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having declared those who are called the disciples, apostles, and evangelists of our Savior to be, 23.253 through whom the calling of the nations is shown to be accomplished; to whom the present discourse commands to bring to the Lord, first of all, sons of rams, but not rams; since it was said to the Church from the nations in the forty-fourth psalm: Instead of your fathers, your sons were born. And the Word exhorted her to forget her fathers, saying: Hear, O daughter, and see, and incline your ear, and forget your people and your father's house; and the king will desire your beauty; for he is your Lord. For these things were said to no other than the Church of Christ alone; the divine Spirit exhorting her to forget her former people, and the house of her father because of the polytheistic error, and the superstition of her fathers. Then, since he exhorted her to forget her fathers, he necessarily adds, saying: Instead of your fathers, your sons were born. These he calls sons of rams on account of their being irrational. Then he adds: Bring to the Lord glory and honor; which you will understand from our Savior's exhortation to the disciples, through which he admonishes them, saying: Let your works shine before men, so that, seeing your good works, they may glorify your Father who is in heaven. And a third thing in addition to these, the present psalm commands in harmony with the ninety-fifth, to bring to the Lord glory to his name. For to him we offer glory through sound doctrines; but we also offer him honor, obeying the command which says: Honor the Lord from your just labors, and offer to him the first fruits from your fruits of righteousness. And we attach glory to his name whenever our works shine before men, so that seeing them they glorify our Father who is in heaven. And how his name is glorified among the nations, the word through the prophet also shows, addressing the nation of the Jews and saying: I have no pleasure in you, says the Lord Almighty, and I will not accept a sacrifice from your hands; for from the rising of the sun to its setting my name has been glorified among the nations; and in every place incense is offered to my name and a pure sacrifice; for my name is great among the nations; but you profane it. In addition to all these things, the indicated sons of God, or sons of rams, are commanded to worship the Lord in his holy court. For he does not wish them to worship him outside the court, nor withdrawn in private, but coming together into his Church. Instead of, in his holy court, Aquila rendered it, in hallowed majesty; and Symmachus, in holy majesty. For the word wishes us to perform the worship with fitting adornment and with the righteousness dear to God, all of them having become in sanctification and in seemliness. 23.256 The voice of the Lord is upon the waters, the God of glory has thundered; the Lord is upon many waters. Because, while there was clear weather on the peak of Carmel, he heard the voice of many waters. And in general, one who has collected the things written in the Old Testament concerning waters, such as, The Spirit of God was moving over the water; and this: Let the waters bring forth creeping things with living souls and flying birds; and the things in the flood, as when all things became submerged, only Noah and those with him were saved in the ark; and the things in Egypt, and in the Red Sea, and in the Jordan, how the sons of Israel crossed over with un-wet foot, he will see. The voice of the Lord in strength. For he who can do all things in Christ who strengthens him, he hears the commandments of the Lord, and does them. The voice of the Lord, therefore, is not in the weak and loosened soul,

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λεγομένους τοὺς τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν μαθητὰς καὶ ἀποστόλους καὶ εὐαγγελιστὰς εἶναι ἀποφηνάμενοι, 23.253 δι' ὧν ἡ κλῆσις τῶν ἐθνῶν φαίνεται κατωρθωμένη· οἷς ὁ μετὰ χεῖρας λόγος προστάττει φέρειν τῷ Κυρίῳ πρῶτον μὲν ἁπάντων υἱοὺς κριῶν, ἀλλ' οὐ κριούς· ἐπειδήπερ πρὸς τὴν ἐξ ἐθνῶν Ἐκκλησίαν ἐλέγετο ἐν τῷ τεσσαρακοστῷ τετάρτῳ ψαλμῷ· Ἀντὶ τῶν πατέρων σου ἐγενήθησαν υἱοί σου. Τῶν δὲ πατέρων λήθην ποιήσασθαι παρεκελεύσατο αὐτῇ ὁ λόγος εἰπών· Ἄκουσον, θύγατερ, καὶ ἴδε, καὶ κλῖνον τὸ οὖς σου, καὶ ἐπιλάθου τοῦ λαοῦ σου, καὶ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ πατρός σου· καὶ ἐπιθυμήσει ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῦ κάλλους σου· ὅτι αὐτός ἐστι Κύριός σου. Ταῦτα γὰρ οὐδὲ πρὸς ἄλλην ἢ πρὸς μόνην τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐλέγετο· παραινοῦντος αὐτῇ τοῦ θείου Πνεύματος λήθην ποιήσασθαι τοῦ προτέρου αὐτῆς λαοῦ, καὶ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτῆς διὰ τὴν πολύθεον πλάνην, καὶ τὴν τῶν πατέρων αὐτῆς δεισιδαιμονίαν. Εἶτ' ἐπειδὴ τῶν πατέρων ἐπιλαθέσθαι αὐτῇ παρεκελεύσατο, ἀναγκαίως ἐπάγει λέγων· Ἀντὶ τῶν πατέρων σου ἐγενήθησαν οἱ υἱοί σου. Τούτους υἱοὺς κριῶν διὰ τὸ ἄλογον ἀποκαλεῖ. Εἶτ' ἐπιλέγει· Ἐνέγκατε τῷ Κυρίῳ δόξαν καὶ τιμήν· ὃ δὴ νοήσεις ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν πρὸς τοὺς μαθητὰς παρακελεύσεως, δι' ἧς παραινεῖ λέγων αὐτοῖς· Λαμψάτω τὰ ἔργα ὑμῶν ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὅπως, βλέποντες τὰ καλὰ ὑμῶν ἔργα, δοξάσωσι τὸν Πατέρα ὑμῶν τὸν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Καὶ τρίτον ἔτι πρὸς τούτοις, φέρειν τῷ Κυρίῳ προστάττει συμφώνως ὁ μετὰ χεῖρας ψαλμὸς, καὶ ὁ ἐνενηκοστὸς πέμπτος, δόξαν ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ. Αὐτῷ μὲν γὰρ προσφέρομεν δόξαν διὰ δογμάτων ἐῤῥωμένων· ἀλλὰ καὶ τιμὴν αὐτῷ προσφέρομεν, πειθαρχοῦντες προστάγματι λέγοντι· Τίμα τὸν Κύριον ἀπὸ σῶν δικαίων πόνων, καὶ ἀπάρχου αὐτῷ ἀπὸ σῶν καρπῶν δικαιοσύνης. Τῷ δὲ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ δόξαν περιάπτομεν, ἐπειδὰν λάμπῃ ἡμῶν τὰ ἔργα ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων· ὥστε ὁρῶντας αὐτοὺς δοξάζειν τὸν Πατέρα ἡμῶν τὸν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Ὅπως δὲ παρὰ τοῖς ἔθνεσι τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ δοξάζεται, καὶ ὁ διὰ τοῦ προφήτου παρίστησι λόγος πρὸς τὸ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνος ἀποτεινόμενος καὶ λέγων· Οὐκ ἔστι μου θέλημα ἐν ὑμῖν, λέγει Κύριος παντοκράτωρ, καὶ θυσίαν οὐ προσδέξομαι ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν ὑμῶν· διότι ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν ἡλίου μέχρι δυσμῶν δεδόξασται τὸ ὄνομά μου ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι· καὶ ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ θυμίαμα προσφέρεται τῷ ὀνόματί μου καὶ θυσία καθαρά· διότι μέγα τὸ ὄνομά μου ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν· ὑμεῖς δὲ βεβηλοῦντες αὐτό. Πρὸς τούτοις ἅπασιν οἱ δηλωθέντες υἱοὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἢ υἱοὶ τῶν κριῶν κελεύονται προσκυνεῖν τῷ Κυρίῳ ἐν αὐλῇ ἁγίᾳ αὐτοῦ. Οὐ γὰρ ἔξω τῆς αὐλῆς βούλεται, οὐδὲ ἀνακεχωρημένως ἰδιάζοντας προσκυνεῖν αὐτῷ, ἀλλ' ἀπαντῶντας εἰς τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν αὐτοῦ. Ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ, ἐν αὐλῇ ἁγίᾳ αὐτοῦ, ὁ μὲν Ἀκύλας, ἐν διαπρεπείᾳ ἡγιασμένῃ, ἐξέδωκεν· ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος, ἐν διαπρεπείᾳ ἁγίᾳ. Βούλεται γὰρ ἡμᾶς ὁ λόγος μετὰ τοῦ πρέποντος κόσμου, καὶ τῆς τῷ Θεῷ προσφιλοῦς δικαιοσύνης τὴν προσκύνησιν ποιεῖσθαι, ὅλους αὐτοὺς ἐν ἁγιασμῷ γενομένους καὶ ἐν εὐπρεπείᾳ. 23.256 Φωνὴ Κυρίου ἐπὶ τῶν ὑδάτων, ὁ Θεὸς τῆς δόξης ἐβρόντησε· Κύριος ἐπὶ ὑδάτων πολλῶν. Ὅτι, αἰθρίας οὔσης ἐπὶ τὴν κορυφὴν τοῦ Καρμήλου, ἤκουε φωνὴν ὑδάτων πολλῶν. Καὶ ὅλως, συναγαγών τις τὰ ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ περὶ ὑδάτων ἀναγεγραμμένα, καὶ ὡς τὸ, Πνεῦμα τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπεφέρετο ἐπάνω τοῦ ὕδατος· καὶ τό· Ἐξαγαγέτω τὰ ὕδατα ἑρπετὰ ψυχῶν ζωσῶν καὶ πετεινὰ πετόμενα· τά τε ἐν τῷ κατακλυσμῷ, ὡς, ἁπάντων ὑποβρυχίων γινομένων, μόνος ὁ Νῶε καὶ οἱ σὺν αὐτῷ διεσώζοντο ἐν τῇ κιβωτῷ· καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς Αἰγύπτου, καὶ τὰ ἐν τῇ Ἐρυθρᾷ θαλάσσῃ, καὶ τὰ ἐν τῷ Ἰορδάνῃ, ὅπως ἀβρόχῳ ποδὶ διεβίβασαν οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ, ὄψεται. Φωνὴ Κυρίου ἐν ἰσχύϊ. Ὁ γὰρ πάντα ἰσχύων ἐν τῷ ἐνδυναμοῦντι αὐτὸν Χριστῷ, οὗτος ἀκούει τῶν ἐντολῶν Κυρίου, καὶ ποιεῖ. Φωνὴ οὖν Κυρίου οὐκ ἐν τῇ ἀσθενεῖ καὶ λελυμένῃ ψυχῇ,