John Chrysostom, Against the Jews

the working that occurred at the anointing, the manifestation upon the priest's stones? For indeed the Jewish polity did not have all its origins from below, but the more numerous and more venerable ones from above, from the heavens; for instance, He permitted sacrifices to be made. Now, the altar was below, and the wood, and the knife, and the priest; but the fire, which was to go into that sanctuary and consume the sacrifices, had its origin from above. For a man did not bring fire into the temple, but a flame brought down from above, thus fulfilled the ministry of the sacrifice. And again, whenever it was necessary to learn something, from between the cherubim from the mercy-seat a certain voice was borne, and foretold future things. Again, upon the stones on the breast of the high priest, which they called the manifestation, a certain shining occurred, and it signified future things. In addition to these things, whenever someone had to be anointed, the grace of tiredness hovered over, and the oil leaped up; and prophets ministered in these matters, and often a cloud and smoke took possession of the sanctuary. Therefore, so that the Jews might not be shameless, nor attribute their desolation to men, He not only allowed the city to fall, and the temple to be made desolate, but also He caused those things, which had their origins from the heavens, to be removed, the fire, the voice, the shining of the stones, all other such things. Therefore when the Jew says to you, "Men made war against us, men plotted against us," say to him, Most of all, indeed, men would not have made war, if God had not permitted it. But let it be, men pulled down your wall; did a man prevent the fire from being brought down from above? did a man stop the voice continually heard from the mercy-seat? the manifestation on the stones? the priestly anointing? did a man take down all the other things? did not God suspend these things? It is surely clear to everyone. For what reason then did He take them away? is it not quite clear, that it was because He hated you and turned away from you completely? "No," he says; "but because we do not have the mother city, for this reason we do not have these things." And for what reason do you not have the mother city? Is it not because God abandoned you? But rather, that we may from abundance stop their shameless mouths, come, let us prove this also through the Scriptures themselves, that the destruction of the temple is not the cause of the cessation of prophecy, but the wrath of God, and that they provoked Him more now through their madness against Christ, than when they worshipped the calf. For when Moses prophesied, there was neither temple nor altar, but they continued committing countless impieties, and the gift of prophecy did not fly away, but both this great and noble man himself, and again seventy others besides him were then shown to be prophets. And not only then, but also after this when the temple was given, and all the rest of the worship; then when it was burned, and all were led away to Babylon, again Ezekiel and Daniel, not seeing the holy of holies, not standing beside the altar, but in the midst of a barbarian land, being among lawless and unclean men, they were filled with the spirit, and foretold future things, and spoke of things much more numerous and more wondrous than those before, and they beheld a divine vision, as it was possible for them to see. For what reason then, tell me, do you not now have prophets? Is it not quite clear that it is because God has turned away from your affairs? For what reason then did He turn away from you? This too is again quite clear, that it was on account of the Crucified one and that lawless deed of daring. "From where is this clear?" he says. From the fact that while before this you acted impiously, you obtained all things, but now, while seeming to live more respectably after the cross, you endure a greater punishment, and enjoy none of the former things. 5. But that you may also learn from the prophets themselves, as they clearly and explicitly present the cause of the present evils, hear what Isaiah says, how he foretells both the future benefit for all through Christ, and your ingratitude. By his stripe, he says, we were healed; the one through the cross

τὴν ἐπὶ τῷ χρίσματι γενομένην ἐνέργειαν, τὴν δήλωσιν τὴν ἐπὶ τῶν λίθων τοῦ ἱερέως; Καὶ γὰρ ἡ Ἰουδαϊκὴ πολιτεία οὐχὶ κάτωθεν πάσας εἶχε τὰς ἀρχὰς, ἀλλὰ τὰς πλείους καὶ σεμνοτέρας ἄνωθεν ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν· οἷόν τι λέγω, θυσίας συνεχώρησε γενέσθαι. Ὁ μὲν οὖν βωμὸς κάτω ἦν, καὶ τὰ ξύλα, καὶ ἡ μάχαιρα, καὶ ὁ ἱερεύς· τὸ δὲ πῦρ, τὸ μέλλον ἰέναι ἐν τοῖς ἀδύτοις ἐκείνοις καὶ τὰς θυσίας δαπανᾷν, ἄνωθεν εἶχε τὴν ἀρχήν. Οὐ γὰρ ἄνθρωπος εἰς τὸν ναὸν εἰσῆγε πῦρ, ἀλλὰ φλὸξ ἄνωθεν κατενεχθεῖσα, οὕτω τὴν ἐπὶ τῆς θυσίας διακονίαν ἐπλήρου. Καὶ πάλιν εἴ ποτε ἔδει τι μαθεῖν, ἀνὰ μέσον τῶν χερουβὶμ ἐκ τοῦ ἱλαστηρίου φωνή τις ἐφέρετο, καὶ τὰ μέλλοντα προὔλεγε. Πάλιν ἐπὶ τῶν λίθων τῶν ἐπὶ τοῦ στήθους τοῦ ἀρχιερέως, ὅπερ ἐκάλουν δήλωσιν, ἐγίνετό τις ἔκλαμψις, καὶ τὰ μέλλοντα ἐσήμαινε. Πρὸς τούτοις, ἡνίκα τινὰ χρίεσθαι ἔδει, ἡ τοῦ Πνεύματος χάρις ἐφίπτατο, καὶ τὸ ἔλαιον ἀνεπήδα· καὶ προφῆται τούτοις διηκόνουν τοῖς πράγμασι, καὶ νεφέλη πολλάκις καὶ καπνὸς τὰ ἄδυτα κατελάμβανεν. Ἵν' οὖν μὴ ἀναισχυντῶσιν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, μηδὲ ἀνθρώποις λογίζωνται τὴν αὐτῶν ἐρήμωσιν, οὐχὶ τὴν πόλιν μόνον ἀφῆκε πεσεῖν, καὶ τὸν ναὸν ἐρημωθῆναι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ πράγματα ἐκεῖνα, ἅπερ ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν τὰς ἀρχὰς εἶχεν, ἐκποδὼν γενέσθαι ἐποίησε, τὸ πῦρ, τὴν φωνὴν, τὴν τῶν λίθων ἔκλαμψιν, τὰ ἄλλα πάντα τὰ τοιαῦτα. Ὅταν οὖν λέγῃ σοι ὁ Ἰουδαῖος, ὅτι ἄνθρωποι ἡμῖν ἐπολέμησαν, ἄνθρωποι ἐπεβούλευσαν, εἰπὲ πρὸς αὐτὸν, Μάλιστα μὲν οὐκ ἂν ἐπολέμησαν ἄνθρωποι, εἰ μὴ ὁ Θεὸς συνεχώρησεν. Ἔστω δὲ, τὸ τεῖχός σου καθεῖλον οἱ ἄνθρωποι· μὴ τὸ πῦρ ἄνωθεν καταφέρεσθαι ἄνθρωπος ἐκώλυσεν; μὴ τὴν φωνὴν τὴν ἐκ τοῦ ἱλαστηρίου συνεχῶς ἀκουομένην ἄνθρωπος ἐπέσχε; μὴ τὴν δήλωσιν τὴν ἐπὶ τῶν λίθων; μὴ τὸ χρῖσμα τὸ ἱερατικόν; μὴ τὰ ἄλλα ἅπαντα καθεῖλεν ἄνθρωπος; οὐχ ὁ Θεὸς ταῦτα ἀνέστειλεν; Παντί που δῆλόν ἐστι. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν ἀνεῖλεν; οὐκ εὔδηλον, ὅτι μισήσας ὑμᾶς καὶ ἀποστραφεὶς καθάπαξ; Οὐχὶ, φησίν· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τὴν μητρόπολιν οὐκ ἔχομεν, διὰ τοῦτο ταῦτα οὐκ ἔχομεν. Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν τὴν μητρόπολιν οὐκ ἔχετε; οὐκ ἐπειδὴ ὑμᾶς ὁ Θεὸς ἐγκατέλιπε; Μᾶλλον δὲ, ἵνα ἐκ περιουσίας τὰ ἀναίσχυντα αὐτῶν ἐμφράξωμεν στόματα, φέρε καὶ τοῦτο δι' αὐτῶν ἀποδείξωμεν τῶν Γραφῶν, ὅτι οὐχ ἡ τοῦ ναοῦ κατασκαφὴ τῆς κατὰ τὴν προφητείαν ἀναιρέσεώς ἐστιν ἡ αἰτία, ἀλλ' ἡ ὀργὴ τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τὸ μειζόνως αὐτὸν παροξῦναι νῦν διὰ τῆς εἰς τὸν Χριστὸν μανίας, ἢ ὅτε τὸν μόσχον προσεκύνησαν. Ὅτε γοῦν ὁ Μωϋσῆς προεφήτευσεν, οὔτε ναὸς ἦν, οὔτε βωμὸς, ἀλλὰ μυρία ἀσεβοῦντες διετέλουν, καὶ τὸ τῆς προφητείας οὐκ ἀπέπτη χάρισμα, ἀλλὰ καὶ οὗτος αὐτὸς ὁ μέγας καὶ γενναῖος ἀνὴρ, καὶ ἕτεροι πρὸς τούτῳ πάλιν ἑβδομήκοντα ἀνεδείχθησαν τότε προφῆται. Καὶ οὐ τότε μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ναοῦ δοθέντος, καὶ τῆς ἄλλης λατρείας ἁπάσης· εἶτα ἐμπρησθέντος τούτου, καὶ πάντων ἀχθέντων εἰς Βαβυλῶνα, πάλιν Ἰεζεκιὴλ καὶ ∆ανιὴλ οὐ τὰ ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων ὁρῶντες, οὐ παρὰ τὸν βωμὸν ἑστῶτες, ἀλλ' ἐν μέσῃ χώρᾳ βαρβάρων, με48.910 ταξὺ παρανόμων καὶ ἀκαθάρτων ὄντες ἀνθρώπων, πνεύματος ἐπληροῦντο, καὶ τὰ μέλλοντα προὔλεγον, καὶ πολλῷ τῶν προτέρων καὶ πλείονα καὶ παραδοξότερα εἶπον πράγματα, καὶ ὄψιν ἐθεάσαντο θείαν, ὡς αὐτοῖς δυνατὸν ἦν ἰδεῖν. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν, εἰπέ μοι, νῦν οὐκ ἔχετε προφήτας; οὐκ εὔδηλον, ὅτι τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰ καθ' ὑμᾶς ἀποστραφέντος; Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν ὑμᾶς ἀπεστράφη; Εὔδηλον καὶ τοῦτο πάλιν, ὅτι διὰ τὸν σταυρωθέντα καὶ τὴν τόλμαν τὴν παράνομον ἐκείνην. Πόθεν τοῦτο δῆλον, φησίν; Ἀφ' ὧν πρὸ τούτου μὲν ἀσεβοῦντες, πάντων ἐπετυγχάνετε, νῦν δὲ δοκοῦντες ἐπιεικέστερον ζῇν μετὰ τὸν σταυρὸν, μείζονα ὑπομένετε τιμωρίαν, καὶ οὐδενὸς ἀπολαύετε τῶν προτέρων. εʹ. Ἵνα δὲ καὶ ἀπ' αὐτῶν τῶν προφητῶν τοῦτο σαφῶς καὶ διαῤῥήδην παριστώντων τὴν αἰτίαν τῶν παρόντων κακῶν μάθητε, ἀκούσατε τί φησιν Ἡσαΐας, πῶς καὶ τὴν ἐσομένην εὐεργεσίαν πᾶσι διὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ προλέγει, καὶ τὴν ὑμετέραν ἀγνωμοσύνην· Τῷ μώλωπι αὐτοῦ, φησὶν, ἡμεῖς ἰάθημεν· τὴν διὰ τοῦ σταυροῦ