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anomaly, and the excess of his ecstasy; since the best diviner is he who knows how to conjecture well. For to me it seemed a sign of nothing good: a rigid neck, shoulders twitching and heaving, an eye darting and rolling, and with a frenzied look, feet unsteady and shuffling, a nostril breathing insolence and contempt, facial expressions ridiculous, conveying the same, laughter unrestrained and boisterous, nods and shakes of the head without any reason, speech halting and cut short by his breath, questions disorderly and incoherent, answers no better than these, stumbling over one another and not steady, nor proceeding in the order of education.

24. Why should I write of the details? I observed this man before his deeds, whom I also recognized by his deeds. And if any of those who were then present with me and heard had been here, they would not have had difficulty in bearing witness; to whom, when I observed these things, I immediately exclaimed: What an evil the Roman empire is nurturing! and having prophesied this, I prayed that I might prove a false prophet. For it was better than for the world to be filled with these evils, and for such a monster to appear as never before; though many deluges are talked of, and many conflagrations, and upheavals of the earth, and chasms, and also most inhuman men and strange and composite beasts, which nature has produced as novelties. For this reason he also met an end worthy of his madness; here alone God did not tolerate His usual long-suffering, where His philanthropy was an evil to many, and was about to cause much discouragement to the righteous, and much contempt to sinners; as if no one were watching our affairs, nor was there any governance or retribution, but as if chance carried and overturned everything; which is the mark of a wicked mind, and one in a very perilous state concerning the greatest matters.

25. These are the tales of us Galileans, these of the dishonoured; these of us who worship the Crucified, these of the disciples of fishermen and of the uneducated, as they themselves say; these of those who sit with old women, and sing psalms with them; these of those who are wasted away and half-dead with long fasts; these of us who keep vigil in vain, and rave in our all-night standings, and overthrow you. Where are the grammarians? Where are the counsellors? From one of the unwise among us, as at least it seems to you, I take the victory prize. Where are the sacrifices, and initiations, and mysteries? where the victims, public and secret? where the much-praised art of divination from entrails? where the prodigy of foreknowledge and the signs of ventriloquists? where is the famed and glorious Babylon, and the whole world schemed over through a little profane blood? And where are the Persians and Medes held in his hand? And where are the gods that escort and attend, that fight before and fight alongside? Where are the oracles against the Christians, and the threats, and the foretold destruction of us, even to our very name? All are gone, have been proven false, have flowed away; the boasts of the impious have appeared a dream.

26. So then Hezekiah, the king of Judah, when a certain king of the foreigners came against him with a great force, and surrounded Jerusalem with an army, and bitterly hurled blasphemous and impious words against both the king and God Himself, as if He could in no way save the city from his power, went to the temple, and tore his garments, and poured forth fountains of tears, and raised his hands to heaven, he called God to witness the blasphemies of Sennacherib, and sought for Him to be the avenger of the arrogance of those who threatened; saying, "You have seen, O Lord, how this foreigner has reproached you, the God of Israel; you have seen, O Lord, do not be silent;" and not

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ἀνωμαλία, καὶ τὸ περιττὸν τῆς ἐκστάσεως· εἴπερ μάντις ἄριστος, ὅστις εἰκά ζειν οἶδε καλῶς. Οὐδενὸς γὰρ ἐδόκει μοι ση μεῖον εἶναι χρηστοῦ αὐχὴν ἀπαγὴς, ὦμοι παλλόμενοι καὶ ἀνασηκούμενοι, ὀφθαλμὸς σοβούμενος καὶ περιφερόμενος, καὶ μανικὸν βλέπων, πόδες ἀστα τοῦντες καὶ μετοκλάζοντες, μυκτὴρ ὕβριν πνέων καὶ περιφρόνησιν, προσώπου σχηματισμοὶ καταγέλαστοι τὸ αὐτὸ φέροντες, γέλωτες ἀκρατεῖς τε καὶ βρασματώδεις, νεύσεις καὶ ἀνανεύσεις σὺν οὐδενὶ λόγῳ, λόγος ἱστάμενος καὶ κοπτόμενος πνεύ ματι, ἐρωτήσεις ἄτακτοι καὶ ἀσύνετοι, ἀποκρίσεις οὐδὲν τούτων ἀμείνους, ἀλλήλαις ἐπεμβαίνουσαι καὶ οὐκ εὐσταθεῖς, οὐδὲ τάξει προϊοῦσαι παιδεύσεως.

Κ∆ʹ. Τί ἂν τὰ καθ' ἕκαστον γράφοιμι; Τοῦτον πρὸ τῶν ἔργων ἐθεασάμην, ὃν καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἔργων 35.693 ἐγνώρισα. Καὶ εἴ μοι παρῆσάν τινες τῶν τηνικαῦτα συνόντων καὶ ἀκουσάντων, οὐ χαλεπῶς ἂν ἐμαρτύρησαν· οἷς, ἐπειδὴ ταῦτα ἐθεασάμην, εὐθὺς ἐφθεγξάμην· Οἷον κακὸν ἡ Ῥωμαίων τρέφει! καὶ προαγορεύσας, καὶ γενέσθαι ψευδόμαντις ἐμαυτοῦ κατευξάμενος. Κρεῖσσον γὰρ ἢ τούτων πλησθῆναι τὴν οἰκουμένην κακῶν, καὶ τοιοῦτον ἀναφανῆναι τέρας, οἷον οὔπω πρότερον· πολλῶν μὲν ἐπικλυσμῶν θρυλλουμέ νων, πολλῶν δὲ ἐμπρησμῶν, καὶ βρασμῶν γῆς, καὶ χασμάτων, ἔτι δὲ ἀνδρῶν ἀπανθρωποτάτων καὶ θηρίων ἀλλοκότων τε καὶ συνθέτων, ὧν ἡ φύσις ἐκαινοτόμησε. Ταύτῃ τοι καὶ τέλος ἄξιον ἠνέγ κατο τῆς ἀπονοίας· ἐνταῦθα μόνον οὐκ ἀνασχομένου τοῦ Θεοῦ τῆς συνήθους μακροθυμίας, ἔνθα πολλοῖς κακὸν ἦν τὸ φιλάνθρωπον, καὶ πολλὴν μὲν ἔμελλε παρέξειν ἀθυμίαν τοῖς κατορθοῦσι, πολλὴν δὲ τοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσι καταφρόνησιν· ὡς οὐκ ἐφορῶντος οὐδενὸς τὰ ἡμέτερα, οὐδὲ οὔσης τινὸς κυβερνήσεως ἢ ἀντιδόσεως, ἀλλὰ τοῦ αὐτομάτου τὸ πᾶν φέ ροντός τε καὶ περιτρέποντος· ὃ διανοίας ἐστὶ πονη ρᾶς καὶ λίαν ἐπισφαλῶς περὶ τῶν μεγίστων διακει μένης.

ΚΕʹ. Ταῦτα τῶν Γαλιλαίων ἡμῶν, ταῦτα τῶν ἀτί μων τὰ διηγήματα· ταῦτα οἱ τὸν ἐσταυρωμένον προσ κυνοῦντες ἡμεῖς, ταῦτα οἱ τῶν ἁλιέων μαθηταὶ καὶ τῶν ἀπαιδεύτων, ὡς αὐτοὶ λέγουσι· ταῦτα οἱ τοῖς γραϊδίοις συγκαθεζόμενοι, καὶ συμψάλλοντες· ταῦτα οἱ ταῖς μακραῖς νηστείαις ἐκτετηγμένοι καὶ ἡμιθνῆ τες· ταῦτα οἱ μάτην ἀγρυπνοῦντες ἡμεῖς, καὶ ταῖς παννύχοις στάσεσι παραληροῦντες, καὶ ὑμᾶς καταβάλλοντες. Ποῦ εἰσιν οἱ γραμματικοί; ποῦ εἰσιν οἱ σύμβουλοι; Ἐκ τῶν παρ' ἡμῖν τινος ἀσόφων, ὡς γοῦν ὑμῖν δοκεῖ, λαμβάνω τὸν ἐπινίκιον. Ποῦ αἱ θυσίαι, καὶ τελεταὶ, καὶ μυστήρια; ποῦ σφάγια φανερά τε καὶ ἀφανῆ; ποῦ τέχνη κατὰ τῶν ἐντόμων ἐπαινου μένη; ποῦ τερατεία προγνώσεως καὶ σημεῖα ἐγγαστριμύθων; ποῦ Βαβυλὼν ἡ ἔνδοξος θρυλλουμένη, καὶ οἰκουμένη πᾶσα περινοουμένη δι' ὀλίγου καὶ ἐναγοῦς αἵματος; ποῦ δὲ οἱ ἐν τῇ χειρὶ κρατούμενοι Πέρσαι καὶ Μῆδοι; ποῦ δὲ οἱ προπεμπόμενοι καὶ παραπέμποντες, καὶ προπολεμοῦντες καὶ συμ 35.696 πολεμοῦντες θεοί; ποῦ αἱ κατὰ Χριστιανῶν μαν τεῖαι, καὶ ἀπειλαὶ, καὶ ἡ κατὰ προθεσμίαν κατάλυ σις ἡμῶν μέχρις ὀνόματος; Οἴχεται πάντα, διέψευ σται, διεῤῥύηκεν, ὄναρ ἐφάνη τῶν ἀσεβῶν τὰ κομ πάσματα.

Κ ςʹ. Ὁ μὲν οὖν τοῦ Ἰούδα βασιλεὺς Ἐζεκίας,ἐλθόντος ἐπ' αὐτὸν δυνάμει πολλῇ τῶν ἀλλοφύλων τι νὸς βασιλέως, καὶ στρατοπέδῳ κυκλώσαντος τὴν Ἱε ρουσαλὴμ, λόγους τε βλασφήμους καὶ ἀσεβεῖς κατά τε τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ πικρῶς ἀποῤ ῥίψαντος, ὡς οὐδ' ἂν ὁτιοῦν γένηται, περισώ σοντος ἐκ τῆς αὐτοῦ δυναστείας τὴν πόλιν, ἐπὶ τὸ ἱερὸν ἐλθὼν, καὶ τὴν ἐσθῆτα περιῤῥηξάμενος, δα κρύων τε προχέων πηγὰς, καὶ τὰς χεῖρας εἰς οὐρανὸν ἀνατείνας, τὸν Θεὸν τῆς Σεναχηρεὶμ βλασφημίας ἐπιμαρτύρεται, κἀκεῖνον ἔκδικον γενέσθαι τῆς τῶν ἀπειλουμένων ὑπερηφανίας ἐπιζητεῖ· Εἶδες, Κύριε, λέγων, ὅσα ὠνείδισέ σε ὁ ἀλλόφυλος οὗτος τὸν Θεὸν τοῦ Ἰσραήλ· εἶδες, Κύριε, μὴ παρασιωπήσῃς· καὶ οὐκ