Have You Seen the One I Love: Contemplations on the Song of Songs

by Pope Shenouda III

Pope Shenouda draws upon his many years of contemplation as a monk in the ancient desert of Scetis, Egypt to develop his commentary on the human soul. A true Alexandrian father, descendent from Sts. Athanasius, Clement and Cyril, His Holiness employs the Song of Songs to provide the blueprint of our quest for love and hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. The book is a translation and transcription of a lecture series given by Pope Shenouda in the 1970s. As a lecture series, it draws one in as if His Holiness were conversing directly with the reader. The imagery that prevails invokes the mind to travel to Egypt to visit with this desert monk. He encourages the reader to share in his prayers, asks the reader questions, and invites us to join him on his journey of discovering the soul. The main focus of the book is to meditate on the human soul while she searches for her Beloved. It is only with an understanding of our spirituality that we may embark on our voyage leading to our Lord.

Genres: Spirituality, Christian, Christianity, Nonfiction

332 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2002

About the author

H.H. Pope Shenouda III (Coptic: Ⲡⲁⲡⲁ Ⲁⲃⲃⲁ Ϣⲉⲛⲟⲩϯ ⲅ̅ Papa Abba Šenoude pimah šoumt , Arabic: بابا الإسكندرية شنودة الثالث‎ Bābā al-Iskandarīyah Shinūdah al-Thālith; born Nazeer Gayed Roufail نظير جيد روفائيل ) was the 117th Pope of Alexandria & Patriarch of the See of St. Mark in the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria from his consecration on 14 November 1971 until death. Previously, as Father Antonios the Syrian, Pope Cyril VI appointed him to the bishopric of Christian Education and as Dean of the Coptic Orthodox Theological Seminary, and renamed him Shenouda in honour of the renowned scholar and writer in Coptic, Saint Shenouda the Archimandrite on 30 September 1962.

In 2000, Pope Shenouda III was awarded the UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence by UNESCO Director-General Koichiro Matsuura.

Reviews

[Rosie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes I think his holiness is a poet. He knows how to use his words in such an elegant way. When you read his books especially this one, you can feel the emotions and the love behind each sentence. Every orthodox believer has a lukewarm stage and this is the best book to read when you are feeling distant from God. I highly recommend!

[Kristie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll never look at the Song of Songs the same way again. This book is full of wisdom and perspective for the various experiences and stages of one's spiritual journey.

[Marco Millio · Rating 5 out of 5]

تأملات روحية مفيدة فى سفر ايوب دونما التقيد بالدراسة الآييه

[Febronia · Rating 5 out of 5]

إن الحياة الروحية ، ليست كلها متعة دائمة مع الله.
فقد تتخللها احيانا فترات من الضعف و الفتور ، أو المحاربات التي ربما يسقط فيها الإنسان ، أو يفقد محبته الاولي.
وكما يقول الكتاب الصديق يسقط سبع مرات ويقوم.
فالشيطان يحسد أولاد الله. وقد يحاول آن يغربلهم كالحنطة كما فعل مع الأباء الرسل!
لذلك لا تستطيع النفس البشرية إن تحتفظ بثباتها في الرب كل حين ، وتقول علي الدوام شماله تحت رأسي ويمينه تعانقني.
لعل هذا ما يذكرنا بما قيل في سفر التكوين
"مدة كل أيام الأرض : زرع وحصاد ، وبرد وحر ، وصيف وشتاء ، ونهار وليل ، لاتزال"
(تك ٨ : ٢٢)
فإن وقعت في فترة برد أو مر بك ليل ، لا تتضايق. بل استمر ثابتا في الرب.
إنتظر بعد الليل نهار ، وبعد البرد حر.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully written and translated. I would hope the person who translated this to English would work on more of the late Popes works.

[Keriah · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing book!