While the king is on his couch; my nard; Mary’s ointment
But because the Bridegroom’s friends, while the king is on his couch — for resting he slept like a lion and like a lion’s cub — had promised the Bride that until he rose they would make likenesses of gold and silver, not having gold as the Bridegroom has, and because in a certain way the Bridegroom’s passion was preached in other words, the Bride answers these things not unreasonably. Understanding herself a certain dispensation of the passion in what she had heard — We will make likenesses of gold for you with stamps of silver, until the king is on his couch — she says: My nard gave its fragrance. My brother is a bundle of myrrh to me; he shall linger between my breasts. How then shall we fit to what went before — until the king is on his couch — what follows: My nard gave its fragrance?
The Gospel says that a woman came having an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly — not that sinner, but the holy woman of whom my speech is now. I know that Luke spoke of a sinner, but Matthew and John and Mark did not speak of a sinner. So there came not that sinner, but a holy woman, whose name also John inserts — for it was Mary — and having an alabaster flask of costly pure ointment she poured it on Jesus’ head. Then, when not all the disciples were indignant over this, but Judas alone, saying: It could have been sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor, our Master and Savior answered: You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me. If then you too take an alabaster flask of ointment of pure costly nard and pour a sweet fragrance over the head of the Lord Jesus, you may boldly say: My nard gave its fragrance. If you are righteous, your works are nard. But if you sin, your sins stink with a foul odor.
Latin
Quia vero amici sponsi, dum rex in recubitu suo est — requiescens enim dormivit ut leo et ut catulus leonis — sponsae promiserant, donec ille consurgeret, se similitudines auri et argenti esse facturos, non habentes aurum ut sponsus, et quodammodo aliis verbis sponsi passio praedicata est, non irrationabiliter ad haec sponsa respondet. Et ipsa dispensationem quandam passionis intellegens ad id quod audierat: Similitudines auri faciemus tibi cum stigmatibus argenti, donec rex in recubitu suo est, ait: Nardus mea dedit odorem suum. Fasciculus guttae fratruelis meus mihi; inter ubera mea commorabitur. Quomodo igitur aptabimus ei quod praecessit: donec rex in recubitu suo, id quod sequitur: Nardus mea dedit odorem suum? Evangelium loquitur quia venit mulier habens alabastrum unguenti nardi pistici pretiosi — non illa peccatrix, sed sancta, de qua nunc mihi sermo est. Scio quippe Lucam de peccatrice, Matthaeum vero et Iohannem et Marcum non de peccatrice dixisse. Venit ergo non peccatrix illa, sed sancta, cuius nomen quoque Iohannes inseruit — Maria quippe erat — et habens alabastrum unguenti pistici pretiosi effudit super caput Iesu. Deinde super hoc indignatis non omnibus discipulis, sed Iuda solo et dicente: Potuit venumdari denariis trecentis et dari pauperibus, respondit magister noster atque Salvator: Semper pauperes habetis vobiscum, me vero non semper habebitis. Si igitur et tu adsumpseris alabastrum unguenti nardi pistici pretiosi et super caput Domini Iesu suavi odore perfuderis, possis audenter effari: Nardus mea dedit odorem suum. Si iustus fueris, opera tua nardus sunt. Si vero peccaveris, peccata tua taetro odore foetent.
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.