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became things formerly accessible to the high priest alone. This happened 81.1484 because the sacrifice was offered on behalf of the whole world. But if anyone wishes to learn the time, he will learn it from the Gospel according to John. For having preached for about three and a half years, and having confirmed his holy disciples by his teaching and miracles, the Lord then endured the passion; and after the cross and death, and the resurrection, and the ascension into heaven, and the coming of the Holy Spirit, for the remaining time of the week the holy apostles, preaching and working miracles in Jerusalem, and having guided many thousands of people to the evangelical teaching, they made them worthy of the New Covenant and prepared them to receive the grace of the all-holy baptism. Then, when the things concerning holy Stephen were dared by the Jews, the others were scattered throughout the cities of Judea, but the divine apostles, after spending a short time in Jerusalem, went about to Samaria and Caesarea, Lydda and Joppa, and were eager to offer the saving doctrines to all people. For this reason the divine archangel says to the blessed Daniel, that "One week shall confirm a covenant with many," bringing together in one the time before the cross of the Lord, and the teaching of the holy apostles in Jerusalem after the resurrection of the Savior. Then he divides the week in two, and says: "And in the midst of the week sacrifice and oblation shall be taken away." For with the true sacrifice being offered, the shadow of the law will come to an end. And upon this he says: "Upon the temple the abomination of desolation." For on account of this sacrifice, he says, not only will that sacrifice cease, but also the abomination of desolation will be given upon the temple, that is, what was formerly venerable and awesome will be revealed to be desolate. And a sign of the desolation will be certain images, forbidden by the law, being brought into it. Pilate did this when he brought the imperial images into the divine temple by night, against the divine law. And this the Lord also foretold to his holy disciples in the holy Gospels: "When you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet, know that its desolation has drawn near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house." He said these things signifying the swiftness of the utter destruction that would overtake them. And a little before this he says: "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her, how often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing. 81.1485 Therefore I say to you, that your house is left to you desolate." The holy Gabriel, foretelling these things, after prophesying the cessation of the worship according to the law, added also upon these: "Upon the temple the abomination of desolation." And so that the Jews would not think that the divine temple would again receive its former comeliness and glory, he necessarily added: "And until the consummation of the time a consummation shall be given upon the desolation." For, he says, until the consummation of the age the consummation of the desolation will remain, admitting no change. This the blessed David also said: "In the wrath of consummation and they shall not be, and they will know that God rules Jacob, and the ends of the earth." And they will know when they see the sign of the Son of man in heaven. For then "they will mourn tribe by tribe, then they will look on him whom they have pierced." But if these things are not so, since the number of four hundred and ninety years has passed, and another more than forty and four hundred in addition to these, let them show concerning whom the archangel's oracle received its fulfillment. Concerning the Maccabees? But it is not four hundred and ninety years from Darius until them, nor indeed from Cyrus who first ruled the Persians; for from Cyrus until Antiochus the

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γονε τὰ πάλαι τῷ ἀρχιερεῖ μόνῳ βατά. Τοῦτο δὲ γέ 81.1484 γονεν ὑπὲρ τοῦ κόσμου παντὸς τῆς θυσίας προσενε χθείσης. Εἰ δέ τις καὶ τὸν χρόνον καταμαθεῖν ἐθέ λει, ἐκ τοῦ κατὰ Ἰωάννην Εὐαγγελίου μαθήσεται. Ὡς περὶ τὰ τρία ἔτη καὶ ἥμισυ κηρύξας ὁ Κύριος, καὶ τοὺς ἁγίους αὑτοῦ μαθητὰς τῇ διδασκαλίᾳ καὶ τοῖς θαύμασι βεβαιώσας, τότε τὸ πάθος ὑπέμεινε· μετὰ δὲ τὸν σταυρὸν καὶ τὸν θάνατον, καὶ τὴν ἀνά στασιν, καὶ τὴν εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀνάβασιν, καὶ τὴν τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος ἐπιφοίτησιν, τὸν λοιπὸν τῆς ἑβδο μάδος χρόνον οἱ ἅγιοι ἀπόστολοι ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις κηρύττοντές τε καὶ θαυματουργοῦντες, πολλάς τε ἀνθρώπων χιλιάδας εἰς τὴν εὐαγγελικὴν ποδηγήσαν τες διδασκαλίαν, τῆς Νέας ∆ιαθήκης ἠξίωσαν καὶ τῆς τοῦ παναγίου βαπτίσματος χάριτος τυχεῖν παρεσκεύα σαν. Εἶτα τῶν κατὰ τὸν ἅγιον Στέφανον ὑπὸ τῶν Ἰουδαίων τολμηθέντων, διεσπάρησαν μὲν οἱ ἄλλοι κατὰ τὰς πόλεις τῆς Ἰουδαίας, οἱ δὲ θεῖοι ἀπόστολοι σμικρὸν ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις διατρίψαντες χρόνον, εἰς τὴν Σαμάρειαν καὶ Καισάρειαν, Λύδδαν τε καὶ Ἰώππην περιιόντες, ἅπασιν ἀνθρώποις τὰ σωτήρια δόγματα προσφέρειν ἠπείγοντο. Τούτου χάριν ὁ θεῖος ἀρχάγγελος τῷ μακαρίῳ φησὶ ∆ανιὴλ, ὅτι "∆υνα μώσει διαθήκην πολλοῖς ἑβδομὰς μία," τόν τε πρὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ τοῦ Κυρίου χρόνον, καὶ τὸν μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν τοῦ Σωτῆρος τῶν ἁγίων ἀποστόλων ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις διδασκαλίαν κατὰ ταὐτὸν συναγαγών. Εἶτα διαιρεῖ διχὰ τὴν ἑβδομάδα, καί φησι· "Καὶ ἐν τῷ ἡμίσει τῆς ἑβδομάδος ἀρθήσεται θυσία καὶ σπονδή." Τῆς γὰρ ἀληθινῆς προσφερομένης θυσίας, τέλος λήψεται ἡ τοῦ νόμου σκιά. Καὶ ἐπὶ τούτοις φησίν· "Ἐπὶ τὸ ἱερὸν βδέλυγμα τῆς ἐρημώσεως" ∆ιὰ ταύτην γὰρ, φησὶ, τὴν θυσίαν οὐ μόνον ἐκείνη ἡ θυσία παυθήσεται, ἀλλὰ καὶ βδέλυγμα τῆς ἐρη μώσεως ἐπὶ τὸ ἱερὸν δοθήσεται, τουτέστι, τὸ πάλαι σεπτὸν καὶ φρικῶδες ἔρημον ἀναφανήσεται. Ση μεῖον δὲ τῆς ἐρημίας γενήσεται εἰκόνες τινὲς ἀπ ηγορευμέναι τῷ νόμῳ εἰς τοῦτον εἰσκομιζόμεναι. Τοῦτο δὲ πεποίηκε Πιλάτος νύκτωρ εἰς τὸν θεῖον νεὼν τὰς βασιλικὰς εἰσκομίσας εἰκόνας παρὰ τὸν θεῖον νόμον. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς Εὐαγγελίοις τοῖς ἁγίοις αὑτοῦ προέλεγε μαθηταῖς· "Ὅταν ἴδητε τὸ βδέλυγμα τῆς ἐρημώσεως τὸ εἰρη μένον διὰ ∆ανιὴλ τοῦ προφήτου, γινώσκετε, ὅτι ἤγγικεν ἡ ἐρήμωσις αὐτῆς. Τότε οἱ ἐν τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ φευγέτωσαν εἰς τὰ ὄρη, καὶ ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ δώματος μὴ καταβήτω ἆραί τι ἀπὸ τῆς οἰκίας αὑτοῦ." Ταῦτα δὲ ἔλεγε σημαίνων τὸ τάχος τῆς καταληψο μένης αὐτοὺς πανωλεθρίας. Καὶ μικρὸν δὲ πρὸ τού των φησίν· "Ἱερουσαλὴμ, Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ἡ ἀποκτείνουσα τοὺς προφήτας, καὶ λιθοβολοῦσα τοὺς ἀπ εσταλμένους πρὸς αὐτὴν, ποσάκις ἠθέλησα ἐπισυν αγαγεῖν τὰ τέκνα σου ὃν τρόπον ὄρνις ἐπισυνάγει τὰ νοσσία ἑαυτῆς ὑπὸ τὰς πτέρυγας, καὶ οὐκ ἠθελή 81.1485 σατε. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο λέγω ὑμῖν, ὅτι ἀφίεται ὁ οἶκος ὑμῶν ἔρημος." Ταῦτα προλέγων ὁ ἅγιος Γαβριὴλ, μετὰ τὸ προθεσπίσαι τῆς κατὰ τὸν νόμον λατρείας τὴν παῦλαν, ἐπήγαγε καὶ ἐπὶ τούτοις· "Ἐπὶ τὸ ἱερὸν βδέλυγμα τῆς ἐρημώσεως." Καὶ ἵνα μὴ νο μίσωσιν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι πάλιν ἀπολήψεσθαι τὸν θεῖον νεὼν τὴν προτέραν εὐπρέπειάν τε καὶ δόξαν, ἀναγκαίως ἐπήγαγε· "Καὶ ἕως συντελείας καιροῦ συντέλεια δοθήσεται ἐπὶ τὴν ἐρήμωσιν." Ἕως γὰρ, φησὶ, τῆς τοῦ αἰῶνος συντελείας ἡ τῆς ἐρημώσεως συντέλεια μενεῖ, μεταβολὴν οὐ δεχομένη. Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ μακάριος ἔφη ∆αβίδ· "Ἐν ὀργῇ συντελείας καὶ οὐ μὴ ὑπάρξουσι, καὶ γνώσονται ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς δεσπόζει τοῦ Ἰακὼβ, καὶ τῶν περάτων τῆς γῆς." Γνώσονται δὲ ὅταν ἴδωσι τὸ σημεῖον τοῦ Υἱοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ. Τότε γὰρ "κόψονται κατὰ φυλὰς, τότε ὄψονται εἰς ὃν ἐξεκέντησαν." Εἰ δ' οὐχ οὕτως ταῦτα ἔχει, ἐπειδὴ ὁ τῶν τετρακοσίων καὶ ἐννενή κοντα ἐτῶν διελήλυθεν ἀριθμὸς, καὶ ἕτερα δὲ πρὸς τούτοις πλέον ἢ τεσσαράκοντα καὶ τετρακόσια, δει ξάτωσαν ἐπὶ τίνων ἔλαβε πέρας ἡ τοῦ ἀρχαγγέλου χρησμολογία. Ἐπὶ τῶν Μακκαβαίων; Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔστι τετρακόσια καὶ ἐννενήκοντα ἔτη ἀπὸ ∆αρείου μέχρις αὐτῶν, οὔτε μὴν ἀπὸ Κύρου τοῦ πρώτου Περσῶν βασιλεύσαντος· ἀπὸ γὰρ Κύρου μέχρις Ἀντιόχου τοῦ