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to anyone or did not provide a benefit. For he said that it was the mind of a king to do good and to be ready to listen to petitions. And he agreed with all who came to him asking for something, whatever they wished. And when one of his companions asked, "For what reason do you do this, often not fulfilling your promises?" "No one," said Titus, "ought to be sent away from a king looking gloomy." This Titus, having traveled all day in the summer season and having hemorrhaged through the nostrils, and having been burned by the sun and having fainted completely, 1.381 while he was still breathing his brother Domitian threw him into a wooden chest full of snow, as if to heal him, and killed him. Therefore the wonderful Titus, being most philosophical and most eloquent and most skilled in war and exceedingly moderate, and adorned with much good work and moderation and justice and prudence, made his own compassion very clear to all in the capture of Jerusalem. For he greatly mourned the God-stricken Jews at that time, and especially wept seeing the divine temple being burned, and he beseeched God to obtain mercy and pardon, because these things had happened not according to his own will but on account of their God-hated perversity. Whence indeed after the capture he rejected the proclamations of those proclaiming him victor and trophy-bearer, saying that he had not done these things himself, but had served and lent his hands to a God-sent and divine wrath. And from this, therefore, on account of his virtue and humility, having become greatly honored and greatly loved, he thus died. And such a lamentation took hold of Rome at his death that for a long time they remembered him and recounting his virtues wept publicly and in their homes, as if each one were seized by a personal suffering. In his second year a great fire occurred in Rome. And when the senate decreed it, Titus was proclaimed a god. This Titus in two years captured all of Jerusalem, burned 1.382 and destroyed it, as has been said, and burned the temple according to the Lord's prediction. For when the disciples said concerning the temple that it was adorned with beautiful stones and offerings, he said, "All these things that you see, the days will come in which a stone will not be left upon a stone, which will not be thrown down. And when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has drawn near. And woe to those who are with child and to those who are nursing in those days. For there will be great distress and wrath upon this people, and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and they will be led captive into all the nations. And Jerusalem will be trodden down by the nations, until the times of the nations are fulfilled. And there will be such tribulation as has never been before, nor will ever be." And the Jews, the enemies of their own life, have suffered all these things, having been mastered by the Romans, as having rejected Christ the king of all and having impiously drawn upon themselves the kingdom of the Romans, crying out, "We have no king but Caesar" and "The blood of Christ be upon us and upon our children." Wherefore also until the consummation their children will have dispersion into all the nations and misery, like some runaway slaves deserving a whipping, being able to perform none of their legal rites. For the Romans, holding them as tributaries, do not allow them to use their own ordinances, since they willingly drew servitude upon themselves, saying, "We have no king but Caesar" and "If we do not kill Christ, all will believe in him, 1.383 and the Romans will come and take away our place and our nation." Who indeed also prophesied unwillingly. For both the nations believed in him, and they themselves were deprived of their authority and their worship by the Romans, and are prevented from killing whom they wish and from sacrificing when they want. Wherefore they are also accursed, not being able to do the things that have been ordained; for it says, "Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things that are written

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τινὶ ἢ εὐεργεσίαν οὐ παρέσχεν. ἔλεγε γὰρ βασιλέως εἶναι γνώμην τὸ εὐεργετεῖν καὶ ἐν ταῖς αἰτήσεσιν εὐεπήκοον εἶναι. πάντας δὲ τοὺς ἐντυγχάνοντας αὐτῷ αἰτουμένους τι συνετίθετο ὅ τι καὶ βούλοιντο. καί τινος τῶν συνήθων ἐρωτήσαντος "ὅτου χάριν τοῦτο ποιεῖς, πολλάκις μὴ ἐκπληρῶν τὰς ὑποσχέσεις;" "οὐδένα" εἶπεν ὁ Τῖτος "ἀπὸ βασι λέως δεῖ σκυθρωπὸν ἀποπέμπεσθαι." οὗτος ὁ Τῖτος ὥρᾳ θέρους πανήμερον ὁδοιπορήσας καὶ αἱμορραγήσας διὰ τῶν μυκτήρων, ὑπὸ ἡλίου τε φλεχθεὶς καὶ πάνυ λειποθυμήσας, ἔτι ἐμπνέοντος 1.381 αὐτοῦ ἐνέβαλεν ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ ∆ομετιανὸς εἰς λάρνακα ξυλίνην χιόνος γέμουσαν ὡς δῆθεν θεραπεύσων, καὶ ἀπέκτεινεν. ὁ γοῦν θαυμάσιος Τῖτος φιλοσοφώτατος καὶ εὐγλωττότατος καὶ πολεμι κώτατος καὶ μέτριος ἄγαν ὑπάρχων, καὶ ἀγαθοεργίᾳ πολλῇ καὶ σωφροσύνῃ καὶ δικαιοσύνῃ καὶ φρονήσει κοσμούμενος, ἐκδηλο τέραν ἅπασι πεποίηκε τὴν ἑαυτοῦ συμπάθειαν ἐν τῇ ἁλώσει τῆς Ἱερουσαλήμ. σφόδρα γὰρ ἐπένθησε τοὺς θεηλάτους Ἰουδαίους τότε, καὶ μᾶλλον τὸν θεῖον ναὸν πυρπολούμενον ὁρῶν ἐδάκρυσε, καὶ τὸν θεὸν ἐδυσώπησε τυχεῖν ἐλέους καὶ συγγνώμης, δι' οὗ οὐ κατὰ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ προαίρεσιν ταῦτα γεγόνασιν ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν ἐκείνων θεοστυγῆ δυστροπίαν. ὅθεν δὴ μετὰ τὴν ἅλωσιν πρὸς τοὺς ἀνα κηρύττοντας αὐτὸν νικητὴν καὶ τροπαιοῦχον διωθεῖτο τὰς ἀναρρή σεις, ὡς οὐκ αὐτὸς εἰργάσθαι ταῦτα φήσας, ἀλλὰ θεηλάτῳ καὶ θείᾳ ὀργῇ καθυπουργῆσαι καὶ τὰς χεῖρας ἐπιδεδωκέναι. κἀντεῦ θεν τοίνυν διὰ τὴν ἀρετὴν αὐτοῦ καὶ ταπεινοφροσύνην παγγέρα στος καὶ πανεπέραστος γενόμενος οὕτως ἐτελεύτησε. τοσοῦτος δὲ θρῆνος ἐπὶ τῇ τελευτῇ αὐτοῦ κατέσχε τὴν Ῥώμην ὡς ἐν χρόνῳ πολλῷ τοῦτον ἀπομνημονεύοντες καὶ τὰς ἀρετὰς αὐτοῦ ἀναλογι ζόμενοι δημοσίᾳ καὶ κατ' οἴκους κλαίειν, ὥσπερ οἰκείῳ πάθει κατεχόμενος ἕκαστος. Τῷ δευτέρῳ ἔτει τούτου μέγας ἐμπρησμὸς ἐν Ῥώμῃ ἐγένετο. καὶ τῆς συγκλήτου ψηφισαμένης Τῖτος θεὸς ἀνηγορεύθη. οὗτος ὁ Τῖτος ἐν δυσὶν ἔτεσιν παραλαβὼν τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ πᾶσαν ἐνέ 1.382 πρησε καὶ ἠφάνισε, καθὼς εἴρηται, καὶ τὸν ναὸν ἐνέπρησε κατὰ τὴν τοῦ κυρίου προαγόρευσιν. εἰπόντων γὰρ τῶν μαθητῶν περὶ τοῦ ἱεροῦ ὅτι λίθοις καλοῖς καὶ ἀναθήμασι κεκόσμηται, ἔφη "ταῦτα πάντα ἃ θεωρεῖτε, ἐλεύσονται ἡμέραι ἐν αἷς οὐκ ἀφεθή σεται λίθος ἐπὶ λίθον, ὃς οὐ καταλυθήσεται. ὅταν δὲ ἴδητε κυ κλουμένην τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ ὑπὸ στρατοπέδων, τότε γνῶτε ὅτι ἤγ γικεν ἡ ἐρήμωσις αὐτῆς. οὐαὶ δὲ ταῖς ἐν γαστρὶ ἐχούσαις καὶ ταῖς θηλαζούσαις ἐν ἐκείναις ταῖς ἡμέραις. ἔσται γὰρ ἀνάγκη μεγάλη καὶ ὀργὴ τῷ λαῷ τούτῳ, καὶ πεσοῦνται ἐν στόματι ῥομ φαίας, καὶ αἰχμαλωτισθήσονται εἰς πάντα τὰ ἔθνη. καὶ Ἱερου σαλὴμ ἔσται πατουμένη ὑπὸ ἐθνῶν, ἄχρι πληρωθῶσι καιροὶ ἐθνῶν. καὶ ἔσται θλῖψις τοιαύτη οἵα οὐ γέγονε πώποτε, οὐδ' οὐ μὴ ἔσται." ταῦτα δὲ πάντα πεπόνθασιν οἱ ἐχθροὶ τῆς ζωῆς αὐτῶν Ἰουδαῖοι, κυριευθέντες ὑπὸ τῶν Ῥωμαίων, ὡς ἀπωσάμενοι Χριστὸν τὸν βασιλέα τοῦ παντὸς καὶ τὴν τῶν Ῥωμαίων βασι λείαν δυσσεβῶς ἐπισπασάμενοι, κράζοντες "οὐκ ἔχομεν βασιλέα εἰ μὴ Καίσαρα" καὶ "τὸ αἷμα Χριστοῦ ἐφ' ἡμᾶς καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ τέκνα ἡμῶν." διὸ καὶ μέχρι τῆς συντελείας τὴν εἰς τὰ ἔθνη πάντα διασπορὰν καὶ ταλαιπωρίαν ἕξουσιν αὐτῶν τὰ τέκνα, καθά περ τινὲς δραπέται μαστιγίαι, μηδὲν τῶν νομίμων ἐπιτελεῖν δυνά μενοι. ὑποφόρους γὰρ ἔχοντες αὐτοὺς Ῥωμαῖοι οὐκ ἐῶσι τοῖς ἰδίοις κεχρῆσθαι δικαιώμασιν, ἐπειδήπερ ἑκουσίως ἐπεσπάσαντο τὴν δουλείαν, εἰπόντες "οὐκ ἔχομεν βασιλέα εἰ μὴ Καίσαρα" καί "ἐὰν μὴ ἀποκτείνωμεν τὸν Χριστόν, πάντες εἰς αὐτὸν πιστεύσουσι, 1.383 καὶ ἐλεύσονται οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι καὶ ἀροῦσιν ἡμῶν τὸν τόπον καὶ τὸ ἔθνος." οἵ γε καὶ ἄκοντες προεφήτευσαν. καὶ γὰρ ἐπίστευσαν εἰς αὐτὸν τὰ ἔθνη, καὶ αὐτοὶ τὴν ἐξουσίαν ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων ἀφῃρέ θησαν καὶ τὴν λατρείαν, κεκωλυμένοι δέ εἰσι καὶ ἀναιρεῖν οὓς θέλουσι καὶ θύειν ὅτε βούλονται. διὸ καὶ ἐπικατάρατοί εἰσι, μὴ δυνάμενοι ποιεῖν τὰ διατεταγμένα· "ἐπικατάρατος" γάρ φησι "πᾶς ὃς οὐκ ἐμμένει πᾶσι τοῖς γεγραμμένοις