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this to be a sign of the presence of the God in the city, or, as is likely according to Hellenic custom, the tree being worshipped by the inhabitants on account of its size and beauty, was shaken as the demon worshipped through it shuddered at the destroyer of such things; since they say that all the idols of the Egyptians were shaken automatically when 5.21.11 Christ came to them at that time, according to the prophecy of Isaiah. But when the demon was driven out, the plant remained as a testimony to what had happened, healing those who used it with faith. And of these things, the Egyptians and the Palestinians are each witnesses of what is among them. 5.22.1 But the emperor, although he hated the Christians and was harshly disposed towards them, was yet well-disposed and gentle towards the Jews, and he wrote to their patriarchs and leaders and to the people themselves to pray for him and for his 5.22.2 reign. And he did this, not praising their religion, as I suppose (for he knew that it was the mother, so to speak, of the Christian doctrine and used the same prophets and patriarchs), but because the Jews held an implacable hatred towards them; and by his service to these, he was eager to grieve 5.22.3 those whom he hated. And perhaps he thought that they could be more readily led to Hellenism and sacrifices, since they accepted the sacred books only in a literal sense, not in a contemplative one, as did the Christians and the wiser of the Hebrews themselves. 5.22.4 And he showed that he held this opinion by what he attempted. For having summoned the leaders of the nation, he urged them to sacrifice, reminding them of the laws of Moses and their ancestral customs. But when they said that since the temple in Jerusalem had been destroyed it was not lawful nor ancestral for them, having fallen from their metropolis, to do this elsewhere, he gave them public funds and ordered them to raise up the temple and to worship in the same manner as their 5.22.5 forefathers, sacrificing in the ancient way. They, therefore, not taking into account that according to the sacred prophecies it was not possible for this to happen, applied themselves with zeal to the work. And gathering the skilled artisans, they prepared the materials and cleared the site. And they labored at these things with such eagerness, that their very women carried out the earth in their laps, and readily contributed their necklaces and all their other female adornments to 5.22.6 the expense of the work. But all things were secondary to what was being labored for by the emperor and the other Greeks and all the Jews; for the former, although not well-disposed to the Jews, shared in their zeal, supposing they could succeed in the undertaking and prove the prophecies of Christ false, while the latter at the same time intended this and thought they had the opportunity to raise up 5.22.7 the sanctuary. But when they had taken down the remains of the former building and dug and cleared the ground, it is said that on the next day, on which they were about to lay the first foundation, a great earthquake occurred, and by the shaking of the earth the stones were thrown up from their foundations, and those of the Jews who were supervising the 5.22.8 work and were present to see it perished. For both the houses near the sanctuary and the public porticoes in which they were lodging collapsed all at once; and of the many who were caught, some perished immediately, others were found half-dead and maimed in their legs or their hands, and others were unfortunate in other parts of the body. 5.22.9 But when God ceased shaking, those who survived again attempted the work, since it was unavoidable on account of the emperor's command 5.22.10 and was also according to their own mind. For human nature is somehow wont in matters of pleasure to incline toward what is disadvantageous and to think that only what it wishes to achieve will be beneficial; and being utterly mastered by the delusion arising from this, it is neither able to see what is advantageous with any foresight, nor, being disciplined by the experience of dangers, does it sober up to what is necessary; such I believe to have also happened to the Jews at that time. 5.22.11 For although the first hindrance was sufficient and had shown clearly that the divine was angry at what was happening, they were again zealous for what could not be accomplished. The account is, then, that as soon as

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σημεῖον τοῦτο γενέσθαι τῆς ἐν τῇ πόλει τοῦ θεοῦ παρουσίας, ἢ ὡς εἰκὸς ῾Ελληνικῷ νόμῳ διὰ μέγεθος καὶ κάλλος θρησκευόμενον τὸ δένδρον παρὰ τῶν ἐνοικούντων, ἐσείσθη τοῦ θεραπευομένου δι' αὐτοῦ δαίμονος φρίξαντος τὸν τῶν τοιούτων καθαιρέτην· ἐπεί φασιν αὐτομάτως σεισθῆναι καὶ πάντα τὰ ξόανα τῶν Αἰγυπτίων ἐπιδημή5.21.11 σαντος αὐτοῖς τότε τοῦ Χριστοῦ κατὰ τὴν τοῦ ῾Ησαΐου προφητείαν. ἀπελαθέντος δὲ τοῦ δαίμονος εἰς μαρτυρίαν τοῦ συμβεβηκότος ἔμεινε τὸ φυτόν, τοὺς πίστει χρωμένους ἰώμενον. καὶ τούτων μὲν Αἰγύπτιοι καὶ Παλαιστῖνοι τοῦ παρ' αὐτοῖς ὄντος ἕκαστοι μάρτυρες. 5.22.1 ῾Ο δὲ βασιλεὺς εἰ καὶ Χριστιανοὺς ἐμίσει καὶ χαλεπῶς πρὸς αὐτοὺς εἶχεν, ἀλλ' οὖν ᾿Ιουδαίοις εὔνους ἦν καὶ πρᾶος, καὶ πατριάρχαις καὶ ἀρχηγοῖς αὐτῶν καὶ αὐτῷ δὲ τῷ πλήθει ἔγραφεν εὔχεσθαι ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς 5.22.2 αὐτοῦ βασιλείας. ἐποίει δὲ τοῦτο οὐ τὴν θρησκείαν, ὡς εἰκάζω, ἐπαινῶν (ᾔδει γὰρ μητέρα ταύτην, ὡς εἰπεῖν, τοῦ Χριστιανῶν δόγματος καὶ προφήταις καὶ πατριάρχαις τοῖς αὐτοῖς χρωμένην), ἀλλ' ὅτι μίσους ἀσπόνδως πρὸς αὐτοὺς εἶχον οἱ ᾿Ιουδαῖοι· καὶ τῇ πρὸς τούτους θεραπείᾳ λυπεῖν ἐσπούδαζεν 5.22.3 οἷς ἀπηχθάνετο. ἴσως δὲ καὶ πρὸς ῾Ελληνισμὸν καὶ θυσίας ἑτοιμότερον αὐτοὺς ἐπάγεσθαι ᾤετο πρὸς ῥητὸν μόνον ἐκδεχομένους τὰς ἱερὰς βίβλους, οὐ πρὸς θεωρίαν, ὡς οἱ Χριστιανοὶ καὶ αὐτῶν ῾Εβραίων οἱ σοφώτεροι. 5.22.4 ἔδειξε δὲ ταύτην ἔχων τὴν γνώμην οἷς ἐπεχείρησε. μετακαλεσάμενος γὰρ τοὺς ἐξάρχους τοῦ ἔθνους προὐτρέψατο θύειν, Μωσέως νόμων καὶ πατρίων ἐθῶν ὑπομιμνήσκων. τῶν δὲ φησάντων κατερριμμένου τοῦ ἐν ῾Ιεροσολύμοις ναοῦ μὴ θεμιτὸν μηδὲ πάτριον ἐκπεπτωκόσι τῆς μητροπόλεως ἑτέρωθι τοῦτο ποιεῖν, χρήματα δοὺς κοινὰ ἐκέλευσεν ἐγείρειν τὸν νεὼν καὶ τοῖς προ5.22.5 γόνοις ἐπίσης θρησκεύειν, τὸν παλαιὸν τρόπον θύοντας. οἱ μὲν οὖν μὴ λαβόντες εἰς νοῦν, ὡς οὐκ ἐνεχώρει κατὰ τὰς ἱερὰς προφητείας τοῦτο γενέσθαι, σπουδῇ τοῦ ἔργου εἴχοντο. καὶ τοὺς ἐπιστήμονας τῶν τεκτόνων ἀγείραντες τὰς ὕλας παρεσκευάζοντο καὶ τὸν χῶρον ἐκάθαιρον. σὺν τοσαύτῃ τε προθυμίᾳ περὶ ταῦτα ἐπόνουν, ὡς καὶ τὰς αὐτῶν γυναῖκας τὸν χοῦν τοῖς κόλποις ἐκφορεῖν, περιδέραιά τε καὶ πάντα τὸν ἄλλον γυναικεῖον κόσμον συν5.22.6 εισφέρειν ἑτοίμως τῇ δαπάνῃ τοῦ ἔργου. πάντα δὲ δεύτερα ἦν τοῦ πονουμένου βασιλεῖ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ῞Ελλησι καὶ πᾶσιν ᾿Ιουδαίοις· οἱ μὲν γὰρ οὔτε ᾿Ιουδαίοις εὐνοοῦντες ἐκοινώνουν αὐτοῖς τῆς σπουδῆς, ὑπολαβόντες δύνασθαι κατορθοῦν τὸ ἐγχείρημα καὶ ψευδεῖς ἀπελέγξαι τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὰς προρρήσεις, οἱ δὲ ἅμα τοῦτο διενοοῦντο καὶ καιρὸν ἔχειν ᾤοντο ἀναστήσειν 5.22.7 τὸ ἱερόν. ἐπεὶ δὲ τῆς προτέρας οἰκοδομίας τὰ λείψανα καθεῖλον καὶ ἀνέσκαψαν καὶ τὸ ἔδαφος ἐξεκάθηραν, λέγεται τῆς ἐπιούσης, καθ' ἣν πρῶτον θεμέλιον ἤμελλον ὑποτίθεσθαι, σεισμὸν γενέσθαι μέγαν, ὑπὸ δὲ κλόνου τῆς γῆς ἐκ βάθρων ἀναδοθῆναι τοὺς λίθους, ᾿Ιουδαίων δ' ἀπολέσθαι οἳ τὸ 5.22.8 ἔργον ἐπετρόπευον καὶ ἐπὶ θέᾳ τούτου παρεγένοντο. αἵ τε γὰρ πλησίον τοῦ ἱεροῦ οἰκίαι τε καὶ δημόσιαι στοαὶ ἐν αἷς κατέλυον ἀθρόαι κατερρύησαν· καὶ οἱ πλείους ἐγκαταληφθέντες οἱ μὲν αὐτίκα ἀπώλοντο, οἱ δὲ ἡμιθνῆτες ηὑρέθησαν καὶ πεπηρωμένοι τὰ σκέλη ἢ τὰς χεῖρας, ἄλλοι δὲ περὶ ἄλλα μέρη τοῦ σώματος ἐδυστύχησαν. 5.22. ῾Ως δὲ σείων ἔληξεν ὁ θεός, αὖθις ἐπειρῶντο τοῦ ἔργου οἱ περιλειφθέντες, οἷά γε ἀπαραιτήτου τυγχάνοντος διὰ τὸ τοῦ βασιλέως πρόσταγμα 5.22.10 καὶ αὐτοῖς κατὰ νοῦν ὄντος. φιλεῖ γάρ πως ἡ ἀνθρωπεία φύσις ἐν τοῖς καθ' ἡδονὴν πρὸς τὸ ἀσύμφορον ῥέπειν καὶ τοῦτο μόνον συνοίσειν οἴεσθαι ὃ κατορθοῦν βούλεται· ἀτεχνῶς τε ὑπὸ τῆς ἐντεῦθεν ἀπάτης κεκρατημένη οὔτε προμηθείᾳ τινὶ τὸ συμφέρον ἰδεῖν δύναται οὔτε πείρᾳ κινδύνων σωφρονιζομένη πρὸς τὸ δέον ἀνανήφει· ὁποῖον καὶ τοῖς ᾿Ιουδαίοις τότε συμβε5.22.11 βηκέναι ἡγοῦμαι. ἱκανοῦ γὰρ ὄντος τοῦ προτέρου κωλύματος καὶ φανερῶς ἐπιδείξαντος, ὡς χαλεπαίνει τὸ θεῖον ἐπὶ τῷ γινομένῳ, πάλιν ἀνήνυτα ἐσπούδαζον. λόγος οὖν, ἅμα τε