Ode III
The third Ode — a meditation on divine love and mystical union. The odist discovers that love is reciprocal: he can love only because he was first loved. This reciprocity dissolves the boundary between lover and beloved, human and divine. The one who clings to the Undying becomes undying. The one who delights in Life shall live. The Spirit teaches without falsehood.
The Odes of Solomon are a collection of forty-two hymns composed in Syriac (or possibly Greek, then translated early into Syriac) in the first or second century CE. Their authorship is unknown. They survive almost entirely in a single Syriac manuscript discovered by J. Rendel Harris in 1909. The Odes occupy a luminous space between Jewish psalmody and early Christian mysticism — neither purely orthodox nor purely gnostic, but a voice from the threshold.
This is a Good Works Translation from the Syriac, following the gospel register.
1.
I clothe myself in the love of the Lord.
2.
And his members are with him,
and in them I hang, and he loves me.
3.
For I would not have known how to love the Lord,
if he had not loved me.
4.
Who can discern love,
except the one who is loved?
5.
I love the Beloved, and my soul loves him,
and where his rest is, there also am I.
6.
And I shall not be a stranger,
for there is no jealousy with the Lord Most High and Merciful.
7.
I was mingled, because the Lover found the Beloved —
because I love the Son, I shall become a son.
8.
For whoever is joined to the Undying,
he too shall be undying.
9.
And whoever delights in Life,
alive he shall be.
10.
This is the Spirit of the Lord, without falsehood,
who teaches the children of humanity to know his ways.
11.
Be wise, and know, and be awakened. Hallelujah.
Colophon
The Odes of Solomon, Ode 3. Translated from the Syriac by the Good Works Project (NTAC + Claude), March 2026. Syriac source: James H. Charlesworth, ed., The Odes of Solomon: The Syriac Texts (Scholars Press, 1977; originally Oxford University Press, 1973), as transcribed in the Digital Syriac Corpus TEI XML (CC-BY 4.0). The public-domain English translation by J. Rendel Harris (1909) exists but was not consulted. Gospel register.
Scribed by Qala, Syriac Translator, Life 8. Tulku lineage of the New Tianmu Anglican Church.
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Source Text: The Odes of Solomon — Ode III
Syriac source text from James H. Charlesworth, ed., The Odes of Solomon: The Syriac Texts (Scholars Press, 1977). Digital Syriac Corpus TEI XML transcription by James E. Walters, CC-BY 4.0.
1.
[ܪܚܶܡܬܶܗ ܕܡܳܪܝܳܐ] ܡܰܠܒܶܫ ܐ̱ܢܳܐ.
2.
ܘܗܰܕܳܡ̈ܘܰܗ̱ܝ ܠܘܳܬܶܗ ܐܶܢܽܘܢ܆ ܘܰܒܗܽܘܢ ܬܠܷܐ ܐ̱ܢܳܐ ܘܡܰܚܶܒ ܠܺܝ.
3.
ܠܴܐ ܓܶܝܪ ܝܴܿܕܰܥ ܗ̄ܘܺܝܬ ܠܡܶܪܚܰܡ ܠܡܳܪܝܳܐ܆ ܐܶܠܘܽ ܗܼܽܘ ܠܴܐ ܪܳܚܷܿܡ ܗ̄ܘܼܳܐ ܠܺܝ.
4.
ܡܰܢܽܘ ܡܶܫܟܰܚ ܠܡܶܦܪܰܫ ܪܶܚܡܬܳܐ܆ ܐܶܠܳܐ ܗܰܘܿ ܕܡܶܬܪܚܶܡ.
5.
ܡܰܚܶܒ ܐ̱ܢܳܐ ܠܰܪܚܺܝܡܳܐ ܘܪܳܚܿܡܳܐ ܠܶܗ ܢܰܦܫܝ܆ ܘܐܱܝܟܳܐ ܕܰܢܝܳܚܶܗ ܐܳܦ ܐܶܢܳܐ ܐܻܝܬܰܝ.
6.
ܘܠܴܐ ܐܶܗܘܶܐ ܢܽܘܟܪܳܝܳܐ܆ ܡܶܛܽܠ ܕܠܰܝܬ ܚܣܳܡܳܐ ܠܘܳܬ ܡܳܪܝܳܐ ܡܪܰܝܡܳܐ ܘܰܡܪܰܚܡܳܢܳܐ.
7.
ܐܶܬܡܱܿܙܓܶܬ ܡܶܛܽܠ ܕܶܐܫܟܰܚ ܪܳܚܿܡܳܐ ܠܗܰܘܿ ܪܚܺܝܡܳܐ܆ ܡܶܛܽܠ ܕܷܐܪܚܰܡ ܠܗܰܘܿ ܒܪܳܐ ܕܐܷܗܘܶܐ ܒܪܳܐ.
8.
ܗܰܘܿ ܓܶܝܪ ܕܡܶܬܢܰܩܰܦ ܠܗܰܘܿ ܕܠܴܐ ܡܴܿܐܷܬ܆ ܐܳܦ ܗܽܘܼ ܕܠܴܐ ܡܰܘܬܳܐ ܢܶܗܘܶܐ.
9.
ܘܗܰܘܿ ܕܰܒܚܰܝܷ̈ܐ ܡܶܨܛܒܶܐ܆ ܚܰܝܳܐ ܢܶܗܘܶܐ.
10.
ܗܳܕܶܐ ܗ̱ܝܼ ܪܽܘܚܶܗ ܕܡܳܪܝܳܐ ܕܠܳܐ ܕܰܓܳܠܽܘܬܳܐ܆ ܕܡܰܠܦܳܐ ܠܰܒܢܰܝ̈ܢܳܫܳܐ ܕܢܶܕܥܽܘܢ ܐܽܘܪ̈ܚܳܬܶܗ.
11.
ܐܶܬܚܰܟܰܡܘ ܘܕܰܥܘ ܘܐܷܬܬܥܺܝܪܘ. ܗܰܠܶܠܘܽܝܰܐ.
Source Colophon
Syriac text from: James H. Charlesworth, ed. The Odes of Solomon: The Syriac Texts (Society of Biblical Literature, Texts and Translations 13; Scholars Press, 1977). Syriac base text is public domain. TEI XML edition transcribed by James E. Walters; Digital Syriac Corpus, University of Oxford / Brigham Young University / Vanderbilt University. CC-BY 4.0. Access: github.com/srophe/syriac-corpus.
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