Winter of vices must pass; flowers and pruning
The soul is not joined to the Word until every winter of disturbances and the storm of vices has departed, so that she no longer surges and is carried about by every wind of teaching. When these have gone, flowers of the virtues spring up and the time of pruning comes, that the superfluous may be cut back toward buds of spiritual understanding.
Latin
Non ante anima Verbo iungitur nisi omnis hiems perturbationum vitiorumque procella discesserit, ut ultra non fluctuat et circumferatur omni vento doctrinae. Ubi haec discesserint, flores virtutum vernant et tempus putationis advenit, ut superfluum reseceatur ad gemmas spiritalis intelligentiae.
About this text
Origen’s Commentary on the Song of Songs, Liber IV (Rufinus’s Latin). Complete on this page: §§1–20.
English follows Baehrens, Origenes Werke VIII (GCS 33, 1925), Rufinus’s Latin of Commentary Liber IV. Lawson ACW 26 was not used as wording. This page is Liber IV §§1–20 (closeout).
Witnesses
- Copy-text Baehrens, Origenes Werke VIII = GCS 33 (1925) (Latin · Commentary Liber IV §§1–20)
English is newly prepared for study from the stated edition. Open Latin on each section (or the Latin source witness link) for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.