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It was their custom, at the time of the services, that they said they first perceived a movement and a noise, and after these things a sudden voice, "Let us depart from here." Josephus, having handed down these things literally and others similar to them in his histories, might contribute to our proof that the elements of the people's bodily worship were in power both loosed and destroyed after the saving passion. And I also know another interpretation given by many regarding "the week that confirmed a covenant for many;" for the argument, taking this as a week of decades, represents the entire time of the apostles as extending for seventy years, in which the preaching of the new covenant, being proclaimed no longer to one but to many nations, was strengthened throughout the whole world; for indeed from the histories it is shown that John the disciple of the Lord survived for 70 years after His ascension, for the account holds that he remained until the reign of Trajan, and according to this narrative it is very clear how in the half of this week of decades sacrifice and libation were taken away, and the so-called abomination of desolation stood in the holy place. For the events from the resurrection of our Savior to the final siege under Vespasian extend for thirty-five years; which would be the half of the aforementioned week; 165 at which time, when the once sacred and holy temple suffered complete destruction by fire and demolition, it received its seal; and the saying, "sacrifice and libation will be taken away," and "upon the temple the abomination of desolations;" which abomination of desolation the oracle declares is to remain until the end of the age, saying, "and until the consummation of time an end shall be given to the desolation." But we have set these things forth, abridging the narrative; but it is now time to proceed also to Isaiah; who alone remains for us from all the old scripture. 166 BOOK 4. OF ISAIAH. As we attempt to cull the Prophetic Selections from Isaiah, which alone are left for us, we shall state a few things beforehand for those who are unbelievingly disposed toward the prophecies, for a demonstration of the truth of the prophets. And indeed first I shall set forth an argument which has been well observed also by those before us. For they seem to me to have spoken well, that indeed to those under the law of Moses the law itself testifies that the nations among whom they will live will listen to omens and divinations; but to you, it says, the Lord your God has not given so; and furthermore the divine word, restraining them from both divination by birds and all curious divination through demons, adds, saying, "The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet from your brethren." Therefore, with these things having been written for them, but not coming to pass in deed, and with no prophet men present for them, was it possible for them to believe the law, and the word that promised these things, which was so manifestly and clearly false, or is it not clear that, being led by this very craving for foreknowledge of the future, they would have despised their own things, as having nothing true or 167 divine, because there were no prophets among them, and as deserters they would have gone after the divinations and oracles of the nations? But in fact they are seen accepting not only Moses but also many after him as prophets of God, clearly for no other reason than that they had received proof of the divinity in them; for these men not only prophesied to them about things that were going to be in much later times, but also foretold certain immediate and mundane matters; such as about lost donkeys, and concerning those dangerously ill, whether they would live or not, and about a coming abundance for the people, and about myriad other things, which are contained in the histories about them; and if these things had not happened in this way, let someone answer, for what reason then did they both consider and call them prophets, or why did they deem their words worthy of scripture? And what is the reason for which they also handed down their writings to their own children afterwards, as being indeed divine; having seen nothing divine nor extraordinary in the men, for no reason

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αὐτοῖς ἔθος ἦν, πρὸς τὰς λειτουργίας, πρῶτον μὲν κινήσεως ἔφασαν ἀντιλαμβάνεσθαι καὶ κτύπου, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα φωνῆς ἀθρόας, μεταβαίνομεν ωμεν ἐντεῦθεν. Ταῦτα δὲ κατὰ λέξιν καὶ ἕτερα τούτοις παραπλήσια ταῖς ἱστορίαις παραδοὺς ὁ Ἰώσηπος συμβάλοιτ' ἂν ἡμῖν εἰς ἀπόδειξιν τοῦ δυνάμει λελύσθαι τε καὶ καθῃρῆσθαι μετὰ τὸ σωτήριον πάθος τὰ τῆς τοῦ λαοῦ σωματικῆς λατρείας. Οἶδα δὲ καὶ ἄλλην εἰς τὴν ἑβδομάδα τὴν δυναμώσασαν διαθήκην πολλοῖς ἀποδοθεῖσαν ἑρμηνείαν· ταύτην γὰρ εἰς τὴν ἐν δεκάσιν ἑβδομάδα μεταλαβὼν ὁ λόγος παρίστη τὸν σύμπαντα τῶν ἀποστόλων χρόνον εἰς ἑβδομηκονταετίαν συντείνειν, ἐν ᾗ τὸ κήρυγμα τῆς καινῆς διαθήκης οὐκέτι ἑνὶ, ἀλλὰ πολλοῖς ἔθνεσι κηρυχθὲν εἰς πᾶσαν ἐνεδυναμώθη τὴν οἰκουμένην· καὶ γὰρ οὖν ἐκ τῶν ἱστοριῶν δείκνυται Ἰωάννης ὁ τοῦ Κυρίου μαθητὴς μετὰ τὴν ἀνάληψιν αὐτοῦ ἔτεσιν ἐπιβιοὺς οʹ, μέχρι γὰρ τῆς Τραϊανοῦ λόγος ἔχει παραμεῖναι αὐτὸν βασιλείας, κατά τε ταύτην τὴν διήγησιν πρόδηλον ὅπως ἐν τῷ ἡμίσει ταύτης τῆς ἐν δεκάσιν ἑβδομάδος ἤρθη θυσία καὶ σπονδὴ, καὶ τὸ λεγόμενον βδέλυγμα τῆς ἐρημώσεως ἔστη ἐν τόπῳ ἁγίῳ. Τὰ γοὖν ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἀναστάσεως ἐπὶ τὴν ὑστάτην κατὰ Οὐεσπασιανὸν πολιορκίαν εἰς ἔτη πέντε καὶ τριάκοντα συντείνει· ἅπερ ἂν γένοιτο τῆς ἀποδοθείσης ἑβδομάδος τὸ ἥμισυ· 165 ὅτε καὶ παντελῆ τὴν διὰ πυρὸς φθορὰν καὶ κατασκαφὴν τοῦ πάλαι ἱεροῦ καὶ ἁγίου νεῶ πεπονθότος ἐπισφράγισμα εἴληφεν· καὶ τὸ, ἀρθήσεται θυσία καὶ σπονδὴ, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ ἱερὸν βδέλυγμα τῶν ἐρημώσεων· ὅπερ βδέλυγμα ἐρημώσεως μέχρι συντελείας βίου παραμεῖναι δηλοῖ τὸ λόγιον, φάσκον, καὶ ἕως συντελείας καιροῦ συντέλεια δοθήσεται ἐπὶ τὴν ἐρήμωσιν. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ἐπιτεμόμενοι τὴν διήγησιν παρατεθείμεθα· ὥρα δὲ ἤδη μετελθεῖν καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν Ἡσαΐαν· ὃς μόνος ἀπὸ πασῆς τῆς παλαιᾶς ἡμῖν περιλέλειπται γραφῆς. 166 ΛΟΓΟΣ ∆ʹ. Ψ. Ἡσαΐου. Τὰς ἀπὸ τῶν Ἡσαΐου Προφητικὰς Ἐκλογὰς μόνας ἡμῖν λειπούσας ἀπανθίσασθαι πειρώμενοι, πρὸς τοὺς ἀπίστως περὶ τὰς προφητείας διακειμένους ὀλίγα προδιαληψόμεθα εἰς παράστασιν τῆς τῶν προφητῶν ἀληθείας. Καὶ δὴ πρῶτον καλῶς καὶ τοῖς πρὸ ἡμῶν τετηρημένον παραθήσομαι λογισμόν. Εὖ γοὖν εἰρηκέναι μοι δοκοῦσιν, ὡς ἄρα τοῖς ὑπὸ τὸν Μωσέως νόμον αὐτὸς ὁ νόμος διαμαρτύρεται, ὅτι δὴ τὰ ἔθνη ὧν μεταξὺ πολιτεύσονται κληδόνων καὶ μαντειῶν ἀκούσονται· σοὶ δὲ, φησὶν, οὐχ οὕτως ἔδωκε Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου· καὶ ἔτι γε εἴργων αὐτοὺς ὁ θεῖος λόγος ἔκ τε οἰωνιστικῆς καὶ πάσης τῆς διὰ δαιμόνων περιέργου μαντείας ἐπιφέρει, λέγων, προφήτην ἐκ τῶν ἀδελφῶν σου ἀναστήσει σοι Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου. Ἄρ' οὖν τούτων αὐτοῖς ἀναγεγραμμένων, μὴ ἔργῳ δὲ γενομένων, μὴ δὲ παρόντων αὐτοῖς προφητῶν ἀνδρῶν, δύνατον ἦν αὐτοὺς πιστεύειν τῷ νόμῳ, καὶ τῷ ταῦτα ἐπαγγειλαμένῳ λόγῳ οὕτω προφανῶς καὶ ἐναργῶς ψευδομένῳ, ἢ δῆλον ὅτι ὑπ' αὐτῆς τῆς περὶ τὴν πρόγνωσιν τῶν ἐσομένων λιχνείας ἀγόμενοι κατεφρόνησαν τῶν ἰδίων, ὡς οὐδὲν ἀληθὲς ἐχόντων οὐδὲ 167 θεῖον, διὰ τὸ μὴ εἶναι παρ' αὐτοῖς προφήτας, αὐτόμολοι δὲ ἐπὶ τὰ τῶν ἐθνῶν μαντεῖά τε καὶ χρηστήρια μετήεσαν; Ἀλλὰ γὰρ φαίνονται οὐ μόνον Μωσέα, ἀλλὰ καὶ πλείους μετ' αὐτὸν ὡς Θεοῦ προφήτας προσιέμενοι, οὐκ ἄλλως δῆλον ὅτι ἢ τῷ πείραν τῆς ἐν αὐτοῖς θειότητος εἰληφέναι· οἵδε γὰρ αὐτοῖς οὐ μόνον περὶ τῶν μακροῖς ὕστερον χρόνοις μελλόντων ἔσεσθαι προυθέσπιζον, ἀλλὰ καὶ περί τινων προχείρων καὶ βιωτικῶν προύλεγον· οἷον περὶ ὄνων ἀπολωλυιῶν, καὶ περὶ νοσούντων ἐπισφαλῶς εἰ βιώσονται ἢ μὴ, καὶ περὶ μελλούσης ἔσεσθαι τῷ λαῷ εὐθηνίας, καὶ περὶ ἄλλων μυρίων, ἃ ταῖς κατ' αὐτοὺς ἱστορίαις ἐμφέρεται· ἅπερ εἰ μὴ τοῦτον γεγόνει τὸν τρόπον, ἀποκρινέσθω τίς, τίνι δὴ ποτὲ οὖν λόγῳ προφήτας ἡγοῦντό τε καὶ ἀπεκάλουν, ἢ διὰ τί γραφῆς τοὺς λόγους αὐτῶν ἠξίουν; Τίς δ' ἡ αἰτία, δι' ἣν καὶ τοῖς μετέπειτα παισὶν ἑαυτῶν, ὡς ἂν δὴ θείας, αὐτῶν τὰς γραφὰς παρεδίδοσαν· μηδὲν γάρ τι θεῖον μὴ δὲ παράδοξον ἐν τοῖς ἀνδράσιν ἑορακότας εἰκῆ