fragrance is an act of upward recognition. The fragrance witnesses the
gift or benefit that the bridegroom has granted to the bride in an act of
generosity, creating a horizon of expectation. This act resembles that
of the feudal lord who grants a benefit to the tenant. As the ointments
of devotion and mercy are given from above, they are gifts and
benefits rather than properties of the bride. In this manner, the
relationship between Christ and the church is one of commendation
and recognition, drafted by Bernard in terms of feudal allegiance.
There is yet another symbolic layer in this rich text, namely, the
relationship between the church and individual Christians. The
breasts of the bride are related to the bridegroom. At the same time,
the faithful receive consolation and encouragement from the breasts
of the church. The faithful are not merely passive recipients, but
manifest and radiate the commendation of the church. With regard
to best ointments and breasts better than wine, Bernard asks:‘Who is
worthy of such a commendation?’^65 In his answer he outlines the
complex allegiance between the church and the faithful:
The Church’s fragrance is radiated by those who use their money,
tainted though it be, to win themselves friends; she intoxicates by the
words of her preachers, who drench the earth and make it drunk with
the wine of spiritual gladness, and yield a harvest through their perse-
verance. With the bold assurance of one confident that her breasts are
better than wine and redolent of the choicest perfumes, she lays claim to
the title of bride.^66Interestingly, Bernard employs the verbrecognoscoin the passage
quotedfirst. Does he mean‘recollect’in an Augustinian sense or does
the verb entail a subjective attachment, as the translation assumes?
Bernard uses the verb fourteen times in Sermons on the Song of
Songs.^67 An Augustinian meaning can often be assumed. Bernard
once speaks of the renewal of the mind in which the original purpose
of creation is restituted. Because of this, Christians achieve a‘recog-
nition of their Lord’(recognoscentia Dominum suum).^68 As this
reaching out towards the original creation can only take place after
the renewal of the mind, no normal recollection is assumed but a
transformation of identity. Bernard can also admonish the readers to
apply to themselves what is said, asking rhetorically: ‘Can you
(^65) Sermones12, 10. (^66) Sermones12, 10.
(^67) Digital search fromLLTdatabase. (^68) Sermones21, 6.
The Latin Traditions 65