he raised a great persecution against the Jews, seeking those of the royal lineage; it was reported to him concerning Christ, that he was of David, and had a great lineage, who were Christians, and proclaimed Jesus Christ as eternal king, who was about to destroy all the powers under heaven, and he alone was about to reign. And the emperor, being angered at this, ordered that Christians should not live; and sending to Jerusalem, he had the grandsons of Jude, the brother of the Lord, brought to Rome, and he questioned them about Christ and his kingdom. And they answered that his kingdom was not earthly, but heavenly, and that he was about to come at the consummation of the ages with glory to judge the living and the dead, and to give to each according to his works. When Caesar heard these things, and became fearful, he released them, and stopped the persecution against the Christians. And Domitian died, having reigned fifteen years, and Nerva reigned in his place for one year. And Nerva died, and Trajan reigned in his place for twenty years. This one, having stirred up a great persecution against the Christians, killed very many martyrs, so that the rulers of the nations, being disheartened by the multitude of those who testified, reported to the emperor, bearing witness to the liberty of the Christians, that they do all things according to the fitting laws, but confess Christ alone as God. Hearing these things the emperor stopped the persecution. And under him, Ignatius the bishop of Antioch was martyred in Rome, and Simeon, the son of Cleopas, the bishop in Jerusalem, was crucified, being one hundred and twenty years old, under a certain consul Atticus. At that time the Jews, using their own madness, dared to set up a king for themselves, at which the emperor, being moved, sent strong rulers against them, who, having subdued the appointed tyrant, pursuing them throughout the rest of the world, slaughtered innumerable multitudes of the Jews. And Trajan died, and Aelius Hadrian reigned in his place for twenty-one years. This one went around the regions, having been mutilated in his body and seeking some relief from his suffering. And coming to the holy city, and seeing it razed to the ground, but only the church of the Christians standing, he ordered the whole city to be built, except for the temple. And when the Jews heard, they flocked together from every nation, and in a short time it was built very quickly. But again the 4045 wicked demon, driving them to frenzy, did not allow them to rest, but rebelling from Roman subjection, they set up for themselves a certain rebel called Bar-Cochba. Hearing these things, Caesar sent very many armies against them, and for a long time they besieged the city, until the whole population in it was destroyed by hunger and thirst. This is the final desolation of Judea. For having exterminated all the Jews and having reduced the city to complete desolation, he commanded the Greeks to occupy it, having written a law dogmatically commanding, that the Jews should no longer see with their eyes the soil of their ancestral land. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem, being of foreign race, erected a statue to the emperor in the sanctuary itself beside the beautiful gate, and changing the name of the city, they called it Aelia after the name of the ruler. And before these times the holy Church in Jerusalem, being composed of Hebrews, did not accept an uncircumcised bishop. But as for their times, may your holiness pardon me for not distinguishing them in my perplexity, for one could not ever easily discover them. And their names are these. First James the brother of the Lord, Simeon the son of Cleopas, Justus, Zacchaeus, Tobias, Benjamin, John, Matthias, Philip, Seneca, Justus, Levi, Ephrem, Joseph, Jude. All these were of the circumcision, fifteen in number. And they are reckoned from the capture of Jerusalem, until the last siege and the complete of the Jews

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διωγμὸν μέγαν τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις ἐπήγειρεν, ἐπιζητῶν τοὺς ἐκ βασιλικῆς συγγενείας· ἐμηνύθη αὐτῷ τὰ περὶ Χριστοῦ, ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ ὑπάρχει, καὶ μέγα ἔχει γένος, οἵτινές εἰσι χριστιανίζοντες, καὶ καταγγέλ λοντες Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν βασιλέα αἰώνιον, μέλλοντα καταλύειν πάσας τὰς ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρανὸν δυνάμεις, καὶ μόνος μέλλει βασιλεύειν. Θυμωθεὶς δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐπὶ τούτῳ, ἐκέλευσε μὴ ζῇν Χριστιανούς· ἀποστεί λας δὲ εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα, τοὺς ἐγγόνους Ἰούδα, τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ τοῦ Κυρίου, ἐπὶ τὴν Ῥώμην ἀπήγαγεν, καὶ ἐπηρώτησεν αὐτοὺς περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ τῆς αὐτοῦ βασιλείας. Οἱ δὲ ἀπεκρίναντο μὴ εἶναι τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ ἐπίγειον, ἀλλ' ἐπουράνιον, μέλλειν δὲ ἐν τῇ συντελείᾳ τῶν αἰώνων ἔρχεσθαι μετὰ δόξης κρῖναι ζῶντας καὶ νεκροὺς, καὶ ἀποδοῦναι ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ. Ταῦτα ἀκούσας ὁ Καῖσαρ, καὶ ἔμφοβος γενόμενος, ἀπέλυσεν αὐτοὺς, καὶ τὸν κατὰ τῶν Χριστιανῶν διωγμὸν ἐκώλυσεν. Ἀπέθανε δὲ ∆ομετιανὸς βασιλεύσας ἔτη δεκαπέντε, καὶ Νερουᾶς ἐβασίλευσεν ἀντ' αὐτοῦ ἔτος ἕν. Ἀπ έθανε δὲ Νερουᾶς, καὶ ἐβασίλευσεν ἀντ' αὐτοῦ Τρα ϊανὸς ἔτη εἴκοσιν. Οὗτος διωγμὸν ἐπὶ πολὺ κατὰ Χριστιανῶν κινήσας, μάρτυρας παμπόλλους ἐφόνευ σεν, ὥστε τοὺς ἄρχοντας τῶν ἐθνῶν ἀποκακίσαντας τῷ πλήθει τῶν μαρτυρούντων ἀναγαγεῖν τῷ αὐτο κράτορι, μαρτυροῦντας τῇ τῶν Χριστιανῶν ἐλευθε ρίᾳ, ὅτι πάντα κατὰ νόμους τοὺς πρέποντας δια πράττουσι, Χριστὸν δὲ μόνον Θεὸν ὁμολογοῦσι. Ταῦτα ἀκούσας ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ ἔπαυσε τὸν διωγμόν. Ἐμαρτύρησε δὲ ἐπ' αὐτοῦ ἐν Ῥώμῃ Ἰγνάτιος ὁ ἐπίσκοπος Ἀντιοχείας, καὶ Σιμεὼν ὁ τοῦ Κλεόπα, ὁ ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις ἐπίσκοπος, σταυρωθεὶς, ὢν ἐτῶν ἑκα τὸν καὶ εἴκοσιν, ἐπὶ Ἀττικοῦ τινος ὑπατικοῦ. Κατ' ἐκεῖνον τὸν καιρὸν Ἰουδαῖοι τῇ σφῶν μανίᾳ χρώμενοι ἐτόλμησαν βασιλέα ἑαυτῶν στῆσαι, ἐφ' ᾧ κινηθεὶς ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ ἀπέστειλεν ἄρχοντας στιβαροὺς ἐπ' αὐ τοὺς, οἵτινες χειρωσάμενοι τὸν προβληθέντα τύραν νον ἀνὰ πᾶσαν λοιπὸν τὴν οἰκουμένην διώκοντες, πλήθη ἀναρίθμητα τῶν Ἰουδαίων κατέσφαζον. Ἀπέθανε δὲ Τραϊανὸς, καὶ ἐβασίλευσεν ἀντ' αὐτοῦ Αἴλιος Ἀδριανὸς εἴκοσι καὶ ἓν ἔτος. Οὗτος περιείη τὰς χώρας, λωβηθεὶς τὸ σῶμα καὶ ζητῶν τινα ἐπι κουρίαν τοῦ πάθους. Ἐλθὼν δὲ κατὰ τὴν ἁγίαν πό λιν, καὶ ἰδὼν αὐτὴν ἠδαφισμένην, μόνην δὲ τὴν τῶν Χριστιανῶν ἐκκλησίαν ἱσταμένην, ἐκέλευσε κτισθῆ ναι τὴν πόλιν ὅλην, παρεκτὸς τοῦ ναοῦ. Ἀκούσαντες δὲ Ἰουδαῖοι συνεῤῥύησαν ἐκ παντὸς ἔθνους, καὶ ἐν ὀλίγῳ χρόνῳ ταχέως λίαν ἐκτίσθη. Ἀλλὰ πάλιν ὁ 4045 ἐκβακχεύων αὐτοὺς ὁ πονηρὸς δαίμων, οὐκ εἴασεν αὐτοὺς ἠρεμεῖν, ἀλλὰ ἀποστάντες τῆς Ῥωμαίων ὑποταγῆς, κατέστησαν ἑαυτοῖς στασιώτην τινὰ κα λούμενον Βαρχωχίβαν. Ταῦτα ἀκούσας ὁ Καῖσαρ ἀπ έστειλεν ἐπ' αὐτοὺς στρατόπεδα πάμπολλα, καὶ πολυ χρονίως ἐπολιόρκουν τὴν πόλιν, ἕως οὐ λιμῷ καὶ δίψῃ διεφθάρη πᾶς ὁ λαὸς ἐν αὐτῇ. Αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ ἐσχάτη ἐρήμωσις τῆς Ἰουδαίας. Πάντας γὰρ τοὺς Ἰουδαίους ἐξολοθρεύσας καὶ εἰς παντελῆ ἐρημίαν καταστήσας τὴν πόλιν, ἐκέλευσε τοῖς Ἕλλησι κατέχειν αὐτὴν, γράψας νόμον δογματι κῶς κελεύοντα, μηκέτι τοὺς Ἰουδαίους ὀφθαλμοῖς ὁρᾷν τῆς πατρῴας γῆς τὸ ἔδαφος. Οἱ δὲ οἰκήτορες τῶν Ἱεροσολύμων ἐξ ἀλλοφύλων τυγχάνοντες στήλην τῷ αὐτοκράτορι ἵδρυσαν ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ ἱερῷ παρὰ τὴν ὡραίαν πύλην, καὶ ἀμείψαντες τὸ ὄνομα τῆς πόλεως, ἐκάλεσαν αὐτὴν ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ κρατοῦντος Αἰλίαν. Ἡ δὲ πρὸ τούτων τῶν χρόνων ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις ἁγία Ἐκκλησία ἐξ Ἑβραίων συστᾶσα οὐκ ἐδέχετο ἐπίσκοπον ἀπερίτμητον. Τοὺς δὲ χρόνους αὐτῶν συγχωρήσει μοι ἡ ὁσιότης ὑμῶν ἀπορήσαντι μὴ δια σημᾶναι, οὐ γὰρ ἂν εὐκόλως εὕροι τις πώποτε. Τὰ δὲ ὀνόματα αὐτῶν ἐστι ταῦτα. Πρῶτος Ἰάκωβος ὁ τοῦ Κυρίου ἀδελφὸς, Σιμεὼν ὁ τοῦ Κλεόπα, Ἰοῦστος, Ζαχαῖος, Τοβίας, Βενιαμὶν, Ἰωάννης, Ματθίας, Φίλιππος, Σενέκας, Ἰοῦστος, Λεβῆς, Ἐφρῆς, Ἰσὴφ, Ἰούδας. Οὗτοι πάντες ἐκ τῆς περιτομῆς ὑπῆρχον, δέκα καὶ πέντε τὸν ἀριθμόν. Καὶ συνάγον ται ἀπὸ τῆς ἁλώσεως Ἱεροσολύμων, ἕως τῆς ὑστέ ρας πολιορκίας καὶ τῆς τῶν Ἰουδαίων τελείας

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