Cânticos 6
Theodoret of Cyrus · Comentário Patrístico (catena)
Cânticos 6:5
"Turn your eyes away from me because they set me all aflutter." What he means is something like this: the beauty of your eyes, the sharpness of your vision and the clarity of your thinking have drawn me to love of you; but do not gaze at me immoderately lest I take harm from it. After all, I am inaccessible and incomprehensible, surpassing all comprehension, not only human but also angelic. Even if you wish to surpass limits and pry into what is beyond your power, you would not only find nothing but would also impair your sight and render it dull. Such is the nature of light, after all: as it illumines the eye, so it penalizes intemperance with damage. — COMMENTARY ON THE SONG OF SONGS 6
Cânticos 6:8
Let us examine why on earth he mentioned "sixty queens" but "eighty concubines." The number sixty contains six tens, and while the ten signifies perfection, the six represents the number of the world's creation: in six days the God of all formed the whole creation. Accordingly, by "sixty queens" he referred to the souls in this world who were made perfect in virtue and who longed for the kingdom. The bride lives a way of life above this world, she is outside it, flies beyond it, is totally the bridegroom's and has him constantly in mind, whereas these latter souls live in this world and practice the perfection of virtue to the extent possible while longing to attain the kingdom. But it is through fear that they obey the laws, and so they were called "eighty." The divine Scripture, remember, speaks of the time of judgment as the eighth. In describing judgment in the Psalms, blessed David used the title "On the eighth" and began this way, "Lord, do not censure me in your anger, nor chastise me in your wrath," and shortly after, "Because in death there is no one to remember you, in hades who will confess you?" Thus [he brings] out that at the time of judgment no place for repentance will be given to those who have sinned and have not had a change of heart. — COMMENTARY ON THE SONG OF SONGS 6
Cânticos 6:10
"As beautiful as the special moon." The experts in these matters say the moon gets its light from the sun's rays and gets partial light when a small part of it faces the sun. When it is directly opposite and is in full view of the sun, it is completely lit up as though reflecting its face like a kind of mirror and leaving no part of its bulk unlit. The church of Christ likewise, therefore, the congregation of the souls made perfect in virtue, "with unveiled face seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror," in the words of blessed Paul, "is being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another, as a work of the Lord, the Spirit." And it becomes so completely luminous as to resemble a moon, and a "special moon," that is, full moon. — COMMENTARY ON THE SONG OF SONGS 6
Cânticos 6:10
The bride, however, is not only "like a special moon," but also she will shine in the future life "like a sun," astounding all with its brightness. They will marvel not only at her light but also at her orderliness. There is nothing disordered about the Lord's bride, nothing undetermined; she gives practical directions like a kind of plumb line, and regulates her own life by use of norm and rule. — COMMENTARY ON THE SONG OF SONGS 6
Cânticos 6:11
By "nut plantation" they refer to the present life, which is harsh, troublesome and laborious but contains hidden in itself the fruit of virtue. The fruit of the nut has a bitter skin on the outside, the second one is tough and resistant, and the edible part is hidden as though deposited in a kind of inner chamber and is not extracted without effort. Such also is the present life, containing as it does harsh pain and grief, containing hardship and effort which, however, are not fruitless, not useless, holding the fruit hidden within them. Hence blessed Paul also says, "Our life is hidden with Christ in God; but when Christ our life is revealed, then we too shall live in him." — COMMENTARY ON THE SONG OF SONGS 6
Cânticos 6:13
Just as the work calls Solomon—our Lord, in other words—"peaceable," so too it calls his bride "peacemaker" for attaining peace from him and being freed from the former conflict. The bridegroom's attendants, then, on seeing her driven from the chariot and under attack, comfort her in the words, "Return," peacemaker, "return, return, and we shall look upon you." That is to say, "Do not be afraid of your pursuers but hold fast the doctrine, proclaim the message of the doctrine, have no fear of the chariot, do not be afraid of war, called peacemaker as you are. In fact, if you persist in your preaching, we shall see your kingdom." — COMMENTARY ON THE SONG OF SONGS 6