the chief priests were infuriated among themselves, saying; What shall we do? For that great signs and wonders are performed through the name of Jesus by his disciples, is manifest to all, and we cannot deny it, but so that it may not be spread further to the generations to come, come let us hide the place of his burial. For if the people see the empty tomb, all will believe in him. Then they ordered the tomb and the place of the Skull to be covered with earth, in which was the most holy cross, striving eagerly to give over the signs of salvation to oblivion. And this is the most wicked counsel of the lawless Jews. But God permitted them to do all things, clearly arranging the things to come. For since the city was about to be desolated and given over to fire, God permitted the life-giving wood and the glorious resurrection to be hidden for a little while, so that in the resurrection the places might not be given over to fire by Jews and Gentiles; for he knew that in due time it would be revealed with much glory. And Pilate reported all that had been done at the cross to Caesar, and that the crucified Jesus, called Christ, rose on the third day, and that great wonders are performed by his disciples in his name. And Tiberius, hearing these things and marveling, believed in the Lord and wished immediately to proclaim him God by a royal decree. But he was opposed by his own senate, which considered the word of the cross foolishness. But Caesar kept his word in his heart, and threatened destruction to those who accused Christians. And learning that Herod had consented to the death of Christ, and that through his unlawful adultery with Herodias many evils had occurred in that land, and that he had murdered John the Baptist, being a just man, on account of his rebuke of the lawlessness, he became exceedingly indignant. And he commanded him to be brought as a prisoner with the adulteress to Rome, and having stripped him of his rule and confiscated his property, he sent him with Herodias into exile in Spain, and there he ended his life miserably. And the earth swallowed the girl who had danced wickedly, while the viper who bore her was still living. Tiberius also died, having reigned for 22 years, and Gaius reigned for four years in his place. This one was savage and exceedingly arrogant. Pilate, having been accused before him, was brought to Rome for trial and fell into so many necessities and circumstances, that he became his own murderer. But the Jews turned to greater disorders, so that many of them were destroyed by the Romans. And Caesar appointed another Herod, son of Aristobulus, called Agrippa, as king of Judaea, handing over to him all the tetrarchies. This one, being terrible, mistreated the disciples of Christ. And he killed James the brother of the Lord with a sword, according to the sacred voice of the Acts, having attempted to put Peter to death also, had he not been miraculously delivered from his hands by a holy angel. And the aforementioned Herod did not cease being boastful, until he experienced the divine judgment, and having become eaten by worms, he expired. And at that time James the Just, also called the brother of the Lord, was the first to be appointed bishop, by the command of God, of the holy Church of Jerusalem. And with the Jews behaving disorderly against the disciples of the Lord, they experienced more evils. And so a great multitude was slaughtered by the Romans. And there was another Agrippa who received the kingdom of Judaea, the one at the time of Saint Paul. And Gaius died, and Claudius reigned in his place for fourteen years. In his time there was a great famine over the whole world, according to the prophecy of Agabus. Then the Jews, having turned to madness, slaughtered one another by deceit in the marketplace, on which account Caesar, being moved, sent word to the rulers of the nations to deal unsparingly with the Jews, and a sufficient people from

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διεπρίοντο ἐν ἑαυτοῖς οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς, λέγοντες· Τί ποιήσομεν; ὅτι μὲν γὰρ σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα μεγάλα ἐπιτελοῦνται διὰ τοῦ ὀνόματος τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ὑπὸ τῶν αὐτοῦ μαθητῶν, πᾶσι φανερὸν, καὶ οὐ δυνάμεθα ἀρνήσασθαι, ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ ἐπὶ πλέον διανεμηθῇ εἰς τὰς μετέπειτα γενεὰς, δεῦτε κρύψωμεν τὸν τόπον τῆς ταφῆς αὐτοῦ. Ἐὰν γὰρ ἴδω σιν οἱ λαοὶ κενὸν τὸν τάφον, πάντες πιστεύσουσιν εἰς αὐτόν. Τότε ἐκέλευσαν χωσθῆναι τὸν τάφον καὶ τὸν τόπον τοῦ Κρανίου, ἐν ᾧ ὑπῆρχεν ὁ ἁγιώτατος σταυ ρὸς, τὰ τῆς σωτηρίας σημεῖα λήθῃ παραδοῦναι φιλο νεικοῦντες. Καὶ αὕτη μέν ἐστιν ἡ κακίστη συμβουλὴ τῶν παρανόμων Ἰουδαίων. Ὁ δὲ Θεὸς πάντα συνεχώρησεν αὐτοῖς ποιῆσαι, σαφῶς οἰκονομῶν τὰ μέλλοντα. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἔμελλεν ἡ πόλις ἐρημωθῆναι καὶ πυρὶ παραδοθῆναι, συνεχώρησεν ὁ Θεὸς κρυβῆναι πρὸς ὀλί γον τὸ ζωοποιὸν ξύλον καὶ τὴν ἔνδοξον ἀνάστασιν, ἵνα μὴ ἐν τῇ ἀναστασίᾳ ὑπὸ Ἰουδαίων καὶ ἐθνῶν πυρὶ οἱ τόποι παραδοθῶσιν· ᾔδει γὰρ ἐν τῷ δέοντι καιρῷ μετὰ δόξης πολλῆς ἀναδειχθήσεσθαι μέλλοντα. Ὁ δὲ Πιλάτος πάντα τὰ πεπραγμένα ἐπὶ τοῦ σταυ ροῦ ἀνήγαγε τῷ Καίσαρι, καὶ ὅτι ὁ σταυρωθεὶς Ἰη σοῦς, ὁ λεγόμενος Χριστὸς, ἀνέστη τριήμερος, καὶ θαυμάσια μεγάλα ἐπιτελοῦνται ὑπὸ τῶν αὐτοῦ μαθη τῶν ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ. Τιβέριος δὲ, ἀκούσας ταῦτα καὶ θαυμάσας, ἐπίστευε τῷ Κυρίῳ καὶ ἐβούλετο πα ραχρῆμα τοῦτον διὰ βασιλικοῦ τύπου ἀναγορεῦσαι Θεόν. Ἀντεπράχθη δὲ ὑπὸ τῆς ἰδίας συγκλήτου, μωρίαν ἡγησαμένης τὸν λόγον τοῦ σταυροῦ. Ὁ δὲ Καῖσαρ ἐκράτει τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ, καὶ τοῖς διαβάλλουσι Χριστιανοὺς ὄλεθρον ἠπείλησε. Μαθὼν δὲ ὅτι Ἡρώδης συνῄνεσεν εἰς τὸν θάνατον τοῦ Χρι στοῦ, καὶ ὅτι διὰ τῆς ἀθεμίτου αὐτοῦ μοιχείας τῆς εἰς τὴν Ἡρωδιάδα κακὰ πολλὰ ἐγένετο κατὰ τὴν χώ ραν ἐκείνην, καὶ ὅτι Ἰωάννην τὸν Βαπτιστὴν, ἄνδρα δίκαιον ὄντα, διὰ τὸν ἔλεγχον τῆς παρανομίας ἐφόνευ σε, λίαν ἠγανάκτησε. Καὶ αὐτὸν δέσμιον μετὰ τῆς μοιχαλίδος εἰς Ῥώμην ἀπενεχθῆναι ἐκέλευσε, καὶ γυμνώσας αὐτὸν τῆς ἀρχῆς καὶ δημεύσας, σὺν τῇ Ἡρωδιάδι παρέπεμψεν ἐξόριστον εἰς Ἱσπανίους, κἀκεῖσε τὸν βίον χαλεπῶς κατέστρεψε. Τὴν δὲ κα κῶς ὀρχησαμένην κόρην κατέπιεν ἡ γῆ, ἔτι ζώσης τῆς γεννησαμένης ἐχίδνης. Ἀπέθανε καὶ Τιβέριος βασιλεύσας ἔτη κβʹ, καὶ ἐβασίλευσε Γάϊος ἀντ' αὐτοῦ ἔτη τέσσαρα. Οὗτος ἦν ἀν 4040 ήμερος καὶ λίαν ὑπερήφανος. Τούτῳ διαβληθεὶς ὁ Πιλᾶτος, παραστάσιμος ἀνηνέχθη εἰς Ῥώμην καὶ εἰς τοσαύτας περιπέπτωκεν ἀνάγκας καὶ περιστά σεις, ὥστε αὐτὸν φονευτὴν ἑαυτοῦ γενέσθαι. Οἱ δὲ Ἰουδαῖοι εἰς μείζονας ἀταξίας ἐξετράπησαν, ὥστε πολλοὺς αὐτῶν ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων ἀναλωθῆναι. Ὁ δὲ Καῖσαρ Ἡρώδην ἄλλον Ἀριστοβούλου, τὸν Ἀγρίππα λεγόμενον, βασιλέα τῆς Ἰουδαίας ἀνέδειξε, παραδοὺς αὐτῷ πάσας τὰς τετραρχίας. Οὗτος δεινὸς ὢν ἐκακο ποίει τοὺς μαθητὰς τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Ἀνεῖλε δὲ Ἰάκωβον τὸν ἀδελφὸν τοῦ Κυρίου μαχαίρᾳ, κατὰ τὴν ἱερὰν τῶν Πράξεων φωνὴν, ἐπιχειρήσας θανατῶσαι καὶ Πέ τρον, εἰ μὴ παραδόξως δι' ἀγγέλου ἁγίου ἐῤῥύσθη ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ. Καὶ οὐκ ἐπαύσατο δὲ ὁ προει ρημένος Ἡρώδης ἀλαζωνευόμενος, ἕως οὗ τῆς θείας δίκης πεῖραν ἔλαβε, καὶ γενόμενος σκωληκόβρωτος ἐξέψυξε. Κατ' ἐκεῖνον δὲ τὸν καιρὸν Ἰάκωβος ὁ δίκαιος καὶ κληθεὶς ἀδελφὸς τοῦ Κυρίου πρῶτος ἦν κατασταθεὶς ἐπίσκοπος, κατὰ πρόσταξιν Θεοῦ, τῆς Ἱεροσολύμων ἁγίας Ἐκκλησίας. Τῶν δὲ Ἰουδαίων ἀτάκτως φερομένων κατὰ τῶν μαθητῶν τοῦ Κυρίου, πλειόνων κα κῶν ἐπειράθησαν. Καὶ γοῦν πλῆθος πολὺ ὑπὸ Ῥω μαίων κατεσφάγη. Ἦν δὲ ἄλλος Ἀγρίππας παραλαβὼν τὴν βασιλείαν τῆς Ἰουδαίας ὁ κατὰ τὸν ἅγιον Παῦλον. Ἀπέθανε δὲ Γάϊος, καὶ ἐβασίλευσε Κλαύδιος ἀντ' αὐτοῦ ἔτη δεκατέσσαρα. Ἐπὶ τούτῳ ἐγένετο λι μὸς μέγας ἐφ' ὅλην τὴν οἰκουμένην, κατὰ τὴν προφη τείαν Ἀγάβου. Τότε Ἰουδαῖοι εἰς μανίαν τραπέντες, δόλῳ κατὰ τῆς ἀγορᾶς ἀλλήλους κατέσφαζον, ἐφ' ᾧ κινηθεὶς ὁ Καῖσαρ ἀπέστειλε τοῖς τῶν ἐθνῶν ἄρχου σιν ἀφειδῶς χρήσασθαι τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις, καὶ λαὸς ἱκα νὸς ἐξ

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