Discourses on the Song of Songs

“Discourses on the Song of Songs” (2 conversations) written by Origen in 239-242. They explain the two initial chapters of the Book of Songs in sequence. Interpreting the title of the book, Origen singles out several Old Testament songs, which are exemplary prayerful appeals of the soul to God: the song at the exodus from Egypt (Ex. 15: 1-19); song in the desert when the well is filled (Num. 21:17-18); song of Moses (Deut. 32:1-43); song of Deborah (Judges 5:1-31), etc. A soul freed from sins and adorned with virtues can unite with God; It is this highest state, according to Origen, that is expressed in the Book of Song of Songs, the double title of which indicates that it represents the culmination of all biblical songs. As in the commentary, in the homilies Origen offers varied reflections on the nature and character of spiritual love that connects man with God. This publication presents a translation from the Latin translation of the blj. Hieronymus of Stridon. *The title of the essay in Latin is In Canticum Canticorum homiliae. Preface by Blessed Jerome Conversation one • Conversation two To His Beatitude Pope Damasus Jerome While Origen surpassed everyone in the interpretation of other books of Scripture, in the explanation of the Song of Songs he surpassed himself. For in the ten books of interpretations he wrote, containing almost twenty thousand lines, he, firstly, according to the translation of the Seventy Interpreters, then according to the translation of Aquila, Symmachus and Theodotnon, and, finally, according to the fifth edition, which he found, according to him, on the Akhtian coast, he explained this book so excellently and with such penetration of hidden secrets that even therefore, it seems to me, what was said was fulfilled in it: “the king brought me into his chambers” (Song. 1.3). So, leaving this work, since the translation into Latin of so many books and such a high work requires a lot of time, labor and expense, I translated more accurately than elegantly the following two treatises of Origen, which he wrote in the form of daily conversations for infants feeding on milk - offering you only a taste, and not the food of his thoughts, so that you understand how highly his extensive works should be valued if his short ones can be so liked essays. You might be interested in: