John Chrysostom, Against the Jews

having said, there will be nothing more for them for their own glory; but from the struggles against the Jews, great pleasure would come to them, and they would listen most eagerly to these words spoken on behalf of the glory of God. For the martyrs especially hate the Jews, since they greatly loved the one who was crucified by them. For these said, His blood be upon us and upon our children; but those poured out their own blood for the one who was killed by them. So they would gladly listen to these words. 2. That, therefore, if the present servitude were to receive an end, the prophets would have foretold this also, and would not have been silent, we have sufficiently demonstrated, by showing that all the captivities were brought upon them with forewarning: the one in Egypt, the one in Babylon, the one under Antiochus Epiphanes; for we have shown through the divine Scriptures that for each of these a time and place were proclaimed beforehand; but for the present one, no prophet has determined a time, but that it would come, and lay waste to all things, and would change the commonwealth, and after how much time from the return from Babylon it would happen, Daniel foretold. But that it will have an end, and that these evils will cease somewhere, neither he nor any other prophet has declared, but he foretold the opposite, that this servitude will hold them until the consummation. And the great length of time that has passed since then bears witness to what has been said, having shown not even a trace, nor a beginning of a favorable change even to this day, and this despite their having often attempted to raise up the temple. For indeed once, and twice, and three times, under Hadrian and Constantine and Julian, they attempted and were prevented; at that time by soldiers, but later by fire leaping out from the foundations, and restraining them from their untimely contention. Next I would gladly ask them: For what reason, tell me, after spending so much time in Egypt, did you receive back your own fatherland, and having been carried away again to Babylon, did you return to Jerusalem? Again, after suffering such evils under Antiochus, you returned to your former state; and again sacrifices, and an altar, and the holy of holies, and all things you received back with their former dignity. But now nothing of the sort has happened; but one hundred and twice that many years, and three and four times, and many more have passed; for it is now the five hundredth year from that time until our own; and we see not even a hint of such a change appearing anywhere, but their affairs have completely fallen away, not even in a dream showing 48.906 any such expectation as before. For if they should put forward their own sins, and say, that "Because we sinned against God, and offended him, for this reason we do not receive back our own land," and those who are shameless when the prophets continuously accuse them, and who deny when their blood-guiltiness is lamented, will these now confess and condemn their own sins; I would gladly ask each of them again: Is it because of your sins, O Jew, that you are living outside Jerusalem for so long a time? And what is common and paradoxical? For do you live in sins only now, but at the beginning in righteousness and good deeds? Have you not from the first and from the beginning been involved in countless transgressions? Did not Ezekiel the prophet make countless accusations against you, when he introduced the two harlots, Oholah and Oholibah, saying that "You built a brothel in Egypt, and you were mad for the barbarians, and you served foreign gods"? And what? While the sea was being parted, and the rocks were being broken, and so many wonders were happening in the desert, did you not worship a calf? Did you not often attempt to kill Moses, now stoning him, now driving him out, and in countless other ways? Did you not continually blaspheme against God? Were you not initiated into Baal-peor? Did you not slaughter your sons and your daughters to demons? Did you not exhibit every form of impiety and sin? Does not the prophet say from the person of God

εἰπὼν, οὐδὲν αὐτοῖς εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν δόξαν ἔσται πλέον· ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν κατὰ Ἰουδαίων ἀγώνων πολλὴ γένοιτ' ἂν αὐτοῖς ἡδονὴ, καὶ σφόδρα ἂν τούτων μάλιστα ἐπακούσαιεν τῶν λόγων τῶν ὑπὲρ τῆς δόξης τοῦ Θεοῦ λεγομένων. Ἰουδαίους γὰρ μάλιστα μισοῦσιν οἱ μάρτυρες, ἐπειδὴ τὸν ὑπ' ἐκείνων σταυρωθέντα σφόδρα ἐφίλησαν. Οὗτοι μὲν γὰρ ἔλεγον, Τὸ αἷμα αὐτοῦ ἐφ' ἡμᾶς καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ τέκνα ἡμῶν· ἐκεῖνοι δὲ καὶ τὸ αἷμα τὸ ἑαυτῶν ἐξέχεαν διὰ τὸν ὑπ' ἐκείνων ἀναιρεθέντα. Ὥστε ἡδέως ἂν τούτων ἐπακούσαιεν τῶν λόγων. βʹ. Ὅτι μὲν οὖν, εἰ τέλος ἔμελλε λήψεσθαι ἡ παροῦσα δουλεία, καὶ τοῦτο ἂν προεῖπον οἱ προφῆται, καὶ οὐκ ἂν ἐσίγησαν, ἱκανῶς ἀπεδείξαμεν, τὰς αἰχμαλωσίας ἁπάσας μετὰ προῤῥήσεως δείξαντες ἐπενεχθείσας αὐτοῖς, τὴν ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ, τὴν ἐν Βαβυλῶνι, τὴν ἐπὶ Ἀντιόχου τοῦ Ἐπιφανοῦς· ἑκάστῃ γὰρ τούτων καὶ χρόνον καὶ τόπον προανακηρυχθέντα ἀπεδείξαμεν διὰ τῶν θείων Γραφῶν· τῇ παρούσῃ δὲ οὐδεὶς ὥρισε χρόνον προφήτης, ἀλλ' ὅτι μὲν ἥξει, καὶ ἐρημώσει πάντα, καὶ μεταστήσει τὴν πολιτείαν, καὶ μετὰ πόσον χρόνον τῆς ἐκ τῆς Βαβυλῶνος ἐπανόδου συμβήσεται, προεῖπεν ὁ ∆ανιήλ. Ὅτι δὲ ἕξει τέλος, καὶ στήσεταί που τὰ κακὰ ταῦτα, οὔτε ἐκεῖνος ἐδήλωσεν, οὔτε ἄλλος τις προφήτης, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὐναντίον προεῖπεν, ὅτι ἕως συντελείας καθέξει αὐτοὺς ἡ δουλεία αὕτη. Καὶ μαρτυρεῖ τοῖς εἰρημένοις ὁ χρόνος ὁ τοσοῦτος ἐξ ἐκείνου γενόμενος, καὶ οὐδὲ ἴχνος, οὐδὲ προοίμιον οὐδέπω μέχρι καὶ σήμερον ἐμφήνας χρηστῆς μεταβολῆς, καὶ ταῦτα πολλάκις ἐπιχειρησάντων αὐτῶν ἀναστῆσαι τὸν ναόν. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἅπαξ, καὶ δὶς, καὶ τρὶς, ἐπὶ Ἀδριανοῦ καὶ Κωνσταντίνου καὶ Ἰουλιανοῦ ἐπιχειρήσαντες διεκωλύθησαν· τότε μὲν ὑπὸ στρατιωτῶν, ὕστερον δὲ πυρὸς τῶν θεμελίων ἐκπηδήσαντος, καὶ κατασχόντος αὐτοὺς τῆς ἀκαίρου φιλονεικίας. Λοιπὸν δὲ ἡδέως ἂν αὐτοὺς ἐροίμην ἐγὼ, Τίνος ἕνεκεν, εἰπέ μοι, ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ μὲν τοσοῦτον διατρίψαντες χρόνον, ἀπελάβετε τὴν οἰκείαν πατρίδα, καὶ εἰς Βαβυλῶνα πάλιν ἀπαχθέντες, ἐπανήλθετε εἰς τὰ Ἱεροσόλυμα; Πάλιν ἐπὶ Ἀντιόχου τοσαῦτα παθόντες κακὰ, πρὸς τὸ πρότερον ἐπανήλθετε σχῆμα· καὶ πάλιν θυσίας, καὶ βωμὸν, καὶ τὰ ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων, καὶ πάντα μετὰ τῆς προτέρας ἀπελάβετε ἀξίας. Νυνὶ δὲ οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον γεγένηται· ἀλλ' ἑκατὸν καὶ δὶς τοσούτων ἐτῶν καὶ τρὶς καὶ τετράκις, καὶ πολλῷ πλειόνων παρελθόντων· πεντακοσιοστὸν γὰρ λοιπὸν ἐξ ἐκείνου ἐστὶν ἔτος μέχρις ἡμῶν· καὶ οὐδὲ αἴνιγμα τοιαύτης μεταβολῆς ὁρῶμέν που φαινόμενον, ἀλλ' ἀποπεπτωκότα αὐτοῖς τὰ πράγματα τέλεον, καὶ οὐδὲ ὄναρ τοιαύτην ἐνδεικνύ48.906 μενά τινα προσδοκίαν οἵαν τὸ πρότερον. Εἰ γὰρ τὰς ἁμαρτίας τὰς ἑαυτῶν προβάλλοιντο, καὶ εἴποιεν, ὅτι Ἐπειδὴ ἡμάρτομεν τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ προσεκρούσαμεν αὐτῷ, διὰ τοῦτο τὴν οἰκείαν οὐκ ἀπολαμβάνομεν χώραν, καὶ οἱ συνεχῶς κατηγορούντων τῶν προφητῶν ἀναισχυντοῦντες, καὶ τραγῳδούντων τὰς μιαιφονίας αὐτῶν ἀρνούμενοι, οὗτοι νῦν ἐξομολογήσονται καὶ καταγνώσονται τῶν οἰκείων ἁμαρτημάτων· ἡδέως ἂν αὐτῶν ἕκαστον ἐρήσομαι πάλιν· ∆ιὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας σου, ὦ Ἰουδαῖε, ἔξω τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ διατρίβεις ἐπὶ χρόνον τοσοῦτον; Καὶ τί τὸ κοινὸν καὶ τὸ παράδοξον; Μὴ γὰρ νῦν ἐν ἁμαρτίαις μόνον ζῆτε, παρὰ δὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ καὶ κατορθώμασιν; οὐκ ἄνωθεν καὶ ἐξ ἀρχῆς μυρίαις συνανεστράφητε παρανομίαις; οὐ μυρία κατηγόρησεν ὑμῶν Ἰεζεκιὴλ ὁ προφήτης, ὅτε τὰς δύο πόρνας εἰσήγαγε, τὴν Ὀλᾶ, καὶ τὴν Ὀλιβᾶ, λέγων, ὅτι Πορνεῖον ᾠκοδομήσατε ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ, καὶ ἐπεμαίνεσθε τοῖς βαρβάροις, καὶ τοὺς ἀλλοτρίους ἐθεραπεύετε θεούς; Τί δέ; οὐχὶ τῆς θαλάσσης σχιζομένης, καὶ τῶν πετρῶν ῥηγνυμένων, καὶ τοσούτων θαυμάτων γινομένων ἐπὶ τῆς ἐρήμου, μόσχον προσεκυνήσατε; οὐ τὸν Μωϋσέα νῦν μὲν λίθοις βάλλοντες, νῦν δὲ ἐλαύνοντες, καὶ ἑτέροις μυρίοις τρόποις ἀνελεῖν ἐπεχειρήσατε πολλάκις; οὐ διετελεῖτε βλασφημοῦντες εἰς τὸν Θεόν; οὐ τῷ Βεελφεγὼρ ἐτελέσθητε; οὐ τοὺς υἱοὺς ὑμῶν ἐσφάξατε καὶ τὰς θυγατέρας ὑμῶν τοῖς δαιμονίοις; οὐ πᾶν εἶδος ἀσεβείας καὶ ἁμαρτίας ἐπεδείξασθε; οὐχ ὁ προφήτης φησὶν ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ Θεοῦ