Like a gazelle on the mountains of God’s house; winter is past
My brother is like a gazelle or a young stag on the mountains of the house of God. For Bethel is interpreted house of God. Not all mountains are the house of God; there are proud and sheer mountains, of which it is said: Why do you contend, you curdled mountains?. But the mountains of the Lord are the prophets and apostles. The gazelle and young stag move among these mountains, because Christ is known in the prophets and apostles. Arise, make haste, my neighbor, my fair one, my dove. For now the winter is past; the rain is over and gone; the flowers have appeared in the land; the time of pruning has come; the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. The fig tree has put forth its green figs; the flowering vines have given their fragrance. Arise, make haste, my neighbor. Why arise? Because the winter of the passion is past, because the rain of temptations is gone, because the flowers of the resurrection have appeared, because the voice of the Holy Spirit — the turtledove — has been heard in the church.
Latin
Similis est fratruelis meus capreae vel hinnulo cervorum super montes domus Dei. Bethel quippe domus Dei interpretatur. Non omnes montes domus Dei sunt; sunt montes superbientes et praerupti, de quibus dicitur: Quare contenditis, montes coagulati? Montes autem Domini prophetae et apostoli sunt. Caprea et hinnulus in his montibus versantur, quia Christus in prophetis et apostolis cognoscitur. Surge, propera, proxima mea, speciosa mea, columba mea. Iam hiems transiit; imber abiit et recessit; flores apparuerunt in terra; tempus putationis advenit; vox turturis audita est in terra nostra. Ficus protulit grossos suos; vineae florentes dederunt odorem. Surge, propera, proxima mea. Quare surge? Quia hiems passionis transiit, quia imber temptationum abiit, quia flores resurrectionis apparuerunt, quia vox Spiritus sancti — turturis — in ecclesia audita est.
About this text
Origen’s Homilia II on the Song of Songs (Jerome’s Latin). Complete on this page: §§1–13.
English follows Baehrens, Origenes Werke VIII (GCS 33, 1925), Jerome’s Latin of Homilia II. Lawson ACW 26 was not used as wording. This page is Homilia II §§1–13 (closeout).
Witnesses
- Copy-text Baehrens, Origenes Werke VIII = GCS 33 (1925) (Latin · Homilia II §§1–13)
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.