But, says he, the record of Moses does not lie, and from it we learn that God spake. No! nor is great David of the number of those who lie, and he expressly says; “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth His handy work. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge;” and after saying that the heavens and the firmament declare, and that day and that night showeth knowledge and speech, he adds to what he has said, that “there is neither speech nor language, and that their voices are not heard42    Ps. xix. 1–3 (LXX.)..” Yet how can such declaring and showing forth be other than words, and how is it that no voice addresses itself to the ear? Is the prophet contradicting himself, or is he stating an impossibility, when he speaks of words without sound, and declaration without language, and announcement without voice? or, is there not rather the very perfection of truth in his teaching, which tells us, in the words which I have quoted, that the declaration of the heavens, and the word shouted forth by the day, is no articulate voice nor language of the lips, but is a revelation of the power of God to those who are capable of hearing it, even though no voice be heard?

ἀλλ' οὐ ψεύδεται, φησίν, ἡ τοῦ Μωϋσέως γραφή, δι' ἧς τὸ εἰρηκέναι τι τὸν θεὸν ἀποφαίνεται. οὐδὲ γὰρ ὁ μέγας Δαβὶδ τῶν ψευδομένων ἐστί, λέγει δὲ σαφῶς οὕτως κατὰ λέξιν ὅτι Οἱ οὐρανοὶ διηγοῦνται δόξαν θεοῦ καὶ ποίησιν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ ἀναγγέλλει τὸ στερέωμα: ἡμέρα τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐρεύγεται ῥῆμα καὶ νὺξ ἀναγγέλλει γνῶσιν νυκτί. καὶ εἰπὼν διηγεῖσθαι τοὺς οὐρανοὺς καὶ τὸ στερέωμα καὶ παρὰ τῆς ἡμέρας καὶ τῆς νυκτὸς ἀπαγγέλλεσθαι γνῶσιν καὶ ῥήματα, πάλιν ἐπάγει τοῖς εἰρημένοις ὅτι ταῦτα λαλιαὶ οὐκ εἰσὶν οὐδὲ λόγοι οὐδὲ φωναὶ τούτων ἀκούονται. πῶς οὖν διηγήματα καὶ ἀναγγελίαι καὶ ῥήματα λαλιαὶ οὐκ εἰσὶν οὐδὲ φωνὴ διὰ τῆς ἀκουστικῆς αἰσθήσεως ἐγγινομένη; ἆρα μάχεται πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ὁ προφήτης; ἆρά τι τῶν οὐκ ἐνδεχομένων διέξεισιν, ἄφθογγον ῥῆμα καὶ διήγησιν ἄλαλον καὶ ἀγγελίαν δίχα φωνῆς διδάσκων; ἢ παντὸς μᾶλλον ἀληθὴς ἡ προφητεία ἡ τοῦτο διὰ τῶν εἰρημένων διδάσκουσα, ὅτι τὸ διήγημα τὸ οὐράνιον καὶ τὸ ῥῆμα τὸ παρὰ τῆς ἡμέρας βοώμενον φωνὴ μὲν ἔναρθρος οὐκ ἔστιν οὔτε λαλιὰ διὰ στόματος, διδασκαλία δὲ τῆς θείας δυνάμεως γίνεται τοῖς ἐπαΐειν ἐπισταμένοις σιωπώσης φωνῆς;