Letter 65. To Principia.

A commentary on Ps. XLV. addressed to Marcella's friend and companion Principia (see Letter 127.). Jerome prefaces what he has to say by a defence of his practice of writing for women, a practice which had exposed him to many foolish sneers. He deals with the same subject in his dedication of the Commentary of Sophronius. The date of the letter is 397 a.d.

The below translation made by ChatGPT 3.5 from this Latin text.

1. I know that I, Principia, in Christ am a daughter, and am criticized by many for sometimes writing to women and preferring the weaker sex to men. And therefore I must first respond to my detractors, and thus come to the debate you requested. If men were to inquire about the Scriptures, I would not speak to women. If Barak wished to go to battle, Deborah would not have triumphed over the defeated enemies (Jud. 5). Jeremiah is imprisoned (Jer. 36), and because Israel, about to perish, did not receive the prophet who was a man, a woman named Huldah was raised up for them (2 Kings 22). The priests and Pharisees crucify the Son of God (Matthew 27), and Mary Magdalene weeps at the cross, prepares ointments, searches in the tomb (Mark 16), asks the gardener, recognizes the Lord (John 2), goes to the apostles, and tells them what she has found. They doubt, but she trusts. Truly a tower, truly a tower of brightness and Lebanon, which looks out on the face of Damascus (Song of Solomon 7), namely the blood of the Savior calling for repentance. Sara's womanliness had failed, and therefore Abraham was subject to her and it was said to him: Everything that Sara says to you, listen to her voice (Genesis 18). Their womanliness had failed, but you have never experienced womanliness. Gender is devoured by a virgin, she carries Christ in her body. She already possesses what is to come. Rebecca goes to inquire of God and hears proper replies to her questions: “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples born of you shall be divided” (Gen. 25: 23). She gives birth to two who are at odds with each other; you daily conceive, give birth, and generate one who is fruitful in union, multiple in majesty, and harmonious in Trinity. Mary, the sister of Moses, sings the Lord's victories (Exod. 15), and Rachel marks our Bethlehem and Ephratha through the line of her name in her descendants (Gen. 35). The daughters of Salphaad deserve to receive the inheritance among brothers (Num. 27). Ruth, Esther, and Judith are of such great glory that they have been given names in sacred volumes. The Prophetess Anna gives birth to a son, Levite, Prophet, Judge, venerable with sacred hair, and offers him in the tabernacle of God (I. Reg. 1. 2). Thecuites woman concludes the questioning of King David, teaches in riddles, and, by the example of God, mitigates. We read of another wise woman, who when her city was besieged and the army commander Joab was attacking the walls with a ram because of one traitor, spoke to the people with her wisdom, and by her feminine authority calmed the danger of the large crowd (3 Kings 10). What shall I say of the queen of Sheba, who came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and by the testimony of the Lord condemned all the men of Jerusalem? Elizabeth prophesies by her womb and voice (Matt 2). Anna, daughter of Phanuel, in the temple, becomes a temple of God, and by daily fasting finds heavenly bread (Luke 1). Women follow the Savior and minister to him of their substance. He who fed five thousand men with five loaves, not counting women and children, does not refuse the food of holy women. When talking to the Samaritan woman at the well, and satisfied with her conversion, he neglects the food that had been bought. Apollo, a male apostle and most learned in the law, is instructed and taught by Aquila and Priscilla on the way of the Lord. If it was not shameful for the Apostle to be taught by a woman, then why should it be shameful for me to teach both men and women?

2. I have briefly touched on matters such as these, most noble daughter, so that neither should you be ashamed of your sex, nor should men arrogate to themselves their own name, to the condemnation of whom the lives of women are praised in Holy Scripture. I am rejoicing and my soul is lifted up with exultation when I read of Daniel, Ananias, Azarias, and Misael, found in Babylon. How many elderly men and judges of Israel were stewed in the Babylonian kitchen! How many Susannas, which means lilies, there are, who with the purity of their chastity make their spouses happy, and who exchange the crown of thorns for the glory of triumph. You have Marcella and Asella there in the study of the Scriptures, and in the sanctity of mind and body: one of whom may lead you through green meadows and various flowers of divine Volumes to him who says in the Song of Solomon, "I am the flower of the field and the lily of the valley." (Song of Solomon 2:1); the other herself may deserve to hear the flower of the Lord with you: "As a lily among the thorns, so is my love among the daughters." (ibid. 2) And since we have begun to speak of flowers and lilies, and virginity is always compared to flowers, it seems appropriate to me, writing about the flower of Christ, to discuss many flowers.

3. Reading Psalm 44 in the title, I found: For the end, to them that shall be changed, for the sons of Core, a canticle for the beloved. It is written in Hebrew, Lamanasse Al Sosannim Labne Core Meschil Sir Ididoth: which we translate into Latin as; A victory for the lilies of the sons of Core, a loving song of instruction. Symmachus, in his own way, interpreted more manifestly triumph for flowers. So Sosannim, whether for those who are to be exchanged, or for those who are to be changed into lilies and flowers, means Meschil as well as instruction and extremely learned music; sir, it is an ancient hymn of Solomon, named from another sense as peaceful. However, four Psalms, though they differ in the latter part of the titles, are noted by this beginning, the forty-fourth, fifty-ninth, sixty-eighth, and seventy-ninth, of which the two middle ones are inscribed, David; the first and last, of both the Sons of Core and Asaph. It is not possible in the time of which we have begun to explain all.

4. "Rightly, those who at the end of the ages are to be changed, of whom the Apostle speaks: We will all sleep, but we will not all be changed (1 Cor. 15:51), are referred to the end. And this mystery itself prepares the reader for spiritual understanding. For where the sense is simple and clear, what is the need to forewarn the listener of understanding, and to say to him, 'He who has ears to hear, let him hear' (Matth. 13)? A song is also sung for the most beloved and beloved, because through him the promised change will come to the saints." Which can indeed be understood in this life, when we strip off the old man, and put on the new, which is renewed in knowledge according to the image of the Creator, and contemplating the glory of the Lord, we are transformed into the same image as if from glory to glory. There is no time when the Holy One does not change, forgetting the past and extending into the future, as our inner person is renewed from day to day. And the unchanging God who speaks through the prophet: I am God, and I do not change (Malachi 5:6), because of us he changed his face, took on the form of a servant, and transmigrated from Judea to the Philistines, who interpret as those falling by the cup (for they had been intoxicated by the golden cup of Babylon), he was first ridiculed because of the foolishness of the cross, then accepted because of the glory of triumphs. But that one is most beloved, of whom Isaiah sings: I will sing a song to my beloved about his vineyard (Isaiah 5:1); and the Gospel: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, listen to him (Matthew 17:5). To whom not one prophet, but the whole choir of the sons of Core, now sing praises. And who the sons of Core are, that is, of Calvary, is more fittingly discussed in the forty-first psalm. And so that we may know that the title of the Song is fitting, he speaks of a change from one thing to another, as if the daughter is commanded to forget her ancient parent and submit herself to the embraces of the king. But he is the victor who says, "Have confidence, I have conquered the world" (John 16:33); and the one to whom this young man's prayer is addressed: "From You comes victory, wisdom, glory; and I am your servant" (3 Ezra 4:59), certainly knows who, with the Lord conquering, has conquered, and is a sharer in His triumphs, and who has woven an incorruptible crown of glory from the brightness of good deeds and the variety of virtues for the Savior.

5. "My heart has brought forth a good word." Symmachus interpreted it as "My heart was stirred by a good word," indicating that the heart of the speaker was moved by the discourse of another, and that, as the Holy Spirit revealed the future sacraments of Christ, this person also spoke clearly, so that, just as others spoke about His coming, this person spoke. "Eructavit," however, properly signifies the digestion of food and the expulsion of digested food into the wind. For just as belching rises from the stomach according to the quality of the food, a sign of good or bad odor, so do the thoughts of the inner man bring forth words, and the mouth speaks out of the abundance of the heart (Matthew 12). The righteous one, having filled himself with food, fills his soul, and when he is satisfied with holy doctrines, he brings forth from the treasure of his good heart words that are good, and when he speaks with the Apostle: "Do you seek a proof of Him who speaks in me Christ?" (2 Cor. 13. 3) Some understand it to be said in the person of the Father, that from the lowest vital parts and secret places of the heart, he uttered His Word which was always in Him, according to the prophecy of another Psalm: "Before Lucifer, I have begotten you from the womb" (Ps. 109. 3). Just as the word "womb" does not mean a womb (for God is not divided into limbs), but shows the same substance of the Father and the Son, so too, the heart and the word which is brought forth from the heart reveal the Father and the Son. And what follows: "I will tell of my works to the king" (Ps. 32:9), they fit to the intelligence: "He said and they were made, he commanded and they were created" (John. 14): when the Father says it, the Son operates. For everything that the Father does, the Son does similarly, with the Father working through the Son in everything.

6. "I declare my works to the king." The prophetic choir of Christ and the Church, about to speak of sacred mysteries, lest it seem unworthy in song, and on account of the conscience of sinners, says to him: "Why do you declare my justice and take my testament in your mouth?" (Ps. 49:16). He confesses his works to the king, whom he will praise, so that either he may accept them if they are good, or he may cleanse them if they are bad; and he does what he is commanded: "Declare your iniquities that you may be justified" (Isaiah 43:26). And, 'The just accuser of himself is at the beginning of the discourse' (Prov. 18.17). However, this language is not only of the Hebrew but also of the Latin tongue, in order to declare treatises and writings. Therefore, even he who is about to sing praises to the Lord devotes his poem and work to Him, and for the sake of the Muses of the Gentiles, he invokes at the beginning the very one whom he is about to praise.

7. "My tongue is the pen of a quick writing scribe." This is what we have interpreted: "My tongue is the pen of a swift scribe." It is from the last part of the prologue, and connect with what follows: "My heart hath uttered a good word; I speak of my works to the king." Therefore, I must also prepare my tongue as a pen and stylus, so that the Holy Spirit may write through it in the hearts and ears of listeners. For my role is to provide an instrument in my tongue, so that it may sound like through an instrument what is its own. The pen writes on wax: a reed either on paper or on parchment, or on whatever material is suitable for writing. But my tongue, like a swift writer, whom we can understand as a notary, by a certain compendium of signs, has engraved in the tables of the carnal heart the concise and strict message of the Gospel. For if the Law was written by the finger of God, through the hand of the Mediator, and that which was destroyed was glorified, by how much more will the Gospel, which will endure, be written through my tongue by the Holy Spirit, so that the praises of Him of whom it is said in Isaiah, 'Take spoils quickly, plunder swiftly' (Isaiah 8:1), let the speech of believers be swift in the heart.

8. "Beautiful in appearance among the sons of men." In Hebrew: "You are more beautiful than the sons of men." The introduction being finished, the beginning of the narrative is approached, and an address is made to the beloved, and the king, to whom the words spoken are consecrated. But it is asked how he is more beautiful than all the sons of men we read about in Isaiah: "We saw him, and he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not." (Isaiah 53:2-3) Nor does the writing seem immediately discordant: for there the lowliness of the body is recorded on account of the lashes and spitting and slaps and nails, and the injustices of the gibbet: here the loveliness of virtues is in the sacred and venerable body. Not that the divinity of Christ is more beautiful than men; for She has no comparison: but without the passions of the cross, it is more beautiful than all. Virgin of a virgin, who was born not from the will of man, but from God. For if he had not had something in his countenance and eyes like stars, the Apostles would not have followed him immediately, nor would those who came to apprehend him have fallen (John 18). And finally, in the present testimony, in which it says "a man stricken and knowing how to endure infirmity," he gives the reasons why he has suffered these things. "Because he turned his face away," that is, with a little of his divinity removed, he abandoned his body to injury. Some connect this verse with the previous ones, so that "fairer in form than the children of men" refers not to Christ, but to the pen.

9. "Grace has been poured out on your lips, therefore God has blessed you forever. " In the Vulgate edition, we read "he blessed" instead of "he anointed." But it should be known that the error of the Septuagint translators should not be blamed, as they agree with the Hebrew truth in this place. Reading it, "Jesus increased in age and wisdom and grace with God and men" (Luke 2:52): and in another place: "They were amazed at the words of his grace that came out of his mouth" (Matthew 7:16): And that "He had the power of speech" (Mark 6:7) we can understand in what sense it was said: "Grace has been poured out on your lips." Noah found grace before the Lord in his days, and Moses, and the remaining prophets. But the entire multitude of grace was poured forth on the lips of the Savior, which in a short time filled the whole world. And he himself, as a bridegroom, proceeded from his chamber. 'His going forth is from the end of heaven, and his circuit even to the end thereof' (Psalm 18). For even holy Mary, because she had conceived him in whom all the fullness of divinity dwells bodily, is greeted full of grace (Luke 1). And the Apostle, knowing that his preaching, not in secular eloquence, but in the power of God, had surpassed all the teachings of the world, says: 'And my speech and my preaching was not in the persuasive words of human wisdom, but in shewing of the Spirit and power; That our faith might not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God' (1 Thessalonians 1:5). Rebuking himself for saying "I have laboured more than they all", he immediately added, "Yet not I, but the grace of God with me." And again, "But by the grace of God I am what I am" (1 Cor. 15:10). The word "effusion" historically pertains to the Savior as a sign of the abundance of grace according to the saying, "I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh" (Joel 2:28). And, "the love of God has been poured out in our hearts" (Rom. 5:5). Note that understanding of all this should be referred to the person who was born of Mary and may be said to be eternally blessed by reason of the grace of his lips. It is this that the Apostle likewise preaches: "He humbled himself becoming obedient unto death, even to death on a cross.” "Therefore God exalted him and gave him a name above all names" (Philippians 2:8). For just as the form of a servant is a disgrace to his passion, and the exaltation and gift of a name return to the Father, so too the pouring forth of grace and blessings here must be referred to him who can be humbled and grow.

10. "Gird your sword upon your thigh, most mighty one, with your beauty and your splendor." In Hebrew: "Gird your sword upon your thigh, O most mighty one, with your glory and your majesty." I believe you understand this passage very well, [it speaks of] being girded with the sword of Christ to fight. But so that you always know that virginity has the sword of chastity by which it cuts off the works of the flesh and overcomes pleasures; even the pagan error imagined armed virgin goddesses. Peter also girded his loins and had a burning lamp in his hands. But in what manner the thigh signifies the work of weddings, you will be taught briefly by these examples. When Abraham sent his servant to seek a wife for his son Isaac, he said to the chief servant of his household, "Put your hand under my thigh, and I will make you swear by the Lord God of heaven" (Gen. 24:2). No doubt through him who was to be born from his seed. After Jacob wrestled with a man who appeared to him at the Jaboc stream, leaving Mesopotamia and entering the land of the Promise, he did not obtain the name Israel until the nerve of his thigh was withered. And to his son: "The prince shall not fail from Juda, nor the ruler from his thigh" (Gen 49:50). And again he, Joseph about to die, adjures him in his thigh not to bury him in Egypt. In the Book of Judges we also read: "Gedeon had seventy sons, who came out of his loins" (Judges 8:30). In Canticles, it is said, "Behold the bed of Solomon, sixty valiant men round about it, of the valiant of Israel. All holding swords, and most expert in war: every man's sword upon his thigh, because of fears in the night" (Canticles 3:7-8). Therefore, he mortified the works of the flesh by his glory and beauty, or the appearance and beauty of his divinity; and he who was born of a virgin was the prince of virginity for future virgins.

11. And attend with success, proceed and reign. For truth, meekness, and justice; and your right hand will lead you wonderfully. In Hebrew: "Ascend prosperously in your beauty; for the sake of truth, meekness of justice, and your right hand will lead you wonderfully." Secondly it is written among the Hebrews, in your beauty, in order to avoid anyone thinking that it was repeated by the error of copyists. And it is a figure that among rhetoricians is called repetition. Therefore, the panegyrists encourage the armed ones whom they extol with their speeches to fight: that having once seized the wars they do not abandon them, and that, striding victoriously over the ruins of the enemy, they prepare a kingdom for themselves in those whom, having snatched from the power of the devil, they have joined to their own rule; and let them say: "But as for me, I have been established king by him over his holy Sion mount" (Psalm 2:6). And there is no doubt that Christ is called the Truth, Modesty, and Justice, who said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6). And, "Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart" (Matthew 11:29). And, "He has become for us the righteousness and redemption and sanctification from God" (1 Corinthians 1:36). But all these things are said in the body so that they may be demanded in the members. The victory of the Lord is a triumph for his servants. The education of masters is the progress of students. And what follows, Your right hand will guide you in a wondrous way, either from the signs you committed in the Gospel, or tropically from the slaughter you exercised on your enemies, must be felt. The heart of the wise is on the right, and the heart of the fool is on the left. Christ is entirely on the right: Antichrist is in the left. The Hebrew interpretation differs in words, not in meaning.

12. Your arrows are sharp, most powerful. Peoples will fall under you into the hearts of the enemies of the king. In Hebrew, everything else is similarly without the most powerful. And this verse is particularly suited to you, who were wounded by the dart of the Lord, When the Bride in the Song sings, "I am wounded by love". No wonder your husband has many arrows, of which the 119th Psalm says, "The sharp arrows of the mighty with coals that lay waste", since he, Himself, is the arrow, and speaks through Isaiah, "He made me like a chosen arrow, he hid me in his quiver". (Isai. 49. 2). With these arrows, Cleopas on the journey, having been wounded with another, said, "Was not our heart burning within us while He spoke on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?" (Luke 24:39) And in another place, we read: "As arrows in the hand of the mighty, so are the children of them that have been shaken" (Psalm 126:4). With these arrows, the whole world was wounded and captured. Paul was the arrow of the Lord, who, after being sent by the Lord's bow from Jerusalem to Illyricum, flew here and there and hastened to go to Spain, so that, like a swift arrow under the feet of his Lord, he might overthrow the east and the west. And since there are many powerful enemies of the king who have been wounded by the burning arrows of the devil and are like deer struck by a spear in the liver; The arrows of the Lord are sent with blazing coals of desolation, so that whatever vice is in the heart of the king's enemies, may be burned away and the saving fire may cast out the destroyer.

13. "Your throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of your kingdom is a sceptre of uprightness. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellows." In Hebrew: "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions." Understand two persons, he who is anointed of God, and He who anoints. And from where also the Hebrew word for God, Eagle of God, is not interpreted in the nominative case but in the vocative, saying, 'O God,' and we have put it for the understanding of God, which the Latin language does not accept; lest anyone wrongly think that God is named twice Father, beloved and loving and King. For although the Father is in the Son and the Son is in the Father, and both are a dwelling and throne for themselves, yet in this place, the word is directed to the King, who is God, and it is said to him that his kingdom (for this is what I understand by throne, according to what is written, 'I will place on your throne the fruit of your womb' (Ps. 131:11)) shall have no end. Indeed, the angel also announced to Mary: 'The Lord God will give her the throne of David her father, and she will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and her kingdom will not end.' (Luke 1:32). Nor should we think this is contrary to what the Apostle wrote to the Corinthians, saying that the Son will deliver the kingdom to God the Father, and subject all things to the One who has subjected everything to him, so that God may be all in all. (1 Corinthians 15). For the Apostle did not say that the Son would deliver the kingdom to the Father, as if to seem to separate the Son, but that He would deliver it to God, that is, to God dwelling in assumption of the body, so that God may be all in all, and Christ, who was previously in each through a few virtues, may dwell through all in each. But the scepter and staff are symbols of the ruling power, as the Prophet himself indicates when he says, 'The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness' (Isaiah 11:1). Those who cite the testimony of Isaiah about the man who is taken from the root of Jesse, and from whose root a flower will arise, understand that he is the one to whom power is given and who is said to reign for the sake of beloved justice and against wickedness, being anointed with oil of rejoicing over his fellows, as if he were about to receive the reward of love and hatred of wickedness in his unction. But we are taught that both the seeds of love and hate are within us, since he himself who raised up the firstfruits of our bodies to heaven, loved justice and hated iniquity. Hence David said, 'Do not I hate them, O lord, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? I hate them with perfect hatred.' (Ps. 138: 21.) Which is followed by, 'God hath anointed thee, thy God.' The first name of God must be understood in the vocative case, the following in the nominative. It is surprising to me that Aquila did not interpret it in the vocative case like he did in the first verse, but in the nominative, naming God who anointed the aforesaid God. Photinus is suppressed in this place, but Arrius lifts his head, giving testimony about the Gospel: "I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God." (John 20:17). But when he hears his beloved, girded with a sword on his thigh, will reign for the sake of truth and meekness, he is anointed because of beloved righteousness and hated iniquity, and anointed among his companions, about whom it is written: "We have become Christ's partners if we hold on to our original conviction firmly to the end." (Hebrews 3:14). I wonder why he calls only God of God to slander, as if everything that was said was suitable for the divinity of the Word and not for the humility of man. Let the Acts of the Apostles be heard: "Jesus of Nazareth, whom God anointed with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 10:38). Let the Gospel be heard: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore, the holy offspring to be born will be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:35). Let them feel the Lord himself thundering: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me" (Isaiah 61:1). But this signifies the Apostles and the believers who, having believed, were given the name of the anointed, that is, Christians, from Christ who was anointed.

14. "Myrrha and droplets and cassia from your clothing of ivory houses, from which the daughters of kings delighted in your honor." In Hebrew, "Myrrha and stacte and cassia in all your clothing from ivory houses, which made the daughters of kings rejoice in your honor." The preface itself taught you, therefore I wished to explain this Psalm to you, writing for a virgin, because I found the title for lilies and flowers. Therefore, I will relate these verses to you subsequently, to whom this book is written. You have mortified your members upon earth, and daily you offer myrrh to Christ. You are a good scent of Christ, and therefore you exhibit gum, that is, a drop or teardrop to the Lord. Those who know the powers of spices also tell that gum is the flower of myrrh. But what follows, cassia, is the plant which is called σύριγξ by others, that is, a pipe, vocal in the praises of God, and cooking all phlegm and mucus with its heat of pleasures. Where it is written in our books, "drop" or "teardrop," it is read "Maloth" in Hebrew. Therefore, Nicodemus prepared a hundred pounds of myrrh and aloes to bury the Lord. And the bridegroom speaks to the bride: Myrrh and aloes with all the finest ointments. And she responds: My hands dripped myrrh; my hands were filled with myrrh. Cast away the works of death you do. Buried with Christ in baptism, may you be dead to this world and think only of heavenly things, speaking to your spouse: My hands dripped myrrh; my hands were filled with myrrh. We also read of the priestly ointment, which is mentioned by David: It is like the precious oil on the head, which ran down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, which ran down to the collar of his robes. In which when mixed with other aromatics and storax, the Magi offer myrrh. And in this place, the beginning of Christ's garments is to take on his death, and to demonstrate it in his flesh. Prepare these garments for your spouse: let him walk adorned in these clothes by you. And when you have woven such garments for him, you yourself will become the temple of God, and you will make him joyful with houses of ivory, or as it is better written in Hebrew, with a temple of teeth; and you will sing praises to the Lord, imitating the choirs of the Angels of the whole world, dead though they are. For ivory and teeth are marks of death, and the very nature of the names of things bears witness to this. And consequently it is added: 'From these things the daughters of kings delighted; in your honor.' Your spouse is the King of kings and Lord of lords. These kings who are under such a king are your fathers, who bore you by the Gospel doctrine. You, their daughter, are adorned with all kinds of clothing and good scents, and in the ivory temple you are the one of whom it was said: 'Grace has been poured upon your lips'; and, 'Gird your sword upon your thigh, O most mighty, with your arrows sharp'; and, 'Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.' Because we have translated to ivory buildings, since in Greek it is written "ἀπὸ βαρέων ἐλεφαντίνων," some Latin speakers, due to the ambiguity of the word, interpreted it as "gravibus," when "βάρις" is a local word of Palestine: and even today, houses completely enclosed on all sides and built in the manner of public towers and walls are called "βάρεις."

15. "Your queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in a robe of gold"; and what follows: "arrayed in variety", except in the Vulgate edition, none of the interpreters have translated. In Hebrew, "Your mate stood at your right hand, wearing a crown of gold." Where we translate mate, she is called Segal among the Hebrews. For which Aquila has translated σύγκοιτον, i.e., concubine; Symmachus and the Fifth Version have translated παλλακὴν, i.e., mistress; the Septuagint, Theodotion, and the Sixth Version have translated queen. Then, where I placed it, Symmachus transferred it to a golden diadem, in the first gold: The Eagle, Fifth and Sixth Editions, in pigment, or in Ophir gold. Which are the daughters of kings, and are prepared for the embrace of the bridegroom, through myrrh and drops and cassia and ivory houses they delight, whose throne is forever and ever. But the Catholic church, which is now established on a firm rock in Christ, stands as one dove, perfect and next to him on the right, and has nothing on its left. It stands in golden robes, passing from the words of Scriptures into meaning, and full of all virtues: or as we have translated, in a golden diadem. For it is queen and reigns with the king: whose daughters we can understand to be both the souls of the faithful in common and the choirs of virgins in particular. Ophir is a type of gold, from a place in India or from a color given that name. For indeed there are seven words for gold in Hebrew. Let us also understand wife and concubine from the Song of Solomon, who cannot sleep without her spouse or husband.

16. "Listen, daughter, and see, and incline your ear, and forget your people and your father's house, and the king will desire your beauty, because he is the Lord your God, and they will adore him." In Hebrew, "Listen, daughter, and see, and incline your ear, and forget your people and your father's house, and the king will desire your beauty; for he is your Lord, and adore him." Thus through the prophet's language, which the Holy Spirit speaks, comparing it quickly to the writer's pen, he speaks to the king himself, and warrior, and God, addressing him as the bridegroom. Here the person of the Father speaking to the bride of his Son is introduced, and encourages her to first pay attention to what is said, with contempt for the errors of old gentility and idolatry, and for the reason why she is named daughter of a foreigner; then to see either the things that are said themselves, or the whole situation, understanding the invisible from visible things, and sensing the Creator from the created things, and to incline her ear diligently so that she may remember what is said. And when she hears, sees, and inclines her ear, surrendering herself entirely to the teaching and understanding what is said, let her forget her own people at first: and like Abraham leaving Chaldea, let her leave the land of her birth and her relatives. No one doubts that our father, before we were adopted by God, was the devil, from whom the Savior says: "You are born of the father of the devil" (John 8. 44). Therefore, he says, when you have forgotten the father of old, and have shown yourself to be such, laying aside your former filth, so that you may ascend adorned over your brother, and my Son may love you, then the king will desire your beauty. And lest you think you are one of the crowd, from whom you are to be loved, he is your King and Lord. But since sometimes, those who are kings and lords, are indeed kings and lords by power, still of the same nature, to whom they rule and reign; I tell you that he is your God, and you ought to worship Him. The seventy translators did not say "you shall worship him," but rather "they shall worship him," to make sense: He who will love you and treasure your beauty is God, and to be worshiped by all. Let each person refer to himself what we have explained about the Church gathered from the nations, and the soul of the believer, left behind by previous vices, should be adopted as a daughter; let him incline his ear and forget his old way of life. And, following the Apostle, let him lay his dead father to rest and present himself as one who is loved by the king. For he is the Lord of him who should bow the knee, and, having set aside pride, he should assume the yoke of humility.

17. Let us ask the Jews who this daughter is to whom God speaks. I have no doubt that they will respond the Synagogue. And how is it said to the Synagogue and the Jewish people, 'Leave your people and the house of your father'? Will he leave the Hebrew nation and Abraham, the ancient father? If they say that Abraham, who left the Chaldeans, is meant by the calling, who is this king who will love the splendor of Abraham? Certainly, there is another who speaks: 'Hear daughter,' and another of whom it is said: 'The king will desire your beauty.' This other is not only a king, but also the Lord and God, who is to be adored.

18. Daughter of Tyre, the rich people of the crowd will implore your face in gifts. In Hebrew it is: 'Oh daughter of the strongest, in gifts the rich people of the population will implore your face.' The Hebrew word Sor, which we read in Ezekiel according to the Septuagint, can be interpreted as Tyre, tribulation, strongest, or strongest, and Flint, that is, the hardest stone. Hence the error arose in the present location: for Aquila, Septuagint, Theodotion, and the Fifth Edition have interpreted Tyre. On the sixth day Symmachus interpreted the Hebrew word as κραταιὰν, meaning, "strongest." We apply this to God, and as the woman [in the biblical passage] had said, "Listen daughter, and see, the daughter is called strongest." Or, she indeed is the strongest, because she had imitated a powerful Father, whose face will be invoked by the wealthy people of the crowd in various gifts. Wealthy in all good works and knowledge; either those who are considered wealthy in this century, who are wise in this world and educated in the disciplines of philosophers; or, better yet, those who had been rich before, who held the speeches of God, and the Covenants, and the Prophets, that is, from the people of Israel. For just as, before the coming of the Savior, those from Tyre, that is from the people of the Gentiles, who wished to become proselytes, prayed to the rich people of Israel and through them were introduced into the Temple; so after the coming of the Lord, whoever from Israel wish to believe (once rich in the intimacy and protection of God), they will come to the daughter of Tyre and, offering various gifts of virtues and confession in Christ, pray to her that they may find the salvation they have lost in Judea among the Gentiles.

19. "All the glory of the daughter of the king is from within, adorned with various golden fringes." In Hebrew: "All the glory of the daughter of the king is within, dressed in golden bands." Because it is written in the Septuagint as "inside," and we have interpreted it as "within"; in some copies, "Esebon" is found, which means "thoughts." From which is demonstrated every glory of the Church, of which it is said above, "Hear, daughter, and see," and "O daughter of Tyre," and now she is called the daughter of the king, to be intrinsic, and in thoughts, that is, in the interior man, and in an unmanufactured circumcision, but in the spirit; having confidence of conscience before God and all beauty placed more in the name of the senses than in the flower of words. However, just as in the warp from which the fringes hang, the undergarment is woven, and all the power of the garment is in the warp, so in various senses of the Scriptures, in which the whole garment of the Church is woven, some things are mixed of nature and manners, and this is also signified by the garment of Aaron woven from gold, purple, scarlet, fine linen, and hyacinth (Exodus 28:39), which the women made, to whom God gave wisdom for weaving. And so that we can understand all the adornment of the king's daughter within, she speaks in the Song: 'The king brought me into his chamber' (Song 1:15, Matt 6:9) in which, with the door of our lips closed, we are commanded to pray to God the Father. The title of the ninth Psalm is also inscribed, 'For hidden things of the Son.' Joseph also had a diverse coat (Gen 37) which the mother Church wove for him. Of these fringes, the woman with the issue of blood touched one of the Savior's and was healed (Matt 9, Mark 5, Luke 8). And what is written in Hebrew, 'she was clothed in golden fringes,' means the same as what was said above: 'All the glory of the king's daughter is within;' with the fringes of divine senses, the inner members of the Church are wrapped and the whole uterus of pride is covered. The bride cannot forget these fringes, according to Jeremiah (ch. 2), which bind the breasts and protect the chest, where the thoughts are.

20. "Virgins will be brought to the king after her, her neighbors will be brought to you. They will be brought with joy and exultation, they will be led into the temple of the king." The prior verse in the Septuagint still sings about the decoration of the daughter; the following is directed to the groom and king himself. Furthermore, according to the Hebrew, everything is said to the bride up to the point where it is written: "You will set them as leaders throughout the land." And it is read; "In embroidered garments she is led to the king, her virgin companions following her. Those brought in her train are led to you. They are brought in with gladness and rejoicing; they enter the palace of the king." The difference in souls of believers in Christ is shown to be great in the Song of Songs, in which it is written: "Sixty queens there may be, and eighty concubines, and virgins beyond number." She is my dove, my perfect one; she is the only one of her mother, she is the darling of her who bore her. The young women saw her and called her blessed; the queens and concubines also, and they praised her. (Song of Solomon 6:7 and following verses). Therefore, she was worthy to be called perfect and holy in body and spirit, and to be called a dove and a companion. This is the daughter, of whom it was said above, 'There is the queen, standing in her gold attire.' But those who have passed beyond the six days of the world and yearn for future kingdoms are called queens. And if any has circumcision on the eighth day but has not yet come to the marriage, she is called a concubine. But the diverse multitude of believers, who are not yet able to be united in the embrace of the bridegroom, nor to bear children from him, are called adolescentula. I think of those virgins who follow the Church, and are placed in the first rank, and of you and all those who persevere in the virginity of body and soul. But the next and intimate ones should be widows and remain continent in marriage: all of whom are led with joy and exultation to the temple and into the chamber of the king. In the temple, as priests of God: in the chamber, as the bride and groom's spouses. This temple John saw in the Apocalypse (Rev. 21), and the prophet desired it. 'I have asked one thing from the Lord; this I will seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life' (Ps. 26:4). And again: 'O Lord, I have loved the beauty of your house, and the place of dwelling of your glory' (Ps. 25:8). And in another place: 'For I shall pass over into the place of tabernacle of admirable, even to the house of God; With the voice of joy and praise; the noise of one feasting' (Ps. 41:5). But the shields, with which the queen is adorned as she is united to her spouse, are the same as we read in the Septuagint 'arrayed in a variety of colors.'

21. "For your fathers have begotten thee sons, thou shalt make them princes over all the earth." In Hebrew: "For thy fathers have begotten thee sons, thou shalt set them princes over the whole earth." And from the person of the Father it is certainly not spoken of the daughter, but again, the discourse can be understood as referring to the daughter; and from the Holy Spirit, and from the sons of Korah. If, therefore, the discourse is directed to the daughter as a bride, but the bride is gathered from the nations, of whom it is said above: "Forget thy people and thy father’s house," we must know the bride’s fathers, in order that we may consequently know the sons also. For your ancestors, about whom you spoke in Jeremiah: 'How falsely our fathers possessed idols, and there is no rain in them' (Jeremiah 14. 22 and 16. 19). For Plato, and for other teachers of diverse dogmas and errors, sons were born to you, whom you made your rulers, and you made them teachers among the people. Or rather, O Church, your sons whom you have begotten will turn into fathers, when you have made disciples into teachers, and placed them in the priestly rank as a testimony of all. But if we understand the Fathers of the Church to be Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the rest of the Patriarchs; let us understand the Apostles as their sons, who were born to them in honor of their fathers and who were sent by the Lord to preach to the ends of the earth, and to baptize believers in the name of the Trinity. But it is asked how the Church could have fathers from among the gentiles, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, when it is said of them: "Forget your people and your father's house." Let us read the Gospel: "Do not say that we have Abraham as our father: God is able from these stones," that is, from the hard hearts of the Gentiles, "to raise up children to Abraham" (Matthew 2:9). And elsewhere: "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham" (John 8:39). And in Genesis, God himself speaks to Abraham, "All nations will be blessed in your offspring" (Gen. 12:3). For just as he was justified by faith in circumcision, so we will also be justified in the same faith, if we have the faith and works of our Father Abraham. This can be said of the Savior himself, or by the Father, or by the prophetic choir and Holy Spirit. For your fathers, namely the Jews who rejected and denied you, you have begotten sons, the Apostles, and believers from the nations whom you have established as leaders in all the earth.

22. I will remember your name in every generation and generation. Therefore, peoples will confess to you forever, and into the age of ages." In Hebrew: "I will remember your name in every generation and generation. Therefore peoples will praise you forever and ever. "What we have interpreted as 'they will praise you', Symmachus translated as 'they will commend you.' The queen, who stood at the right hand of the king in a robe of gold, and had been ordered to forget her people and her father's house; and again it had been said to her: 'For your fathers, sons were born to you, you shall make them princes over all the earth,' understanding how great was the glory to be adorned and with what rewards to be lifted up, turns her voice to her bridegroom and promises to always remember the name of her spouse, in every generation. What he promised, we see fulfilled. Christian herself imposed on us all the name of Christians: a new name, in which "all families of the nations will be blessed". But she remembers not in one generation, but in all: signifying either all nations, or two generations, of Jews and Gentiles. And because this is not enough if the name of the Lord is remembered in two generations, therefore the peoples who have been in the Church will confess and praise the Lord forever and ever. When you too, O daughter of the Princes, are led amidst the choir of saints, and delight your spouse in your ivory palace, remember me, who by the revelation of the Lord have given you an understanding of this Psalm and say, 'I will be mindful of your name,' so that if life accompanies you, you may understand the whole Canticle of Canticles.