Song of Solomon 3

Song of Solomon 3:1

Ambrose of Milan: “In my bed, I sought the one whom my soul loves during the nights.” Whoever seeks well, let them seek in their bed, let them seek during the nights, neither on holidays nor on nights of rest. Let no time be vacant from the duty of piety; and if it does not find it at first, let it continue in seeking. … And since we see heavenly mysteries prefigured in the Gospel on earth, let us come to that Mary, let us come also to Magdalene. Let us consider how they sought Christ in the bed of his body, in which he lay dead, on the nights when the angel said to them: You seek Jesus who was crucified; he is not here, for he has risen. Why, therefore, do you seek the living among the dead? What do you seek in the tomb of one who is already in heaven? What do you seek in the chains of universal imprisonment, who breaks the chains? This is not a tomb, but a dwelling place. Therefore, one of them said: I sought him, but did not find him. — On Isaac and the Soul, 5.38, 42

Ambrose of Milan: Let us follow him by day, the present day of the church, which Abraham saw and was glad. This is why we follow Christ during the day; for he will not be found by night. “Upon my bed,” Scripture says, “by night I sought him whom my soul loves. I called him, but he gave no answer.” — Concerning Virginity 8:45

Ambrose of Milan: What is signified by the house of your mother and her chamber except the interior, secret place of your nature? Keep this house, and cleanse its inmost parts so that, once it is an immaculate house unstained by any sordidness of an adulterous conscience, a spiritual house held together by the cornerstone may rise into a holy priesthood, and the Holy Spirit may dwell in it. One who thus seeks Christ, who entreats him, is not abandoned by him. Rather, that one is frequently visited, for he is with us until the end of the world. — Concerning Virginity 13:78

Cyril of Alexandria: “In my chamber by night I sought him.” This refers to the women who came at the beginning of the morning on the sabbath to the tomb of Jesus and did not find him. He is in the chamber, therefore, or away from the chamber. Or perhaps they call their chamber the Lord’s tomb because we are buried together with him. But when they did not find him, they heard at once: “He is not here, for he has been raised.” And they discovered guardian angels, whom they asked, “Where have you laid the Lord?” Then, when they had left the angels whom they were questioning, the Lord met them and said, “Rejoice.” For this reason, it says, “When I had passed by them for a little while, I found him whom I will not let go.” She grasped his feet and heard, “Don’t hold me.” Finally, he called the gathering of the apostles the house of the mother, to whom he announced the resurrection of Christ. — FRAGMENTS IN THE COMMENTARY ON THE SONG OF SONGS 3:1

Gregory of Elvira: To what does this bed refer, upon which the church seeks the one whom its soul loves, if not to the bed of its heart in which wisdom rests, where it seeks our Lord and Savior through continuous meditation? If the bed is the secrecy of the heart, then what is the night in which the church sought the Lord but was unable to find him? Surely it means that the God of light was not easily found in darkness. — EXPLANATION OF THE SONG OF SONGS 5:2

Gregory of Elvira: “In my mother’s house and in the chamber where she conceived me.” This is the voice of the church speaking. If the church is a mother to all, we must ask for the identity of the mother of the church, in whose house and in whose chamber she is said to have been conceived. I have already shown above what is the church, namely, the body of Christ that consists of his gathering members. The mother of the church, therefore, is the holy heavenly Jerusalem. — EXPLANATION OF THE SONG OF SONGS 5:12

Gregory of Nyssa: The chamber is indeed the heart that becomes an acceptable dwelling of God when it returns to that state which it had in the beginning made by “her who conceived me.” We would be correct by understanding “mother” as the first cause of our being. — HOMILIES ON THE SONG OF SONGS 6

Gregory the Dialogist: For we seek the beloved in bed when in some little rest of the present life we sigh with longing for our Redeemer. We seek by night, because even if the mind is now awake in him, nevertheless the eye still grows dim. But whoever does not find his beloved, it remains that he arise and go about the city, that is, traverse the holy Church of the elect with mind and inquiry; let him seek him through streets and squares, that is, let him observe those walking through narrow and broad ways, so that if he can find any traces of him in them, he may search them out, because there are some, even of secular life, who have something to imitate in the practice of virtue. But as we seek, the watchmen who guard the city find us, because the holy fathers who guard the state of the Church meet our good endeavors, that they may teach us by their word or their writing. When we pass a little beyond them, we find him whom we love, because our Redeemer, though by humility a man among men, was nevertheless by divinity above men. Therefore when the watchmen are passed by, the beloved is found, because when we perceive that the prophets and apostles are beneath him, we consider that he who is God by nature is above men. — 40 Homilies on the Gospels, Homily 25

Jerome: Happy the person in whose heart Jesus sets his feet every day! If only he would set his feet in my heart! If only his footsteps would cling to my heart forever! If only I may say with the spouse, “I took hold of him and would not let him go.” — HOMILIES ON THE Psalms 26 (Psalms 98)

Richard Challoner: In my bed by night: The Gentiles as in the dark, and seeking in heathen delusion what they could not find, the true God, until Christ revealed his doctrine to them by his watchmen, (ver. 3,) that is, by the apostles, and teachers by whom they were converted to the true faith; and holding that faith firmly, the spouse (the Catholic Church) declares, ver. 4, That she will not let him go, till she bring him into her mother’s house, etc., that is, till at last, the Jews also shall find him.

Robert of Tombelaine: The holy soul makes a bed for itself through the nights, when, fleeing all the disturbances of the world, it prepares a secret place in which it rests. In this bed it seeks the one it loves, because while it is free from all the anxieties of the world, it does not rest in its search for how it might reach him. It should be noted, moreover, that the one who now lives in this world seeks through the nights, and perfectly shakes off from itself the darkness of temporality. The more heavily it suffers these darknesses, the more fervently it seeks him, upon finding whom it will no longer suffer darkness. But because it never perfectly finds the one it seeks in this world, it therefore adds: “I sought him and did not find him.” — Commentary on the Song of Songs, Chapter 3

Theodoret of Cyrus: Since the bridegroom is incomprehensible in his being even to the holy angels, and hence they did not give me an answer to my question, teaching me by their silence that he is incomprehensible even to them, the uncreated to created beings, I left them as well, still searching for my beloved.“It was not long after passing them that I found him whom my soul loved. I laid hold of him.” I had scarcely bypassed the creature to reach the angelic nature itself in an effort to find my uncreated beloved, my benefactor as he is, when by faith alone I came upon him, bypassing all beings and with the confirmation from experience itself that the one responsible for everything is above all beings and in his being is seen by no nature, of the senses or the intellect, being superior to them in substance. — COMMENTARY ON THE SONG OF SONGS 3

Theodoret of Cyrus: She says she found him and did not let him go before bringing him into her mother’s house and the inner chamber of the one who conceived her. By “city” she refers to the house of God, which we call church, by “marketplaces” and “streets” the divine Scriptures, by the city’s “watchmen” the holy prophets and the sacred apostles, from whom the pious soul learns in its longing for the divine Word. After these she finds the bridegroom attended by guards and attendants, she lays hold of him, clings to him and is reluctant to leave him before she brings him into her mother’s house and the inner chamber of the one who conceived her. Now, we recognize the mother of the pious as the Jerusalem on high, of whom blessed Paul says, “The Jerusalem on high is free in being mother of us all.” — COMMENTARY ON THE SONG OF SONGS 3

Song of Solomon 3:2

Robert of Tombelaine: Because indeed it burns with the greatest desire, and whatever it holds does not suffice, until it finds the beloved, it therefore adds the constancy of its searching. What do we understand by the city in this place, if not the Church; what by the streets of the city, if not all those who are spiritual? While they walk toward the Church with their whole heart, they hold to the narrow way by which they are led to life. By the broad ways, however, the worldly are designated, who, while they follow their many pleasures, walk along wide roads. The bride therefore rises and goes about the city, because the perfect soul that despises visible things contemplates in her mind all the saints who are or have been in the Church, to see whether perhaps she may find something in their deeds that, by imitating, she might at some point arrive at the finding of the bridegroom. She searches through the streets and through the broad ways, because while she strives to reach the intimate embraces of the beloved through the imitation of the good, she sometimes finds not only in spiritual persons but even in carnal ones something that she can worthily imitate. But after she has indicated her twofold labor, she again adds the difficulty of finding, saying: “I sought him, and I did not find him.” But while she seeks and does not find, she herself is also sought and found. — Commentary on the Song of Songs, Chapter 3

Song of Solomon 3:3

Bede: “The watchmen who go about the city found me,” etc. The watchmen who go about the city are the heralds of truth, who always keep watch with devout care for the protection of the holy Church, which is spread throughout the entire world, and who strive to ensure that it is not corrupted by the faithless through the word of preaching. These watchmen found the pagan world in its anxious search for truth and showed it what it sought, when Philip revealed the light of the Gospel to the eunuch and instructed him in the knowledge of the prophetic words he was reading; when Peter infused Cornelius and his household with heavenly grace, which he so greatly desired; when Paul made known to the Athenians the God whom they worshipped in ignorance; and when others revealed to many others the long-sought and long-desired presence of their Creator. It is as if the pagan world, which by God’s grace was to be transformed into the bride of Christ, said to the city’s watchmen, “Have you seen him whom my soul loves?” as they eagerly accommodated their ears to the teachers coming to them and intently sought to discern if the way they preached was indeed the way of truth. — Commentary on the Song of Songs

Robert of Tombelaine: What is designated by the watchmen, if not the teachers of the Church? For while they keep watch through writings and words for the sake of winning souls, whenever they perceive even a little desire, they never cease to increase it toward something better. These find the bride seeking, because they receive the devout soul striving to find Christ, and so that she may find him more quickly, they instruct her with precepts and kindle her with examples. Questioning them, she says: “Have you seen him whom my soul loves?” The bride is rightly said to question them, because while she searches through their writings or words with a watchful mind, speaking as if to those present even though absent through the attention of her soul, she inquires what they have understood concerning Christ. But because while she fixes her attention on them, she never finds the bridegroom, she consequently adds: — Commentary on the Song of Songs, Chapter 3

Song of Solomon 3:4

Bede: After I had slightly passed by them, etc. The one who wishes to enjoy the teaching of truth should not approach it hastily and negligently: for the one who desires to meet the beloved must necessarily pass very diligently by those who proclaim his name, and familiarly insert himself among their assemblies, so that he may thus more closely deserve to attain the knowledge of him whom they preach. For we also say that we have passed through a book when we have read it to the end. Therefore, the angel said to Daniel about the mysteries he was seeing, “Many shall pass through and knowledge shall be multiplied” (Dan. XII). Therefore, after I had slightly passed by them, he says, I found him whom my soul loved. For a seeker of truth ought to pass through the watchmen, that is, to mingle and unite himself with the assemblies of the faithful teachers, as has been said, and to run through their sayings or writings with frequent meditation. When he does this even slightly, he soon finds the beloved whom he sought, because according to the voice of Paul and Isaiah, “The Lord will accomplish his word upon the earth briefly” (Rom. IX), specifically what he said, “He who believes and is baptized shall be saved” (Mark XVI). And of which the Apostle says, “But what does the Scripture say? ‘The word is near you, in your mouth’” (Rom. X). This is the word of faith which we preach; “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom. X). — Commentary on the Song of Songs

Bede: I held him and will not let him go, etc. All the more fervently, she says, I held the one found, because it took longer to find the one I was seeking. I proclaim that I will never let him go, but instead strive to persevere and progress continually in his love, so that I may also endeavor to call the Synagogue, through which I received the hearing of the word and the ministry of regeneration, back to faith in his name. For it is established that at the end of the age, Judea shall receive the faith which it now opposes in unfaithfulness, which can only happen through the teaching and ministry of those who will then be found faithful among the Gentiles. For the Apostle plainly says, “Blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, and so all Israel shall be saved” (Rom. XI). Indeed, what the Church says, “I held him and will not let him go until I bring him into my mother’s house, and into my mother’s chamber,” should not be understood as though she will let Christ go after she has instructed the Synagogue’s people in faith in his name, but rather that she loves him with such affection, seeks what is his with such zeal, that she endeavors to subject even her kindred people to him, according to the Psalmist’s words, “Our eyes are upon the Lord our God, until he has mercy on us” (Ps. XXIV). For certainly, no one who raises their eyes to God to ask for mercy lowers them again after finally receiving that mercy, since it is the greatest sign of received mercy for someone to always have their eyes intently on God and to contemplate his glory without end. It should be noted, however, that the sequence of this chapter was also fulfilled literally in Mary Magdalene, who held the type of the Church: for when the Lord, whom she loved with all her heart while alive, was taken from her sight by death and burial, she sought him in her bed, held captive by such love for him that the memory of him did not leave her heart even when her limbs were given to rest. She sought him through nights, namely those two in which he rested in the tomb; yet she did not find him, as the time for his resurrection had not yet come. She arose in the morning with spices, and anxiously searching, she came to the tomb; and even then, she did not immediately find the one she was seeking, but first the angels, certainly guardians of the Church, found her. Inquiring about the Lord from them, and hearing that he had risen, she finally came to see him. She held him, and no longer let him go, having truly recognized that he had triumphed over death. And she hastened to bring him into her mother’s house, for she proclaimed his resurrection to the assembly of the disciples, who had preceded her in Christ and had encouraged her to piety by their examples. — Commentary on the Song of Songs

Robert of Tombelaine: She passes the watchmen a little way and finds her beloved, because while she considers them to be mere men, she raises her mind to the divinity, and there recognizes her bridegroom as equal to the Father, above men. She says she then found him when, aided by holy labors, she fixes the eye of faith somewhat upon the brightness of his divinity, as if contemplating through a mirror. How eagerly of mind she receives that small portion, she shows by saying: “I held him and will not let him go, until I bring him into the house of my mother, and into the chamber of her who bore me.” The Mother of the Church was the Synagogue, because from her she received the holy preachers, from whom she accepted the word of truth, through which she was reborn in faith. The Church therefore holds fast to the Bridegroom until she brings him into the house of her mother, because until the end of the world she does not withdraw from faith in him and love of him, until she leads the Jews to faith. Not that she withdraws afterward; for him whom she loves in exile, she will love even more when she sees him in the homeland. But this had to be said concerning that time about which some could have doubted on account of opposing temptations. She will therefore bring the Beloved into the house of her mother when at the end of the world the Church, through preaching, introduces the Christian sacraments into the Jewish people. She will bring him into the bedchamber, as into the more secret part of the house, because from that same people she will convert so many that they will cast off all the burdens of the world and desire in their innermost thoughts to please God alone. Such people will make a bedchamber for the Bridegroom, because when they cast away from themselves all the filth of cupidity, they will prepare, as it were, a secret place in the mind in which he may take delight. — Commentary on the Song of Songs, Chapter 3

Song of Solomon 3:5

Bede: I adjure you, daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles, etc. If we look at the preceding verses, we will not find in them that the bride reached rest or sleep, but rather that, leaping from the bed, with the greatest effort of searching, she reached the discovery of her beloved. And how now does the same beloved adjure the daughters of Jerusalem not to awaken her, nor to cause her to wake, unless perhaps because the soul, as though tranquil in the most blessed sleep, knows how to rest in divine love? Just as someone sleeping has closed the bodily eyes to external things and has often opened the eyes of the heart in the vision of hidden things; so indeed, the mind given to the love of heavenly matters withdraws from the concerns of the visible, so that it may keep watch more perfectly and freely in the contemplation of the invisible. And it is no wonder that love is compared to sleep, for it averts the sense of the mind from the desire for the visible and turns it to the desire for the invisible, just as it is compared even to death, with the same song saying, “Love is as strong as death”: because just as death destroys the body, so too does the brilliance of internal life extinguish external delights. Hence, it is rightly that the daughters of Jerusalem are adjured, that is, the souls of the faithful, sighing with an anxious mind for the companionship of the heavenly citizens, not to awaken the beloved, that is, not to hinder a mind devoted to God from the intention of heavenly desire with an untimely interruption. This too can rightly be understood concerning the general state of the Church, whose peace to disturb is to oppose the will of Christ: concerning whom, as enough has already been said above, now it may suffice to speak more sparingly. Let the reader remember only this, that for this reason the verse is repeated in the song of love so that the Lord may signify that He has no less care for the Church gathered from the gentiles than for that gathered from the Jews, but He bears equal concern for the peace of both, as both are united in His singular most beloved house and family. Once upon a time, Judaea believed that it was alone loved by God, that the word of salvation was entrusted only to itself, not also to the uncircumcised gentiles, as evidenced by Luke, who says: “And the apostles and brethren who were in Judaea heard that the gentiles also had received the word of God. When Peter had come to Jerusalem, those of the circumcision contended with him, saying, ‘Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?’ ” Also, in another place, “On the next Sabbath, almost the whole city came together to hear the word of the Lord. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with jealousy; and contradicted the things spoken by Paul” (Acts XI). Hence, the adjuration of the daughters of Jerusalem not to awaken the beloved can also rightly be taken to mean that He commands those who had gone ahead in faith from the Jews not to trouble those or contradict the salvation of those who had come to faith from the gentiles. Where also, what He says, “Until she pleases”, can be understood in this way, that the Church from the gentiles would of its own accord submit itself to watchings and labors for the Lord. Therefore, it is next added that the same daughters of Jerusalem are astonished because the grace of the Holy Spirit is poured out upon the nations. — Commentary on the Song of Songs

Robert of Tombelaine: Resting delightfully among them, free from their disturbance, the Bridegroom forbids the wicked, saying: “I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles and the deer of the fields, do not stir up nor awaken the beloved until she herself wills it.” In this, certainly, he shows that after her conversion he will find some from the Synagogue of the same perfection as very many from the Church, since he takes equal delight in their rest and forbids any disturber from them, just as he forbade it from the Church. — Commentary on the Song of Songs, Chapter 3

Song of Solomon 3:6

Ambrose of Milan: For Solomon made himself a bed of wood from Lebanon. Its pillars were of silver, its bottom of gold, its back strewn with gems. — Concerning Virginity 3.5.21

Ambrose of Milan: Seeing therefore the daughters of Jerusalem cleaving to Christ and still ascending with Him (for He deigns frequently to meet with them who seek Him, and to descend to raise them), they say: Who is this that ascendeth from the desert? For this desert place of the earth appears rough and uncultivated, covered with the thistles and thorns of our sins. They marvel, indeed, how a soul which was formerly abandoned in hell, can cleave to the Word of God and ascend like a shoot of the vine, raising itself above, as it were smoke that rises up from the fire, and reaching high, and moreover being inflamed with good works. But that smell of pious prayer gives off a pleasant fragrance, which rises up like incense in the sight of God. And in the Apocalypse we read that: Smoke from the incense rises up from the prayers of the saints, which are offered up by an angel, namely the prayers of the saints, on that golden altar which is before the throne of God, and like the sweet fragrance of pious prayer, it burns as an ointment; because it is composed not of requests for temporal and visible things, but especially of myrrh and incense, because it is dead to sins and alive to God. — On Isaac and the Soul 5.45

Aponius: Thus he was crowned by the blessed mother who begot him according to the flesh, Christ the King, the true Solomon. This was the day of his wedding and the day of gladness of heart, when the immaculate was joined to the stained. Our Lord Jesus Christ made the church immaculate by the touch of his body and blood and rendered it most beautiful, cleansed from every stain of sin by the most holy washing of baptism, with every wrinkle of heretical inclination wiped away by the salve of doctrine. — EXPOSITION OF SONG OF SONGS 5:48

Bede: Who is this that ascends through the desert? etc. Who is this, they ask, worthy of such praise, of such wonder, who has not been cleansed by the mystery of circumcision, nor yet washed in the font of regeneration, and already is imbued with the new grace of the Holy Spirit, already speaks in tongues, and magnifies God? such as we have never remembered happening in our nation, since either the testament of circumcision was given to the fathers, or the washing of baptism was given to us. Who ascends through the desert: rises from the depths of pleasures to the heights of virtues, lifting eyes to the eternal mountains; indeed, lifting, and longing to reach Him who dwells in heaven. Yet ascends through the desert, that is, through the midst of those nations which were not fruitful in any virtues, which no prophet of God, no patriarch, no angel coming, had instructed in the worship of a healthier life, whose faith is of greater miracle, because she most recently recognized and accepted this invincibly, according to what the Lord Himself attests in her praise, saying: I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is, and you hold fast to my name, and did not deny my faith (Rev. 2). But this is said as an example of the Israelite people, who, freed from the darkness of Egyptian servitude, ascended through the desert’s journey to the promised land. Hence, the desert can also rightly be taken in a good sense, that is, denoting that way of life which is separated from the enticements of the world, devoted solely to the scrutiny of God’s law and the observance of heavenly precepts, which, hungering and thirsting for righteousness, is fed only by the manna of the heavenly word, and drinks from the fountain of life that emanates from the spiritual rock. Hence, ardently and fervently singing: My soul thirsted for you, my flesh how many times to you in a dry and barren land without water (Psalms 62). Therefore, the Church ascends through the desert, to reach the promised kingdom; and also, how she ascends is shown when it is added, Like a pillar of smoke from spices. Smoke is usually born from fire, born seeking the heights, to be consumed, and gradually withdraw from human sight. In this way, the Church ascends, which, kindled by the fire of the Holy Spirit in the love of its Creator, strives with all effort of virtues towards the heavenly; nor does it desist from its beginnings, until, abstracted from human things, it is seized into the invisible joys of heavenly life; and just as smoke, at one and the same time, can be seen to arise and disappear in the higher parts where it was first seen, so the Church is always newly born through the grace of the Holy Spirit in some of its members until the end of the world; in some, which were first born to God, it is always gathered to the heavenly. Which rightly is not simply compared to smoke, which can be dispersed anywhere, but to a pillar of smoke, so that both the unity of her faith and the simple ascent to the heights may be signified. Moreover, concerning the enemies of God, who are elevated not by any heavenly desire, but solely by the pride of arrogance, it is said that once they have been honored and exalted, they will fail like smoke; and just as in the mind of the depraved, worldly greed burns, conversely fervor burns in the heart of the good, and the virtue smokes, so it was right to say, “Like a column of smoke,” adding: — Commentary on the Song of Songs

Bede: “From the aromatics of myrrh,” etc. Indeed, myrrh, which is suitable for embalming bodies, as the arrangement of the sacred burial of the Lord also proves, signifies the chastity of the flesh. Frankincense, which is accustomed to be offered to God in prayers, expresses the virtue of prayer; as the Psalmist also attests in prayer, “Let my prayer be set before You as incense” (Psalms 140). The entire powder of the perfumer signifies all the works of virtues, which are therefore not compared with complete spices, but reduced to powder, so that we may be reminded to distinguish the good works we do with diligent intention and to examine them with the sieve of careful discernment to ensure that nothing unseemly remains in them. The perfumer, who prepares and sifts this powder, is understood to be either the person himself who strives for virtues or the Lord, the giver of virtues. Moreover, it should be noted that when mentioning aromatics, he rightly first calls myrrh, then frankincense and the entire powder of the perfumer, according to that order which the Lord also sets in the Gospel, saying, “Let your loins be girded and your lamps burning” (Luke 12). Which is to say in other words, “Depart from evil and do good” (Psalms 34). Mortify the desires of the flesh and offer to God the pleasing vows of the heart. Thus the beloved of the heavenly bridegroom ascends through the desert like a column of smoke from the aromatics of myrrh and frankincense and the entire powder of the perfumer, because whether the holy Church or any perfect soul grows in the higher virtues through daily progress, which by the flame of charity renders to its author the most delightful fragrance of chastity and prayer, indeed of all spiritual fruits; although it can also be rightly understood that the beloved of Christ ascends, like a column of smoke from the aromatics of myrrh, frankincense, and the entire powder of the perfumer, because his one and the same Church is built from many faithful persons, each flourishing in diverse virtues, some insist more greatly on mortifying the pleasures of the flesh after the example of him who said, “I discipline my body and keep it under control” (1 Corinthians 9); some are peculiarly dedicated to frequent prayers like the symbol of frankincense; others labor to offer God the fruits of good works. Yet all are inflamed by the one same fire of the Spirit, like one single column of smoke, with undivided zeal and common devotion seeking the heights of heavenly life. Nor should it seem contradictory to the diligent reader but rather sufficiently consistent to understand, that the same beloved both is said to be asleep and to ascend through the desert: for she is shown to sleep when the daughters of Jerusalem are adjured not to awaken her. And the same daughters of Jerusalem testify that she ascends, when they immediately respond, “Who is this coming up from the wilderness?” At one and the same time, she both sleeps and ascends, when the soul, as much as it can, distances itself from external cares and carnal desires, and approaches the vision of its Creator by the progress of good operation or thought; which when it is said to ascend through the desert, it is indicated to where it ascends and what is the cause of its ascent, with the voice of the Church that ascends being added. — Commentary on the Song of Songs

Cyril of Alexandria: The myrrh that was mixed with frankincense was used for burying him, but frankincense because whoever rises with Christ shares his divinity. And the ecclesiastical soul is imbued not only with these fragrances but also with various principles of knowledge. For whoever discerns accurately and searches all the way to the highest peak will be said to crush everything and reduce to dust the doctrines of good fragrance, like some perfume with which the bride is now said to be fragrant. Perhaps also the one who does not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit, whose heart has not been hardened, generating and preserving various sweet smells, renders a good odor from all the herbs which are now called perfumes. Likewise, some will say that the holy and ecclesiastical soul, a daughter formerly destitute of God, ascends from the assembly of the Gentiles, that is, from the desert of those who are remiss in dogmas, words and deeds, having abandoned God, and rises to the things that are of God. — FRAGMENTS IN THE COMMENTARY ON THE SONG OF SONGS 3:6

Gregory of Nyssa: What then is their meaning? Perhaps the loveliness of the divine beauty has something fearful about it as characterized by elements contrary to corporeal beauty. What attracts our desire is pleasant to the sight, soft to the touch, and not associated with anything fearful or terrifying. But that incorruptible beauty is fearful, terrifying and not easily frightened. Since our desire for carnal things in the body’s members is subject to passion and defilement, like a band of robbers it ambushes the mind, captivates it and carries away the will. Therefore it becomes God’s enemy; as the apostle says, the wisdom of the flesh arises from what is inimical to God. It follows that the love of God arises from what is opposed to carnal desire. If carnal desire consists of weakness, laxity and laziness, the love of God is made up of a fearful, terrifying fortitude. An unrelenting anger scares and puts to flight the ambush resulting from pleasure, thus revealing the soul’s beauty as pure and no longer sullied by a desire for carnal pleasure. The king’s nuptial bed is therefore surrounded by armed men expert in battle. The sword at the thigh terrorizes and causes fear against dark, nocturnal thoughts and against those who lie in ambush to shoot arrows in the darkness at the upright of heart. The weapons of those standing guard around the bed destroy impure desires. — HOMILIES ON THE SONG OF SONGS 6

Hippolytus of Rome: “Behold the litter of Solomon surrounded by sixty mighty men from the powerful of Israel, each one equipped with a sword and trained for battle.” O blessed sight! O litter of sabbath rest! For Solomon’s litter reveals nothing other than Christ himself. — TREATISE ON THE SONG OF SONGS 27:1

Origen of Alexandria: They also bring “frankincense,” translated as “whitening,” since they reject every dark condition, so that the words are fitting for them: “Who is she who comes up all white?” For in this way they will be able to bring praise to the house of the Lord, not having a spot or a wrinkle or any such thing which brings dirt on the church of Christ. — FRAGMENTS ON Jeremiah 11

Robert of Tombelaine: The Synagogue, therefore, having been brought to the faith, beholds the mind of the Church through the works she sees, and greatly admiring her sublimity, says: “Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all powders of the merchant?” Therefore in the desert, that is, in this world, the Church, or every holy soul, lives while, exiled from the kingdom, it dwells among beasts, namely demons. For here, although she is not entirely abandoned by the bridegroom, nevertheless while she is in the flesh, she is not yet admitted to the certain vision of him; while she wanders from him through exiles and temptations, because while she does not yet reign with him, she seems to herself to be abandoned by him. On this account she always labors to ascend, so that she may sense him whom she greatly loves more and more, so that since she does not perfectly possess him in the desert, she may at least refresh herself in the very desire for him, so that thus strengthened on the way, she may at some time arrive at that which she has long desired. For there are some who, while they disdain all visible things, raise their minds to heavenly things, and because they see nothing among lowly things that might be sweet to them, turn their whole heart to things above. These strip themselves of all evil habits, despise the wealth of the world along with its desires, reach out in hope toward invisible things, and the greater the desire with which they cling to those things, the more and more painfully they bear the corruption they possess. These indeed ascend through the desert, because while they live in this world among temptations, the more they fear being abandoned while they remain here, the more strongly indeed they abandon these things, and the more fervently they advance toward those things in which, once they have arrived, they will no longer fear anything that might remove them. But fittingly they are said to ascend like a column of smoke, because they are said to possess both the fragrance of good reputation and subtlety of mind. This smoke, however, is not said to be of just any substances, but is declared to come from the spices of myrrh and frankincense and every powder of the perfumer. For with myrrh the bodies of the dead are embalmed lest they decay, while frankincense is burned so that it may give off fragrance. By myrrh, therefore, the mortification of the flesh is signified; by frankincense, the purity of prayers is understood. The holy soul, therefore, while it mortifies its flesh from the decay of vices, while it renounces all the pleasures of the world through continence, as it were applies myrrh to the body that will die, so that after the judgment it may remain whole from eternal corruption. But when it kindles itself toward heavenly things with greater desire, and fervently casts out from the chamber of the heart all superfluous thoughts, it makes its heart, as it were, a censer before God. In this, while it gathers virtues through love, it arranges, as it were, coals in the censer, in which the mind may set itself aflame in the sight of God with the fire of charity. And while it sends forth fervent and pure prayers to God, it draws out, as it were, the smoke of spices from the censer, so that it may smell sweetly before the beloved, and may not cease to stir up all its neighbors to love of him through good examples. But it should be noted that it does not say “of every perfume,” but “of every powder of the perfumer.” For we make perfumes when we gather virtues in the heart. But when we more carefully examine our very virtues through each and every work, lest anything in our works remain unrefined, lest a vice lie hidden among the virtues, then without doubt we grind the ointments of virtues, as it were, into powder, so that our works may be the purer, the more carefully we do not cease to distinguish them from every encroachment of vices. Minds of this kind make themselves delightful to their beloved through his grace, and while they separate themselves from all worldly noise, they prepare within themselves a place in which the bridegroom may rest. Concerning this rest, it is added: — Commentary on the Song of Songs, Chapter 3

Theodoret of Cyrus: We must enquire why on earth they call the bridegroom Solomon. Solomon means “peaceable,” as you can find in the Chronicles. God said to David, when he wanted to build the new temple, “Lo, a son is born to you; he will be a man of repose, and I shall give him peace from all his enemies round about, because his name is Solomon, and I shall give peace and tranquility to Israel in his days. He will build a house for my name, and he will be a son to me, and I shall be a father to him, and I shall assure the throne of his kingdom in Israel forever.” …It was not Solomon who had dominion to the ends of the world but he who sprang from Solomon in his humanity, Jesus Christ, and was called Solomon on account of his peaceable and gentle nature and his being the cause of peace. — COMMENTARY ON THE SONG OF SONGS 3

Theodoret of Cyrus: “Lo, it is Solomon’s bed.” Let us understand the bridegroom’s bed to be the divine Scriptures. When the bride reclines on them, as it were, along with the bridegroom, and receives the seeds of teaching, she conceives, bears, is in labor and gives birth to spiritual benefit. — COMMENTARY ON THE SONG OF SONGS 3

Song of Solomon 3:7

Bede: Behold, the little bed of Solomon, etc. Thus, to the little bed and chariot of Solomon, that is, of the peaceful king, evidently our Lord and Savior, is his ascent: namely, to the little bed in which he rests eternally in peace; and to the chariot, from which he is refreshed by the feasts of life without end. The cause of ascending, however, is that the middle of his chariot, to which he ascended, is spread with love; to which, even if the ascent is purple, that is, bloodied by intense struggle, nevertheless the sweetness of love, which is known to reside in it, greatly invites the daughters of Jerusalem, that is, the souls of a religious mind, to ascend to it. Therefore, the little bed of Solomon is the glory of supreme blessedness, in which the king of peace himself perpetually rests with his saints; toward which little bed the beloved of the king himself, that is, the Church through the desert of this world, strives daily, and partly has already reached, as much as she has sent her faithful toward future rewards. But she will reach it entirely, when at the consummation of the world, the Creator himself and the king of that same heavenly city will have gathered his chosen from the four winds, and as he says elsewhere, He will have girded himself and made them recline, and passing by will have ministered to them. But even in this life, the little bed of Solomon is the quiet behavior of the saints, secluded from worldly tumults, which, with the conflicts of vices now suppressed or put to sleep, imitates the happiness of perpetual peace. Hence also the prophet, And his place was made in peace, and his habitation in Zion (Psalm LXXI), that is, in the sublime contemplation of future goods. And the apostle Peter, If you are reproached in the name of Christ, you are blessed; for the Spirit of the glory of God rests upon you (I Peter XLIX). To each of these couches, what is suitably said applies: “Because Solomon’s bed is surrounded by sixty mighty ones of Israel’s mightiest,” because both the present peace and rest of the Church are defended by holy preachers against the attacks of heretics, and the internal rest of the heavenly homeland is contemplated with firm intent by the more perfect ones. Therefore, it is well said of that bed of the king of peace that it is surrounded by mighty ones. It is also fittingly added, “From the mightiest of Israel.” For indeed, Israel is interpreted as “man seeing God”; because those who wish to either protect the present peace of the Church by preaching or contemplate that peace which is in heaven, must be vigilant, stand in faith, act manfully, be strengthened, and strive to render themselves worthy of the divine vision. “From the mightiest,” he says, “of Israel”; because all who strive towards the joys of the divine vision are rightly called by the name Israel. But “the mightiest,” he says, “among them” are undoubtedly those who are either exalted by the heavenly gift of contemplation or undertake the ministry of preaching properly. They are aptly designated by the number sixty, for such ones surely expect the denarius of eternal reward for the perfection of good deeds: for God perfected the adornment of the world in six days and rested from His works on the seventh, rightly implying by the number six the light of perfect action, for which eternal rest is hoped. Furthermore, that the rewards of good works are symbolized by the number ten, everyone knows who understands why those laboring in the vineyard of Christ received a denarius in payment. “All holding swords,” etc. Those holding swords of which the Apostle says: “And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph. 6), skilled in those battles of which he admonishes, saying, “Put on the armor of God, that you may stand against the wiles of the devil; for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers,” etc. (Ibid.). And rightly skilled, for great skill in war is needed by those who, enclosed in flesh and placed on earth, fight against spiritual wickedness in the heavens with great skill, rather they need great grace from God, since the frailty of the flesh fights when stirred up against the archangel with battles of so many thousands of years. — Commentary on the Song of Songs

Robert of Tombelaine: Solomon is interpreted as “the peaceful one.” What then is understood by Solomon, if not Christ, of whom it is written: “He himself is our peace, who made both one” (Ephesians 2:14)? We therefore make a bed for Solomon when we cease entirely from the anxieties of the world, when we willingly rest in the desire of Christ alone, and cleanse our heart from every earthly desire so that he may rest with us. Now if the number ten is multiplied by six, sixty is of course completed. By ten, therefore, we understand the Decalogue of the law; by six, however, we understand this entire time which we see revolving in six working days. By the sixty mighty ones, therefore, we understand all the perfect who were before us in the Church; who, since they fulfilled the ten precepts of the law in the six days all the more strongly as they did so more spiritually, completed, as it were, the number sixty. These surround the bed of Solomon, because they fortify the holy mind in which Christ rests with their words and examples, by which they repel enemies coming to the entrance of the mind, while they sustain that mind by their examples and instruct it by their writings. — Commentary on the Song of Songs, Chapter 3

Song of Solomon 3:8

Bede: Each man has his sword on his thigh, etc. By the thigh, carnal propagation is usually designated; hence it is written: All the souls that came out of the thigh of Jacob were seventy (Exod. I). Soldiers of Christ have a sword over their thigh when they suppress the movement of carnal desires with the severity of the spiritual word. And this is because of the night terrors, that is, lest they be struck down by the traps of the ancient tempter if they are found secure and unarmed, lest, having been overwhelmed, the bed of the true Solomon, which they ought to have guarded, be defiled; this applies to both beds of the eternal King that we mentioned, that is, both the present peace of the Church and the future one can equally be understood. For holy teachers fear lest the status of the present Church be violated by the darkness of heretics; they fear, those who have accustomated to open the eye of the mind to the contemplation of future joys, lest the light of divine revelation be obscured in them by the nocturnal disturbance of demonic perturbation. But if the strongest from Israel, in whom there is no deceit, who are the most skillful in wars, have a sword over their thigh because of the night terrors, what should I and those like me do? With how much fear should we serve the Lord, who are less skilled in spiritual combat and less strong in performing the things we speak of? One refuge alone remains for us, to adhere to Him, to place our hope in Him whom we know cannot be overcome, to seek His protection with the prophet, often saying: The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? (Psalm XXXVI). My light, indeed, to train me for battle; my salvation, to make me strong and invincible in battle. For if we persist in preaching, perhaps we too will deserve to hear with the same prophet. His truth will surround you with a shield; you will not fear the terror of the night (Psalm XC). Some strong ones who surround the bed of Solomon interpret this over the angels, who fight against the aerial powers for the peace of the holy Church, whose understanding seems to contradict what is said: Each man has his sword on his thigh; for how can they suppress the enticement of the flesh with the sword of continence, or assess it, who have no nature of flesh from which they subsist? So the Church, coming from the Gentiles, says, Behold the bed of Solomon, seventy strong ones surround it from the strongest of Israel, and so forth; as if to clearly say: Why are you surprised, O daughters of Jerusalem, that is, believing people from Judea, that I ascend through the desert in the manner of sweet-smelling spices of virtues? See that the king, to whose company I hasten, is peaceful, that bed of his inner peace is safe from the snares of the wicked and accessible only to the good, towards which I strive to arrive. But if it delights to hear, I will recount even more of his riches. — Commentary on the Song of Songs

Song of Solomon 3:9

Bede: King Solomon made himself a palanquin, etc. It is called a palanquin because it carries the bodies of those seated or reclining at a banquet, or because it is usually carried from place to place according to the opportunity of the times. The holy Church is rightly compared to this, as it lifts believers to the feast of eternal happiness and is carried throughout the entire world by the ministry of its preachers. But the Lord made this palanquin for Himself from the woods of Lebanon, because He built the Church from souls strong in spirit and steadfast in constancy. Indeed, the woods of Lebanon excel greatly in height, appearance, and their incorruptible nature. — Commentary on the Song of Songs

Robert of Tombelaine: The timbers of Lebanon are declared to be imperishable. Therefore King Solomon made himself a litter from the timbers of Lebanon, because, according to the grace of His foreknowledge, Christ built the holy Church from saints who would endure forever. — Commentary on the Song of Songs, Chapter 3

Song of Solomon 3:10

Ambrose of Milan: Therefore, when the bride reaches the rest of the bridegroom, they sing a wedding song, saying to the daughters of Jerusalem: Go forth and see King Solomon, in the crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of his wedding. They sing the wedding hymn and invite the other powers of heaven, or souls, to see the love that Christ has for the daughters of Jerusalem. Hence, he merited to be crowned by his mother as the son of charity, as Paul shows, saying: For he has delivered us from the power of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son. — On Isaac and the Soul, 5.46

Bede: He made its columns of silver. James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be columns. He made these columns of silver, in truth, because He established holy teachers in the splendor of the heavenly word to confirm the faith and to uplift the state of the Church. — Commentary on the Song of Songs

Bede: Its recliner of gold. He made a recliner in the palanquin when He promised the faithful the hope of perpetual rest. “Take my yoke upon you,” He says, “and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew XI). And He made this recliner of gold because He prepared for us the resplendent glory of the eternal divine vision. Hence it is said, “Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father; and I will love him and manifest myself to him” (John XIV). — Commentary on the Song of Songs

Bede: Its ascent of purple. True purple is dyed with the blood of shellfish. Therefore, the ascent of Solomon’s palanquin is purple because our King and Lord loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood (Revelation I). And no ascent to this palanquin is found but purple, because no one enters the Church unless imbued with the sacraments of the Lord’s passion. Hence He Himself said, “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day” (John VI). — Commentary on the Song of Songs

Bede: In the midst of love He established it, etc. With that very love with which He suffered for us: for no one has greater love than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends (John 15). And as the Apostle says, But God commends His love toward us in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for the ungodly (Rom. 5), for through this middle part He prepared His Church’s stratum place, where faithful souls might rest softly, because He filled it entirely within with the love of heavenly things. And this is what He added, For the daughters of Jerusalem, that is, for the souls burning with the desire of heavenly things. For as much as God commended His love toward us by suffering for us, He kindled more souls to love Him in return and to suffer for Him. The purple ascent can also be specially understood in those who shed their blood for Christ. They are rightly said to have ascended to the golden headrest by the purple ascent, because they reached the love of perpetual rest through the labor, the art of tribulation. To whom it aptly applies what follows, because He established it in the midst of love. For this reason, they are ready to shed their blood for the heavenly King, because He inflamed their hearts, which are the middle part of His couch, with His love. Whence the Apostle, while describing the purple ascent of the couch, said: But we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation works patience, patience works proof; immediately he took care to add about the golden headrest, saying: Proof however works hope, and hope does not disappoint. And then he concluded about the love, with which the middle is established, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts (Rom. 5). Therefore, to the daughters of Jerusalem who are amazed and praising the Church from the nations, which ascends to heaven like a colonnade of smoke from aromatic spices, He Himself returns the reasons for His ascent, explaining that the bed of the peaceful king to which He hastened, is safe from the incursions of evil; and that His couch, where He hopes to be refreshed, although the ascent is arduous, nevertheless has a headrest shining like gold; and established in the midst of His love, for which reason He hastens to ascend, knowing that God is love, and he who abides in love, abides in God, and God in him (1 John 4). With these words having been said, in a wonderful and proper order, after narrating the gifts of His King, He also begins to extol His own appearance and adornment, inviting everyone to see this, and after He has been called Himself, He also takes care to call others, having taken up the task of evangelizing, while it is subsequently added: — Commentary on the Song of Songs

Cyril of Alexandria: We should think that the use of gold denotes spiritual union, which is precious and divine. For, to demonstrate the union of God and humankind, the ark in the desert was also covered within and without by gold. The purple signifies that number of persons who are called to the kingdom. And when someone believes, at that moment Christ is received in the heart, who is a precious pearl. For it says that he made a litter for himself from the daughters of Jerusalem on account of love alone: “For God so loved the world that he sent his only-begotten Son, that all who believe in him would not perish but have eternal life.” — FRAGMENTS IN THE COMMENTARY ON THE SONG OF SONGS 3:10

Cyril of Jerusalem: Every king is proclaimed by soldiers. It was fitting that Jesus also, in figure, be crowned by soldiers. For this reason Scripture says in the Canticles: “Daughters of Jerusalem, come forth and look upon King Solomon in the crown with which his mother has crowned him.” But the crown was also a mystery, for it was a remission of sins and release from the sentence of condemnation. — Catechetical Lecture 13:17

Gregory of Nyssa: No one can adequately grasp the terms pertaining to God. For example, “mother” is mentioned in the Song in place of “father.” Both terms mean the same, because there is neither male nor female in God. For how can anything transitory like this be attributed to God? But when we are one in Christ, we are divested of the signs of this difference along with the old person. Therefore every name equally indicates God’s ineffable nature; neither can “male” nor “female” defile God’s pure nature. Because of this, the father mentioned in the gospel parable prepares a wedding. The prophet says of God, “You have placed on his head a crown of precious stones.” Hence the Song says that a crown is placed upon the bridegroom by his mother. Since the nuptials and bride are one, one mother places the crown upon the bridegroom’s head. Neither does it make much difference whether one calls the Son of God the only begotten God, or the Son of his love. According to Paul, each name has the capacity to be a bridal escort that leads the bridegroom to dwell in us. — HOMILIES ON THE SONG OF SONGS 7

Robert of Tombelaine: He made its columns of silver, because He gave preachers to that same Church, whom He strengthened with the great uprightness of justice so that they might sustain it by their examples, and adorned with the brilliance of eloquence, as with the splendor of silver, so that they might instruct through their preaching. He made a golden reclining seat, because when He shone forth in the hearts of the perfect, He showed them the power of His divinity through contemplation. In which contemplation, when He displayed to them the beauty of heavenly joys, He composed, as it were, a reclining seat of gold, because He provided a place in which they might rest and be refreshed. This reclining seat is rightly said to be golden, because wisdom is better than all riches, and all things that are desired cannot be compared to it (Prov. 8:11). This reclining seat is reached through many labors, ascended through many tribulations, so that, if necessary, even the shedding of blood is permitted. Therefore the ascent is rightly said to be purple. For when the holy martyrs handed over their bodies to torments for the sake of eternal life, when they patiently endured scourges, the rack, fires, swords, and other innumerable tortures, did they not ascend to that reclining seat, that is, to the blessed life, by a purple ascent? But what are we wretches doing, who are not silver columns in this litter, because we neither sustain the holy Church by our examples nor teach by our preaching? We do not have a golden reclining seat in it, because, entangled in earthly thoughts, we do not rise up through contemplation to the splendor of wisdom. We do not even know the purple ascent, because, devoted to pleasures, we refuse to bear labors and persecutions for eternal blessedness. We are somewhat consoled by what follows concerning this litter: He paved the middle with love, for the daughters of Jerusalem. For what do we understand by the daughters of Jerusalem, since he said not sons but daughters, except us weak ones, who in the Church are not men but women, because we do not struggle bravely against vices, do not resist manfully, but submit in womanly fashion? For Jerusalem is interpreted as “vision of peace,” by which the Church, which is our mother, is designated, because she continually contemplates perpetual peace. If, therefore, we are not silver columns in the King’s litter, if we do not have a golden reclining seat, if we cannot ascend by the purple ascent, let us at least hold fast to love, which is common to all the elect and placed, as it were, in the middle. Through this, indeed, King Solomon recognizes us as being in his litter, because in it, along with the silver columns, along with the golden reclining seat, along with the purple ascent, he also paved the middle with love for the daughters of Jerusalem, because we arrive at the same blessedness of the Bridegroom together with the members of the Church, if we maintain unwearied love. There follows: — Commentary on the Song of Songs, Chapter 3

Tyrannius Rufinus: It is written that there was put on him a crown of thorns. Of this hear in the Canticles the voice of God the Father marveling at the iniquity of Jerusalem in the insult done to his Son: “Go forth and see, you daughters of Jerusalem, the crown with which his mother has crowned him.” — COMMENTARY ON THE APOSTLES’ CREED 22

Song of Solomon 3:11

Bede: Go forth, and see, daughters of Zion, King Solomon. The daughters of Zion are also the daughters of Jerusalem, that is, souls longing for the joys of the heavenly homeland. For Zion means watchtower, or the watchman, Jerusalem means vision of peace: both names fittingly apply to the inhabitants of the same heavenly city, where they enjoy eternal peace and always behold the face of their Creator. Therefore, go forth, he says, daughters of Zion, and see King Solomon. Go forth from the tumultuous life of the world so you may be able to see the King of Peace; go forth in mind and action from the midst of Babylon, you who desire to have a part in the heavenly Jerusalem, according to the command of that true Solomon, who says: Come out of her, my people, that you be not partakers of her sins; thus he himself, wishing to separate us from the company of the world and to provoke us to heavenly joys, willed to suffer outside the city walls for our sake, as the Apostle beautifully and fully explains, saying: Jesus, to sanctify the people through his own blood, suffered outside the gate, let us then go to him outside the camp, bearing his reproach. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the one to come (Hebrews 13). And because our Lord Jesus Christ must be confessed to be not only the true Son of God but also the true Son of Man: the Son of God indeed eternally born before the ages; the Son of Man, in time made at the end of the ages, rightly, after it was said: See, daughters of Zion, King Solomon, it was immediately added. — Commentary on the Song of Songs

Bede: In the diadem with which his mother crowned him. For this is clearly to say, “Behold the Lord in the humanity which, taken from the Virgin mother, he placed at the right hand of the paternal majesty.” Indeed, his mother crowned him with a diadem when the blessed and undefiled virgin, conceiving by the Holy Spirit, provided to him from her flesh the material of that most holy flesh, in which appearing to the world and dwelling among us, he would destroy the reign of death by dying and restore life to us by rising again, and by ascending to the heavens, would exalt it with the glory of the everlasting kingdom. Therefore, the daughters of Zion, seeing King Solomon in his natural beauty, also marvel at the diadem with which his mother crowned him, because the elect, believing and confessing the glory of the Son of God equal to the Father and the Holy Spirit, also recognize the assumption of the human nature in which he overcame the dominion of death to be clarified forever, not by the power of his own substance, but by the work of the Word who assumed it, that is, the only Son of God; whose vision of the diadem, one of the daughters of Zion, herself most noble and already departing from the bounds of earthly desire, admiringly said, “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death” (Hebrews 2). — Commentary on the Song of Songs

Bede: On the day of her betrothal, etc. At the time of his incarnation, when he proceeded from the virginal womb to marry the Church, as a bridegroom from his chamber, it was a day of the joy of his heart, for he rejoiced that through the dispensation of his incarnation the world would be brought to the knowledge and vision of eternal divinity. Hence, when many flocked to his faith, it is written: “At that hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and prudent, and revealed them to little ones’ (Luke 10). Hence the Redeemer himself, having led humanity through his blood to the heights, speaks to the citizens of heaven, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost’ (Luke 15). Because therefore the daughters of Jerusalem, marveling at the coming of the bride, said, ‘Who is she who comes up through the desert,’ and so on; she aptly praises the bed, praises the litter of the bridegroom, and finally praises the bridegroom himself, to whose embrace she hastens. She remembers the humanity assumed for her in God, which at the time of her response created the mystery of the incorrupt mother; so that it shows she rightfully aspires to the glory of his divine vision, for which he himself would have taken on the habit of human nature. Hence rightfully, she, who so subjugated herself to the praises of her Redeemer, who invites her own cohorts, namely the daughters of Zion, to praise with maternal affection, also received a worthy recompense of praise from that same bridegroom and Redeemer; to whose voice it is joined. — Commentary on the Song of Songs

Cyril of Alexandria: The church forged from the Gentiles says this: “Go forth and see.” But what it calls the day of his wedding is the day of his passion, when he married the church by his blood. — FRAGMENTS IN THE COMMENTARY ON THE SONG OF SONGS 3:11

Robert of Tombelaine: The blessed Mary, Mother of Christ, is believed to be she who crowned him with a diadem, because he himself assumed our humanity from her, as is recounted in the Gospel (Matt. 1). And this is said to have taken place on the day of his betrothal and on the day of the gladness of his heart, because when the only-begotten Son of God wished to unite his divinity to our humanity, when by his good will he was pleased to take his Church to himself at the appointed time, then with the exultation of love he willed to take on our flesh from the Virgin Mother. Living in her with sufferings for a time, he rejoiced exceedingly over our redemption. But since a diadem is assumed for glory, while in the taking on of humanity not glory but humility of the Word of God is recognized, how is he said to have been crowned with our humanity as with a diadem? Yet since his very incarnation was truly our glory—because we are his members through the communion of the body—Scripture rightly foretold the diadem of the members upon the head. Here, therefore, because he is praised by the bride, he in turn deigns to praise the bride, saying: — Commentary on the Song of Songs, Chapter 3