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1.386 he became to us a reproof of our thoughts, and he is grievous for us even to behold, because his life is unlike that of others and his paths are strange. We were accounted by him as base metal, and he abstains from our ways as from impurities. He calls the last end of the just blessed, and boasts that God is his father. Let us see if his words are true, and let us test what will happen in his end; for if he is righteous and the son of God, he will help him and will deliver him from the hand of his adversaries. Let us test him with insult and torture, that we may know his gentleness and prove his forbearance. Let us condemn him to a shameful death, and let us see if he will be looked after according to his words." Whose paranoia and ill-will he quite aptly derided, adding: "These things they reasoned, and they were led astray; for their own wickedness blinded them, and they knew not the mysteries of God." Whom indeed the divine Isaiah, lamenting, concordantly says: "Woe to their soul, because they have devised an evil counsel against themselves, saying: Let us bind the just one, for he is useless to us." Therefore, the cause of your alienation from God and of your abandonment and of your continual and endless suffering has been most clearly shown, if indeed you are willing to listen and understand. And concerning your captivity in Babylon, the prophets spoke of a definite time, and indeed they also foretold the return and the rebuilding of the city. For hear Jeremiah saying to you: "Because of the sins 1.387 which you have sinned before God, you shall be led away captive to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. When you have entered into Babylon, therefore, you will be there for 70 years. And after this I will bring you out from there with peace, says the Lord." And again: "And they will serve among the nations for 70 years, and when the 70 years are fulfilled I will restore Israel to its place, says the Lord." And concerning the building of the city, Isaiah said: "Thus says the Lord to my anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held, that nations might hearken before him. He shall build my city, and he shall bring back the captivity of my people." Concerning which building Haggai also says: "In the second year of Darius, the Lord spoke to me, saying: Say now to Zerubbabel and to Joshua the priest and to all the remnant of the people, saying: Who is there among you who knew this house in its former glory? And how do you see it now, as if it were nothing in your sight? And now be strong, Zerubbabel and Joshua and all the people, and build the house. And I will take pleasure in it, and the latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord." As, therefore, Solomon was the builder of the first building of the temple, so was Zerubbabel of the second and last. For Zechariah says: "The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house, and his hands shall finish it." If, then, it were going to be raised up again, the prophet would have said, 'and the last glory of this house will be greater than the former things.' But by saying "greater than the former," 1.388 he indicated that the second was the last and final one. For as there is no 'former' to the first, so there is no 'latter' to the last. Therefore, if he had said "the second greater than the first," it would have been reasonable to expect a third building as well; but since he called the second 'latter,' he clearly signified that that was the final building of both the city and the temple. And you are deceived in vain, O Jews, in eagerly awaiting the rebirth of these things after their destruction by Vespasian and Titus. But indeed, the holy psalmist David before these things, from the person of the captivity, says: "By the river of Babylon, there we sat down and we wept when we remembered Zion, and because there they that had taken us captive asked of us hymns." And he adds elsewhere concerning the city, saying: "The Lord, building Jerusalem, will gather together the dispersed of Israel." And again from the person of the people he says: "When turning back

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1.386 ἐγένετο ἡμῖν εἰς ἔλεγχον ἐννοιῶν ἡμῶν, καὶ βαρύς ἐστιν ἡμῖν καὶ βλεπόμενος, ὅτι ἀνόμοιός ἐστι τοῖς ἄλλοις ὁ βίος αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐξηλ λαγμέναι αἱ τρίβοι αὐτοῦ. ὡς κίβδηλον ἐλογίσθημεν αὐτῷ, καὶ ἀπέχεται τῶν ὁδῶν ἡμῶν ὡς ἀπὸ ἀκαθαρσιῶν. μακαρίζει δὲ ἔσχατα δικαίων, καὶ ἀλαζονεύεται πατέρα θεόν. ἴδωμεν εἰ οἱ λόγοι αὐτοῦ εἰσὶν ἀληθεῖς, καὶ πειράσωμεν τὰ ἐν ἐκβάσει αὐτοῦ· εἰ γάρ ἐστι δίκαιος καὶ υἱὸς θεοῦ, ἀντιλήψεται αὐτοῦ καὶ ῥύσεται αὐτὸν ἐκ χειρὸς ἀνθεστηκότων. ὕβρει καὶ βασάνῳ ἐτάσωμεν αὐ τόν, ἵνα γνῶμεν τὴν ἐπιείκειαν αὐτοῦ καὶ δοκιμάσωμεν τὴν ἀνεξι κακίαν αὐτοῦ. θανάτῳ ἀσχήμονι καταδικάσωμεν αὐτόν, καὶ ἴδωμεν εἰ ἔσται αὐτῷ ἐπισκοπὴ ἐκ λόγων αὐτοῦ." ὧν τὴν παρά νοιάν τε καὶ δυσμένειαν εὖ μάλα κερτομῶν ἐπήγαγε "ταῦτα ἐλογί σαντο καὶ ἐπλανήθησαν· ἀπετύφλωσε γὰρ αὐτοὺς ἡ κακία αὐ τῶν, καὶ οὐκ ἔγνωσαν μυστήρια θεοῦ." οὓς δὴ καὶ ὁ θεσπέσιος Ἠσαΐας θρηνῶν συνᾳδόντως λέγει "οὐαὶ τῇ ψυχῇ αὐτῶν, διότι ἐβουλεύσαντο βουλὴν πονηρὰν καθ' ἑαυτῶν, εἰπόντες δήσωμεν τὸν δίκαιον, ὅτι δύσχρηστος ἡμῖν ἐστί." δέδεικται τοίνυν ἐναρ γέστατα ἡ αἰτία τῆς ὑμῶν ἀπὸ θεοῦ ἀλλοτριώσεως καὶ ἐγκαταλεί ψεως καὶ τῆς διηνεκοῦς καὶ ἀπεράντου ταλαιπωρίας, εἴπερ βούλε σθε ἀκούοντες ἐπιγνῶναι. καὶ περὶ μὲν τῆς ἐν Βαβυλῶνι αἰχμα λωσίας ὑμῶν ὡρισμένον χρόνον εἶπον οἱ προφῆται, καὶ μέντοι γε καὶ τὴν ἐπάνοδον καὶ τὴν οἰκοδομὴν τῆς πόλεως προκατήγγειλαν. ἀκούσατε γὰρ Ἱερεμίου πρὸς ὑμᾶς λέγοντος "διὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας 1.387 ἃς ἡμαρτήκατε κατεναντίον τοῦ θεοῦ, ἀχθήσεσθε εἰς Βαβυλῶνα αἰχμάλωτοι ὑπὸ Ναβουχοδονόσορ βασιλέως Βαβυλῶνος. εἰσελ θόντες οὖν εἰς Βαβυλῶνα ἔσεσθε ἐκεῖ ἔτη οʹ. μετὰ δὲ τοῦτο ἐξάξω ὑμᾶς ἐκεῖθεν μετ' εἰρήνης, λέγει κύριος." καὶ πάλιν "καὶ δου λεύσουσιν ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἔτη οʹ, καὶ ἐν τῷ πληρωθῆναι τὰ οʹ ἔτη ἀποκαταστήσω τὸν Ἰσραὴλ εἰς τὸν τόπον αὐτοῦ, λέγει κύριος." καὶ περὶ τῆς οἰκοδομῆς τῆς πόλεως Ἠσαΐας ἔφη "οὕτω λέγει κύ ριος τῷ χριστῷ μου Κύρῳ, οὗ ἐκράτησα τῆς δεξιᾶς, ἐπακοῦσαι ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ ἔθνη. αὐτὸς οἰκοδομήσει τὴν πόλιν μου, καὶ τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν τοῦ λαοῦ μου ἐπιστρέψει." περὶ ἧς οἰκοδομῆς καὶ Ἀγγαῖος φάσκει "τῷ δευτέρῳ ἔτει ἐπὶ ∆αρείου ἐλάλησε κύριος πρός με, λέγων εἶπον δὴ πρὸς Ζοροβάβελ καὶ πρὸς Ἰησοῦν τὸν ἱερέα καὶ πρὸς πάντας τοὺς καταλοίπους τοῦ λαοῦ, λέγων τίς ἐξ ὑμῶν ὃς οἶδε τὸν οἶκον τοῦτον ἐν τῇ δόξῃ αὐτοῦ τῇ ἔμπροσθεν; καὶ πῶς νῦν βλέπετε αὐτὸν ὡς οὐχ ὑπάρχοντα ἐνώπιον ὑμῶν; καὶ νῦν κατίσχυε, Ζοροβάβελ καὶ Ἰησοῦ καὶ πᾶς ὁ λαός, καὶ οἰκοδο μήσατε τὸν οἶκον. καὶ εὐδοκήσω ἐν αὐτῷ, καὶ ἔσται ἡ δόξα τοῦ οἴκου τούτου ἡ ἐσχάτη ὑπὲρ τὴν πρώτην, λέγει κύριος." ὥσπερ τοίνυν Σολομῶν τῆς πρώτης οἰκοδομῆς τοῦ ναοῦ γέγονε δομήτωρ, οὕτω Ζοροβάβελ τῆς δευτέρας καὶ ἐσχάτης. φησὶ γὰρ Ζαχαρίας "αἱ χεῖρες Ζοροβάβελ ἐθεμελίωσαν τὸν οἶκον τοῦτον, καὶ αἱ χεῖρες αὐτοῦ ἐπιτελέσουσιν αὐτόν." εἰ μὲν οὖν ἔμελλε πάλιν ἀναστήσε σθαι, εἶπεν ἂν ὁ προφήτης, καὶ ἔσται ἡ δόξα τοῦ οἴκου τούτου ἡ ἐσχάτη ὑπὲρ τὰ ἔμπροσθεν. τῷ δὲ εἰπεῖν "ὑπὲρ τὴν πρώτην" 1.388 τὴν δευτέραν ἐσχάτην ὑπέφηνε καὶ τελευταίαν. ὡς γὰρ οὐκ ἔστι τῆς πρώτης προτέρα, οὕτως οὐδὲ τῆς ἐσχάτης ἐσχατωτέρα. ὥστε οὖν εἰ μὲν εἶπεν "ἡ δευτέρα ὑπὲρ τὴν πρώτην," εἰκὸς ἦν καὶ τρί την οἰκοδομὴν προσδοκᾶν· εἰ δὲ τὴν δευτέραν ἐσχάτην ἐκάλεσε, τελευταίαν ἐκείνην οἰκοδομὴν προφανῶς τῆς τε πόλεως καὶ τοῦ ναοῦ παρεδήλωσε. καὶ μάτην ἀπατᾶσθε, ὦ Ἰουδαῖοι, τὴν πα λιγγενεσίαν τούτων μετὰ τὴν Οὐεσπασιανοῦ καὶ Τίτου καθαίρεσιν ἀποκαραδοκοῦντες. ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ ὁ ἱεροψάλτης ∆αβὶδ πρὸ τού των ἐκ προσώπου τῆς αἰχμαλώσεώς φησιν "ἐπὶ τὸν ποταμὸν Βα βυλῶνος, ἐκεῖ ἐκαθίσαμεν καὶ ἐκλαύσαμεν ἐν τῷ μνησθῆναι ἡμᾶς τὴν Σιών, καὶ ὅτι ἐκεῖ ἐπηρώτησαν ἡμᾶς οἱ αἰχμαλωτεύσαντες ἡμᾶς ὕμνους." καὶ ἐπάγει ἑτέρωθεν ἐπὶ τῆς πόλεως λέγων "οἰκο δομῶν Ἱερουσαλὴμ ὁ κύριος τὰς διασπορὰς τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἐπισυνάξει." καὶ πάλιν ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ λαοῦ φάσκει "ἐν τῷ ἐπιστρέ