Bride as church or perfect soul; Bridegroom as Word
The Bride in this song is understood either as the church or as the perfect soul. The church indeed is the gathering of the saints; the soul is she who already cleaves to Christ alone. And what is said of the church can be transferred to the soul; what of the soul, to the church. But the Bridegroom is Christ, the Word of God, wisdom, peace, justice — all that he himself is.
Latin
Sponsa in hoc carmine vel ecclesia intellegitur vel anima perfecta. Ecclesia quidem collectio sanctorum; anima vero quae iam Christo sola adhaeret. Et quae de ecclesia dicuntur, ad animam transferri possunt; quae de anima, ad ecclesiam. Sponsus autem Christus est, Verbum Dei, sapientia, pax, iustitia — omnia quae ipse est.
About this text
Origen’s Commentary on the Song of Songs, Prologus (Rufinus’s Latin). Complete on this page: §§1–20.
English follows Baehrens, Origenes Werke VIII (GCS 33, 1925), Rufinus’s Latin of the Commentary Prologus. Lawson ACW 26 was not used as wording. This page is Prologus §§1–20 (closeout).
Witnesses
- Copy-text Baehrens, Origenes Werke VIII = GCS 33 (1925) (Latin · Commentary Prologus §§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.