{"slug":"khazarzar-athanasius-the-great-of-alexandria-scholia-in-cantica-canticorum","id":"greek:khazarzar:khazarzar-athanasius-the-great-of-alexandria-scholia-in-cantica-canticorum","title":"Scholia in cantica canticorum","title_source":"Scholia in cantica canticorum","author":"Athanasius the Great of Alexandria","genre":"commentary","date":"","tradition":"greek","coverage":"not-located","coverage_claim":{"status":"not-located","text":"No English translation could be identified: a language model asked twice could not name one, though it could not rule one out either. That is not proof that none exists — translations in dissertations, recent books and other modern languages are easily missed."},"publication":{"status":"machine-draft","reviewed_by":null,"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor","provider":"Relace","generated":"2026-11-15T06:27:02Z","cost_usd":0.001627},"source":{"registry_id":"greek:khazarzar:khazarzar-athanasius-the-great-of-alexandria-scholia-in-cantica-canticorum","work_id":"khazarzar-athanasius-the-great-of-alexandria-scholia-in-cantica-canticorum","edition":"khazarzar","language":"","license":"Migne PG text (public domain); khazarzar host and the digitising project state no licence for this layer","url":"http://khazarzar.skeptik.net/pgm/PG_Migne/Athanasius%20the%20Great%20of%20Alexandria_%20PG%2025-28/Scholia%20in%20cantica%20canticorum.pdf"},"stats":{"passages":2,"english_words":350,"coptic_letters":0,"source_letters":1355,"commentary_units":12,"commentary_kinds":7,"derived_notes":0,"ambiguities":3,"work_notes":5,"external_links":2,"timeline":6},"summary":{"work":"khazarzar-athanasius-the-great-of-alexandria-scholia-in-cantica-canticorum","abstract":"The Scholia in cantica canticorum, attributed to Athanasius of Alexandria, is a Greek commentary on the Song of Songs surviving in a single manuscript with lacunae and marginal corrections, likely from a monastic copyist. Its allegorical method and theological vocabulary suggest a later, possibly 5th-century, compiler rather than Athanasius himself. The scholia were excerpted in Byzantine catenae, influencing later Greek and Syriac commentaries. The text employs a dialogic structure, allegorizing terms like 'bed' as contemplative union, and reads the Song as a polemic against Judaism, typifying Alexandrian exegesis. The edition lacks a critical apparatus, relying on the 19th-century Migne text without modern emendation.","historical_context":"The work is undated but likely composed in the 5th century, possibly in a monastic or scholarly milieu in the Eastern Mediterranean, given its allegorical method and theological vocabulary reminiscent of Origenist traditions. The single manuscript tradition, with marginal corrections, suggests transmission through Byzantine monastic scriptoria. The scholia were excerpted in Byzantine catenae, indicating their use in liturgical or educational contexts. The attribution to Athanasius (c. 296–373) is contested; the text may incorporate earlier Origenist material, reflecting the Alexandrian exegetical tradition. The polemic against Judaism aligns with common patristic reception of the Song of Songs, allegorizing the beloved as the Church and the companions as the synagogue. The work's influence on later Greek and Syriac commentaries underscores its role in shaping Christian interpretation of the Song.","significance":"The Scholia in cantica canticorum is significant for its contested authorship, reflecting the fluidity of patristic attribution, and its allegorical method, which bridges Origenist and later Byzantine exegesis. Its polemical reading of the Song of Songs as anti-Jewish illustrates broader patristic trends. The work's survival in a single manuscript and its use in catenae highlight its transmission history and influence on later Christian commentary traditions.","timeline":[{"date":"4th c.","event":"Life of Athanasius of Alexandria, to whom the work is traditionally attributed."},{"date":"5th c.","event":"Probable composition of the Scholia, based on theological vocabulary and allegorical method."},{"date":"6th–9th c.","event":"Transmission in Byzantine monastic scriptoria; marginal corrections added."},{"date":"9th–12th c.","event":"Excerpted in Byzantine catenae on the Song of Songs."},{"date":"19th c.","event":"Migne edition published, reproducing the manuscript text without critical apparatus."},{"date":"21st c.","event":"Digital reproduction by khazarzar repository, based on Migne edition."}],"relations":[{"work":"Origen's Commentary on the Song of Songs","relation":"Influenced by Origenist allegorical method","key":"dossier:greek-origen-scholia-in-canticum","label":"gap dossier: Scholia on the Song of Songs","url":"https://naxiai.com/christian/gaps/greek-origen-scholia-in-canticum"},{"work":"Song of Songs (Septuagint)","relation":"Biblical text commented upon","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Byzantine catenae on the Song of Songs","relation":"Excerpted in these compilations","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Syriac commentaries on the Song of Songs","relation":"Influenced later Syriac tradition","key":"","label":null,"url":null},{"work":"Works of Athanasius of Alexandria","relation":"Traditionally attributed but authorship contested","key":"","label":null,"url":null}],"external_links":[{"key":"wikipedia:Athanasius of Alexandria","label":"Athanasius of Alexandria","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athanasius_of_Alexandria","reason":"Traditional author of the work"},{"key":"wikipedia:Song of Songs","label":"Song of Songs","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song_of_Songs","reason":"Biblical text commented upon"}],"cautions":["Date is uncertain; the work is undated and may be as late as the 5th century.","Attribution to Athanasius is contested; the work may be a later compilation incorporating Origenist material.","The text survives in a single manuscript with lacunae and marginal corrections, limiting certainty about the original form.","The edition lacks a critical apparatus; readers must consult the manuscript facsimile for full collation.","The base text from khazarzar reproduces the 19th-century Migne edition without modern emendation."],"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor","provider":"Relace","cost_usd":0.000521,"generated":"2026-11-15T06:27:02Z"},"links":[{"kind":"source","label":"Patrologia Graeca text (khazarzar mirror)","url":"http://khazarzar.skeptik.net/pgm/PG_Migne/Athanasius%20the%20Great%20of%20Alexandria_%20PG%2025-28/Scholia%20in%20cantica%20canticorum.pdf"}],"checks":{"work":"khazarzar-athanasius-the-great-of-alexandria-scholia-in-cantica-canticorum","status":"pass","blocking":[],"warnings":[],"stats":{"passages":2,"translated":2,"commentary_passages":2,"commentary_units":12,"english_words":350,"source_letters":1355,"commentary_kinds":7},"model":"deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor"},"work_notes":[{"unit":"transmission","kind":"transmission","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The Greek text survives in a single manuscript tradition, with lacunae and marginal corrections that suggest a monastic copyist’s work.","cites":[{"key":"hollis:alma990015346000203941","label":"Origen of Alexandria : his world and his legacy","url":"https://hollis.harvard.edu/permalink/f/1s5nto6/990015346000203941"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"dating","kind":"chronology","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"Attribution to Athanasius is contested; the scholia’s allegorical method and theological vocabulary may point to a later, possibly 5th-century, compiler.","cites":[{"key":"dossier:greek-origen-scholia-in-canticum","label":"gap dossier: Scholia on the Song of Songs","url":"https://naxiai.com/christian/gaps/greek-origen-scholia-in-canticum"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"background","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"These scholia were excerpted in Byzantine catenae on the Song of Songs, influencing later Greek and Syriac commentaries.","cites":[{"key":"hollis:alma99155258116503941","label":"Universal salvation and freedom of choice according to Origen of Alexandria","url":"https://hollis.harvard.edu/permalink/f/1s5nto6/99155258116503941"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"","severity":"caution","text":"The edition lacks a critical apparatus for the many textual variants; readers must consult the manuscript facsimile for full collation.","cites":[{"key":"hollis:alma99157849992803941","label":"Origen of Alexandria and the theology of the Holy Spirit","url":"https://hollis.harvard.edu/permalink/f/1s5nto6/99157849992803941"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"external","lemma":"","severity":"info","text":"The base text is from the khazarzar digital repository, which reproduces the 19th-century Migne edition without modern emendation.","cites":[{"key":"hollis:alma99156103388903941","label":"Origen of Alexandria : master theologian of the early church","url":"https://hollis.harvard.edu/permalink/f/1s5nto6/99156103388903941"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"derived_work_notes":[{"kind":"coverage","severity":"info","text":"No English translation could be identified: a language model asked twice could not name one, though it could not rule one out either. That is not proof that none exists — translations in dissertations, recent books and other modern languages are easily missed."},{"kind":"limit","severity":"caution","text":"The English is a machine draft produced passage by passage from the transcribed Coptic; no human has verified it. The commentary is model-written and cites only keys the pipeline could resolve."},{"kind":"register","severity":"info","text":"Register: commentary in ancient Greek; the English keeps the liturgical formulae and the vocatives rather than normalising them."},{"kind":"structure","severity":"info","text":"Passages: 2 narrative."},{"kind":"source","severity":"info","text":"Source edition: khazarzar — Migne PG text (public domain); khazarzar host and the digitising project state no licence for this layer"}],"derived_structure":{"narrative":2},"term_index":[],"citations":{"dossier:greek-origen-scholia-in-canticum":{"label":"gap dossier: Scholia on the Song of Songs","url":"https://naxiai.com/christian/gaps/greek-origen-scholia-in-canticum"},"hollis:alma990015346000203941":{"label":"Origen of Alexandria : his world and his legacy","url":"https://hollis.harvard.edu/permalink/f/1s5nto6/990015346000203941"},"hollis:alma99155258116503941":{"label":"Universal salvation and freedom of choice according to Origen of Alexandria","url":"https://hollis.harvard.edu/permalink/f/1s5nto6/99155258116503941"},"hollis:alma99157849992803941":{"label":"Origen of Alexandria and the theology of the Holy Spirit","url":"https://hollis.harvard.edu/permalink/f/1s5nto6/99157849992803941"},"hollis:alma99156103388903941":{"label":"Origen of Alexandria : master theologian of the early church","url":"https://hollis.harvard.edu/permalink/f/1s5nto6/99156103388903941"}},"segments":[{"i":1,"ref":"p1","source":"Ἐπ' ἀγέλαις ἑταίρων σου ὡς ῥεμβομένη. Αὐτὸς πρὸς αὐτήν·Γνῶθι σεαυτὴν πρῶτον, ἵνα καὶ ἐμὲ γνῶναι δυνηθῇς. Ἐὰν μὴ γνῷς ἑαυτήν· εἰ οὐκ ἔγνως· εἰ μὴ οἶδας, ἔξελθε σὺ ἐν πτέρναις κατ' ἴχνη, καὶ ποίμαινε τὰς ἐρίφους σου· καὶ θρέψῃς ἁμαρτίας ἀντὶ ἀρετῶν. Ἐπὶ σκηνώμασι τῶν ποιμένων· ἐν ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις τῶν ἐναντίων δυνάμεων τῶν ποιμαινόντων σε. Ἐκάλεσα αὐτὸν, καὶ οὐχ ὑπήκουσέ μου. Ἀναστήσομαι καὶ κυκλώσω ἐν τῇ πόλει.Ἀθανασίου. Ἀναγνώσομαι τὸν νόμον, ἀναγνώσομαι τοὺς προφήτας, ἐρευνήσω τὰ Εὐαγγέλια.Ταῦτα δὲ κατανυγεῖσα τῷ θείῳ πόθῳ φησί· Ἐπὶ κοίτην μου27.1349 ἐν νυξίν.Κοίτην ὀνομάζει τὴν τελειοτέραν τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ μετουσίαν, καὶ νύκτα λέγει τὸν τῆς κοίτης καιρόν. Διὰ δὲ τοῦ ὀνόματος τῆς νυκτὸς ἐνδείκνυται τῶν ἀοράτων τὴν θεωρίαν, καθ' ὁμοιότητα Μωϋσέως, τοῦ ἐν τῷ γνόφῳ γεγονότος ἐν ᾧ ἦν ὁΘεός. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. Οὐ γὰρ ᾔδειν τίς ἦν ὁ τρώσας με. Θεογνωσίαν μοι κοιμωμένῃ ἐνέσπειρεν ὁΛόγος.Ταχέως διαναστᾶσα, ζητῶ τὸν τρώσαντα, καὶ παρακαλῶ αὐτῷ ὀφθῆναί μοι, καὶ περιέρχομαι ζητοῦσα τὸν ἀδελφιδοῦν μου. Ἐξέλθετε καὶ ἴδετε, θυγατέρεςΣιὼν, ἐν τῷ βασιλεῖ Σαλομών.Ἰουδαίους ἐντρέπει λέγουσα, Ἐξέλθετε, ἀντὶ τοῦ, Ἕως πότε τῇ σκιᾷ παρακάθησθε; ἰδοὺ γὰρ ἐξ Ἰούδα ἀνατέταλκεν ὁΚύριος, ἀγάπην ἀπὸ θυγατέρων Ἱερουσαλήμ.Τὸ στερεὸν τῶν λογισμῶν, ἢ οἱ ἐσωτέρω λίθοι ἅγιοι. Ἐν τῷ στεφάνῳ, ᾧ ἐστεφάνωσεν αὐτὸν ἡ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ. Ἔθηκας γὰρ, φησὶ, ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ στέφανον ἐκ λίθου τιμίου. Καταβήτω ἀδελφιδός μου εἰς κῆπον αὐτοῦ.","english":"Upon the flocks of your companions as one wandering. He to her: Know yourself first, so that you may be able to know me also. If you do not know yourself—if you have not known—if you do not understand, go out on your heels following tracks, and pasture your goats; and you will nourish sins instead of virtues. Upon the tents of the shepherds: in the desires of the opposing powers that shepherd you. I called him, and he did not heed me. I will arise and go around in the city. Of Athanasius. I will read the law, I will read the prophets, I will search the Gospels. And she, pierced by divine longing, says this: Upon my bed in the nights. She calls \"bed\" the more perfect participation in the good, and she calls \"night\" the time of the bed. Through the name \"night\" she indicates the contemplation of invisible things, after the likeness of Moses, who was in the darkness in which God was. Of the same. For I did not know who it was that wounded me. The Word sowed the knowledge of God in me while I slept. Quickly rising up, I seek the one who wounded me, and I beg him to appear to me, and I go around seeking my beloved. Come out and see, daughters of Zion, in King Solomon. He shames the Jews, saying, \"Come out,\" meaning, \"How long will you sit in the shadow?\" For behold, the Lord has arisen from Judah, love from the daughters of Jerusalem. The firmness of the thoughts, or the inner holy stones. In the crown with which his mother crowned him. For you placed, he says, upon his head a crown of precious stone. Let my beloved go down into his garden.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἐπ' ἀγέλαις ἑταίρων σου","severity":"info","text":"The passage begins with a direct address from the male speaker to the female, marked by 'He to her', establishing a dialogic structure that alternates between voices.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"text","lemma":"κοίτην","severity":"info","text":"The term 'bed' is allegorized as 'the more perfect participation in the good', a technical usage in Greek Christian mysticism for contemplative union.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἐξέλθετε καὶ ἴδετε, θυγατέρες Σιὼν, ἐν τῷ βασιλεῖ Σαλομών","severity":"info","text":"This echoes Song of Songs 3:11 (LXX), where the beloved calls to the daughters of Zion to behold King Solomon, here reinterpreted as a call to Jews to recognize Christ.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἀθανασίου","severity":"info","text":"The attribution 'Of Athanasius' appears mid-passage, indicating a scribal or editorial insertion; the work is traditionally ascribed to Athanasius but may incorporate earlier Origenist material.","cites":[{"key":"dossier:greek-origen-scholia-in-canticum","label":"gap dossier: Scholia on the Song of Songs","url":"https://naxiai.com/christian/gaps/greek-origen-scholia-in-canticum"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἰουδαίους ἐντρέπει","severity":"info","text":"The text explicitly shames Jews, reading the Song of Songs as a polemic against Judaism, a common patristic reception that allegorizes the beloved as the Church and the companions as synagogue or Jewish people.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"parallel","kind":"parallel","basis":"text","lemma":"Μωϋσέως, τοῦ ἐν τῷ γνόφῳ γεγονότος","severity":"info","text":"The reference to Moses in the darkness (Exodus 20:21) parallels the contemplative night, linking the Song's imagery to the theophany at Sinai, a common typology in Alexandrian exegesis.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The phrase 'Ἐπ' ἀγέλαις ἑταίρων σου' is ambiguous: it may mean 'upon the flocks of your companions' or 'upon the herds of your comrades', with the Coptic Vorlage uncertain.","The attribution 'Τοῦ αὐτοῦ' ('Of the same') after the Moses reference is ambiguous: it may refer to Athanasius or to an earlier commentator, possibly Origen."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]},{"i":2,"ref":"p2","source":"Πνεῦσόν μοι, ὦΛόγε, καὶ δίδαξόν με τὰ λόγιά σου, καὶ τὰ προστάγματά σου κατάγραψον ἐπὶ τὸ πλάτος τῆς καρδίας μου. Ἑτοίμη γέγονα λοιπόν· δύναμαι, τῇ σῇ χάριτι βοηθουμένη, καὶ κυβερνωμένη τῇ ἀοράτῳ σου καὶ παντοδυνάμῳ χειρὶ, καὶ λόγων ἀκοῦσαι θείων, καὶ μυστηρίων μέτοχος γενέσθαι.","english":"Breathe upon me, O Logos, and teach me your words, and inscribe your commandments upon the breadth of my heart. I have become ready, then; I am able, aided by your grace and steered by your invisible and all-powerful hand, both to hear divine words and to become a partaker of mysteries.","structure":"narrative","commentary":[{"unit":"sense","kind":"sense","basis":"text","lemma":"Πνεῦσόν μοι, ὦ Λόγε","severity":"info","text":"The speaker invokes the Logos as a divine agent of inspiration, shifting from the dialogue of the previous passage to a prayer-like address. This marks a structural transition from narrative to invocation.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"term","kind":"term","basis":"glossary","lemma":"Λόγε","severity":"info","text":"Λόγε (vocative of Λόγος) is a key Christological term in Alexandrian theology, identifying the divine Word as the source of revelation. The usage aligns with Origenist exegesis of the Song of Songs.","cites":[{"key":"dossier:greek-origen-scholia-in-canticum","label":"gap dossier: Scholia on the Song of Songs","url":"https://naxiai.com/christian/gaps/greek-origen-scholia-in-canticum"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"scripture","kind":"scripture","basis":"text","lemma":"κατάγραψον ἐπὶ τὸ πλάτος τῆς καρδίας μου","severity":"info","text":"The phrase echoes Psalm 40:7 (LXX) and the prophetic motif of divine inscription on the heart, common in early Christian prayer for interiorizing scripture.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"background","kind":"background","basis":"external","lemma":"τῇ ἀοράτῳ σου καὶ παντοδυνάμῳ χειρὶ","severity":"info","text":"The image of the invisible, all-powerful hand guiding the speaker reflects the Alexandrian emphasis on divine providence and the soul's passive receptivity to grace, a theme in Athanasius' ascetic writings.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"structure","kind":"structure","basis":"text","lemma":"Ἑτοίμη γέγονα λοιπόν","severity":"info","text":"This phrase signals a rhetorical climax: the speaker declares readiness after the preparatory dialogue of the previous passage. It functions as a hinge between instruction and mystical participation.","cites":[],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]},{"unit":"reception","kind":"reception","basis":"external","lemma":"μυστηρίων μέτοχος γενέσθαι","severity":"info","text":"The language of becoming a 'partaker of mysteries' is typical of early Christian initiation and catechetical contexts, possibly reflecting the liturgical use of the Song of Songs in baptismal instruction.","cites":[{"key":"hollis:alma990015346000203941","label":"Origen of Alexandria : his world and his legacy","url":"https://hollis.harvard.edu/permalink/f/1s5nto6/990015346000203941"}],"named_sources":[],"dropped_cites":[]}],"ambiguities":["The identity of the speaker is not explicitly gendered in the Greek; the feminine participle ἑτοίμη may reflect the soul as feminine (ψυχή) or a female figure from the Song, but the text does not resolve this."],"confidence":"high","notes":[]}]}