The Beauty Within

Μέλαινά εἰμι καὶ καλή, θυγατέρες Ἰερουσαλήμ... Τῆς ἱερᾶς τοῦ μαρτυρίου σκηνῆς οὐχ ὁμότιμον ἦν τῷ ἔνδοθεν κεκρυμμένῳ κάλλει τὸ ἐκτὸς προφαινόμενον· αὐλαῖαι μὲν γὰρ ἐκ λινῶν ὑφασμάτων καὶ αἱ διὰ τῶν τριχῶν τῶν αἰγῶν δέρρεις καὶ αἱ τῶν ἐρυθρῶν δερμάτων περιβολαὶ τὸν ἔξωθεν τῆς σκηνῆς κόσμον ἐπλήρουν καὶ οὐδὲν ἦν μέγα καὶ τίμιον τοῖς τὰ ἐκτὸς ὁρῶσι παρὰ ταῦτα φαινόμενον, ἔσωθεν δὲ χρυσῷ καὶ ἀργύρῳ καὶ τοῖς τιμίοις τῶν λίθων πᾶσα ἡ τοῦ μαρτυρίου σκηνὴ κατελάμπετο· οἱ στῦλοι, αἱ βάσεις, αἱ κεφαλίδες, τὸ θυμιατήριον, τὸ θυσιαστήριον, ἡ κιβωτός, ἡ λυχνία, τὸ ἱλαστήριον, οἱ λουτῆρες, τὰ τῶν εἰσόδων καταπετάσματα, οἷς τὸ κάλλος ἐκ παντὸς εἴδους τῆς εὐχροούσης βαφῆς συνεκίρνατο, νῆμα χρύσεον ὑακίνθῳ καὶ πορφύρᾳ καὶ βύσσῳ καὶ κόκκῳ διά τινος τεχνικῆς λεπτουργίας εὐκόσμως συνυφαινόμενον, σύγκρατον ἐκ πάντων, καθάπερ ἐν ἴριδος αὐγαῖς ἀποστίλβειν ἐποίει τὴν αὐγὴν τοῦ ὑφάσματος. Πρὸς ὅ τι δὲ βλέπων ἐντεῦθεν προοιμιάζομαι, πρόδηλον ὑμῖν πάντως ἐκ τῶν ῥηθησομένων γενήσεται. Πάλιν πρόκειται ἡμῖν τὸ Ἆισμα τῶν Ἀισμάτων εἰς πᾶσαν φιλοσοφίας τε καὶ θεογνωσίας ὑφήγησιν. Aὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ ἀληθινὴ τοῦ μαρτυρίου σκηνή, ἧς προκαλύμματα μὲν καὶ δέρρεις καὶ ἡ τῆς αὐλαίας περιβολὴ ἐρωτικοί τινες γίνονται λόγοι καὶ ῥήματα τὴν πρὸς τὸ ποθούμενον σχέσιν ἐμφαίνοντα καὶ κάλλους ὑπογραφὴ καὶ μνήμη σωματικῶν μελῶν, τῶν τε προφαινομένων ἐν τῷ προσώπῳ καὶ τῶν ὑποκεκρυμμένων τῇ τῆς ἐσθῆτος περιβολῇ. Tὰ δὲ ἐντὸς πολύφωτός τίς ἐστιν ὡς ἀληθῶς λυχνία καὶ κιβωτὸς μυστηρίων πλήρης. Kαὶ τὸ τῆς εὐωδίας θυμιατήριον καὶ τὸ καθάρσιον τῆς ἁμαρτίας, τὸ πάγχρυσον ἐκεῖνο τῆς εὐσεβείας θυσιαστήριον, τό τε τῶν καταπετασμάτων κάλλος, τὸ διὰ τῆς τῶν ἀρετῶν εὐχροίας εὐσχημόνως ἐξυφαινόμενον, καὶ οἱ ἀκλινεῖς τῶν λογισμῶν στῦλοι καὶ αἱ ἀμετάθετοι τῶν δογμάτων βάσεις, τό τε τῶν κεφαλίδων κάλλος, δι' ὧν ἡ περὶ τὸ ἡγεμονικὸν τῆς ψυχῆς ἑρμηνεύεται χάρις καὶ οἱ τῶν ψυχῶν λουτῆρες καὶ πάντα ὅσα πρὸς τὴν οὐρανίαν τε καὶ ἀσώματον πολιτείαν βλέπει, ἃ δι' αἰνιγμάτων ὁ νόμος διακελεύεται, ἐν τοῖς ὑποκεκρυμμένοις τῇ λέξει νοήμασιν ἔστιν εὑρεῖν, εἰ μόνον ἐπιτηδείους πρὸς τὴν εἰς τὰ ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων εἴσοδον ἑαυτοὺς δι' ἐπιμελείας ποιήσαιμεν τῷ λουτῆρι τοῦ λόγου πάντα ῥύπον αἰσχρᾶς ἐννοίας ἀποκλυσάμενοι, μήποτε θιγόντες παρὰ τὸ παράγγελμα τοῦ νόμου θνησιμαίου νοήματος ἤ τινος τῶν ἀκαθάρτων ἐνθυμίων ἁψάμενοι ἀθέατοι τῶν ἐντὸς τῆς σκηνῆς θαυμάτων ἀποκλεισθῶμεν. Oὐ γὰρ παραδέχεται τῶν τοιούτων τὴν εἴσοδον ὁ τοῦ πνεύματος νόμος, ἐὰν μή τις πλύνῃ τὸ τῆς συνειδήσεως ἑαυτοῦ ἱμάτιον κατὰ τὸ Μωϋσέως παράγγελμα ὁ νεκρᾶς τινος καὶ βδελυκτῆς ἐννοίας ἁψάμενος. Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος Νύσσης, Ἐξηγησις Του Αἰσματος Των Ἀσμάτων Ὁμιλία β' Source: Migne PG 44.787b-789a

I am dark but beautiful, daughters of Jerusalem... 1 The holy tabernacle of witness was not beautiful because of its outward appearance, but because of what was hidden within. Certainly there were curtains made from linen, and with the leathery pelts of goats and rough hides all these made up the outer covering of the tabernacle, but it was not great and precious in appearance because of these things which were able to be seen externally. For it was the interior of the tabernacle of witness that glittered all around with silver and gold and precious stones. There were the columns, the pedestals, the thurible, the altar, the ark, the lamp-stand, the mercy seat, the washing basins, and the veils and curtains of the entrance whose beauty was a mix of many tinctures of colours, and threads of gold, and of blue, and of purple and of scarlet, all woven and threaded together, and by this weaving its splendour was made equal to the glory of the rainbow. 2 With which vision I begin, so that those things which I will say here may be plainly manifest to us. Again the Song of songs sets before us an exposition of the universal philosophy, and the knowledge of God. This is the true tabernacle of witness. Certainly the exterior coverings, the curtains and drapes on the outside, are the desiring thoughts and words that reveal an inclination for what is wished, but a description of beauty, making mention of bodily members, touches on both what is openly seen and what is hidden beneath the covering of clothes. For the things that are within are a person of many lights, as the true lamp-stand, and the ark, full of mysteries. And then the thurible with its sweet odour purifies from sin, and also the golden and pious mercy seat, and the beauty of the veils is woven elegantly with the pleasing complexion of the virtues, and the firm and immobile columns are reason, and the pedestals are dogmas which are not able to be shifted, and by the beauty of the capitals is understood the grace of the soul's governing part, and the basins are for the washing of souls. Indeed here, wherever one looks, is the heavenly and incorporeal maintenance of life, which the law commands in mystery , and which can be found in the meanings which are hidden in these words, if only we have care to prepare ourselves to enter into the holy of holies, by the washing off in the cleansing waters of reason all the filth of shameful thoughts, lest if, because of the touching of some moribund idea or vile thought prohibited by the command of the law, we are excluded, and as blind men are rendered unable to contemplate the wonders which are within the tabernacle. The spiritual law does not permit entrance to anyone who touches a dead or vile thought, unless, as Moses commands, he has washed clean the vestment of his conscience. Saint Gregory of Nyssa, Commentary on The Song of Songs, from Homily 2 1 Song 1.5 2 Exodus 25-