Song of Songs — Chapter 4

Quam pulchra es amica mea, quam pulchra es, oculi tui columbarum absque eo quod intrinsecus latet

How beautiful art thou, my love, how beautiful art thou! Thy eyes are doves' eyes, beside what is hid within. Christ praises the Church at the beginning of chapter 4 — the most elaborate description of the Bride's beauty in the entire Song. The dove's eyes = the Church's simple, pure, and humble gaze fixed on God; her interior faith and charity, seen dimly through the veil of humility and modesty. \"Absque eo quod intrinsecus latet\" = beyond (or because of) what is hidden within: the interior grace and beauty of the Church exceeds what appears outwardly, as the pupil of the eye contains the interior light of the soul. The outer modesty of the eyes entices the beholder to seek what lies within. Ambrose: the verse commends silence and modesty in a virgin, for loquacity destroys the modesty displayed by the eyes. The double exclamation (\"quam pulchra! quam pulchra!\") = admiration of both external and internal beauty.

Dentes tui sicut greges tonsarum quae ascenderunt de lavacro omnes gemellis foetibus et sterilis non est inter eas

Thy teeth are as flocks of sheep that are shorn, which come up from the washing, all with twins, and there is none barren among them. The teeth of the Church = the Preachers and Doctors, who by the edge of doctrine and the bite of correction cut away errors and sins, nourish the faithful with the bread of the Word, and separate truth from falsehood. \"Shorn\" = poor, stripped of worldly ambition, like the apostolic preachers sent without gold or silver. \"Come up from the washing\" = coming from the washing of Baptism or the purgation of penance, radiant in their whiteness. \"All with twins\" = they produce both active and contemplative lives simultaneously in those they form; or they bring forth both doctrinal understanding and practical virtue in their disciples. \"None barren among them\" = every true preacher of the Church bears spiritual fruit; no ministry of the Church is sterile.

Sicut vitta coccinea labia tua et eloquium tuum dulce sicut fragmen mali punici genae tuae absque eo quod intrinsecus latet

Thy lips are as a scarlet lace, and thy speech is sweet. Thy cheeks are as a piece of a pomegranate, beside what is hid within. The scarlet lips = the lips of the Church's preachers, tinged with the blood of Christ, and preaching with the eloquence of love and sacrifice. The scarlet thread alludes to the crimson thread of Rahab (Jos 2:18), who hung it in her window as a sign of salvation — so the Church displays the sign of Christ's blood as the mark of salvation. \"Eloquium dulce\" = the sweet, ordered, and gracious speech of the Church, which delights and nourishes, not harsh or rough. The cheeks like pomegranate = the blush of modesty and chastity in virgins, who are the adornment of the Church's face. The hidden inner grace again surpasses the outer beauty. Theodoret: the lips of scarlet = the Church's martyrs whose blood has sealed her preaching; her speech = the Gospel which is sweet because bathed in sacrifice.

Sicut turris David collum tuum quae aedificata est cum propugnaculis mille clypei pendent ex ea omnis armatura fortium

Thy neck is as the tower of David, which is built with bulwarks: a thousand bucklers hang upon it, all the armour of valiant men. The neck = the Roman Pontiff and the Papacy, or more broadly the Episcopate, which connects the Head (Christ) to the Body (the faithful). The Tower of David = the fortress of orthodox faith, invincible and adorned with the arms of the saints. A thousand shields = (1) the teachings of Scripture and Tradition that adorn and defend the Church; (2) the decrees of Councils and Popes; (3) the example and intercession of the martyrs and saints. The \"armour of valiant men\" = the great Doctors of the Church (Athanasius, Ambrose, Augustine, Leo, Gregory, etc.) who by their writings and lives defended the faith. The neck-tower = the Church's invincible resistance to heresy: as a neck supports the head, the Papacy supports Christ's authority in the Church.

Duo ubera tua sicut duo hinnuli capreae gemelli qui pascuntur in liliis

Thy two breasts are like two young roes, twins, which feed among the lilies. The two breasts = (1) the two Testaments of Sacred Scripture — Old and New — with which the Church nourishes her children; (2) the priests and deacons of the Church, who nourish the faithful with the milk of doctrine and the sacraments; (3) charity toward God and charity toward neighbor — the two precepts of love that nourish all Christian life; (4) the two peoples — Jews and Gentiles — who are like twins nursed at the same breasts of the Church (Gregory, Philo, Aponius). The twin roes = equal in beauty and fruitfulness, signifying the equal dignity of both charities, or both Testaments. \"Feeding among the lilies\" = the priests and deacons nourished by purity and contemplation, living among the virgins and the pure of heart.

Donec aspiret dies et inclinentur umbrae vadam ad montem myrrhae et ad collem thuris

Until the day breathe and the shadows retire, I will go to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of frankincense. Christ the Bridegroom speaks: until the full day of eternity comes and all shadows of faith pass away, He will go to the mountain of myrrh and the hill of frankincense. The mountain of myrrh = Calvary, where Christ's Passion (myrrh = bitterness) was accomplished; or the Church militant, perpetually offering the sacrifice of the Mass. The hill of frankincense = the heavenly Jerusalem, where the perfect prayer and praise of the saints rise as incense. Tropologically: Christ goes to the mountain of myrrh by dying on the Cross for the Church, and returns to the hill of frankincense in the Ascension. The verse expresses Christ's resolve to endure the Passion for the sake of the Church, His Bride. Cassiodorus and Bede: this is Christ's declaration of His willingness to suffer, expressed in the language of love.

Tota pulchra es amica mea et macula non est in te

Thou art all fair, O my love, and there is not a spot in thee. The fourfold beauty of the Church: (1) Beauty of the Evangelical Law, the most perfect law ever given — containing the counsels of perfection; (2) Beauty of the knowledge of the true God, worshipped in spirit and truth; (3) Beauty of the ceremonies, sacraments, liturgical rites, and temples of Christian worship; (4) Beauty of inherent grace in the faithful — the just and holy who are the true members of the Bride. \"Macula non est in te\" = no stain of grave sin or error (Cassiodorus, Bede, Augustine, Anselm). This verse applies primarily to the Church Triumphant, but also to the Church Militant insofar as she is adorned by grace and free from fundamental error in faith. Augustine (Retract. 1.19): the Church militant will be without spot or wrinkle in eternity, but even now is called spotless because grace makes her so.

Veni de Libano sponsa mea veni de Libano veni coronaberis de capite Amana de vertice Sanir et Hermon de cubilibus leonum de montibus pardorum

Come from Lebanon, my bride, come from Lebanon, come: thou shalt be crowned from the top of Amana, from the top of Sanir and Hermon, from the dens of the lions, from the mountains of the leopards. Christ invites the Church from the four corners of the world (Libanus = north; Amana = west; Sanir = south; Hermon = east) to be crowned. The crown = (1) the crown of martyrdom and victory over the persecutors (lions = Roman emperors; leopards = heretics); (2) the crown of the world's conversion; (3) the crown of the beatific vision. Christ calls the Gentile Church from her former state of paganism (Lebanon = idolatry cleansed by Baptism). He also calls the Synagogue from her mountains of separation. The four mountains = the four corners of the earth from which the Church gathers her children. The dens of lions and leopards = the former strongholds of paganism and tyranny now become the dwelling-place of the Church.

Vulnerasti cor meum soror mea sponsa vulnerasti cor meum in uno oculorum tuorum et in uno crine colli tui

Thou hast wounded my heart, my sister, my bride: thou hast wounded my heart with one of thy eyes, and with one hair of thy neck. Christ declares that the Church has wounded His heart. The one eye = the Church's single, pure, simple faith fixed on Christ alone (the single eye of contemplation, Mt 6:22); or specifically the faith of St. Peter. The one hair of the neck = obedience, by which the Church submits her neck to Christ's yoke; or specifically the obedience of St. Paul (Alcazar). Christ's heart is \"wounded\" by love — the Church's undivided faith and obedience so move Him that He cannot resist loving her in return. This mutual wounding by love is the mystical marriage. The verse also teaches that even one act of perfect faith or perfect obedience can draw Christ powerfully to the soul. The Church is called \"sister\" because Christ took flesh from the same human family; \"bride\" because she is united to Him in mystical marriage.

Quam pulchrae sunt mammae tuae soror mea sponsa pulchriora sunt ubera tua vino et odor unguentorum tuorum super omnia aromata

How beautiful are thy breasts, my sister, my bride! Thy breasts are more beautiful than wine, and the sweet smell of thy ointments above all aromatical spices. The breasts of the Church = the priestly and diaconal orders who nourish the faithful (see Sg 4:5 above). Here the Bridegroom praises these breasts as better than wine — i.e., the spiritual nourishment given by the Church's ministers surpasses all earthly joys and consolations. The ointments = the charisms of the Holy Spirit and the fragrance of the saints' virtues, surpassing all natural perfumes. The double praise (breasts + ointments) = both the nourishing and the anointing ministries of the Church. The repetition of \"soror mea sponsa\" (sister, bride) emphasizes the double relationship of Christ to the Church: sister in humanity, bride in mystical union.

Favus distillans labia tua sponsa mel et lac sub lingua tua et odor vestimentorum tuorum sicut odor thuris

Thy lips, my bride, are as a dropping honeycomb, honey and milk are under thy tongue: and the smell of thy garments, as the smell of frankincense. The lips of the Church = her preaching and the administration of the sacraments. \"Dropping honeycomb\" = the sweetness of the Gospel teaching, which nourishes and draws souls, as honey drops spontaneously from the comb without pressing. \"Honey and milk under the tongue\" = the deeper, hidden wisdom of Scripture reserved for the mature in faith; the primary doctrines (milk) and the profound mysteries (honey) both concealed under the lips of sound preaching until the time is right. The odor of garments = the good reputation and fragrance of holy life spread by the Church's ministers, like the smell of frankincense offered to God. Cassiodorus, Bede: the honeycomb lips = the Apostles and their successors who pour out the sweet doctrine of the Gospel.

Hortus conclusus soror mea sponsa hortus conclusus fons signatus

My sister, my bride, is a garden enclosed, a garden enclosed, a fountain sealed up. The Church is compared to a garden enclosed and a fountain sealed. Enclosed garden = (1) the Church is protected from all error and corruption by the walls of orthodox faith and divine authority — no heresy can enter without being expelled; (2) reserved for Christ alone, not open to the adulterous access of false doctrines; (3) the Church's discipline and chastity, guarded from the foxes (heresies). The double \"hortus conclusus\" = a double enclosure, protected by both Christ's divine custody and the watchfulness of the Church's pastors. The sealed fountain = the Church's baptism and doctrine, sealed with the sign of the cross, whose waters cannot be contaminated by worldly error. Cassiodorus: the garden's gate (pessulum) = charity, which keeps the garden sealed against the devil. Gregory: the garden is enclosed because the Church's charity surrounds it like a wall. Tropologically: the devout soul is a sealed garden, reserved entirely for Christ.

Emissiones tuae paradisus malorum punicorum cum pomorum fructibus cypri cum nardo

Thy plants are a paradise of pomegranates with the fruits of the orchard. Cypress with spikenard. The shoots/plants of the Church = her offspring — the faithful whom she has begotten through Baptism and the Word. They form a paradise of pomegranates (= the fullness of all virtues and charisms, as the pomegranate contains multitudes of grains) and spices. Pomegranates = (1) the martyrs, red with blood; (2) those filled with the fullness of the Spirit's gifts; (3) the diverse multitude of holy souls all contained within one Church, as the many seeds within one pomegranate. Cypress and nard = together signifying the double perfume of mortification (cypress = incorruption in the face of death) and humility/prayer (nard). The paradise = the Church is a restored Paradise, more beautiful than Eden, because in it grows not merely the tree of life but Christ Himself, the true Tree of Life.

Nardus et crocus fistula et cinnamomum cum universis lignis Libani myrrha et aloe cum omnibus primis unguentis

Spikenard and saffron, sweet cane and cinnamon, with all trees of Lebanon, myrrh and aloe, with all the chief ointments. The enumeration of spices and aromatics = the totality of virtues and charisms flourishing in the Church. Nard = humility. Saffron (crocus) = charity, golden in color and fragrant. Fistula/sweet cane = the sweet voice of preaching and prayer. Cinnamon = the warmth of divine love in the soul, strong and penetrating. Trees of Lebanon = the great saints and Doctors; myrrh = the mortification of the flesh and the memory of the Passion; aloe = the bitterness of penance purifying the soul. \"All the chief ointments\" = no virtue or charism is missing in the Church, which contains every spiritual good. The totality of these aromatics signifies that the Church has received the complete endowment of the Holy Spirit — the fullness of supernatural gifts.

Fons hortorum puteus aquarum viventium quae fluunt impetu de Libano

A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, which run with a strong stream from Lebanon. The fountain = (1) Christ Himself, the fons vitae, whose grace flows through the Church as living water (John 4:10, 7:38); (2) The Baptismal font, through which all the Church's spiritual life flows; (3) Sacred Scripture and the Church's teaching, flowing from Christ as from Lebanon (purity and height). \"Living waters running with a strong stream\" = the grace of the Holy Spirit which flows copiously and powerfully from Christ through the Church's sacraments and preaching. The \"well of living waters\" = distinguished from cisterns (= human learning without divine life), this living water flows from its divine source perennially. John the Carmelite: the waters sealed and flowing = the grace of Christ, sealed with His royal seal (the Cross), which gives eternal life to those who drink.

Surge aquilo et veni auster perfla hortum meum et fluant aromata illius

Arise, O north wind, and come, O south wind, blow through my garden, and let the aromatical spices thereof flow out. The Church invites the two winds — north (aquilo) and south (auster) — to blow through her garden. The north wind = adversity, tribulation, persecution, and suffering, which mortify the soul and cause virtue to exhale its fragrance more strongly (as crushing releases perfume). The south wind = prosperity, consolation, and spiritual sweetness, which make virtue fruitful and beautiful. Four interpretations: (1) Both winds = Providence using both trial and comfort to perfect the Church; (2) North = the Jews/pagans who persecute; South = the Holy Spirit who comforts; (3) Both winds = the double action of fear of judgment and love of reward; (4) North = the Holy Spirit in His purging action; South = the same Spirit in His consoling and illuminating action. The Church invites both precisely because suffering and consolation together produce the fullness of holiness.