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his own court beside that of the Jews. It is not fitting, therefore, to worship God outside this holy court, but having come inside it; lest someone, being outside it and being drawn away by those outside, should lose his being in the court of the Lord. For many stand in the posture of prayer, but are not in the court, on account of the wandering of the mind and the distraction of their thought by care for vanity. It is possible, moreover, to understand the court in a more elevated sense as the heavenly life. For this reason, those Planted here in the house of the Lord, which is the Church of the living God, will flourish there In the courts of our God. But he who makes a god of his belly, or of glory, or of silver, or of anything else which he has honored more than all, neither worships the Lord nor is in the holy court, even if he seems to be worthy of the perceptible assemblies. The voice of the Lord is upon the waters. In many places you would find the name of "voice" used. Therefore, in order to understand what the voice of the Lord is, it is worthwhile for us to gather, as far as possible from the divine Scripture, the things written concerning "voice"; as in the oracle to Abraham: And immediately a voice came, saying: 29.289 This man shall not be your heir; and at the time of Moses: And all the people saw the voice and the torches; and in Isaiah again: The voice of one saying: Cry out. Our voice, then, is either smitten air, or the form produced in the air, according to which the speaker wishes to shape it. What then is the voice of the Lord? Should it be understood as a stroke upon the air? Or smitten air reaching to the hearing of the one to whom the voice is directed? Or neither of these, but it is something of a different kind, with the ruling faculty of the men whom God wishes to hear his own voice forming an image; so that this mental image has an analogy to what often happens in dreams. For just as, without the air being struck, we receive in our dreams an impression and memory of certain words and sounds, not receiving the voice through our hearing, but by our very heart being impressed; so one must think that a voice of this kind from God comes to the prophets. The voice of the Lord is upon the waters. As to the perceptible, since the clouds, when they are full of water, produce a sound and noise when they collide with one another, it says, The voice of the Lord is upon the waters. But also if a noise of waters breaking around some solid obstacles should occur, and if the sea, disturbed by winds, should surge and send forth a violent sound, these inanimate things have the voice from the Lord, the word showing that all creation all but shouts, announcing its own creator. And if thunder should break forth from the clouds, one must think nothing else than that the God of glory has thundered, and that it is the Lord who holds the moist nature together by himself. The Lord is upon many waters. For we have learned in the account of creation of water above the heavens, again water of the abyss, and another, the systems of the seas. Who then is it that holds these together, and does not allow them to be borne downwards by their natural inclination, but the Lord who stands upon all things, who also has power over the waters? And perhaps also more mystically, The voice of the Lord is upon the waters, when Jesus was baptized and a voice came from above, that "This is my beloved Son." For then the Lord was upon many waters, sanctifying the waters through baptism; and the God of glory thundered from above with the loud voice of his testimony. And to those being baptized, the voice left behind by the Lord is also pronounced: For going forth, he says, baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the voice of the Lord is upon the waters. 29.292 Thunder is formed when a dry and violent wind, trapped in the hollows of a cloud and being whirled about with force in the cavities of the clouds, seeks an outlet to the outside. The clouds, therefore, holding out under the excessive compression, produce that harsh sound from the friction of the wind; but whenever like bubbles

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ἰδίαν αὐλὴν παρὰ τὴν τῶν Ἰουδαίων. Οὐ τοίνυν ἔξω τῆς ἁγίας ταύτης αὐλῆς προσκυνεῖν προσ ῆκε τῷ Θεῷ, ἀλλ' ἔνδον αὐτῆς γενόμενον· ἵνα μὴ ἔξω τις αὐτῆς ὢν, μηδὲ ἑλκόμενος ὑπὸ τῶν ἔξω, ἀπ ολέσῃ τὸ εἶναι ἐν αὐλῇ Κυρίου. Πολλοὶ γὰρ ἑστᾶσιν ἐν σχήματι μὲν προσευχῆς, οὔκ εἰσι δὲ ἐν τῇ αὐλῇ, διὰ τὴν τοῦ νοῦ περιφορὰν καὶ τὸν ἀφελκυσμὸν τῆς δια νοίας αὐτῶν ὑπὸ τῆς ἐν τῇ ματαιότητι μερίμνης. ∆υνατὸν δὲ αὐλὴν ἔτι ἐπαναβεβηκότως νοῆσαι τὴν ἐπουράνιον διαγωγήν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οἱ Πεφυτευμέ νοι ἐνταῦθα ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ Κυρίου, ἥτις ἐστὶν Ἐκ κλησία Θεοῦ ζῶντος, ἐκεῖ Ἐν ταῖς αὐλαῖς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν ἐξανθήσουσιν. Ὁ δὲ θεοποιῶν κοιλίαν, ἢ δό ξαν, ἢ ἀργύριον, ἢ ἄλλο τι, ὃ πάντων μᾶλλον τετίμη κεν, οὔτε προσκυνεῖ τῷ Κυρίῳ, οὔτε ἐν τῇ αὐλῇ ἐστι τῇ ἁγίᾳ, κἂν ἄξιος τῶν αἰσθητῶν συνάξεων εἶναι δοκῇ. Φωνὴ Κυρίου ἐπὶ τῶν ὑδάτων. Πολλαχοῦ ἂν εὕροις τὸ τῆς φωνῆς ὄνομα κείμενον. Ὥστε ὑπὲρ τοῦ νοῆσαι, τίς ἐστι τοῦ Κυρίου ἡ φωνὴ, ἄξιόν ἐστι συναγαγεῖν ἡμᾶς κατὰ τὸ δυνατὸν ἐκ τῆς θείας Γραφῆς τὰ γεγραμμένα περὶ φωνῆς· ὡς ἐν τῷ πρὸς Ἀβραὰμ χρηματισμῷ· Καὶ εὐθέως φωνὴ ἐγένετο λέγουσα· 29.289 Οὐ κληρονομήσει σε οὗτος· καὶ ἐπὶ Μωϋσεῖ· Καὶ πᾶς ὁ λαὸς ἑώρα τὴν φωνὴν καὶ τὰς λαμπάδας· καὶ παρὰ τῷ Ἡσαΐᾳ πάλιν· Φωνὴ λέγοντος· Βόη σον. Ἡ μὲν οὖν παρ' ἡμῖν φωνὴ ἢ ἀήρ ἐστι πεπλη γμένος, ἢ τὸ γινόμενον εἶδος περὶ τὸν ἀέρα, πρὸς ὃ βούλεται τυποῦν ὁ ἐκφωνῶν. Τί οὖν ἡ φωνὴ τοῦ Κυρίου; πότερον πληγὴ περὶ τὸν ἀέρα νοοῖτο; ἢ ἀὴρ πεπληγμένος φθάνων μέχρι τῆς ἀκοῆς τοῦ πρὸς ὃν γίνεται ἡ φωνή; Ἢ οὐδέτερον τούτων, ἀλλ' ἑτερογε νής τίς ἐστιν αὕτη, φαντασιουμένου τοῦ ἡγεμονικοῦ τῶν ἀνθρώπων οὓς ἂν ἀκούειν βούληται τῆς ἰδίας φωνῆς ὁ Θεός· ὥστε ἀναλογίαν ἔχειν τὴν φαντασίαν ταύτην πρὸς τὴν ἐν τοῖς ὀνείροις γινομένην πολλάκις. Ὥσπερ γὰρ, οὐ πληττομένου τοῦ ἀέρος, λαμβάνομέν τινα ἐν ταῖς καθ' ὕπνον φαντασίαις ῥημάτων τινῶν καὶ φθόγγων μνήμην, οὐ διὰ τῆς ἀκοῆς δεξά μενοι τὴν φωνὴν, ἀλλ' αὐτῆς τῆς καρδίας ἡμῶν τυ πωθείσης· τοιαύτην τινὰ χρὴ νομίζειν καὶ τὴν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ φωνὴν ἐγγίνεσθαι τοῖς προφήταις. Φωνὴ Κυρίου ἐπὶ τῶν ὑδάτων. Ὡς μὲν πρὸς τὸ αἰσθητὸν, ἐπειδὴ αἱ νεφέλαι, ἐπειδὰν ὕδατος ὦσι πλήρεις, ἦχον καὶ ψόφον ἀποτελοῦσι συγκρουόμεναι πρὸς ἀλλήλας, Φωνὴ, φησὶ, Κυρίου ἐπὶ τῶν ὑδάτων. Ἀλλὰ καὶ εἴ που ψόφος ὑδάτων περιῤῥηγνυμένων τισὶ τῶν ἀντιτύπων γίγνοιτο, καὶ εἰ ἡ θάλασσα πνεύμασι τα ρασσομένη κυμαίνοιτο, καὶ βίαιον ἦχον ἐκπέμποι, τὰ ἄψυχα ταῦτα τὴν παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου ἔχει φωνὴν, δει κνύντος τοῦ λόγου, ὅτι πᾶσα ἡ κτίσις μονονουχὶ βοᾷ τὸν ἑαυτῆς δημιουργὸν ἀναγγέλλουσα. Κἂν βροντὴ δὲ ἀπὸ νεφῶν ἐκραγῇ, οὐκ ἄλλο τι χρὴ νομίζειν, ἢ ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς τῆς δόξης ἐβρόντησε, καὶ ὅτι Κύριός ἐστιν ὁ τὴν ὑγρὰν φύσιν συνέχων δι' ἑαυτοῦ. Κύριος ἐπὶ ὑδάτων πολλῶν. Μεμαθήκαμεν γὰρ ἐν τῇ κοσμο γενείᾳ ὕδωρ ἐπάνω τῶν οὐρανῶν, ὕδωρ πάλιν τὸ τῆς ἀβύσσου, ἕτερον τὰ συστήματα τῶν θαλασσῶν. Τίς οὖν ἐστιν ὁ συγκρατῶν ταῦτα, καὶ μὴ ἐῶν αὐτὰ τῇ φυσικῇ ῥοπῇ φέρεσθαι πρὸς τὰ κάτω, ἢ ὁ Κύριος ὁ τοῖς πᾶσιν ἐμβεβηκὼς, ὃς καὶ τῶν ὑδάτων ἔχει τὸ κράτος; Τάχα δὲ καὶ μυστικώτερον, Φωνὴ Κυρίου ἐπὶ τῶν ὑδάτων, ὅτε βαπτισθέντι τῷ Ἰησοῦ ἐγένετο ἄνωθεν φωνὴ, ὅτι Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ Υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητός. Τότε γὰρ ὁ Κύριος μὲν ἦν ἐπὶ ὑδάτων πολλῶν, ἁγιάζων τὰ ὕδατα διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος· ὁ δὲ Θεὸς τῆς δόξης τῇ μεγαλοφωνίᾳ τῆς μαρτυρίας ἄνωθεν ἐπεβρόντησε. Καὶ τοῖς βαπτιζομένοις δὲ ἡ παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου καταλειφθεῖσα φωνὴ ἐπιλέγεται· Πορευθέντες γὰρ, φησὶ, βαπτίζετε εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Πατρὸς, καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ, καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύ ματος. Φωνὴ οὖν Κυρίου ἐπὶ τῶν ὑδάτων. Συν 29.292 ίσταται δὲ ἡ βροντὴ, ὅταν πνεῦμα ξηρὸν καὶ βίαιον κοιλότησι νεφέλης ἐναποληφθὲν, καὶ ὑπὸ εὐτο νίας τοῖς κοιλώμασι τῶν νεφῶν ἐνστρεφόμενον, ζητῇ διέξοδον πρὸς τὰ ἔξω. Ἀντέχουσαι μὲν οὖν ὑπὸ τῆς ἄγαν πιλήσεως αἱ νεφέλαι, τὸν τραχὺν ἐκεῖνον ἐκ τῆς τοῦ πνεύματος παρατρίψεως ἀποτελοῦσιν ἦχον· ἐπει δὰν δὲ ὥσπερ πομφόλυγες