Love, Andreas Capellanus assures us, improves the lover in every way – it makes him stronger, smarter, more virtuous, better looking.
And this isn’t just a conceit of the courtly lover tradition. It’s biblical.
The lover in the Song leaps tall mountains in a single bound, just so he can get to his beloved (2:8).
And this, in turn, puts a fresh gloss on Paul’s declaration that the love of God, the Spirit, has been poured out in our hearts.
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