilominus' rendered 'But nonetheless' to preserve the adversative-additive force; 'vicissim' rendered 'in turn' to capture reciprocity.
  13. 13 ↩'quomodo iam cadere potest' rendered as a rhetorical question preserving the force of impossibility.
  14. 14 ↩'affectu' rendered 'affection' (not 'emotion' or 'feeling') per lexeme policy for affectio in prayerful positive contexts.
  15. 15 ↩'At nequaquam' rendered 'But...not' to capture the strong adversative; conditional 'si non teneretur' rendered as counterfactual.
  16. 16 ↩suxere is a syncopated perfect of sugo (to suck); rendered as 'suckled' to preserve the maternal nursing image.

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