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1.412 and from where is it clear, he says, that God has completely turned away from you? From the facts themselves crying out and sending forth a voice clearer than a trumpet, through the destruction of the city, through the desolation of the temple, through all the other things. But men, he says, brought this about, not God. If, then, these were the works of men and not of the wrath of God, your affairs should have stopped at the point of the capture and your dishonor and affliction should not have proceeded further. However, let it be according to your argument, that men destroyed the walls and razed the city and overturned the altar. Did men also put an end to the men? Did they also abolish the grace of the Spirit and the other august things among you, such as the voice being borne from the mercy seat, the power that occurred with the anointing, the manifestation on the priest's stone? For the Jewish commonwealth did not have all its origins from below, but the greater and more august ones from above, from the heavens. What do I mean? Having permitted sacrifices to take place, the altar was below, and the wood and the knife and the priest, but the fire that was to come into that holy of holies and consume the sacrifices had its origin from above; for a man did not bring fire into the temple, but a flame borne down from above fulfilled the sacrifice of the ministry. Again, if ever it was necessary to learn something, a voice was borne from between the Cherubim and the mercy seat and foretold future events. Likewise upon the stone on the breast of the high priest, which they called the Manifestation, a certain shining occurred, and it signified 1.413 future events. Similarly, whenever someone had to be anointed, the grace of the Spirit hovered over and the oil leaped up. And prophets ministered in these matters, and often a cloud and smoke took possession of the holy of holies. So that, therefore, you may not be shameless nor attribute their desolation to men, He not only allowed the city to fall and the temple to be made desolate, but also He has caused those things, which had their origins from the heavens, to be removed. For what reason, then, do you not now have prophets nor any of the other of those divine things? Is it not perfectly clear that it is because God has turned away from your affairs? And from where, he says, is this clear? From the fact that before this you were certainly impious, but now, though seeming to live more reasonably after the cross, you endure a greater punishment and enjoy none of the former things, nor indeed will you receive them again, as the divine prophecies clearly show. If indeed you wish, we will also arm other prophets who say openly that your affairs will come to an end, but ours will flourish, and the preaching will be extended everywhere in the inhabited world, and a different manner of sacrifices will be offered, with those among you having been abolished. For I do not for the present bring forward Isaiah as a witness, nor Jeremiah, nor the others before the captivity, so that you do not say that those terrible things which they spoke concerning the captivity have come to pass, but Malachi, who, after the return from Babylon and the restoration of the city, clearly prophesied concerning your affairs. For after they returned and recovered the city and were building the temple and 1.414 were performing the sacrifices, foretelling this future, complete, and final desolation and the abolition of the sacrifices, he says: "Will I accept a sacrifice from your hands?, says the Lord Almighty. For from the rising of the sun even to its setting, my name has been glorified among the nations, and in every place incense is offered to my name, and a pure sacrifice. But you profane it." When, then, have these things been fulfilled, O Jews, and when in every place was incense offered to God and a pure sacrifice? You would not be able to name another time than this one after the coming of Christ. So that if he does not foretell this time, nor our sacrifice but the Jewish one, the prophecy is unlawful. For if, when Moses commanded that you offer a sacrifice in no place other than the place which the Lord God chose, and in one location in Jerusalem

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1.412 καὶ πόθεν δῆλον, φησίν, ὅτι τέλεον ἀπεστράφη ὑμᾶς ὁ θεός; τῶν πραγμάτων αὐτῶν βοώντων καὶ σάλπιγγος λαμπροτέραν ἀφιέντων φωνὴν διὰ τῆς καταστροφῆς τῆς πόλεως, διὰ τῆς ἐρη μώσεως τοῦ ναοῦ, διὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων. ἀλλ' ἄνθρωποι, φησίν, ἐπήγαγον, οὐχ ὁ θεός. εἰ γοῦν ἀνθρώπων ἔργα ταῦτα καὶ οὐχὶ τῆς ὀργῆς τοῦ θεοῦ, ἔδει μέχρι τῆς ἁλώσεως τὰ ὑμέτερα στῆναι καὶ μὴ περαιτέρω προελθεῖν ὑμῖν τὴν ἀτιμίαν καὶ κάκωσιν. πλὴν ἔστω κατὰ τὸν ὑμέτερον λόγον, ὅτι τὰ τείχη κατέστρεψαν ἄνθρωποι καὶ τὴν πόλιν καθεῖλον καὶ τὸν βωμὸν ἀνέστρεψαν. μὴ καὶ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἄνθρωποι κατέπαυσαν; μὴ καὶ τὴν τοῦ πνεύματος χάριν καὶ τἆλλα τὰ σεμνὰ τὰ παρ' ὑμῖν αὐτὰ κατέλυ σαν, οἷον τὸ φωνὴν ἐκ τοῦ ἱλαστηρίου φέρεσθαι, τὴν ἐπὶ τῷ χρίσματι γενομένην ἐνέργειαν, τὴν ἐπὶ τὸν λίθον τοῦ ἱερέως δή λωσιν; καὶ γὰρ ἡ Ἰουδαϊκὴ πολιτεία οὐχὶ κάτωθεν εἶχε τὰς ἀρχὰς ἁπάσας, ἀλλὰ τὰς πλείους καὶ σεμνοτέρας ἄνωθεν ἐκ τῶν οὐρα νῶν. οἷον τί λέγω; θυσίας γίνεσθαι συγχωρήσας, ὁ μὲν βωμὸς ἦν κάτω καὶ τὰ ξύλα καὶ ἡ μάχαιρα καὶ ὁ ἱερεύς, τὸ δὲ πῦρ τὸ μέλλον ἐν τοῖς ἀδύτοις τοῖς ἐκείνοις ἰέναι καὶ δαπανᾶν τὰς θυσίας ἄνωθεν τὴν ἀρχὴν εἶχεν· οὐ γὰρ ἄνθρωπος εἰς τὸν ναὸν εἰσῆγε πῦρ, ἀλλὰ φλὸξ ἄνωθεν κατενεχθεῖσα τὴν ἐπὶ τῆς διακονίας ἐπλή ρου θυσίαν. πάλιν εἴ ποτε ἔδει τιμαθεῖν, ἀναμέσον τῶν Χε ρουβὶμ καὶ τοῦ ἱλαστηρίου φωνή τις ἐφέρετο καὶ τὰ μέλλοντα προέλεγεν. ὡσαύτως ἐπὶ τὸν λίθον τὸν ἐπὶ τοῦ στήθους τοῦ ἀρ χιερέως, ὅπερ ἐκάλουν δήλωσιν, ἐγίνετό τις ἔλλαμψις, καὶ τὰ 1.413 μέλλοντα προεσήμαινεν. ὁμοίως ἡνίκα χρίεσθαι ἔδει τινά, πνεύ ματος ἐφίπτατο χάρις καὶ τὸ ἔλαιον ἀνεπήδα. καὶ προφῆται διη κόνουν τοῖς πράγμασι τούτοις, καὶ νεφέλη πολλάκις καὶ καπνὸς τὰ ἄδυτα κατελάμβανεν. ἵνα τοίνυν μὴ ἀναισχυντῆτε μηδὲ ἀν θρώποις λογίζησθε τὴν ἐρήμωσιν αὐτῶν, οὐχὶ τὴν πόλιν μόνην ἀφῆκε πεσεῖν καὶ τὸν ναὸν ἐρημωθῆναι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ πράγματα ἐκεῖνα, ἅπερ ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν τὰς ἀρχὰς εἶχεν, ἐκποδὼν γενέσθαι πεποίηκε. τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν οὐκ ἔχετε νῦν προφήτας οὐδέ τι τῶν λοιπῶν ἐκείνων θείων; οὐκ εὔδηλον ὅτι τοῦ θεοῦ τὰ καθ' ὑμᾶς ἀποστραφέντος; καὶ πόθεν, φησί, τοῦτο δῆλον; ἀφ' ὧν πρὸ τούτου μὲν ἀσεβοῦντες ἐτυγχάνετε πάντως, νῦν δὲ δοκοῦντες ἐπιει κέστερον ζῆν μετὰ τὸν σταυρὸν μείζονα τιμωρίαν ὑπομένετε καὶ οὐδενὸς ἀπολαύετε τῶν προτέρων, οὔτε μὴν ἀπολήψεσθε, καθὼς αἱ θεῖαι προρρήσεις ἐναργῶς δηλοῦσιν. εἰ δὴ βούλεσθε, καὶ ἑτέρους προφήτας ἐφοπλίσομεν λέγοντας φανερῶς ὅτι τὰ μὲν ὑμέ τερα τέλος λήψεται, τὰ δὲ ἡμέτερα ἀνθήσει, καὶ πανταχοῦ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἐκταθήσεται τὸ κήρυγμα, καὶ θυσίας ἑτέρας προσε νεχθήσεται τρόπος, ἐκείνων τῶν παρ' ὑμῖν καταλυθεισῶν. οὐδὲ γὰρ Ἠσαΐαν παράγω τέως μάρτυρα οὔτε Ἰερεμίαν οὔτε τοὺς ἄλλους πρὸ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας, ἵνα μὴ λέγητε ὅτι τὰ δεινὰ ἐκεῖνα ἃ ἔλεγον περὶ τῆς αἰχμαλώσεως ἐξέβη, ἀλλὰ Μαλαχίαν τὸν μετὰ τὴν ἐκ Βαβυλῶνος ἐπάνοδον καὶ τὴν τῆς πόλεως ἀποκατάστασιν σαφῶς περὶ τῶν πραγμάτων ὑμῶν προφητεύσαντα. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐπανῆλθον καὶ τὴν πόλιν ἀπέλαβον καὶ τὸν ναὸν ᾠκοδόμουν καὶ 1.414 τὰς θυσίας ἐπετέλουν, τὴν μέλλουσαν παντελῆ ταύτην καὶ τελευ ταίαν ἐρήμωσιν καὶ τὴν ἀναίρεσιν τῶν θυσιῶν προλέγων φησίν "εἰ λήψομαι ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν ὑμῶν θυσίαν, λέγει κύριος παντο κράτωρ. ὅτι ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν ἡλίου καὶ μέχρι δυσμῶν τὸ ὄνομά μου δεδόξασται ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι, καὶ ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ θυμίαμα προσάγεται τῷ ὀνόματί μου καὶ θυσία καθαρά. ὑμεῖς δὲ βεβη λοῦτε αὐτήν." πότε οὖν ταῦτα πεπλήρωται, ὦ Ἰουδαῖοι, καὶ πότε ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ θυμίαμα προσηνέχθη τῷ θεῷ καὶ θυσία κα θαρά; οὐκ ἂν ἔχοιτε εἰπεῖν ἕτερον καιρὸν ἀλλ' ἢ τοῦτον τὸν μετὰ τὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ παρουσίαν. ὡς εἰ μὴ τοῦτον προλέγει τὸν και ρόν, μηδὲ τὴν ἡμετέραν θυσίαν ἀλλὰ τὴν Ἰουδαϊκήν, παράνομός ἐστιν ἡ προφητεία. εἰ γὰρ τοῦ Μωϋσέως κελεύοντος εἰς μηδένα τόπον ἀνάγεσθε θυσίαν ἀλλ' ἢ εἰς τὸν τόπον ὃν ἐξελέξατο κύριος ὁ θεός, καὶ εἰς ἓν χωρίον ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ