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indicating the capture, were slain, and that of the young men, the tallest and most distinguished in beauty of body were kept for the triumph, and of the remaining multitude, those over seventeen years of age were sent as prisoners to the works in Egypt, and the majority were distributed to the provinces to be destroyed in the theaters by the sword and by beasts, while those under seventeen years of age were led away captive and sold, and the number of these alone amounted to ninety thousand men. 3.7.3 And these things were done in this manner in the second year of the reign of Vespasian, in accordance with the prophetic predictions of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who by divine power had foreseen them as if they were already present, and had shed tears and wept over them, according to the writing of the holy evangelists, who have also set down his very words, at one time speaking as if to Jerusalem herself: “If you, even you, had known on this 3.7.4 day the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you, and your enemies will cast up a rampart against you, and surround you, and hem you in on every side, 3.7.5 and will dash you to the ground, and your children within you, and at another time as if concerning the people, For there will be great distress upon the earth, and wrath against this people; and they will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” And again: “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near.” 3.7.6 And if one compares the words of our Savior with the other histories of the writer concerning the whole war, how could he not be amazed, 3.7.7 confessing that the foreknowledge and prediction of our Savior were truly divine and preternaturally wonderful? So concerning the things that happened to the whole nation after the saving passion and those cries in which the multitude of the Jews begged off the robber and murderer from death, but besought that the author of life be taken from their midst, there would be no need to add to the histories, but it would be 3.7.8 right to add these things, which would be indicative of the philanthropy of the all-good providence, which for forty whole years after their audacity against Christ postponed the destruction against them, during which time many of the apostles and disciples, and James himself, the first bishop here, who was called the Lord’s brother, still being alive and making their abode in the very city of Jerusalem, remained like a very strong rampart 3.7.9 for the place, as the divine oversight was still long-suffering, if perchance they might be able, by repenting for what they had done, to obtain pardon and salvation, and in addition to such great long-suffering, it provided wonderful signs from God of the things which were about to happen to them if they did not repent; which things also, having been deemed worthy of mention by the aforementioned writer, it is fitting to set forth for those who are approaching this writing. 3.8.1 And now take and read the things set forth by him in the sixth of his Histories in these words: "So then the wretched people the deceivers and those who lied against God were at that time persuading, but to the clear portents that signified the coming desolation they neither paid attention nor believed, but as if thunderstruck and having neither eyes nor 3.8.2 soul, they disregarded the proclamations of God, in one case when a star stood over the city, resembling a sword, and a comet that continued for a year, and in another, when before the revolt and the movement towards war, as the people were gathering for the feast of Unleavened Bread, on the eighth of the month Xanthicus, at the ninth hour of the night, so great a light shone around the altar and the temple, that it seemed to be bright day, and this lasted for half an hour; which to the inexperienced seemed to be a good omen, but was immediately interpreted by the sacred scribes before the events that followed. 3.8.3 and at the

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τὴν ἅλωσιν ἐνδεικνυμένους, ἀνῃρῆσθαι, τῶν δὲ νέων τοὺς ὑψηλοτάτους καὶ κάλλει σώματος διαφέροντας τετηρῆσθαι θριάμβῳ, τοῦ δὲ λοιποῦ πλήθους τοὺς ὑπὲρ ἑπτακαίδεκα ἔτη δεσμίους εἰς τὰ κατ' Αἴγυπτον ἔργα παραπεμφθῆναι, πλείους δὲ εἰς τὰς ἐπαρχίας διανενεμῆσθαι φθαρησομένους ἐν τοῖς θεάτροις σιδήρῳ καὶ θηρίοις, τοὺς δ' ἐντὸς ἑπτακαίδεκα ἐτῶν αἰχμαλώτους ἀχθέντας διαπεπρᾶσθαι, τούτων δὲ μόνων τὸν ἀριθμὸν εἰς ἐννέα μυριάδας ἀνδρῶν συναχθῆναι. 3.7.3 ταῦτα δὲ τοῦτον ἐπράχθη τὸν τρόπον δευτέρῳ τῆς Οὐεσπασιανοῦ βασιλείας ἔτει ἀκολούθως ταῖς προγνωστικαῖς τοῦ κυρίου καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ προρρήσεσιν, θείᾳ δυνάμει ὥσπερ ἤδη παρόντα προεορακότος αὐτὰ ἐπιδακρύσαντός τε καὶ ἀποκλαυσαμένου κατὰ τὴν τῶν ἱερῶν εὐαγγελιστῶν γραφήν, οἳ καὶ αὐτὰς αὐτοῦ παρατέθεινται τὰς λέξεις, τοτὲ μὲν φήσαντος ὡς πρὸς αὐτὴν τὴν Ἱερουσαλήμ· «εἰ ἔγνως καί γε σὺ ἐν τῇ 3.7.4 ἡμέρᾳ ταύτῃ τὰ πρὸς εἰρήνην σου· νῦν δὲ ἐκρύβη ἀπὸ ὀφθαλμῶν σου· ὅτι ἥξουσιν ἡμέραι ἐπὶ σέ, καὶ περιβαλοῦσίν σοι οἱ ἐχθροί σου χάρακα, καὶ περικυκλώσουσίν σε, καὶ συνέξουσίν σε πάντοθεν, 3.7.5 καὶ ἐδαφιοῦσίν σε καὶ τὰ τέκνα σου, τοτὲ δὲ ὡς περὶ τοῦ λαοῦ ἔσται γὰρ ἀνάγκη μεγάλη ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, καὶ ὀργὴ τῷ λαῷ τούτῳ· καὶ πεσοῦνται ἐν στόματι μαχαίρας καὶ αἰχμαλωτισθήσονται εἰς πάντα τὰ ἔθνη· καὶ Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἔσται πατουμένη ὑπὸ ἐθνῶν, ἄχρις οὗ πληρωθῶσιν καιροὶ ἐθνῶν». καὶ πάλιν· «ὅταν δὲ ἴδητε κυκλουμένην ὑπὸ στρατοπέδων τὴν Ἱερουσαλήμ, τότε γνῶτε ὅτι ἤγγικεν ἡ ἐρήμωσις αὐτῆς». 3.7.6 συγκρίνας δέ τις τὰς τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν λέξεις ταῖς λοιπαῖς τοῦ συγγραφέως ἱστορίαις ταῖς περὶ τοῦ παντὸς πολέμου, πῶς οὐκ ἂν ἀποθαυμάσειεν, θείαν ὡς ἀληθῶς καὶ ὑπερφυῶς παράδοξον τὴν πρόγνωσιν ὁμοῦ καὶ πρόρρησιν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν 3.7.7 ὁμολογήσας; περὶ μὲν οὖν τῶν μετὰ τὸ σωτήριον πάθος καὶ τὰς φωνὰς ἐκείνας ἐν αἷς ἡ τῶν Ἰουδαίων πληθὺς τὸν μὲν λῃστὴν καὶ φονέα τοῦ θανάτου παρῄτηται, τὸν δ' ἀρχηγὸν τῆς ζωῆς ἐξ αὐτῶν ἱκέτευσεν ἀρθῆναι, τῷ παντὶ συμβεβηκότων ἔθνει, οὐδὲν ἂν δέοι ταῖς ἱστορίαις ἐπιλέγειν, ταῦτα δ' ἂν εἴη 3.7.8 δίκαιον ἐπιθεῖναι, ἃ γένοιτ' ἂν παραστατικὰ φιλανθρωπίας τῆς παναγάθου προνοίας, τεσσαράκοντα ἐφ' ὅλοις ἔτεσιν μετὰ τὴν κατὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ τόλμαν τὸν κατ' αὐτῶν ὄλεθρον ὑπερθεμένης, ἐν ὅσοις τῶν ἀποστόλων καὶ τῶν μαθητῶν πλείους Ἰάκωβός τε αὐτὸς ὁ τῇδε πρῶτος ἐπίσκοπος, τοῦ κυρίου χρηματίζων ἀδελφός, ἔτι τῷ βίῳ περιόντες καὶ ἐπ' αὐτῆς τῆς Ἱεροσολύμων πόλεως τὰς διατριβὰς ποιούμενοι, ἕρκος ὥσπερ ὀχυρώτατον παρέμενον 3.7.9 τῷ τόπῳ, τῆς θείας ἐπισκοπῆς εἰς ἔτι τότε μακροθυμούσης, εἰ ἄρα ποτὲ δυνηθεῖεν ἐφ' οἷς ἔδρασαν, μετανοήσαντες συγγνώμης καὶ σωτηρίας τυχεῖν, καὶ πρὸς τῇ τοσαύτῃ μακροθυμίᾳ παραδόξους θεοσημείας τῶν μελλόντων αὐτοῖς μὴ μετανοήσασι συμβήσεσθαι παρασχομένης· ἃ καὶ αὐτὰ μνήμης ἠξιωμένα πρὸς τοῦ δεδηλωμένου συγγραφέως οὐδὲν οἷον τοῖς τῇδε προσιοῦσιν τῇ γραφῇ παραθεῖναι. 3.8.1 Καὶ δὴ λαβὼν ἀνάγνωθι τὰ κατὰ τὴν ἕκτην τῶν Ἱστοριῶν αὐτῷ δεδηλωμένα ἐν τούτοις· «τὸν γοῦν ἄθλιον δῆμον οἱ μὲν ἀπατεῶνες καὶ καταψευδόμενοι τοῦ θεοῦ τηνικαῦτα παρέπειθον, τοῖς δ' ἐναργέσι καὶ προσημαίνουσι τὴν μέλλουσαν ἐρημίαν τέρασιν οὔτε προσεῖχον οὔτ' ἐπίστευον, ἀλλ' ὡς ἐμβεβροντημένοι καὶ μήτε ὄμματα μήτε 3.8.2 ψυχὴν ἔχοντες τῶν τοῦ θεοῦ κηρυγμάτων παρήκουον, τοῦτο μὲν ὅθ' ὑπὲρ τὴν πόλιν ἄστρον ἔστη ῥομφαίᾳ παραπλήσιον καὶ παρατείνας ἐπ' ἐνιαυτὸν κομήτης, τοῦτο δ' ἡνίκα πρὸ τῆς ἀποστάσεως καὶ τοῦ πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον κινήματος, ἀθροιζομένου τοῦ λαοῦ πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἀζύμων ἑορτήν, ὀγδόῃ Ξανθικοῦ μηνὸς κατὰ νυκτὸς ἐνάτην ὥραν, τοσοῦτον φῶς περιέλαμψεν τὸν βωμὸν καὶ τὸν ναόν, ὡς δοκεῖν ἡμέραν εἶναι λαμπράν, καὶ τοῦτο παρέτεινεν ἐφ' ἡμίσειαν ὥραν· ὃ τοῖς μὲν ἀπείροις ἀγαθὸν ἐδόκει εἶναι, τοῖς δὲ ἱερογραμματεῦσι πρὸ τῶν ἀποβεβηκότων εὐθέως ἐκρίθη. 3.8.3 καὶ κατὰ τὴν