The beloved is a dove. Why a dove?
We can answer by taking a detour through temple theology. The temple is made according to the pattern of the mountain, reflecting the beauty of Yahweh’s original glory. The temple is glory come to earth.,
And the glory of Yahweh is like a bird fluttering over Israel (Deuteronomy 32:11), like a bird hovering over the formless emptiness of the original creation (Genesis 1:2).
That glory is the Spirit, who comes to Jesus like a dove.
So: The beloved is the temple, made in the image of the Spirit-dove.
Hence: “My dove.”
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
Ethics of Rhetoric in Times of War
What we say matters. And the way we say it matters. This is especially true in times…
How the State Failed Noelia Castillo
On March 26, Noelia Castillo, a twenty-five-year-old Spanish woman, was killed by her doctors at her own…
The Mind’s Profane and Sacred Loves
The teachers you have make all the difference in your life. That they happened to come into…
