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sacrifices for the salvation of the king and of the Roman nation, rightly at these things Pilate was indignant with the Galileans, and he orders that they be slain beside the sacrifices which they seemed to offer according to the law, so that the blood of those offering was mixed with the sacrifices being offered. Tiberius, then, being such a one, in youth excellent and taking pride in philosophic and rhetorical speeches and the best manners and deeds, 1.338 the noble man, upon coming to old age, was suddenly changed to a worse disposition, so that he was thought to be mad and as if driven by a demon to every unholy deed and blood-pollution and frenzy. and not only did he defile himself excessively in things according to nature and contrary to nature, but also in every injustice and tyranny. Thus, then, having administered his rule and having been brought down from good deeds to evil deeds, he ends his life with frightful cruelty, foul greed, and shameful action, having been benefited in no way by his former nobility and excellence, but rather having been hated by all as one who at the end insulted and corrupted everything, and having been carried off to eternal punishment with impious men like him; for the Lord will lead away those who turn aside to crooked ways with the workers of iniquity. Rightly, then, the apostle said, "He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion." And the Lord says, "He who endures to the end will be saved." The very learned and well-informed Eusebius, therefore, in the chronological canons, when summarily recounting matters concerning the Antiochids and Seleucids and Ptolemies and the high priests who led after the return from Babylon, says these things. Alexander, then, the king of the Macedonians, being in the sixth year of his reign, after subduing Darius the son of Arsames, overthrew the dynasty of the Persians, 1.339 which had lasted from Cyrus to Darius for 230 years. And the kingdom of the Macedonians having lasted from Cranaus to Alexander for 518 years, and when he died in Babylon, Philip succeeded to the rule of Macedonia, Antigonus that of Asia, Ptolemy son of Lagus that of Egypt, and Seleucus Nicator that of Syria; who also founded two cities in the regions of Cilicia and another in Syria, and he called one Seleucia after his own name, Antioch after his son's name, and Laodicea after his daughter's name. And those who reigned over Syria after Alexander are these: Seleucus Nicator, Antiochus surnamed Soter, Antiochus the Bastard, Seleucus Callinicus, Alexander Antiochus, Seleucus Philopator, Antiochus Epiphanes, who, after deposing Onias the high priest of the Jews from the priesthood, set out to make the whole nation abandon its ancestral religion. And having defiled the temple, he called it a temple of Olympian Zeus, and by inflicting incurable punishments on the nation, he forced them to Hellenize. In his time the Maccabees also were martyred. And the temple, having been desolate for three years, Judas surnamed Maccabeus cleansed it from impieties and renewed the country. Then reigned Antiochus Eupator, Demetrius Seleucus, Alexander Balas, Demetrius Nicator, Antiochus Tryphon, Ptolemy, Antiochus Sidetes, Demetrius, Antiochus Grypus, Antiochus Cyzicenus, Seleucus son of Grypus, in whose time Antioch was captured by the Romans and the rule of Syria was abolished, having lasted 250 years. 1.340 And those who reigned over Egypt after Alexander are these: Ptolemy son of Lagus, in whose time Menander the comic poet and Theophrastus the philosopher were famous, Ptolemy Philadelphus, in whose time the 70 wise men of the Hebrews translated the Law, Ptolemy Euergetes, in whose time Jesus son of Sirach, who compiled the all-virtuous wisdom for the Hebrews, was famous, Ptolemy Philopator, in whose time the people of the Hebrews, having been led captive into Egypt, suffered something of this kind. For he ordered his guards to prepare 500 elephants, and to make them drunk with frankincensed wine, so that they might kill the Jews. But of the Jews

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βασιλέως σωτηρίας καὶ τοῦ Ῥωμαίων ἔθνους θυσίας, εἰκότως ἐπὶ τούτοις ἀγανακτεῖ πρὸς Γαλιλαίους Πιλᾶτος, καὶ κελεύει παρὰ ταῖς θυσίαις ἃς ἐδόκουν κατὰ νόμον προσφέρειν ἀναιρεθῆναι, ὥστε ἀναμιχθῆναι ταῖς προσφερομέναις θυσίαις τὸ αἷμα τῶν προσφερόντων. Ὁ γοῦν Τιβέριος τοιοῦτος ὑπάρχων ἐν νεότητι ἄριστος καὶ λόγοις φιλοσόφοις καὶ ῥητορικοῖς καὶ βελτίστοις τρόποις καὶ ἔργοις 1.338 κομῶν ὁ γεννάδας, πρὸς γῆρας ἐλθὼν αἰφνίδιον εἰς τὴν χείρονα μετεβλήθη γνώμην, ὥστε καὶ παραφρονεῖν αὐτὸν νομισθῆναι καὶ ὡς ὑπὸ δαίμονος ἐλαύνεσθαι πρὸς πᾶσαν ἀνοσιουργίαν καὶ μιαι φονίαν τε καὶ οἰστρηλασίαν. καὶ οὐ μόνον ἐν τοῖς κατὰ φύσιν καὶ παρὰ φύσιν ἑαυτὸν ἐβεβήλωσε καθ' ὑπερβολήν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν πάσῃ ἀδικίᾳ καὶ τυραννίδι. οὕτως οὖν τὴν ἀρχὴν διοικήσας καὶ ἐξ ἀγαθοεργίας εἰς κακοεργίαν κατενεχθεὶς φοβερᾷ μὲν ὠμότητι μυσαρᾷ δὲ πλεονεξίᾳ καὶ αἰσχρουργίᾳ καταστρέφει τὸν βίον, μη δὲν ἐκ τῆς προλαβούσης καλοκαγαθίας καὶ ἀριστείας ὠφεληθείς, ἀλλὰ καὶ μᾶλλον ὑπὸ πάντων μισηθεὶς ὡς ἐν τῷ τέλει τὸ πᾶν ἐξυ βρίσας καὶ διαφθείρας, καὶ εἰς αἰώνιον κόλασιν μετὰ τῶν αὐτοῦ ὁμοίων ἀσεβῶν ἀπενεχθείς· τοὺς γὰρ ἐγκρίνοντας εἰς τὰς στραγ γαλίας ἀπάξει κύριος μετὰ τῶν ἐργαζομένων τὴν ἀνομίαν. εἰκό τως οὖν ὁ μὲν ἀπόστολος ἔλεγεν "ὁ ἐναρξάμενος ἐν ὑμῖν ἔργον ἀγαθὸν ἐπιτελέσει." ὁ δὲ κύριος φησίν "ὁ ὑπομείνας εἰς τέλος, οὗτος σωθήσεται." Ὁ τοίνυν πολυμαθὴς καὶ πολυΐστωρ Εὐσέβιος, ἐν τοῖς χρο νικοῖς κανόσι περὶ τῶν Ἀντιόχων καὶ Σελεύκων καὶ Πτολεμαίων καὶ τῶν μετὰ τὴν ἐκ τῆς Βαβυλῶνος ἐπάνοδον καθηγησαμένων ἀρχιερέων διεξιὼν ἐν ἐπιτομῇ, τάδε φησίν. ὁ γοῦν Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ τῶν Μακεδόνων βασιλεὺς ἕκτον ἔτος ἄγων τῆς βασιλείας, ∆α ρεῖον τὸν Ἀρσάμου χειρωσάμενος, καθεῖλε τὴν Περσῶν δυναστείαν 1.339 διαρκέσασαν ἀπὸ Κύρου μέχρι ∆αρείου ἔτη σλʹ. τῆς δὲ τῶν Μα κεδόνων βασιλείας κατασχούσης ἀπὸ Κραναοῦ ἕως Ἀλεξάνδρου ἔτη φιηʹ καὶ τούτου τελευτήσαντος ἐν Βαβυλῶνι διαδέχονται τὴν ἀρχὴν τῆς μὲν Μακεδονίας Φίλιππος, τῆς δὲ Ἀσίας Ἀντίγονος, τῆς δὲ Αἰγύπτου Πτολεμαῖος ὁ Λάγου, τῆς δὲ Συρίας Σέλευκος ὁ Νικάνωρ· ὃς καὶ πόλεις δύο ἔκτισεν εἰς τὰ μέρη Κιλικίας καὶ ἑτέραν εἰς Συρίαν, καὶ τὴν μὲν Σελεύκειαν ἐκάλεσεν εἰς τὸ αὐτοῦ ὄνομα, τὴν δὲ Ἀντιόχειαν εἰς τὸ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ, τὴν δὲ Λαοδί κειαν εἰς τὸ τῆς θυγατρὸς αὐτοῦ. καὶ οἱ μὲν τῆς Συρίας βασι λεύσαντες μετὰ Ἀλέξανδρον εἰσὶν οὗτοι, Σέλευκος ὁ Νικάνωρ, Ἀντίοχος ὁ ἐπικληθεὶς σωτήρ, Ἀντίοχος ὁ νόθος, Σέλευκος ὁ καλλίνικος, Ἀλέξανδρος Ἀντίοχος, Σέλευκος ὁ φιλοπάτωρ, Ἀντίοχος ὁ ἐπιφανής, ὃς Ὀνίαν τὸν ἀρχιερέα τῶν Ἰουδαίων παύσας τῆς ἱερωσύνης ὡρμήθη μεταστῆσαι τὸ πᾶν ἔθνος τῆς πατρῴας θρησκείας. καὶ τὸ μὲν ἱερὸν μιάνας Ὀλυμπίου ∆ιὸς ναὸν προση γόρευσε, τῷ δὲ ἔθνει κολάσεις ἀνηκέστους ἐπάγων ἑλληνίζειν ἠνάγ καζεν. ἐφ' οὗ καὶ οἱ Μακκαβαῖοι ἐμαρτύρησαν. τὸ δὲ ἱερὸν ἔτεσι τρισὶν ἐρημωθὲν Ἰούδας ὁ ἐπικληθεὶς Μακκαβαῖος καθάρας τῶν ἀσεβειῶν, τὴν χώραν ἀνενεώσατο. εἶτα ἐβασίλευσεν Ἀντίο χος ὁ εὐπάτωρ, ∆ημήτριος Σέλευκος, Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ τοῦ Βαλῆ, ∆ημήτριος ὁ Νικάνωρ, Ἀντίοχος ὁ Τρύφων, Πτολεμαῖος, Ἀντίοχος ὁ Σιδίτης, ∆ημήτριος, Ἀντίοχος ὁ γρυπός, Ἀντίοχος ὁ Κυζικηνός, Σέλευκος ὁ τοῦ γρυποῦ, ἐφ' οὗ Ἀντιόχεια ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων ἥλω καὶ ἡ Συρίας ἀρχὴ κατελύθη διαρκέσασα ἔτη σνʹ. 1.340 Οἱ δὲ τῆς Αἰγύπτου βασιλεύσαντες μετὰ Ἀλέξανδρον εἰσὶν οἵδε, Πτολεμαῖος ὁ Λάγου, ἐφ' οὗ Μένανδρος ὁ κωμῳδοποιὸς ἐγνωρίζετο καὶ Θεόφραστος ὁ φιλόσοφος, Πτολεμαῖος ὁ φιλάδελ φος, ἐφ' οὗ οἱ οʹ Ἑβραίων σοφοὶ τὸν νόμον ἡρμήνευσαν, Πτο λεμαῖος ὁ εὐεργέτης, ἐφ' οὗ τὴν πανάρετον σοφίαν συντάξας Ἑβραίοις Ἰησοῦς ὁ τοῦ Σιρὰχ ἐγνωρίζετο, Πτολεμαῖος ὁ φιλοπάτωρ, ἐφ' οὗ ὁ τῶν Ἑβραίων λαὸς αἰχμάλωτος ἀχθεὶς ἐν Αἰγύ πτῳ τοιοῦτόν τι πέπονθε. προσέταξε γὰρ οὗτος τοῖς αὐτοῦ ὑπ ασπισταῖς ἐλέφαντας φʹ εὐτρεπίσαι, καὶ τούτους μεθύσαι οἴνῳ λι βανωτῷ, ἵνα ἀποκτείνωσι τοὺς Ἰουδαίους. τῶν Ἰουδαίων δὲ