Higher And Higher

Δεῦρο ἀπὸ λιβάνου, νύμφη, δεῦρο ἀπὸ λιβάνου· ἐλεύσῃ καὶ διελεύσῃ ἀπὸ ἀρχῆς πίστεως Tί τοίνυν ἐν τούτοις ὑπενοήσαμεν; ἀεὶ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἡ πηγὴ πρὸς ἑαυτὴν τοὺς διψῶντας ἐφέλκεται, καθὼς ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ φησὶν ἡ πηγὴ ὅτι Εἴ τις διψᾷ, ἐρχέσθω πρός με καὶ πινέτω· ἐν τούτοις γὰρ οὔτε τῆς δίψης οὔτε τῆς πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁρμῆς οὔτε τῆς ἐν τῷ πίνειν ἀπολαύσεως ἔδωκεν ὅρον, ἀλλὰ τῷ παρατατικῷ τοῦ προστάγματος πρὸς τὸ διηνεκὲς ποιεῖται τὴν προτροπὴν καὶ τοῦ διψῆν καὶ τοῦ πίνειν καὶ τοῦ πρὸς αὐτὸν τὴν ὁρμὴν ἔχειν. Tοῖς δὲ γευσαμένοις ἤδη καὶ τῇ πείρᾳ μαθοῦσιν ὅτι χρηστὸς ὁ Kύριος οἷόν τις προτροπὴ πρὸς τὴν τοῦ πλείονος μετουσίαν ἡ γεῦσις γίνεται. Διὰ τοῦτο οὐδέποτε λείπει τῷ ἀναβαίνοντι ἡ γινομένη πρὸς αὐτὸν προτροπὴ ἡ πάντοτε πρὸς τὸ μεῖζον ἐφελκομένη· ὑπομνησθῶμεν γὰρ τῆς πολλάκις ἐν τοῖς φθάσασιν ἤδη γεγενημένης παρορμήσεως παρὰ τοῦ λόγου τῇ νύμφῃ. Ἐλθέ, ἡ πλησίον μου, λέγει καὶ πάλιν Δεῦρο περιστερά μου, καὶ Δεῦρο σεαυτῇ ἐν σκέπῃ τῆς πέτρας. Kαὶ ἄλλας τοιαύτας φωνὰς προτρεπτικάς τε καὶ ἑλκτικὰς τῆς τῶν μειζόνων ἐπιθυμίας ὁ λόγος πρὸς τὴν ψυχὴν ποιησάμενος καὶ μαρτυρήσας ἤδη τῇ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀνιούσῃ τὸ διὰ πάντων ἀμώμητον εἰπὼν ὅτι Ὅλη καλὴ εἶ καὶ μῶμος οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν σοί, ὡς ἂν μὴ τῇ μαρτυρίᾳ ταύτῃ ἐγχαυνωθεῖσα πρὸς τὴν τῶν μειζόνων ἄνοδον ἐμποδισθείη, πάλιν διὰ τῆς προτρεπτικῆς ταύτης φωνῆς ἐπὶ τὴν τῶν ὑπερκειμένων ἐπιθυμίαν ἀναβῆναι παρακελεύεται λέγων Δεῦρο ἀπὸ λιβάνου, νύμφη. Tὸ δὲ λεγόμενον τοιοῦτόν ἐστι· καλῶς, φησίν, ἐν τοῖς φθάσασιν ἠκολούθησας, ἦλθες μετ’ ἐμοῦ πρὸς τὸ ὄρος τῆς σμύρνης, συνετάφης γάρ μοι διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος εἰς τὸν θάνατον, συνανῆλθές μοι καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν βουνὸν τοῦ λιβάνου, συνανέστης γάρ μοι καὶ ὑψώθης ἐν τῇ τῆς θεότητος κοινωνίᾳ, ἣν ἐνδείκνυται τοῦ λιβάνου τὸ ὄνομα, ἀνάβηθί μοι καὶ ἀπὸ τούτων ἐπὶ ἕτερα ὄρη προκόπτουσά τε καὶ ὑψουμένη διὰ τῆς ἐνεργοῦς γνώσεως, δεῦρο τοίνυν ἀπὸ τοῦ λιβάνου, φησίν, οὐκέτι μνηστὴ ἀλλὰ νύμφη. Oὐ γάρ ἐστι δυνατὸν ἐμοὶ συζῆσαι μὴ ἀλλοιωθέντα διὰ τῆς τοῦ θανάτου σμύρνης πρὸς τὴν τοῦ λιβάνου θεότητα. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἐν τούτῳ γέγονας ἤδη τῷ ὕψει, μὴ στῆς ἀνιοῦσα ὡς ἤδη διὰ τούτων ἐπιβᾶσα τῆς τελειότητος· ἀρχὴ γάρ σοι πίστεως ὁ λίβανος οὗτος γίνεται, οὗ μετέσχες διὰ τῆς ἀναστάσεως, ἀρχὴ δὲ τῆς ἐπὶ τὰ ὑψηλότερα τῶν ἀγαθῶν πορείας. Ἀπὸ τοίνυν τῆς ἀρχῆς ταύτης, ἥτις ἐστὶν ἡ πίστις, ἐλεύσῃ καὶ διελεύσῃ· τουτέστι καὶ νῦν ἥξεις καὶ εἰς ἀεὶ διερχομένη διὰ τῶν τοιούτων ἀνόδων οὐκ ἀπολήξεις. Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος Νύσσης, Ἐξηγησις Του Αἰσματος Των Ἀσμάτων, Ὁμιλία Hʹ Source: Migne PG 44.941d-944c

Come away from frankincense, O bride, come away from frankincense, come and pass through the beginning of faith. 1 What, then, are we to understand by this? The wellspring of good things always draws the thirsty to itself, as in the Gospel the wellspring says, 'If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink,' 2 in which He sets no limit to thirst, or to the urge to come, or to the enjoyment of the drinking, but by the openness of His injunction He proclaims a continuing invitation to both thirsting and drinking and the urge to come. To those who have already tasted and have learned from the experience 'that the Lord is good,' 3 the tasting becomes an invitation to partake of more tasting. Because of this the invitation that is always drawing us to what is greater is never lacking in the one who is travelling upwards. Let us recall what was often said by the Word to the bride earlier, 'Come, my close one,' He says,' and again, 'Come, my dove, and come for yourself … to the shelter of the rock.' 4 Indeed the Word has also addressed other such things, fashioned to exhort the soul and make it desire greater things, and He has already given witness of its flawlessness in everything as it rises to Him, saying, 'You are wholly beautiful and there is no flaw in you.' 5 But lest it become proud by this witness, which would hinder its ascent to greater things, again with a voice of exhortation He calls on it to rise up to a desire which yet lies beyond, 'Come away from frankincense, O bride.' What is being said is something like this, 'You have followed well in what has gone before. You came with me to the mountain of myrrh, for you were buried with me by baptism into death, 6 and you even accompanied me to the hill of frankincense, for you rose with me and were lifted up to communion with the Godhead, which is what the word frankincense indicates, now rise with me from these to other heights, advancing and ascending by the working of knowledge.' 'Come, then, from frankincense,' he says, 'no longer as one betrothed, but as the bride.' For it is not possible to live together with me unless you are transformed by the myrrh of death into the deity of frankincense. Since, then, you have already come to this height, do not pause in your ascent, for you have not reached perfection by these accomplishments. This frankincense, which you have come to share, is the beginning of faith for you through the resurrection, and it is the beginning of a journey toward greater heights of goodness. Come, then, from this beginning which is faith, come and pass over,' that is, 'even now you shall come, and you shall pass forever through such ascents and not cease.' Saint Gregory of Nyssa, Commentary on The Song of Songs, from Homily 8 1 Song 4.8 LXX 2 Jn 7.37 3 Ps 33.9, 1 Pet 2.3 4 Song 2.13-14 5 Song 4.7 6 Rom 6.4