of them were slain, and their houses and their children became plunder, and from Italy and Rome they were cast out with many tribulations and losses. These things happened to them on account of their audacity against Christ. But Claudius died, and Nero reigned in his place for fourteen years. This man was wicked and lecherous, if ever anyone was. He was the first to raise a persecution against the Christians. And he killed Peter and Paul, the chief of Christ's apostles, and destroyed many of the leading men, and many others of the first men of the senate. Then Festus the governor, still holding the rule of Judea, died. And the Jews, seizing the opportunity of the anarchy, increased the disorder even more. And they killed James, the brother of the Lord, and after scourging the other disciples, they drove them from the city, and they themselves, according to a revelation from God, withdrew to the region of the Jordan, and tarried there, on account of the evils that were about to befall the city, according to the prophecy of the Lord. 4041 Then the whole nation made a revolt against the Romans. And Agrippa went as a fugitive to Rome. Then Nero in anger and wrath wrote to the general of the East (Vespasian he was at that time), ordering him to gather the whole army under him, to seize the land of Judea, and utterly destroy it. And the powerful ones among the Jews, having heard, seized Jerusalem, since it was very strong, secured with the greatest walls and towers. But the general, having first taken the country, destroying all the cities of Judea, utterly destroyed them with fire. And having seized Jerusalem and having besieged it for one year, and having constructed many siege engines, he was able to do nothing, because of the strength of the city; but also those of the city, having come out suddenly, struck many of the Romans. And having gone down to Caesarea, Vespasian let the army recover. But in these times Nero was slain in Rome, and Galba held power for 7 months. And he was slain, and Otho held power for three, and after him Vitellius held power for three months. With affairs therefore being in great danger and disorder, and certain barbarians pressing upon Roman territory, the army in the East crowned the unwilling Vespasian as emperor, with the consent of all the rulers in the East. And setting out for Rome, in the winter season, having proclaimed his sons Titus and Domitian as Caesars, he left Titus to besiege Jerusalem, and he sent Domitian on a campaign against the barbarians. And as he was already approaching Rome, the army there along with the senate, having done away with the rebel, met him with the greatest feasting and applause. And having been seated upon the throne, he slaughtered all the disorderly ones, and suddenly the affairs of the Romans were set right again, with Domitian having exterminated the rebelling barbarians. And with Jerusalem being besieged for two years, all those in it wasted away from famine, eating their own children during the siege. And having taken it, the Caesar, having cut down the people in it, and having plundered all of it along with the people, handed it over to fire. Then was fulfilled the word of the Lord, that, "There will not be left a stone upon a stone in it." And those who were slain, some record as three million. And after the capture of the city, the faithful, having returned again to holy Zion, appointed as the second bishop of Jerusalem, Symeon, the son of Cleopas who is mentioned in the Gospels, an eyewitness and hearer, and being a cousin of the Lord. And Cleopas was the brother of the father according to grace of the 4044 Lord. And forty years are counted from the saving passion until the capture of Jerusalem. And the powerful Vespasian reigned for ten years and died, and Titus his son reigned in his place for three years and died; and Domitian his brother reigned in his place, and again

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αὐτῶν ἀνῃρέθη, καὶ οἱ οἶκοι αὐτῶν καὶ τὰ τέκνα ἐγένετο εἰς διαρπαγὴν, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰταλίας καὶ Ῥώμης μετὰ πολλῶν θλίψεων καὶ ζημιῶν ἐξ εβλήθησαν. Ταῦτα συνέβη αὐτοῖς διὰ τὴν εἰς Χριστὸν τόλμαν. Κλαύδιος δὲ ἀπέθανε, καὶ Νέρων ἐβασίλευσεν ἀντ' αὐτοῦ ἔτη δεκατέσσαρα. Οὗτος πονηρὸς ἦν καὶ λάγνος, εἰ καί τις ἄλλος. Αὐτὸς πρῶτος ἤγειρεν διωγμὸν κατὰ τῶν Χριστιανῶν. Ἀνεῖλε δὲ Πέτρον καὶ Παῦλον τοὺς κορυφαίους τῶν ἀποστόλων τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ πολλοὺς δὲ τῶν προγόνων, καὶ ἑτέρους πολλοὺς τῶν πρώ των τῆς συγκλήτου ἀπώλεσε. Τότε Φῆστος ὁ ἡγεμὼν, ἔτι κατέχων τὴν τῆς Ἰουδαίας ἀρχὴν, ἐτελεύτησεν. Οἱ δὲ Ἰουδαῖοι, καιροῦ δραξάμενοι τῆς ἀναρχίας, ἐπὶ πλέον τὴν αὔξησιν τῆς ἀταξίας ἐποιήσαντο. Ἀπέκτει ναν δὲ Ἰάκωβον τὸν ἀδελφὸν τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς μαθητὰς μαστίζοντες ἐδίωξαν τῆς πόλεως, καὶ αὐτοὶ, κατὰ ἀποκάλυψιν Θεοῦ, ἀνεχώρησαν εἰς τὴν περίχωρον τοῦ Ἰορδάνου, κἀκεῖσε διέτριβον, διὰ τὰ μέλλοντα τῇ πόλει ἔσεσθαι κακὰ, κατὰ τὴν πρόῤ ῥησιν τοῦ Κυρίου. 4041 Τότε ὅλον τὸ ἔθνος τὴν πρὸς Ῥωμαίους ἀποστα σίαν εἰργάσαντο. Ἀγρίππας δὲ φυγὰς ᾤχετο ἐπὶ τὴν Ῥώμην. Τότε Νέρων ἐν ὀργῇ καὶ θυμῷ ἔγραψε τῷ τῆς Ἑῴας στρατηγῷ (Οὐεσπασιανὸς δὲ ἦν τὸ τηνι καῦτα) κελεύων αὐτὸν συνεγείρειν πᾶσαν τὴν ὑπ' αὐτῷ στρατιὰν, καταλαμβάνειν τὴν Ἰουδαίαν γῆν, καὶ ἄρδην ἀπολέσαι αὐτήν. Οἱ δὲ δυνάμενοι τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἀκούσαντες, κατέλαβον τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ἅτε ὀχυρω τάτην οὖσαν τοῖς τείχεσι καὶ πύργοις μεγίστοις ἠσφα λισμένην. Ὁ δὲ στρατηγὸς προλαβὼν τὴν χώραν, πά σας τὰς πόλεις τῆς Ἰουδαίας καταστρέψας, ἐξανεῖλε πυρί. Καταλαβὼν δὲ τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ καὶ πολιορκή σας αὐτὴν ἐνιαυτὸν ἕνα, καὶ πολλὰ μηχανήματα κα τασκευάσας, οὐδὲν ἴσχυσε ποιῆσαι, διὰ τὴν τῆς πό λεως ὀχυρότητα· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐξελθόντες οἱ τῆς πόλεως αἰφνιδίως πολλοὺς ἔπληξαν τῶν Ῥωμαίων. Καταβὰς δὲ εἰς Καισάρειαν Οὐεσπασιανὸς ἀφῆκεν ἀναλαβεῖν τὸν στρατόν. Ἐν τούτοις δὲ ἀνῃρέθη Νέρων ἐπὶ τῆς Ῥώμης, καὶ ἐκράτησε Γάλβας μῆνας ζʹ. Κἀκεῖνος ἀνῃρέθη, καὶ ἐκράτησεν ὁ Ὄθων τρεῖς, καὶ μετὰ τοῦτον Βιτάλιος ἐκράτησε μῆνας τρεῖς. Ἐν πολλῷ οὖν κινδύνῳ καὶ ἀκαταστασίᾳ τῶν πραγμάτων ὑπαρχόντων, καὶ βαρβάρων τινῶν ἐπικειμένων τῇ Ῥωμανίᾳ, ὁ κατὰ τὴν Ἑῴαν στρατὸς ἄκοντα τὸν Οὐεσπασιανὸν ἔστεψε βασιλέα, συναινέσει πάντων κατὰ τὴν Ἀνα τολὴν ἀρχόντων. Ἀπαίρων δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν Ῥώμην, χειμῶνος ὥρᾳ, τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτοῦ Τίτον καὶ ∆ομε τιανὸν Καίσαρας ἀναδείξας, τὸν μὲν Τίτον πολιορ κήσαντα Ἱεροσόλυμα κατέλιπε, ∆ομετιανὸν δὲ ἀπ έστειλεν εἰς ἐκστρατείαν ἐπὶ τοὺς βαρβάρους. Ἐγ Σγίζοντος δὲ αὐτοῦ ἤδη τῇ Ῥώμῃ, ὁ ἐκεῖσε στρατὸς μετὰ τῆς συγκλήτου, ἀνελόντες τὸν ἄνταρτον, σὺν εὐωχίᾳ μεγίστῃ καὶ κρότοις συνήντησαν αὐτῷ. Καθ εσθεὶς δὲ ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου κατέσφαξε πάντας τοὺς ἀτάκτους, καὶ ἐξαίφνης τὰ Ῥωμαίων αὖθις ἐπ ανωρθώθη, τοῦ ∆ομετιανοῦ ἐξολοθρεύσαντος τοὺς ἐπανισταμένους βαρβάρους. Πολιορκουμένης δὲ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐπὶ ἔτη δύο, πάντες οἱ ἐν αὐτῇ λιμῷ ἐτάκησαν, τὰ τέκνα αὐ τῶν φαγόντες ἐν τῇ πολιορκίᾳ. Παραλαβὼν δὲ αὐ τὴν ὁ Καῖσαρ, κατακόψας τὸν λαὸν τὸν ἐν αὐτῇ, καὶ σκυλεύσας πᾶσαν μετὰ τοῦ λαοῦ πυρὶ παρ έδωκε. Τότε ἐπληρώθη ὁ λόγος τοῦ Κυρίου, ὁ, Οὐ μὴ ἀφεθήσεται λίθος ἐπὶ λίθον ἐν αὐτῇ Τοὺς δὲ ἀναιρεθέντας διαγράφουσί τινες εἰς τριακοσίας μυριά δας. Μετὰ δὲ τὴν ἅλωσιν τῆς πόλεως πάλιν ἐπανελ θόντες οἱ πιστοὶ εἰς τὴν ἁγίαν Σιὼν, προεβάλλοντο δεύτερον ἐπίσκοπον Ἱεροσολύμων Σιμεῶνα, τὸν τοῦ Κλεόπα τοῦ ἐν Εὐαγγελίοις ἐμφερομένου, αὐτόπτην καὶ ἀκροατὴν, καὶ ἀνεψιὸν ὑπάρχοντα τοῦ Κυρίου. Κλεόπας δὲ ἀδελφὸς ἦν τοῦ κατὰ χάριν πατρὸς τοῦ 4044 Κυρίου. Συνάγονται δὲ τεσσαράκοντα ἔτη ἀπὸ τοῦ σωτηρίου πάθους ἕως τῆς ἁλώσεως Ἱεροσολύμων. Ἐβασίλευσε δὲ ὁ Οὐεσπασιανὸς κραταιὸς ἔτη δέκα καὶ ἀπέθανε, καὶ ἐβασίλευσε Τίτος ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ ἀντ' αὐτοῦ ἔτη τρία καὶ ἀπέθανε· καὶ ἐβασίλευσεν ὁ ∆ο μετιανὸς ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ ἀντ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ πάλιν

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