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Because the commandment of the Lord is far-shining, enlightening the eyes, with no obscurity surrounding what is spoken. And to Isaiah also a voice came, commanding: Cry out; instead of, the ruling principle of the prophet was being shaped by the power coming to him from God. The voice of the Lord is upon the waters. What voice? Upon what waters? Let us take the saying as a prophecy.

Remember John, who, when asked by the Jews, Who are you? What answer shall we give to those who sent us? answered: I am the voice of the Lord crying in the wilderness. Therefore, the voice of the Lord is John, a messenger sent from God before the face of the Lord, to prepare for the Lord a people made ready. This voice, then, was upon the waters, upon the Jordan, in which he baptized, preaching the baptism of repentance; and not in the Jordan only, but also in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there. Therefore, the voice of the Lord upon the waters is John at the baptism. There also the God of glory thundered. For a voice came from heaven, saying: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Then also the Lord was upon the many waters, deigning to come down to the baptism of John, that he might fulfill all the righteousness that is in the law. The voice of the Lord is in power. For he takes away the weaknesses of the people through the baptism of repentance, baptizing through him in water unto repentance. The phrase, 'In power,' is the voice that says: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand; and, Bring forth fruits worthy of repentance. Or perhaps the voice is in power because John bears witness to the Lord who is truly powerful, saying: I baptize with water; but he who comes after me is more powerful than I. This voice, therefore, testified to the power. The voice of the Lord is in majesty; the great mysteries concerning Jesus spoken by 30.77 John, who said: I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove and remaining on him; and again: For from his fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the waters are high and representative of the magnitude of the glory concerning the Only-begotten. Therefore, 'The voice of the Lord is in majesty.'

And it is also majestic to say: No one has ever seen God; the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known. And he appears to narrate many things majestically concerning the Lord, in saying: A man can receive nothing, unless it has been given to him from heaven. And it is also majestic, that 'He who comes from above is above all.' And, 'He who has received his testimony has certified that God is true.' For he whom God has sent speaks the words of God. And, 'He who believes in the Son has eternal life'; and such things. Therefore, nothing lowly, nor petty, but all things have been spoken about the Lord by John, magnificently and fittingly rendered with the imposing magnitude. For this reason, 'The voice of the Lord is in majesty.' The voice of the Lord breaking the cedars. It is possible to say that, preparing for the Lord a people made ready, breaking and putting down the impieties that rise up and are exalted against the knowledge of God, he made the crooked ways straight. For he who makes low every mound and every mountain, this was the one who was breaking the cedars, and smoothing the way for the Lord’s coming, by leading the high and exalted and unhumbled heart of the people to repentance. Wherefore, taking up his preparation, the Lord, through his own coming, breaks the opposing powers, tropically called the cedars of Lebanon. For the Lord must reign, until he puts his enemies under his feet. And these cedars he will make thin, like the calf of Lebanon. What then is the calf of Lebanon? They say that with much elaborate care those who worship idols, forming images of calves by means of Lebanon, thus these

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διότι ἡ ἐντολὴ τοῦ Κυρίου τηλαυγὴς φωτίζουσα ὀφθαλμοὺς, οὐδεμιᾶς ἀσαφείας περικει μένης τοῖς λαλουμένοις. Καὶ τῷ Ἡσαΐᾳ δὲ φωνὴ ἐγί νετο προστάσσουσα· Βόησον· ἀντὶ τοῦ, τὸ ἡγε μονικὸν τοῦ προφήτου ἀπὸ τῆς ἐγγινομένης αὐτῷ παρὰ Θεοῦ δυνάμεως ἐτυποῦτο. Φωνὴ Κυρίου ἐπὶ τῶν ὑδάτων. Ποία φωνή; ἐπὶ ποίων ὑδάτων; Ὡς προφητείαν λάβωμεν τὸ ῥητόν.

Μνήσθητι τοῦ Ἰωάννου, ὃς, ἐρωτηθεὶς παρὰ τῶν Ἰουδαίων, Τίς εἶ σύ; τίνα ἀπόκρισιν δῶμεν τοῖς ἀποστείλασιν ἡμᾶς; ἀπεκρίνατο· Ἐγὼ φωνὴ Κυρίου βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ. Οὐκοῦν φωνὴ Κυρίου ὁ Ἰωάννης, ἄγγελος ἀπὸ Θεοῦ ἀπεσταλμένος πρὸ προσώπου Κυρίου, τοῦ ἑτοιμάσαι Κυρίῳ λαὸν κατεσκευασμένον. Αὕτη οὖν ἡ φωνὴ ἐπὶ τῶν ὑδάτων ἦν, ἐπὶ τῷ Ἰορδάνῃ, ἐν ᾧ ἐβάπτισε κηρύσσων τὸ τῆς μετανοίας βάπτισμα· καὶ οὐκ ἐν τῷ Ἰορδάνῃ μόνῳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῷ Ἐνὼν ἐγγὺς τοῦ Σαλὴμ, ὅτι ὕδατα πολλὰ ἦν ἐκεῖ. Οὐκοῦν φωνὴ Κυρίου ἐπὶ τῶν ὑδάτων, ὁ Ἰωάννης ἐστὶν ἐπὶ τοῦ βαπτίσματος. Ἐκεῖ καὶ ὁ Θεὸς τῆς δόξης ἐβρόν τησεν. Ἦλθε γὰρ φωνὴ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ λέγουσα· Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ Υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητὸς, ἐν ᾧ εὐδόκησα. Τότε καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἐπὶ τῶν ὑδάτων πολλῶν, καταξι ώσας καταβῆναι ἐπὶ τὸ Ἰωάννου βάπτισμα, ἵνα πληρώσῃ πᾶσαν δικαιοσύνην τὴν ἐν τῷ νόμῳ. Φωνὴ Κυρίου ἐν ἰσχύϊ. Ἀφαιρεῖ γὰρ τὰς ἀσθε νείας τοῦ λαοῦ διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος τῆς μετανοίας, δι' αὐτοῦ βαπτίζων ἐν ὕδατι εἰς μετάνοιαν. Τὸ, Ἐν ἰσχύϊ, ἡ φωνὴ ἡ λέγουσα· Μετανοεῖτε, ἤγγικε γὰρ ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν· καὶ, Ποιήσατε καρποὺς ἀξίους τῆς μετανοίας. Ἢ μήποτε ἐν ἰσχύϊ ἡ φωνὴ, διότι μαρτυρεῖ τῷ ὄντι τῷ ἰσχυρῷ Κυρίῳ ὁ Ἰωάννης, λέγων· Ἐγὼ βαπτίζω ἐν ὕδατι· ὁ δὲ ὀπίσω μου ἐρχόμενος ἰσχυρότερός μού ἐστιν. Ἡ φωνὴ οὖν αὕτη ἐμαρτύρει τῇ ἰσχύϊ. Φωνὴ Κυρίου ἐν μεγα λοπρεπείᾳ· τὰ μεγάλα περὶ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ διαλεγομένου 30.77 μυστήρια τοῦ Ἰωάννου, λέγοντος· Εἶδον τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ὡς περιστερὰν καταβαῖνον καὶ μέ νον ἐπ' αὐτόν· καὶ πάλιν· Ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ πληρώμα τος αὐτοῦ ἡμεῖς πάντες ἐλάβομεν, καὶ χάριν ἀντὶ χάριτος. Ὑψηλὰ γὰρ τὰ ὕδατα καὶ τοῦ μεγέθους τῆς δόξης τῆς περὶ τὸν Μονογενῆ παραστατικά. ∆ιὸ Φωνὴ Κυρίου ἐν μεγαλοπρεπείᾳ.

Μεγαλοπρεπὲς δὲ καὶ τὸ λέγειν· Θεὸν οὐδεὶς ἑώρακε πώποτε· ὁ μονο γενὴς Υἱὸς, ὁ ὢν ἐν τοῖς κόλποις τοῦ Πατρὸς, ἐκεῖνος ἐξηγήσατο. Καὶ πολλὰ μεγαλοπρεπῶς τὰ περὶ τοῦ Κυρίου φαίνεται διηγούμενος, ἐν τῷ λέγειν· Οὐ δύναται ἄνθρωπος λαμβάνειν οὐδὲν, ἐὰν μὴ ᾖ δεδομένον αὐτῷ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ. Μεγαλοπρεπὲς δὲ καὶ τὸ, Ὁ ἄνωθεν ἐρχόμενος ἐπάνω πάντων ἐστί. Καὶ τὸ, Ὁ λαβὼν αὐτοῦ τὴν μαρτυρίαν, ἐσφράγισεν, ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς ἀληθινός ἐστιν. Ὃν γὰρ ἀπ έστειλεν ὁ Θεὸς, τὰ ῥήματα τοῦ Θεοῦ λαλεῖ. Καὶ τὸ, Ὁ πιστεύων εἰς τὸν Υἱὸν, ἔχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον· καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα. Οὐδὲν οὖν ταπεινὸν, οὐδὲ μικρο πρεπὲς, ἀλλὰ πάντα μεγαλοφυῶς μετὰ τοῦ ἐπιβάλ λοντος μεγέθους πρεπόντως ἀποδιδόμενα παρὰ τοῦ Ἰωάννου, περὶ τοῦ Κυρίου λελάληται. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο Φωνὴ Κυρίου ἐν μεγαλοπρεπείᾳ. Φωνὴ Κυρίου συντρίβοντος κέδρους. ∆υνα τὸν εἰπεῖν, ὅτι ἑτοιμάζων Κυρίῳ λαὸν κατεσκευασμέ νον, τὰς ἐπαιρομένας ἀσεβείας καὶ ὑψουμένας κατὰ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ συντρίβων καὶ καθαιρῶν, ἐποίει τὰ σκολιὰ εἰς εὐθεῖαν. Ὁ γὰρ πάντα βουνὸν καὶ πᾶν ὄρος ταπεινῶν, οὗτος ἦν ὁ συντρίβων τὰς κέδρους, καὶ ἐξομαλίζων τὴν ἐπιδημίαν τῷ Κυρίῳ, διὰ τοῦ ἐνάγειν εἰς μετάνοιαν τὴν ὑψηλὴν καὶ ἐπηρ μένην καὶ ἀταπείνωτον καρδίαν τοῦ λαοῦ. Ὅθεν δια δεχόμενος αὐτοῦ τὴν ἑτοιμασίαν, συντρίβει ὁ Κύριος, διὰ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ἐπιδημίας, τὰς ἀντικειμένας δυνά μεις, κέδρους τοῦ Λιβάνου τροπικῶς ὀνομαζομένας. ∆εῖ γὰρ τὸν Κύριον βασιλεύειν, ἄχρις οὗ θῇ τοὺς ἐχ θροὺς ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ταύτας τὰς κέ δρους λεπτυνεῖ, ὡς τὸν μόσχον τὸν Λίβανον. Τί οὖν ἐστιν ὁ μόσχος Λίβανος; Φασὶν, ὅτι κατὰ πολλὴν περιεργίαν οἱ τοῖς εἰδώλοις λατρεύοντες, διὰ τοῦ Λιβάνου μορφοῦντες μόσχων ἀπεικονίσματα, οὕ τως ταῦτα