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The Forgotten Books of Eden · 211 of 293

Odes of Solomon: Ode 19

Fantastic and not in harmony with the other Odes. The reference to a painless Virgin Birth is notable.

1.A cup of milk was offered to me: and I drank it in the sweetness of the delight of the Lord. 2 The Son is the cup, and He who was milked is the Father: 3 And the Holy Spirit milked Him: because His breasts were full, and it was necessary for Him that His milk should be sufficiently released; 4 And the Holy Spirit opened His bosom and mingled the milk from the two breasts of the Father; and gave the mixture to the world without their knowing: 5 And they who receive in its fulness are the ones on the right hand. 6 The Spirit opened the womb of the Virgin and she received conception and brought forth; and the Virgin became a Mother with many mercies; 7 And she travailed and brought forth a Son, without incurring pain; 8 And because she was not sufficiently prepared, and she had not sought a midwife (for He brought her to bear) she brought forth, as if she were a man, of her own will; 9 And she brought Him forth openly, and acquired Him with great dignity, 10 And loved Him in His swaddling clothes and guarded Him kindly, and showed Him in Majesty. Hallelujah.

Asked of Guide

Why does Ode 19 describe God being milked and the Spirit opening the Virgin’s womb?

The poem uses bodily imagery to make intimacy between Father, Son, and Spirit concrete: “The Son is the cup, and He who was milked is the Father,” with the Spirit as the agent who “mingled the milk” and shared that life with the world. This language frames divine generosity as nourishment that is given and received, so the believer who drinks is placed “on the right hand.”

The same metaphor extends to the Virgin birth: the Spirit “opened the womb of the Virgin” so she “brought forth…without incurring pain,” portraying birth as a gentle, sovereign act of God rather than human effort. If you want a parallel, the Gospel of John treats God’s life as something given to believers (see John 1’s Logos imagery), while this ode translates that gift into maternal and nurturing terms.

Guide is the guide inside the Gnosis app, where every book on these shelves is free to read. Guide is the part you pay for — your guide has read all of them, and answers about the passage you’re actually on. Ask your guide your own question.