Citation with stable link: Philip A. Harland, 'Ethiopians: Origen on the blackness of Solomon’s and Moses’ Ethiopian wife and on the spiritual Ethiopian (early third century CE),' Ethnic Relations and Migration in the Ancient World, last modified August 13, 2024, https://philipharland.com/Blog/?p=21302.
Ancient authors: Origen (early second century CE), Commentary on the Song of Songs 2.1, as paraphrased by Rufinus (ca. 410 CE) (link); Homilies on the Song of Songs 1.6, in Jerome’s Latin translation (link); On Prayer 27.12.
Comments: Origen’s troubling allegorical approaches to Ethiopian figures, including the Ethiopian woman in Solomon’s Song of Songs and Moses’ Ethiopian wife, show that he takes for granted a problematic, symbolic connection between darker-skinned peoples (the Greek term “Ethiopian” in ancient Greek simply means “Burnt-faced” in reference to darker-skinned peoples of Libya / Africa) and both inferiority and sin. In the first passage citing his commentary, the Ethiopian lover of the Song of Songs (chapter one; in the Hebrew Bible) is presented as identifying herself as dark and beautiful (as in that book). However then Origen places in her mouth a convoluted self-explanation that has to justify the possibility of describing a darker-skinned person as beautiful. This Ethiopian woman is then compared to dark-souled non-Judeans who, despite starting out ugly, can be viewed beautiful inside due to the internal presence of the image of God and coming to the “Word” (Jesus).
In the second passage from one of Origen’s sermons on the same book, the racial violence is perhaps even clearer as the idea is that the darker-skinned person (again as a symbol or allegory) can become “whitened” through repentance and salvation.
The third passage is somewhat different but built on the same assumptions about darker skin. In this unusual interpretation of the so-called Lord’s prayer, there are those who share in the daily bread (of Jesus’ prayer), and there are those who share instead in the “dragon” or serpent or Satan (from John’s Revelation). The latter person is characterized as a “spiritual Ethiopian.”
Works consulted: G. Byron, Symbolic Blackness and Ethnic Difference in Early Christian Literature (London: Routledge, 2002); A.P. Johnson, “The Blackness of Ethiopians: Classical Ethnography and Eusebius’s Commentary on the Psalms,” Harvard Theological Review 99 (2006): 165–86.
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[Black bride as dark-skinned but beautiful inside]
(Commentary on the Song of Songs 2.1, as paraphrased by Rufinus) “I am dark and beautiful, daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.” [Song of Songs 1:5]. In some copies we read: “I am black and beautiful.”
Here again the person of the Bride is introduced as speaking, but she speaks now not to those maidens who are used to being with her, but to the daughters of Jerusalem. To these, since they have spoken slightingly about her as being ugly, she now makes answer, saying: “I am indeed dark – or black – as far as my complexion goes, daughters of Jerusalem. However, if a person scrutinizes the features of my inward parts, then I am beautiful. For the tents of Kedar, which is a great people,” she says, “also are black, and their very name of Kedar means blackness or darkness. The curtains of Solomon likewise are black; but that blackness of his curtains is not considered unbecoming for so great a king in all his glory. Do not reproach me for my colour, then, daughters of Jerusalem, seeing that my body lacks neither natural beauty, nor that which is acquired by practice.”
[Black bride as a symbol of the church of the non-Judean peoples]
This much is understandable in the tale enacted, and is the superficial meaning of the story presented here. But let us return to the mystical [i.e. allegorical] interpretation. This Bride who speaks represents the church gathered from among the peoples (gentiles). But the daughters of Jerusalem to whom she addresses herself are the souls who are described as being most dear because of the election of the fathers, but enemies because of the gospel. Those are, therefore, the daughters of this earthly Jerusalem who, seeing the church of the peoples (gentiles), despise and vilify her for her ignoble birth. For she is of lowly birth in their eyes, because she cannot count as hers the noble blood of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, for all that she forgets her own people and her father’s house and comes to Christ.
[Inner beauty comes from image of God and coming to the Word, and comparison with Moses’ Ethiopian wife]
The Bride knows that the daughters of the former people [Israelites / Judeans] impute this to her, and that because of it they call her black, as one who has not been enlightened by the patriarchs’ teaching. She answers their objections like this:
“I am indeed black, daughters of Jerusalem, in that I cannot claim descent from famous men, neither have I received the enlightenment of Moses’ law. But I have my own beauty, all the same. For in me too there is that primal thing, the image of God wherein I was created. Coming now to the Word of God, I have received my beauty. Because of my dark colouring you may compare me to the tents of Kedar and the curtains of Solomon. But even Kedar was descended from Ishmael, being bom his second son, and Ishmael was not without a share in the divine blessing. You even compare me to the curtains of Solomon, which are none other than the curtains of the tabernacle of God. Actually, I am surprised, daughters of Jerusalem, that you would want to reproach me with the blackness of my hue. How have you come to forget what is written in your law, as to what Mary suffered who spoke against Moses because he had taken a black Ethiopian wife? How is it that you do not recognize the true fulfilment of that type in me? I am that Ethiopian. I am black indeed by reason of my lowly origin; but I am beautiful through penitence and faith. For I have taken to myself the son of God, I have received the Word made flesh. I have come to him who is the image of God, the firstborn of every creature and who is the brightness of the glory and the express image of the substance of God, and I have been made fair. What are you doing, then, reproaching one who turns away from sin, which reproach the law entirely forbids ? How do you come to glory in the law, and yet to violate it?”
Now, however, since we are on the subject of the church that comes from the peoples (gentiles) and calls herself black and yet beautiful, though it may seem a long and toilsome matter to collect from the holy writings the passages containing types foreshadowing this mystery, and to consider in what way they so foreshadow it, it seems to me that we should not entirely omit the task, but should advert to it as briefly as may be. . . [omitted remainder of commentary].
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[Black bride becoming beautiful and white through salvation]
(Homilies on Song of Songs via Philokalia 1.6) The Bride then replies to the maidens in this way: “I am black and beautiful, you daughters of Jerusalem” – we now learn that “daughters of Jerusalem” is what the maidens are – “just like the tents of Kedar or the curtains of Solomon. Do not look at me, for that I am blackened, for the sun has looked down on me.”
Beautiful indeed is the Bride, and I can find out in what way she is beautiful. But the question is, in what way is she black and how, if she lacks whiteness, is she fair. She has repented of her sins, beauty is the gift conversion has granted. That is the reason she is hymned as beautiful. She is called black, however, because she has not yet been purged of every stain of sin, she has not yet been washed into salvation. Nevertheless, she does not stay dark-colourd, she is becoming white. When, therefore, she arises towards greater things and begins to mount from lowly things to lofty, they say concerning her: Who is this that comes up, having been washed white? And in order that the mystery may be more clearly expressed, they do not say leaning upon her Nephew’s arm, as we read in most versions—that is to say, episterizomene, but epistethizomene, that is, leaning upon his chest. And it is significant that the expression used concerning the bride-soul and the Bridegroom- Word is lying upon his chest, because there is the seat of our heart. Forsaking carnal things, therefore, we must perceive those of the spirit and understand that it is much better to love after this manner than to refrain from love. She comes up, then, leaning on her Nephew’s breast; and of her, who at the canticle’s beginning was set down as black, it is sung at the end of the marriage-song: Who is this that comes up, having been washed white?
We understand, then, why the Bride is black and beautiful at one and the same time. But, if you do not likewise practise penitence, pay attention in case your soul is described as black and ugly, and you are hideous with a double foulness: black by reason of your past sins and ugly because you are continuing in the same vices! If you have repented, however, your soul will indeed be black because of your old sins, but your penitence will give it something of what I may call an Ethiopian beauty.
[Comparison with the passage about Moses’ Ethiopian wife as symbol of non-Judeans in the church]
Having made mention of an Ethiopian, I want to summon a scriptural witness about this word too: “Aaron and Mary murmur against Moses, because Moses has an Ethiopian wife.” Moses takes an Ethiopian wife, because his law has passed over to the Ethiopian woman of our Song. Let the Aaron of the Judean priesthood murmur, and let the Mary of their synagogue murmur too. Moses cares nothing for their murmuring. Moses loves his Ethiopian woman [symbolizing non-Judean adherents here], concerning whom it is said elsewhere through the prophet: “From the ends of the rivers of Ethiopia shall they bring offerings.” And again: “Ethiopia shall get her hands in first with God.” It is well said that she will get in first because, as in the gospel the woman with the issue of blood received attention before the daughter of the ruler of the synagogue, so also has Ethiopia been healed while Israel is still sick. By their offence salvation has been effected for the peoples (gentiles), so as to make them jealous.
“I am black and beautiful, you daughters of Jerusalem.” Address yourself to the daughters of Jerusalem, you member of the church, and say: “The Bridegroom loves me more and holds me dearer than you, who are the many daughters of Jerusalem. You stand without and watch the Bride enter the chamber.” . . . And when the Saviour’s voice is heard thundering out the words: “The queen of the south will come to judgement and will condemn the men of this generation, because she came from
the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and look, someone greater than Solomon is here, you must understand what is said in a mystical [i.e. allegorical] meaning: the queen of the south, who comes from the ends of the earth, is the church. The men of this generation whom she condemns are the Jews, who are given over to flesh and blood. She comes from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom, not of that Solomon about whom we read in the Old Testament, but of him who is said in the gospel to be greater than Solomon.
“I am black and beautiful, daughters of Jerusalem, black as the tents of Kedar, beautiful as the curtains of Solomon.” The very names align with the Bride’s comeliness. The Hebrews say that Kedar is the word for darkness: “I am black,” therefore, “as the tents of Kedar,” namely as the Ethiopians, as Ethiopian tents; and, “beautiful as the curtains of Solomon,” which he prepared as adornments of the tabernacle at the time when he built the temple with the utmost care and toil. Solomon was rich indeed, and no one surpassed him in any branch of wisdom.
“I am black and beautiful, daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon. Do not look at me, for that I am blackened.” She apologizes for her blackness. And being turned to better things through penitence, she tells the daughters of Jerusalem that she is black indeed, but beautiful for the reason which we gave above, and says: “Do not look at me, for that I am blackened.” “Do not be surprised,” she says, “that I am of a forbidding colour.. The Sun has looked down on me. With full radiance his [God’s] bright light has shone on me, and I am darkened by his heat. I have not indeed received his light into myself as it were fitting that I should, and as the Sun’s own dignity required.” “By their offence salvation has been effected for the peoples (gentiles).” And again: “Through the unbelief of the Gentiles is the knowledge of Israel.” You find both these texts in the apostle.
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[Spiritual Ethiopian]
(On Prayer 27.12) Therefore, the one who partakes of “daily bread for our being” is strengthened in his heart and becomes a son of God. But the one who shares in “the dragon” is none other than the spiritual “Ethiopian,” who is himself changed into a snake because of the “snares of the dragon” [cf. Revelation 12:3-17, 13:2, 4, 11; 16:13; 20:2]. As a result, even if he says he wishes to be baptized, he hears the Word reproaching him, “Serpents, brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” [Matthew 3:7; Luke 3:7]. And concerning the dragon’s body that the Ethiopians dined upon, David says this, “You broke the heads of the dragons on the water. You crushed the head of the dragon. You gave him as food to the peoples, the Ethiopians” [Psalms 73:13-14 / 74:13-14]. And since the son of God exists in being and since the adversary also exists, if it is not inconsistent that each of them becomes food for different people, why should we hesitate to accept the notion that in the case of all the nobler and baser powers and in the case of men each one of us can be nourished from all of them?
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Source of translations: R.P. Lawson, Origen: The Song of Songs – Commentary and Homilies (Westminster, MD: Newman Press, 1957), adapted, public domain; R.A. Greer, Origen: An Exhortation to Martyrdom, Prayer, and Selected Works (New York, NY: Paulist Press, 1979), short passage adapted under fair use provisions.