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Chapter 24CanticoEsp.1.24

Canción XXIII

The Apple Tree of Redemption

The song and its explanation reveal that the cross is the apple tree where Christ betrothed human nature and restored what was lost in the Fall.

Annotation of the following song In this high state of spiritual marriage, the Bridegroom frequently and easily reveals his wonderful secrets to the soul, as he would to a faithful partner; because true and complete love cannot keep anything hidden from the one it loves. He primarily shares with her the sweet mysteries of his Incarnation and the ways and means of humanity's redemption—one of God's greatest works, and therefore all the more delightful to the soul. For that reason, although he shares many other mysteries with her, in the song that follows, the Bridegroom mentions only the Incarnation as the chief of them all; and so, speaking to her, he says these words: Beneath the apple tree, you were betrothed to me; there I gave you my hand, and you were restored where your mother had been violated.1 Explanation In this song the Bridegroom declares to the soul the wonderful way and design he used to redeem her and take her as his bride, by those same means through which human nature was ruined and lost—saying that just as human nature was lost and ruined through Adam by means of the forbidden tree in paradise, so on the tree of the cross it was redeemed and restored by him, giving her there the hand of his favor and mercy through his death and passion, ending the estrangement that original sin had set between humankind and God.2 And so he says: Beneath the apple tree.✦ That is, under the shade of the tree of the cross—here understood as the apple tree—where the Son of God won the victory, and consequently betrothed human nature to himself, and consequently every soul, giving it grace and pledges on the cross; and so he says:3 There you were betrothed to me; there I gave you my hand. That is to say: by my favor and help, raising you from a miserable and lowly state into my company and betrothal. And you were restored where your mother was violated. Because your mother, human nature, was violated in her first parents under the tree, and you too were restored there under the tree of the cross; so that if your mother under the tree gave you death, I under the tree of the cross gave you life. In this way God continues to reveal the designs and dispositions of his wisdom, showing how wisely and beautifully he knows how to bring good out of evil, and to order what was caused by evil toward a greater good. What this song contains word for word is what the Bridegroom himself says to the Bride in the Song of Songs: Sub arbore malo suscitavi te: ibi corrupta est mater tua, ibi violata est genitrix tua; which means: Under the apple tree I raised you up; there your mother was corrupted; there she who bore you was violated.

The Soul's Betrothal in Scripture

The extended quotation from Ezekiel 16 describes the soul's journey from abandonment to being adorned and betrothed by God, illustrating the gradual process of spiritual perfection.

This betrothal that took place on the cross is not the one we're speaking of now; for that one was made all at once, when God gave the soul the first grace, which is done in baptism for every soul; but this one is by way of perfection, and it is made only very little by little, by its stages; for although it is all one, the difference is that this one is made at the soul's pace, and so it goes little by little; and the other is made at God's pace, and so it is done all at once; and this one we're speaking of is what God made known through Ezekiel, speaking to the soul in this way: You were cast out upon the earth, in contempt of your soul, on the day you were born; and as I passed by you, I saw you trampled in your blood, and I said to you: As you were in your blood, live; and I made you as multiplied as the grass of the field; and you multiplied and grew great, and you came in and reached the stature of a woman; and your breasts grew and your hair multiplied, and you were naked and full of shame; and I passed by you and looked at you, and I saw that your time was the time of lovers; and I stretched my hand over you and covered your shame, and I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you, and I made you mine; and I washed you with water, and I cleansed the blood that was on you; and I anointed you with oil, and I clothed you in colors, and I shod you with jacinth, and I girded you with fine linen and clothed you in delicate fabrics; and I adorned you with ornament, put bracelets on your hands and a necklace on your neck; and upon your mouth an earring, and rings in your ears, and a crown of beauty on your head; and you were adorned with gold and silver, and clothed in fine linen and embroidered silks of many colors; you ate the finest bread and honey and oil, and you became of exceeding beauty, and you came so far as to reign and be a queen; and your name went abroad among the nations because of your beauty; You were cast out upon the face of the earth, in the abjection of your soul, on the day you were born. And as I was passing by you, I saw you being trampled in your blood. And I said to you when you were in your blood: Live. I said to you, I say again: Live in your blood. I made you multiply like the sprout of the field; and you multiplied and grew great, and you came in and reached womanhood: your breasts swelled, and your hair sprouted; and you were naked and full of shame. And I passed by you, and I saw you; and behold, your time was the time of lovers; and I spread my cloak over you, and I covered your shame. And I swore an oath to you, and I entered into a covenant with you, says the Lord God; and you became mine. And I washed you with water, and I cleansed your blood from you; and I anointed you with oil. And I dressed you in many colors, put violet shoes on you, wrapped you in fine linen, and clothed you in delicate fabrics. And I adorned you with ornaments, and I put bracelets on your hands and a necklace around your neck. And I put a ring on your mouth, and rings in your ears, and a crown of beauty on your head.4 And you were adorned with gold and silver, and you were clothed in fine linen and embroidered work of many colors; you ate fine flour, honey, and oil, and you became exceedingly beautiful, and you rose to a kingdom.5 And your name went out among the nations because of your beauty. Up to this point, these are the words of Ezekiel. And this is the condition of the soul we are speaking of here.6

Read the original Spanish

Anotación de la canción siguiente

En este alto estado de matrimonio espiritual, con gran facilidad y frecuencia descubre el Esposo al alma sus maravillosos secretos, como a su fiel consorte; porque el verdadero y entero amor no sabe tener nada encubierto al que ama; y así, le comunica principalmente dulces misterios de su encarnación y los modos y maneras de la redención humana, que es una de las más altas obras de Dios, y así es más sabrosa para el alma; por lo cual, aunque le comunica otros muchos misterios, sólo hace mención el Esposo en la canción siguiente de la encarnación, como el más principal de todos; y así, hablando con ella, le dice estas palabras:

Debajo del manzano Allí conmigo fuiste desposada Allí te di la mano, Y fuiste reparada Donde tu madre fuera violada.

DECLARACIÓN

Declara el Esposo al alma en esta canción la admirable manera y traza que tuvo en redimirla y desposarla consigo, con aquellos mismos términos que la naturaleza humana fue estragada y perdida, diciendo que, así como por medio del árbol vedado en el paraíso fue perdida y estragada en la naturaleza humana por Adán, así en el árbol de la cruz fue redimida y reparada por él, dándole allí la mano de su favor y misericordia por medio de su muerte y pasión, alzando las treguas que por el pecado original había entre el hombre y Dios. Y así, dice:

Debajo del manzano.

Esto es, debajo del favor del árbol de la cruz, que aquí es entendido por el manzano, donde el Hijo de Dios consiguió victoria, y por consiguiente desposó consigo la naturaleza humana, y consiguientemente a cada alma, dándole él gracia y prendas en la cruz; y así, dice:

Allí conmigo fuiste desposado, Allí te di la mano.

Conviene a saber, de mi favor y ayuda, levantándote de miserable y bajo estado en mi compañía y desposorio.

Y fuiste reparada Donde tu madre fuera violada.

Porque tu madre, la naturaleza humana, fue violada en sus primeros padres debajo del árbol, y tú allí también debajo del árbol de la cruz fuiste reparada; de manera que si tu madre debajo del árbol te dio muerte, yo debajo del árbol de la cruz te dí la vida; y a este modo le va Dios descubriendo las órdenes y disposiciones de su sabiduría, como sabe él tan sabia y hermosamente sacar de los males bienes, y aquello que fue causado de mal ordenallo a mayor bien. Lo que en esta canción se contiene a la letra dice el mismo Esposo a la Esposa en los Cantares, diciendo: Sub arbore malo suscitavi te: ibi corrupta est mater tua, ibi violata est genitrix tua; que quiere decir: Debajo del manzano te levanté; allí fue tu madre estragada, allí la que te engendró fue violada.

Este desposorio que se hizo en la cruz no es del que ahora vamos hablando; porque aquel hízose de una vez, dando Dios al alma la primera gracia, lo cual se hace en el bautismo con cada alma; mas éste es por vía de perfección, que no se hace sino muy poco a poco por sus términos; que, aunque es todo uno, la diferencia es, que éste se hace al paso del alma, y así va poco a poco; y el otro se hace al paso de Dios, y así se hace de una vez; y éste de que vamos hablando es el que dio Dios a entender por Ecequiel, hablando con el alma en esta manera: Estabas arrojada sobre la tierra, en desprecio de tu ánima, el día que naciste; y pasando por ti, te vi pisada en tu sangre, y te dije: como estuvieses en tu sangre, vive; y te puse tan multiplicada como la yerba del campo; y te multiplicaste y hicístete grande, y entraste y llegaste hasta la grandeza de mujer; y crecieron tus pechos y multiplicáronse tus cabellos, y estabas desnuda y llena de confusión; y pasé por ti y miréte, y vi que tu tiempo era tiempo de amantes; y tendí sobre ti mi mano y cubrí tu ignominia, o hícete juramento y entré contigo en pacto, e hícete mía; y lavéte con agua, y limpié la sangre que tenías; y te ungí con óleo, y te vestí de colores, y te calcé de jacinto, y ceñite de holanda y te vestí de subtilezas; y adornéte con ornato, puse manillas en tus manos y collar en tu cuello; y sobre tu boca un zarcillo, y en tus orejas cerquillo, y corona de hermosura sobre tu cabeza; y fuiste adornada con oro y plata, y vestida de holanda y sedas labradas de muchos colores; pan muy esmerado y miel y óleo comiste, y te hiciste de vehemente hermosura, y llegaste hasta reinar y ser reina; y divulgose tu nombre entre las gentes por tu hermosura; Projecta est super faciem terrae in abjectiono animae tuae, in die qua nata est. Transiens autem por te, vidi te conculcari in sanguine tuo. Et dixi tibi cum esses in sanguino tuo: vive. Dixi, inquam, tibi: in sanguine tuo vive. Multiplicatam quasi germen agri dedi te: et multiplicata es, et grandis effecta, et ingressa es, et pervenisti ad mundum muliebrem: ubera tua intumuerunt, et pilus tuus germinavit: et eras nuda et confusione plena. Et transivi per te, et vidi te: et ecce tempus tuum, tempus amantium: et expandi amictum meum super te, et operui ignominiam tuam. Et juravi tibi, et ingressus sum pactum tecum: ait Dominus Deus: et facta es mihi. Et lavi te aqua, et emundavi sanguinem tuum ex te: et unxi te oleo.

Et vestivi te discoloribus, et calceavi te janthino, et cinxi te byso, et indui te subtilibus. Et ornavi te ornamento, et dedi armillas in manibus tuis, et torquem circa collum tuum. Et dedi in aurem super os tuum, et circulos auribus tuis, et coronam decoris in capite tuo. Et ornata es auro, et argento, et vestita es bysso, et polymito, et multi coloribus: similam, et mel, et oleum comedisti, et decora facta es vehementer nimis: et profecisti in regnum. Et egressum est nomen tuum in gentes propter speciem tuam. Hasta aquí son palabras de Ecequiel. Y de este talle está el alma de que aquí vamos hablando.

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩Song.8.5 — Who is this coming up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved? Under the apple tree I awakened you; there your mother was in labor with you; there she who bore you was in labor.

Notes

  1. 1 ↩reparada: restored/made whole — in San Juan's allegory, the soul is healed under the Cross (the true apple tree) at the site of Eve's ruin; violada names the Fall, not sexual violence in a modern sense.
  2. 2 ↩Spanish treguas literally means "truces"; in this redemption context it names the breach/estrangement between humankind and God caused by original sin, which Christ ends.
  3. 3 ↩In this betrothal register, prendas are tokens/pledges of commitment given on the cross, not merely material securities.
  4. 4 ↩Vulgate inaurem (here split as in aurem) means an earring or facial ring; the Spanish paraphrase in the preceding section has zarcillo over the mouth. Rendered as 'ring upon your mouth' to keep the source image.
  5. 5 ↩profecisti in regnum matches the Spanish paraphrase 'llegaste hasta reinar y ser reina': advance into royal standing, not merely geographic entry into a kingdom.
  6. 6 ↩talle here means stature, figure, or condition. Rendered as 'condition' to carry the sense that the soul under discussion matches the adorned, perfected bride of the Ezekiel image.

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