CONVERSATION IN THE GARDEN (Song 6:1-13) Since the soul witnessed to her Bridegroom, the unbelievers began to question: “Where has your Beloved gone, O fairest among women? Where has your Beloved turned aside that we may seek Him with you?” (Song 6:1). The testimony of the soul to her Bridegroom reflected His glory in her life and her acceptance of Him in calling her “the fairest among women.” Her spiritual beauty created a special attraction, not for herself, but for the Bridegroom, who is the secret of her beauty! The unbelievers were very eager to see Him and at the same time very perplexed. They questioned, “Where has your Beloved gone? Where has your Beloved turned aside? Where did He hide? We want to know Him with you.” The unbelievers realized that they could not become acquainted with the Bridegroom outside of the Church, therefore they have to be inside the Church. For He is the Bridegroom and the Head of the Church; without the Church the world would not know Christ, and outside of Christ there is no Church. The reply of the Church then was, “My Beloved has gone to His garden, to the beds of spices, to feed his flock in the gardens and to gather lilies. I am my Beloved’s and my Beloved is mine. He feeds His flock among the lilies” (Song 6:2-3). This book emphasizes the existence of the Bridegroom inside the Church, and inside the soul whom He bought with His Blood. He enters the stony heart and changes it into a garden for Him (Song 4:12,16;5:1). Moreover, He changes it to inner gardens where He gathers the lilies which carry the characteristics of the Bridegroom Himself, who is also called the Lily (Song 2:1). The bride is warned not to waste time in looking for the Bridegroom outside; for through His humility He descended to the Church and entered the hearts of His people. St. Paul said, “Do not say in your heart, ‘who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is to bring Christ down from above)…But what does it say? ‘The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’” (Rom. 10:7,8). The bride’s response clarifies to the outsiders the mystery of the relationship between God and the soul. God entered into His garden to gather the lilies. He does so, not as one who takes advantage of His creation nor as One who likes to be authoritative, but He entered because of a love call from His bride, for she tells Him, “I am my Beloved’s.” In other words, she tells Him, “All what is mine is Yours. Please enter my heart and take all the inner feelings and energies, for all what I have is yours. This call is a mere response to the act of love which I show to Him, for My Beloved is mine. He offered His life to me and I am repaying Him for all what He has done for me! I love Him with my own free will, for He also loves me with His own free will.” Her saying “He descended” means that the Bridegroom’s descent to her heart is not because He needs her, but out of His humility to accept her call to enter her life and raise her up to His heaven. He takes all of her, as He gave Himself to her. “He descended to my heart. What do I ask of Him? I cannot ask for anything except to have Him; nothing will satisfy me except Him alone. No gifts nor human reward can quench my thirst, but I seek Him. My Beloved is mine.” THE CONVERSATION OF THE BRIDEGROOM WITH HIS BRIDE IN THE GARDEN 5 1. “O, my love, you are as beautiful as Tirzah, lovely as Jerusalem, awesome as an army with banners!” (Song 6:4). When the bride unites with her Bridegroom, each one communes with the other. Witnessing to the unbelievers that the Bridegroom is inside her, the bride asks that they should not seek Him outside. The Bridegroom praises her for that (Song 4), and reveals a deeper beauty, which is a deeper union. Here He sees her as “beautiful as Tirzah.” In Hebrew Tirzah means “joy.” This was also the name of the youngest daughter of Zelophehad (Num. 26:33), who died and had no son. The daughters stood before Moses and Eliazar the priest and all the elders in the Tabernacle, and asked that they inherit their father with their father’s brothers. They also received their share of inheritance when Joshua divided the land (Josh. 17:3-6). God gave them this right, and this became a statute of judgment (Num. 27:1-11). In this book, Solomon compares the bride with Tirzah, who asked for what she was entitled to from Moses and Joshua. As the Lord granted her a share in the inheritance. This is the beauty of the person who is united with the Lord Jesus. He asks without fear for his inheritance, that is, to live as a living member in the holy congregation. This inheritance is the Lord Himself, whom the soul accepts inside her, the mystery of her glory and richness. Tirzah may also refer to the beautiful city which was originally inhabited by the Canaanites. Joshua later conquered it (Josh. 12:24) and gave it to the tribes of Israel. It was the capital of the ten tribes of the kingdom of Israel for about fifty years (1 Kgs. 14:17; 15:21,33; 16:6,23). The secret of its beauty was that it became the Lord’s possession after Joshua conquered the city of Gentile and pagan worshipers. Tirzah is also beautiful as Jerusalem. The source of its beauty is that it resembles Jerusalem, the city of the king. Similarly, the Church represents the heavenly holies and the capital of His kingdom, where everything in it is beautiful and splendid. The beauty of Tirzah was mingled with power, for it was as awesome as a heavenly army carrying banners of victory and triumph before its enemies. Because the Lord, her Conqueror, protects her with the spirit of power and victory, she experiences neither defeat nor despair. According to the Greek translation, she is like an army led by the Lord Himself. In other words, a Christian carries power with beauty. He is beautiful by his meekness and gentleness, yet powerful by his courage and strictness. He is beautiful by his inner quietness, yet strong in his struggle against sin until shedding blood. The source of his power and victory is his tears, which he pours before the Lord with a contrite heart. This captivates the divine love, for He says to her: “Turn your eyes away from Me, for they have overcome me” (Song 6:5). God cannot endure to see man’s tears and his contrition. The best example for that is that of the evil king Ahab who murdered and took possession (1 Kgs. 21:19), and of whom the Bible says, “But there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do wickedness in the sight of the Lord, because Jezebel his wife stirred him up. And he behaved very abominably in following idols…” (1 Kgs. 21:25-26). Upon hearing God’s punishment by Elijah the Prophet, Ahab tore his clothes, put sackcloth on his body, fasted, laid in sackcloth, and went about mourning. The Lord could not endure the sight and told Elijah, “See how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the calamity in his days” (1 Kgs. 21:29). 2. “Your hair is like a flock of goats going down from Gilead. Your teeth are 6 like a flock of sheep which have come up from the washing; every one bears twins, and none is barren among them. Like a piece of pomegranate are your temples behind your veil” (Song 6:5-7). Earlier in the book1, the Lord praised her with similar features. The purpose of this repetition is to emphasize a certain truth: God’s love to man will never change. In spite of the lukewarmness of her soul2, when the bride returns with tears of repentance, she finds Him praising her with the same traits; His outlook toward her has not changed. Moreover, His love to her has increased. This reminds us of what God did with St. Peter after he had denied Him: the Lord assured him three times that He accepted him in the apostolic service by saying, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me? Feed My sheep.” God’s love never changes; however our love to Him may change. His divine arms are always open with love to all. 3. “There are sixty queens and eighty concubines, and virgins without number. My dove, my perfect one, is the only one, the only one of her mother, the favorite of the one who bore her. The daughters saw her and called her blessed; the queens and concubines, and they praised her” (Song 6:8-9). He praises her using the language of numbers. What does he mean by sixty queens, eighty concubines, virgins without number and His one perfect dove? First: Perhaps, He compares the Church with the heavenly hosts who love Him. He sees in as many hosts. They are like sixty queens, eighty concubines and virgins without number… These vary according to their statures; however, His Church, which He purchased with His own Blood (Acts. 20:28) and sanctified by the Holy Spirit, became the only bride, the perfect dove. This is the source of her beauty, her power and her perfection. She became the united Body of the Lord, although she is made up of many members, for “He would gather together in one the children of God” (John 11:52), and “He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth, in Him” (Eph. 1:10). The mystery of her unity3 does not depend on the members being in one place or uniting in one language or one culture, but on the following factors: A. She is His dove. Since the Holy Spirit is one, yet He is the Spirit of the Father and the Son together. He granted His Church this divine Spirit so that the believers may become one dove, having fellowship with God. This is the work of the Holy Spirit, who grants fellowship to the believers with God and with one another. Through the Holy Spirit and the worthiness of the Blood of the Son, we are reconciled with the Father. And in Baptism, we receive the spirit of adoption, through which we cry “Abba, Father” (Rom. 8:15). Through this reconciliation, we see ourselves members of one another. The Holy Spirit who gathers God’s people into one, expels the evil spirit who is divided against himself.”4 One of the characteristics of the Holy Spirit is fellowship, through which we become one body to the Son of God; for it is written, “Therefore, if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy” (Phil. 2:1). St. Augustine 1 Song 4:1-5 2 cf. Commentary on Song 5:2-3, 8-9 3 To further understand the concept of the unity of the Church with the perspective of the Fathers, refer to book Introductions in the Science of Patrology, 1974, p. 119-141. 4 Augustine: Sermons on the New Testament, Sermon 21. 7 When the Almighty descended and babbled the tongues, the nations were divided. But when He divided the tongues of fire, He called everyone to unity. Hence, with one accord, we glorify the Spirit full of holiness.1 “Kontakon” Greek Hymn of Pentecost B. She is perfect. When the Church puts on Christ, who is Perfect, she becomes perfect. Her unity is based on attaining the perfect new life, which we have in Christ Jesus. In this new life we do not submit to the law of schism or the spirit of enmity, but rather to the Spirit of love, who grants inner unity. Thus our unity becomes established through our sanctification by uniting with the Holy One, so we resemble the unity of the Holy Trinity. This is very obvious in the Lord’s farewell prayer on the night of His suffering: “Holy Father, keep through your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are… That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be one in Us… I in them, and You in Me, that they may be made perfect in one” (John 17:11, 21, 23). St. Cyprian the Martyr said, [This is what He desired for us: that we may live according to the unity between the Father and the Son, being One.2] St. Cyril of Alexandria said, [He desires for us a unity with each other, like the unity of the Holy Trinity. This should be reflected on the unity of the believers.3] C. She is the only one, the only one of her mother. Who is this mother who looks at the Church as the only one? She is the Heavenly Jerusalem, who has no work except to wait for this one bride, whom the Lord Jesus has betrothed her to be His partner in eternal glory. The mystery of the union stems from the believers entering into eternity that is they are released from the limitations of time. Since our temporal life creates the spirit of division and jealousy, then our enjoying the deposit of the heavens grants us love toward the entire human race and eagerness on an eternal level, for the law of heaven is peace, unity, and its language is love. The Bridegroom said, “The daughters saw her and called her blessed, the queens and the concubines and they praised her.” The heavenly creatures praise her, for they see her submitting to their law and talking their language and becoming one of them and not a stranger. Second: From the language of the symbolic numbers, we also can understand that these are manifestations of the mystery of the beauty and power of the Church. 1. Sixty queens: resemble the Church, for the number 12 represents the kingdom of God on earth, for the Holy Trinity reigns over the four corners of the earth (4 x 3 = 12). When God reigns over the five senses of the believers (12 x 5 = 60), then the number 60 becomes a symbol of God’s reign over one’s life, or the life of the Church that extends from one end of the earth to the other. Hence the Church becomes sixty queens, where the King of kings rules inside us, and our lives are no more in bondage, but we are elevated to carry the royal glory. 2. Eighty concubines: The first number showed the Church as queen, through God’s reign over her feelings; however here she appears as concubine, that is, she lives in a secret spiritual life with the Bridegroom. The number 80 refers to the Church, although she is still on earth, resembles the life to come. The number ten refers to the temporal life, thus the Ten Commandments in the Old Testament were a divine law which we have to obey on earth. The number eight 1 Cf. Archbishop Harion: Christianity or Church. 2 On the Lord’s Prayer 3 On St. John. Book 2, ch.2 8 refers to the life to come because it exceeds number seven, which refers to the week of our life. That is why circumcision was done on the eighth day, and the Lord Jesus rose on the first day of the new week, that is on the eighth day of the old week. There were also only eight people in the ark that were saved. These all refer to the new, heavenly life. Therefore, the Church, although she dwells on earth (10), yet she lives a new heavenly life (8). 3. Virgins without number. The infinite number here refers to the virginity of life, which is wholly devoted to the Lord. Thus the believer presents a) a virginal heart, not accepting another Bridegroom besides the Lord, b) a virginal thought, which does not think of anything but in the Lord, and c) virginal feelings. That is why the Lord compared the kingdom of God to virgins who went to meet the bridegroom (Matt. 25:1). 4. The only one. The oneness of the Church is a basic feature of the life of the Church, for we declare in the creed, “We believe in one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.” Earlier, we saw the secret of this oneness, which is our adoption to God, the one Father, by uniting with Christ through the Holy Spirit. St. Irenaeus saw that the secret of this oneness is the one faith, saying, [The true Church, which is truly old, is one Church. The early catholic (universal) Church is the one who works for the unity of faith.1] In Fr. Rufinus’ talk about the Creed, he mentioned this phrase (Song 6:9), clarifying that the source of this union is the one faith. He said, [Whoever accepts this faith in the Church, let him not seek the evil counsel nor participate with the oppressors. 2] 1. We may interpret “My dove, my perfect one, is the only one” to be St. Virgin Mary, for she has surpassed all who preceded her in honor. The Sunday Theotokia mentions, “Hail to you, O Mary, the perfect dove, who bore for us the Logos.” The following verse can also be applied to St. Mary: “Who is she who looks forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, awesome as an army with banners?” (Song 6:10). St. Mary is bright as the morning, for the Sun of Righteousness was incarnate from her, and He shone on those who were living in darkness. She is beautiful as the moon, which gets her beauty from the light of her Son. She is pure as the sun, for the Holy Spirit descended on her, sanctified her, and prepared her for the divine Incarnation. She is awesome as an army with banners for she carried inside of her the Lord of Hosts, the leader of the battle against sin and Satan’s kingdom. There is another interpretation for this verse. He calls every soul, who meets the Lord and carries His Holy Spirit and puts on Christ, by her name. By His light, she shines without any darkness; through His Blood she becomes as beautiful as the moon; and through His Cross, she conquers. THE BRIDE’S DILIGENCE AT WORK “I went down to the garden of nuts to see the verdure of the valley, to see whether the vine had budded and the pomegranates had bloomed. Before I was even aware, my soul had made me as the chariots of my noble people (or “Amminadab”). Return, return, O Shulamite, return, return, that we may look upon you! What would you see in the Shulamite as it were, the dance of the two 1 Against the Heresies, 3:3:1. 2 Rufinus, A Commentary on the Apostles’ Creed, 39 9 camps?” (Song 6:11-13). Since the Lord praised His bride, she could do nothing but go down to her inner valley to work in the garden of nuts. In a priestly manner, she revealed the budding of the nuts. Aaron’s rod budded, blossomed and yielded ripe walnuts (Num. 17:8), which walnuts represent the Word of God that perpetually occupies the priest’s heart. God presents the Word of God as a delicious meal so that his people may eat, be filled, and be fruitful. When the Lord’s Word came to Jeremiah, He said, “‘Jeremiah, what do you see?’ And I said, ‘I see a branch of an almond tree.’ Then the Lord said to me, ‘You have seen well, for I am ready to perform My word’” (Jer. 1:11,12).Origen also said the walnut symbolized the Word of God. It has a bitter outer layer, which dries up and falls. When the thick inner layer is broken, the sweet inner fruit may be eaten. Origen describes the bitter layer as the Jewish literal interpretation of the Word of God. He also described the inner layer as the moral interpretation that drives one to mortify the self and struggle to bloodshed until one enters the sweet spiritual interpretation which nourishes the soul, not only in this world, but also in the world to come. The soul descended to her inner depth, as in a garden of the Word of God, where she sees the fruits of the valley. There in the heart, she realizes the spiritual meaning of the Word that satisfies her soul. She tells the Bridegroom, “I do not take credit for all your praises to me, but this a fruit of your divine work implanted in me by your divine hand.” It is amazing that the Lord praising the faithful soul, does not drive her to pride, but rather pushes her to work. So she descends to see the Lord’s vine inside her, and the trees which His hand had planted: did the vine bud? Did the pomegranate bloom? Abiding in the Lord’s garden and feeling His work inside her, she rejoices with the fruit, although it is still in the beginning. She communes with her Bridegroom saying, “There I give You my breasts1.” In a sense, she is telling Him, “I render my love for Your love. You offered me Your breasts, the Old and the New Testaments, and now Your word has become fruitful in me; so I consecrate them back to You. I offer my breasts, i.e. the two Testaments, for Your Book has become my Book!” But how does she offer Him her two breasts? She practically witnesses to the Word of God before others. When she gives to His brothers, it is like giving to the Bridegroom Himself; for He said, “Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me” (Matt. 25:40). Although all she sees in the vine is a bud; and all in the pomegranate, a bloom; yet she realizes that the Lord has made her like the chariots of noble people, or “Amminadab2.” By the power of the Word she became God’s noble nation, who struggles against sin until bloodshed. Her description as chariots of Amminadab has other interpretations: 1. Amminadab, the father of Nahshon (Ruth 4:20, Ex. 6:23), of the tribe of Judah (the tribe from which the Lord Jesus came). The secret of nobility is being related to the Lord Christ, the leader of the true chariots, by whom we conquer the world. 2. Amminadab, the son of Uzziel the Levite (1Chron. 15:3, 10), was one of the chiefs whom David chose to carry the Ark of the Covenant. In the New Testament, 1 The Septuagint 2 meaning “my noble nation” 10 the soul carries the Lord Jesus Himself inside of her; this is the mystery of her sanctification and her fruitfulness. 3. Amminadab, the son of Kohath (1Chron. 6:24), was also one of the Levites whom David chose to sing and praise the Lord in the house of the Lord after the ark was settled there (1Chron. 6:31). In the same manner, the work of the soul united with Christ, her Bridegroom, is to continuously praise Him. The Church, or the soul, as a member in the Church, struggles under the guidance of the Bridegroom, by whom she is sanctified, and she continuously praises and thanks Him! In this atmosphere full of strife, joy and praise, the Bridegroom calls His bride saying: “Return, return, O Shulamite, return, return, that we may look upon you!” (Song 6:13). He called her “Shulamite.” which is the feminine of “Shalem, Salem, or Solomon”; as if the Lord Jesus, who is the true Solomon, calls her by His name. She bears His being inside of her, and she is called by His name. He looks at her as she is in this state of struggle, but calls her “Shulamite.” that is, the one who brings peace! The mystery of her peace is the continuous return to the Lord. The Holy Trinity cares for her and never forgets her, saying, “Return, return, that we may look upon you.” He returns and looks at those surrounding Him saying: “What would you see in the Shulamite, as it were, the dance of the double camp?” (Song 6:13). The Lord Jesus loves His Church; and He loves the soul who is a member in the Church, for He sees her carrying His peace, as if she were an organized army ready for spiritual warfare! In the Hebrew translation, the word “double camp” means two armies. The Lord describes His Church as bearing the dance of two armies, as a sign of victory and triumph. This reminds us of the joyful dance of Miriam the Prophetess, Aaron’s sister, and the other women as they praised God for delivering them from Pharaoh and his army (Ex. 15:20). Also, when David killed Goliath the giant, the women came out singing and dancing (1 Sam. 18:6).
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