124

when they prayed, the elephants, rushing upon his own soldiers and people, destroyed a great multitude of them in their encompassing madness. And so, the Jews, having been paradoxically preserved, were released unharmed to their own homes, giving thanks to God their benefactor. Then reigned Ptolemy surnamed Soter, Ptolemy Alexander, Ptolemy his brother, Ptolemy Dionysius, Cleopatra his daughter; whom Augustus, having overthrown in the 14th year of his reign, took possession of Egypt, putting an end to the kingdom of the Ptolemies, which had lasted for two hundred years.

And these are the high priests who led after the return from Babylon: Jesus, Josedek with Zerubbabel, Jacob son of Jesus, Eliashib of Jachim, Joda of Josheb, Johanan son of Joda, Jaddua, in whose time Alexander in Jerusalem 1.341 worshiped God. For, being astonished at the strange sight of the high priest's robe, descending from his chariot, he alone worshiped the divine name and greeted the high priest; whom all the Jews with one voice, along with the high priest, genuinely greeted in return. And when the kings of Syria and the rest were astonished and supposed that Alexander's mind was deranged, and when Parmenion the general was especially amazed that he had fallen and worshiped like one of his subjects, Alexander said, "I did not worship the high priest, but the God honored by him, who also promised me aid against my enemies. For when I was planning the campaign against the Persians and feared the greatness of their power, God appeared to me in a dream in the form of this high priest, and he urged me to be of good courage and to hold eagerly to my purpose, saying, 'For in you I will bring an end to the power of the Persians.' Therefore, seeing him in such a robe, and being reminded of the vision in my sleep, I rightly worshiped." Having said these things and having greeted the high priest, with the priests accompanying him, he came to the city of Jerusalem. And the scribes, bringing the book of Daniel, interpreted the prophecy to him, that one of the Macedonians must subdue the kingdom of the Persians. He, being all the more pleased at this and becoming overjoyed, and having gone up to the temple, sacrificed to God according to the instruction of the high priest, and having honored the high priest himself and all the priests 1.342 in a worthy manner and having adorned the temple with splendid and very great offerings, he marched against the Persians. And after Jaddua, Onias son of Jaddua, Eleazar, Onias, Simon, Jonaas Simo-Ianes who is also Hyrcanus, Aristobulus, who was the first to put on a royal diadem in addition to the high priesthood, Jannaeus who is also Alexander, king and high priest at the same time. Up to this point, the anointed leaders from the time of Cyrus, having lasted 483 years, which are 69 weeks of years, as Daniel also said: "and you shall know and understand that from the going forth of the word to answer and to build Jerusalem until Christ the leader, there shall be seven weeks, and sixty-two weeks." which are 483 years. And from Cyrus to Antiochus Epiphanes and that captivity, there are 304 years. Then it teaches us from what point we must count, that it is not from the day of the return, but from the going forth of the word to answer and to build Jerusalem. But it was not built in the time of Cyrus, but in the time of Artaxerxes Longimanus. For after the return came Cambyses, then the magi, and after them Darius son of Hystaspes, after whom Xerxes son of Darius and Artabanus. Then Artaxerxes Longimanus reigned over Persia. And in the twentieth year of his reign Nehemiah went up and rebuilt the city, as Esdras related. From then, there were 483 years until the destruction of the city, as Josephus the Hebrew testifies. 1.343 Josephus relates that on the same day of the Lord's crucifixion, first, rumblings were perceived in the temple,

124

εὐξαμένων οἱ ἐλέφαντες εἰς τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ στρατιώτας τε καὶ δήμους ἐξορμήσαντες πολὺν αὐτῶν ὄχλον ἐν τῇ περιεχούσῃ μανίᾳ διέφθει ραν. καὶ οὕτω παραδόξως οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι περισωθέντες ἀβλαβεῖς ἀπελύθησαν εἰς τὰ ἴδια, τῷ εὐεργέτῃ θεῷ εὐχαριστοῦντες. εἶτα βασιλεύει Πτολεμαῖος ὁ ἐπικληθεὶς σωτήρ, Πτολεμαῖος ὁ Ἀλέ ξανδρος, Πτολεμαῖος ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ, Πτολεμαῖος ὁ ∆ιονύσιος, Κλεοπάτρα ἡ τούτου θυγάτηρ· ἣν Αὔγουστος ἀνελὼν ἐν τῷ ιδʹ ἔτει τῆς αὐτοῦ βασιλείας ἐκράτησε τῆς Αἰγύπτου, καθελὼν τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν Πτολεμαίων διαρκέσασαν ἐν ἔτεσι διακοσίοις ʹ.

Οἱ δὲ μετὰ τὴν ἐκ Βαβυλῶνος ἐπάνοδον καθηγησάμενοι ἀρχιερεῖς εἰσὶν οὗτοι, Ἰησοῦς, Ἰωσεδὲκ ἅμα Ζοροβάβελ, Ἰάκωβος υἱὸς Ἰησοῦ, Ἰλιάσιμος Ἰακίμου, Ἰωδαὲ Ἰωσήβου, Ἰωνης ὁ τοῦ Ἰωδαέ, Ἰαδοῦς, ἐφ' οὗ Ἀλέξανδρος ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ 1.341 τῷ θεῷ προσεκύνησε. καταπλαγεὶς γὰρ ἐπὶ τῇ ξένῃ θέᾳ τῆς στο λῆς τοῦ ἀρχιερέως, ἀπὸ τοῦ ἅρματος καταβὰς μόνος προσεκύνησε τὸ θεῖον ὄνομα καὶ τὸν ἀρχιερέα ἠσπάσατο· ὃν πάντες Ἰουδαῖοι μιᾷ φωνῇ σὺν τῷ ἀρχιερεῖ γνησίως ἀντησπάσαντο. τῶν δέ γε τῆς Συρίας βασιλέων καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν καταπλαγέντων καὶ διεφθάρθαι τὴν διάνοιαν Ἀλεξάνδρου ὑπειληφότων, καὶ Παρμενίωνος τοῦ στρατηγοῦ μᾶλλον θαυμάσαντος, διότι καθάπερ τις τῶν ὑπηκόων πεσὼν προσεκύνησεν, εἶπεν Ἀλέξανδρος "οὐ τὸν ἀρχιερέα προσε κύνησα, ἀλλὰ τὸν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τιμώμενον θεόν, κἀμοὶ τὴν βοήθειαν κατὰ τῶν ἐναντίων ὑποσχόμενον. ἡνίκα γὰρ τὴν κατὰ Περσῶν διενοούμην στρατείαν καὶ ἐδεδίειν τὸ μέγεθος τῆς δυναστείας αὐ τῶν, ὤφθη μοι κατ' ὄναρ κατὰ τὸ σχῆμα τοῦδε τοῦ ἀρχιερέως ὁ θεός, καὶ θαρρεῖν μοι παρεκελεύσατο καὶ τῆς προθυμίας σπου δαίως ἔχεσθαι, λέγων «εἰς σὲ γὰρ καταλήξω τὴν Περσῶν δυνα στείαν.» διὸ τοῦτον θεασάμενος ἐν τοιαύτῃ στολῇ, καὶ τῆς κατὰ τοὺς ὕπνους ὑπομνησθεὶς ὄψεως, εἰκότως προσεκύνησα." ταῦτα εἰπὼν καὶ τὸν ἀρχιερέα δεξιωσάμενος, τῶν ἱερῶν παρεπομένων, εἰς τὴν πόλιν Ἱερουσαλὴμ παραγίνεται. οἱ δὲ γραμματεῖς τὴν βίβλον τοῦ ∆ανιὴλ προσκομίσαντες τὴν προφητείαν αὐτῷ διηρμή νευον, ὡς δεῖν τινὰ τῶν Μακεδόνων τὴν βασιλείαν Περσῶν χειρώ σασθαι. ὃς ἐπὶ τούτῳ μᾶλλον ἡσθεὶς καὶ περιχαρὴς γενόμενος, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ ἱερὸν ἀνελθών, θύει μὲν τῷ θεῷ κατὰ τὴν τοῦ ἀρχιε ρέως ὑφήγησιν, αὐτὸν δὲ τὸν ἀρχιερέα καὶ πάντας τοὺς ἱερεῖς 1.342 ἀξιοπρεπῶς τιμήσας καὶ λαμπροῖς καὶ μεγίστοις ἀναθήμασι τὸν ναὸν διακοσμήσας κατὰ τῶν Περσῶν ἐχώρησε. μετὰ δὲ Ἰαδοῦν Ἰωνίας Ἰαδοῦν, Ἐλεάζαρος, Ἰωνιᾶς, Σίμων, Ἰωναὰς ΣίμωἸανῆς ὁ καὶ Ὑρκανός, Ἀριστόβουλος, ὃς καὶ πρῶτος ἐπέθετοδιάδημα βασιλικὸν πρὸς τῇ ἀρχιερωσύνῃ, Ἰανέας ὁ καὶ Ἀλέξανδρος, βασιλεὺς ἅμα καὶ ἀρχιερεύς. μέχρι τούτου οἱ ἀπὸ Κύρου χριστοὶ ἡγούμενοι, διαρκέσαντες ἔτη υπγʹ, ἅ εἰσιν ἑβδομάδες ἐτῶν ξθʹ, καθὼς ἔφη καὶ ∆ανιὴλ τό "καὶ γνώσῃ καὶ συνήσεις ἀπὸ ἐξό δου λόγων τοῦ ἀποκριθῆναι καὶ τοῦ οἰκοδομῆσαι Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἕως Χριστοῦ ἡγουμένου ἑβδομάδες ἑπτά, καὶ ἑβδομάδες ξβʹ." ἅ τινά εἰσιν ἔτη υπγʹ. ἀπὸ δὲ Κύρου ἐπὶ Ἀντίοχον τὸν ἐπιφανῆ καὶ τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν ἐκείνην ἔτη εἰσὶ τδʹ. Εἶτα διδάσκει ἡμᾶς πόθεν ἀριθμεῖν δεῖ, ὅτι οὐκ ἀπὸ τῆς ἡμέρας τῆς ἐπανόδου, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ ἐξόδου λόγων ἀποκριθῆναι καὶ τοῦ οἰκοδομῆσαι Ἱερουσαλήμ. οὐκ ἐπὶ Κύρου δὲ ᾠκοδομήθη, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τοῦ μακρόχειρος Ἀρταξέρξου. μετὰ γὰρ τὴν κάθοδον ἐπανῆλθε Καμβύσης, εἶτα οἱ μάγοι, καὶ μετ' ἐκείνους ∆αρεῖος ὁ Ὑστάσπου, μεθ' ὃν Ξέρξης ὁ ∆αρείου καὶ Ἀρταβάνης. εἶτα Ἀρταξέρξης ὁ μακρόχειρ ἐβασίλευσε τῆς Περσίδος. ἐν δὲ τῷ εἰκοστῷ ἔτει τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ Νεεμίας ἀνελθὼν τὴν πόλιν ἀνέ στησε, καθὼς Ἔσδρας διηγήσατο. ἐντεῦθεν υπγʹ ἔτη γεγόνασιν ἕως τῆς κατασκαφῆς τῆς πόλεως, καθὼς Ἰώσηπος ὁ Ἑβραῖος μαρτυρεῖ. 1.343 Ἰώσηπος ἱστορεῖ ὅτι κατὰ τὴν αὐτὴν ἡμέραν τῆς τοῦ κυρίου σταυρώσεως κτύπους τοῦ ἱεροῦ ἀντιλαμβάνεσθαι πρῶτον,