John Chrysostom, Against the Jews

hoping, the mad and foolish one, to set aside the decree of Christ, which did not allow that temple to be raised. But He who catches the wise in their craftiness, immediately made it clear by his works, that the decrees of God are more powerful than all things, and the works of the words of God are mighty. For as they undertook this lawless endeavor, and began to lay bare the foundations, and removed much soil, and were then about to begin the building; fire leaping out from the foundations immediately burned up many men, and not only them but also the stones of that place, and stopped the untimely contentiousness not only of those who undertook the work, but also many Jews, seeing this, were amazed and put to shame. When the emperor Julian heard these things, although having such madness for that endeavor, fearing that if he went any further he would call the fire down upon his own head, he desisted, defeated along with the entire nation. And now if you go to Jerusalem, you will see the bare foundations; and if you should ask the reason, you will hear no other than this one. And we are all witnesses of this; for in our time, not long ago, these things happened. And consider the splendor of the victory. For this did not happen in the times of pious emperors, so that some might not say that Christians came and prevented these things, but when our people were being persecuted, when we were all in danger for our lives, and all human freedom of speech was taken away, and Hellenic things flourished, and of the faithful, some were hiding in their houses, while others moved to the deserts, and fled the marketplaces; it was then indeed that these things happened, so that no pretext for shamelessness might be left to them.

12. Do you then still dispute, O Jew, seeing the testimony from the prophecy of Christ and the proof from the prophets and the events condemning you? But it is no wonder; for such from the beginning has been your nation, 48.902 shameless and contentious, and practiced in always fighting against manifest facts. Do you wish that I also arm for you other prophets saying this very thing plainly, that your things will come to an end, but ours will flourish, and the preaching of Christ will be extended to every part of the world, and another manner of sacrifice will be introduced, with those among you having been abolished? Hear, then, Malachi, who came after the other prophets; for I do not now bring forward the testimony of Isaiah, nor of Jeremiah, nor of the other prophets before the captivity, so that you might not say that these terrible things which they foretold came to pass at the time of the captivity; but I bring forward a prophet after the return from Babylon, and the restoration of the city, who prophesied clearly concerning your affairs. For since they returned, and recovered the city, and rebuilt the temple, and were performing the sacrifices, foretelling this coming desolation which is now, and the abolition of the sacrifices, thus says Malachi from the person of God: Shall I accept your persons from you, says the Lord Almighty; for from the rising of the sun to its setting my name has been glorified among the nations, and in every place incense is offered to my name, and a pure sacrifice; but you profane it. When did these things come to pass, O Jew? When was incense offered to God in every place? When a pure sacrifice? You could not name another time, other than this one after the coming of Christ; for if it does not foretell this time, nor our sacrifice, but the Jewish one, the prophecy will also be contrary to the law. For if, when Moses commanded to offer sacrifice in no other place, except in the place which the Lord God should choose, and confined those sacrifices to one spot, the prophet says that in every place incense would be offered, and a pure sacrifice, he opposes and fights against Moses. But there is no fight and contention; for he spoke of another, and concerning

ἐλπίζων ὁ μεμηνὼς καὶ ἀνόητος τοῦ Χριστοῦ περιγράφειν τὴν ἀπόφασιν, τὴν οὐκ ἐῶσαν ἀναστῆναι τὸν ναὸν ἐκεῖνον. Ἀλλ' ὁ δρασσόμενος τοὺς σοφοὺς ἐν τῇ πανουργίᾳ αὐτῶν, εὐθέως διὰ τῶν ἔργων ἐδήλου, ὅτε αἱ τοῦ Θεοῦ ψῆφοι πάντων εἰσὶ δυνατώτεραι, καὶ ἰσχυρὰ τὰ ἔργα τῶν λόγων τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ὡς γὰρ ἥψαντο τῆς παρανόμου ταύτης σπουδῆς, καὶ γυμνοῦν ἤρξαντο τὰ θεμέλια, καὶ πολὺν ἐκένωσαν χοῦν, καὶ τῆς οἰκοδομῆς ἅπτεσθαι λοιπὸν ἤμελλον· πῦρ ἐκπηδῆσαν ἐκ τῶν θεμελίων εὐθέως κατέφλεξέ τε πολλοὺς ἀνθρώπους, οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς λίθους τοῦ τόπου ἐκείνου, καὶ τῆς ἀκαίρου φιλονεικίας ἔστησεν οὐ μόνον τοὺς τὸ ἔργον ἐπιχειρήσαντας, ἀλλὰ καὶ Ἰουδαῖοι πολλοὶ τοῦτο θεασάμενοι ἐξέστησαν καὶ ᾐσχύνθησαν. Ταῦτα ἀκούσας ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἰουλιανὸς, καίτοι τοσαύτην μανίαν ἔχων περὶ τὴν σπουδὴν ἐκείνην, δείσας μὴ περαιτέρω προελθὼν ἐπὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ κεφαλὴν καλέσῃ τὸ πῦρ, ἀπέστη ἡττηθεὶς μετὰ τοῦ ἔθνους παντός. Καὶ νῦν ἐὰν ἔλθῃς εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα, γυμνὰ ὄψει τὰ θεμέλια· κἂν τὴν αἰτίαν ζητήσῃς, οὐδεμίαν ἀλλ' ἢ ταύτην ἀκούσεις. Καὶ τούτου μάρτυρες ἡμεῖς πάντες· ἐφ' ἡμῶν γὰρ, οὐ πρὸ πολλοῦ ταῦτα γέγονε χρόνου. Καὶ σκόπει νίκης περιφάνειαν. Οὐ γὰρ ἐν χρόνοις βασιλέων εὐσεβῶν τοῦτο συνέβη, ἵνα μή τινες λέγωσιν, ὅτι Χριστιανοὶ ταῦτα ἐπελθόντες διεκώλυσαν, ἀλλ' ἡνίκα τὰ ἡμέτερα ἠλαύνετο, ἡνίκα περὶ τοῦ ζῇν πάντες ἐκινδυνεύομεν, καὶ παῤῥησία ἀνθρωπίνη πᾶσα παρῃρεῖτο, καὶ τὰ Ἑλληνικὰ ἤνθει, καὶ τῶν πιστῶν οἱ μὲν ἐν τοῖς οἴκοις ἐκρύπτοντο, οἱ δὲ πρὸς τὰς ἐρημίας μετῳκίζοντο, καὶ τὰς ἀγορὰς ἔφευγον· τότε δὴ ταῦτα ἐγίνετο, ἵνα μηδεμία ἀναισχυντίας αὐτοῖς καταλιμπάνηται πρόφασις.

ιβʹ. Ἔτι οὖν ἀμφισβητεῖς, ὦ Ἰουδαῖε, καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ τῆς Χριστοῦ προῤῥήσεως, καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν προφητῶν καὶ τῆς τῶν πραγμάτων ἀποδείξεως μαρτυρίαν ὁρῶν σου καταψηφιζομένην; Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν θαυμαστόν· τοιοῦτον γὰρ ὑμῶν τὸ ἔθνος ἄνωθεν 48.902 ἀναίσχυντον καὶ φιλόνεικον, καὶ τοῖς φανεροῖς ἀεὶ μάχεσθαι μεμελετηκὸς πράγμασι. Βούλει καὶ ἑτέρους ἐφοπλίσω σοι προφήτας φανερῶς αὐτὸ τοῦτο λέγοντας, ὅτι τὰ μὲν ὑμέτερα λήψεται τέλος, τὰ δὲ ἡμέτερα ἀνθήσει, καὶ πανταχοῦ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἐκταθήσεται τὸ κήρυγμα τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ θυσίας ἑτέρας εἰσενεχθήσεται τρόπος, ἐκείνων τῶν παρ' ὑμῖν καταλυθεισῶν; Ἄκουσον γοῦν τοῦ Μαλαχίου, τοῦ μετὰ τοὺς ἄλλους προφήτας ἐλθόντος· οὐδὲ γὰρ Ἡσαΐου παράγω μαρτυρίαν τέως, οὐδὲ Ἱερεμίου, οὐδὲ τῶν ἄλλων προφητῶν τῶν πρὸ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας, ἵνα μὴ λέγῃς, ὅτι τὰ δεινὰ ταῦτα ἃ προέλεγον, ἐπὶ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας ἐξέβη· ἀλλὰ παράγω προφήτην τὸν μετὰ τὴν ἐπάνοδον τὴν ἐκ Βαβυλῶνος, καὶ τὴν τῆς πόλεως ἀποκατάστασιν, σαφῶς περὶ τῶν ὑμετέρων πραγμάτων προφητεύσαντα. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐπανῆλθον, καὶ τὴν πόλιν ἀπέλαβον, καὶ τὸν ναὸν ἀνῳκοδόμησαν, καὶ τὰς θυσίας ἐπετέλουν, τὴν μέλλουσαν ἐρήμωσιν ταύτην τὴν νῦν προλέγων, καὶ τὴν τῶν θυσιῶν ἀναίρεσιν, οὕτω πώς φησιν ὁ Μαλαχίας ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ Θεοῦ· Εἰ λήψομαι ἐξ ὑμῶν πρόσωπα ὑμῶν, λέγει Κύριος παντοκράτωρ· ὅτι ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν ἡλίου μέχρι δυσμῶν τὸ ὄνομά μου δεδόξασται ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι, καὶ ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ θυμίαμα προσάγεται τῷ ὀνόματί μου, καὶ θυσία καθαρά· ὑμεῖς δὲ βεβηλοῦτε αὐτό. Πότε ταῦτα ἐξέβη, ὦ Ἰουδαῖε; πότε ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ θυμίαμα προσηνέχθη τῷ Θεῷ; πότε θυσία καθαρά; Οὐκ ἂν ἔχοις ἕτερον εἰπεῖν καιρὸν, ἀλλ' ἢ τοῦτον τὸν μετὰ τὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ παρουσίαν· ὡς εἰ μὴ τοῦτον προλέγει τὸν καιρὸν, μηδὲ τὴν θυσίαν τὴν ἡμετέραν, ἀλλὰ τὴν Ἰουδαϊκὴν, καὶ παράνομος ἔσται ἡ προφητεία. Εἰ γὰρ τοῦ Μωϋσέως κελεύοντος εἰς μηδένα ἕτερον τόπον ἀνάγειν θυσίαν, ἀλλ' ἢ εἰς τὸν τόπον ὃν ἂν ἐκλέξηται Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ εἰς ἓν χωρίον συγκλείοντος τὰς θυσίας ἐκείνας, ὁ προφήτης λέγει, ὅτι ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ θυμίαμα μέλλοι προσάγεσθαι, καὶ θυσία καθαρὰ, ἐναντιοῦται καὶ μάχεται τῷ Μωϋσῇ. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔστι μάχη καὶ φιλονεικία· περὶ γὰρ ἑτέρας ἐκεῖνος εἶπε, καὶ περὶ