155

He says that the caterpillar will come upon them, and what is not consumed by it will be consumed by the locust, and whatever escapes this, the beetle will consume, and last, the mildew being brought on will leave absolutely nothing unharmed. For he says, "what is left of the locust, the beetle will eat," and what follows. For these things must be understood figuratively of the Assyrian and the Babylonian, calling Tiglath-pileser the caterpillar, Shalmaneser the locust, Sennacherib the beetle, and indeed Nebuchadnezzar the mildew, who last campaigned and ravaged Judea and took captive those who escaped death, as has been said. Therefore, Judea happened to be captured many times again, as the great Cyril says again, by the Assyrians and Egyptians and Syrians 1.423 and Moabites, Idumeans and those called Philistines, that is, Palestinians; but having suffered a little and having at times fallen into moderate misfortunes, it recovered again, with God, who also had disciplined it, coming to its aid. But now it has been completely destroyed after the crucifixion of the Lord. Therefore, just as the kingdom of the Assyrians was destroyed by the Babylonians, and that of the Babylonians by the Persians, and that of the Persians by the Macedonians, and that of the Macedonians by the Romans, so the kingdom of the Romans will be destroyed by the Antichrist, and that of the Antichrist will be ruined by Christ. Therefore, through the four winds the great Zechariah teaches of the four great kingdoms, that of the Chaldeans, that of the Persians and that of the Macedonians and that of the Romans. And the two mountains, he says, are the two regions of the inhabited world; for it is divided into two, into Asia and Europe. And the red horses signify the bloodthirstiness of the Chaldeans, and the black ones the death brought by the Persians and Medes upon the Babylonians, and the white ones the clarity of the glory of the Macedonians; for this kingdom was not like the others. And the dappled and multi-colored ones indicate the strength and vigor of the Roman kingdom. And since the Medes and Persians were campaigning against the Babylonians, for this reason they are said to be going and indeed to appease the wrath of the Lord; for since they had been harsh against the people of God, for this reason they were delivered into the hands of Cyrus the Persian. And the fact that the white horses, that is the Macedonians, go after the 1.424 black ones signifies that the Macedonians too will subdue the kingdom of the Persians. And the dappled ones going to the south indicates that the Romans were about to campaign against Jerusalem; for the city lies in the south. And their being ordered to patrol the earth teaches again that through God every kingdom is established. Therefore, from Adam until the final capture of Jerusalem there are #22εσξβʹ years, and from the first building of the Solomonic temple and of the city #22απηʹ years, and from the second building φʹ years, and from the siege by Antiochus σμηʹ, and from the ascension of Christ until the capture by Titus μβʹ years.

In the third year of the reign of Titus, son of Vespasian, Mount Vesuvius in the west, breaking open at its peak, breathed out so much fire as to burn down the neighboring country and the cities. When the Greeks saw this, and were greatly astonished, they asked some of the learned Christians how and from where the fire came out from the innermost parts of the earth. And they say, from the Gehenna prepared for the devil and his angels and for all sinful and impious men it was given forth for the correction and acknowledgment of sinners. And this is clear from what your famous teacher Plato also said, discussing in the *Phaedo* concerning the allotments and payments of souls, that those who have lived badly are punished in Cocytus and in Pyriphlegethon 1.425 and in Tartarus, which are in the depth of the earth. And these things they said to the Greeks who were perplexed at that time. But the divine Patrick, bishop of Prusa and martyr, to the judge

155

ἐπελεύσεσθαι κάμπην λέγει, τὰ δὲ ὑπ' αὐτῆς μὴ ἀναλωθέντα ὑπὸ ἀκρίδος ἀναλωθήσεσθαι, ὅσα δὲ ταύτην διαφεύξεται, δαπανή σειν τὸν βροῦχον, ἔσχατον δὲ τὴν ἐρυσίβην ἐπαχθεῖσαν μηδὲν παντελῶς καταλείψειν ἀλώβητον. φησὶ γάρ "τὰ κατάλοιπα τῆς ἀκρίδος καταφάγεται ὁ βροῦχος" καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. ταῦτα γὰρ τρο πικῶς εἰς τὸν Ἀσσύριον καὶ Βαβυλώνιον ἐκληπτέον, κάμπην μὲν τὸν Θελαφάλασαρ ὀνομάζοντας, ἀκρίδα δὲ τὸν Σαλαμανασάρ, βροῦχον δὲ τὸν Σεναχηρείμ, ἐρυσίβην δὴ τὸν Ναβουχοδονόσορ, τελευταῖον ἐπιστρατεύσαντα καὶ τὴν Ἰουδαίαν δῃώσαντα καὶ τοὺς τὸν θάνατον διαφυγόντας αἰχμαλωτίσαντα, καθὼς εἴρηται. πλει στάκις μὲν οὖν πάλιν συμβέβηκεν ἁλῶναι τὴν Ἰουδαίαν, ὥς φησι πάλιν ὁ μέγας Κύριλλος, ὑπό τε Ἀσσυρίων καὶ Αἰγυπτίων Σύρων 1.423 τε καὶ Μωαβιτῶν, Ἰδουμαίων καὶ τῶν λεγομένων Φυλιστιείμ, τουτέστι Παλαιστηνῶν· ἀλλ' ὀλίγα παθοῦσαν καὶ συμμέτροις ἔσθ' ὅτε περιπεσοῦσαν συμφοραῖς πάλιν ἀνῆκεν, ἐπαμύναντος θεοῦ τοῦ καὶ παιδεύσαντος. ἀπόλωλε δὲ νῦν ὁλοσχερῶς μετὰ τὴν τοῦ κυρίου σταύρωσιν. Ὥσπερ τοίνυν ἡ μὲν τῶν Ἀσσυρίων βασιλεία κατελύθη ὑπὸ Βαβυλωνίων, ἡ δὲ Βαβυλωνίων ὑπὸ Περσῶν, ἡ δὲ Περσῶν ὑπὸ Μακεδόνων, ἡ δὲ Μακεδόνων ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων, οὕτως ἡ τῶν Ῥωμαίων ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἀντιχρίστου καταλυθήσεται καὶ ἡ τοῦ Ἀντιχρίστου ὑπὸ Χριστοῦ διαφθαρήσεται. διὰ μὲν οὖν τῶν τεσσάρων ἀνέμων τὰς μεγάλας τέσσαρας βασιλείας ὁ μέγας διδάσκει Ζαχαρίας, τὴν Χαλδαίων, τὴν Περσῶν καὶ τὴν Μακεδόνων καὶ τὴν Ῥωμαίων. τὰ δὲ δύο ὄρη τὰ δύο κλίματα τὸν οἰκουμένης φησίν· εἰς δύο γὰρ τέμνεται, εἴς τε Ἀσίαν καὶ Εὐρώπην. καὶ οἱ μὲν πυρροὶ ἵπποι τὸ μιαιφόνον τῶν Χαλδαίων σημαίνουσιν, οἱ δὲ μέλανες τὸν ἐπε νεχθέντα παρὰ Περσῶν καὶ Μήδων τοῖς Βαβυλωνίοις θάνατον, οἱ δὲ λευκοὶ τὸ σαφὲς τῆς δόξης τῶν Μακεδόνων· οὐ γὰρ ὥσπερ αἱ ἄλλαι βασιλεῖαι, καὶ αὗται. οἱ δὲ ψαροὶ καὶ ποικίλοι τὸ ἰσχυρὸν καὶ εὔτονον τῆς Ῥωμαίων βασιλείας δηλοῦσιν. ἐπειδὴ δὲ κατεστρατεύοντο Μῆδοι καὶ Πέρσαι κατὰ Βαβυλωνίων, τούτου χάριν πορευόμενοι καὶ δὴ καὶ ἀναπαῦσαι λέγονται τὸν θυμὸν κυ ρίου· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ σκληροὶ γεγόνασι κατὰ τοῦ λαοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ, διὰ τοῦτο παρεδόθησαν εἰς χεῖρας Κύρου τοῦ Πέρσου. τὸ δὲ καὶ τοὺς λευκοὺς ἵππους, τουτέστι τοὺς Μακεδόνας, κατόπισθεν τῶν 1.424 μελάνων πορεύεσθαι σημαίνει ὡς καὶ οἱ Μακεδόνες τὴν Περσῶν βασιλείαν χειρώσονται. τὸ δὲ τοὺς ψαροὺς ἐπὶ νότον ἔρχεσθαι δηλοῖ ὡς ἔμελλον Ῥωμαῖοι στρατεύειν κατὰ τῆς Ἱερουσαλήμ· ἐν γὰρ τῷ νότῳ κεῖται ἡ πόλις. τὸ δὲ προσταχθέντας αὐτοὺς περιο δεῦσαι τὴν γῆν διδάσκει πάλιν ὡς διὰ τοῦ θεοῦ πᾶσα βασιλεία συνίσταται. Γίνονται οὖν ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἀδὰμ ἕως τῆς ἐσχάτης ἁλώσεως Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἔτη #22εσξβʹ, ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς πρώτης οἰκοδομῆς τοῦ Σολομων τείου ναοῦ καὶ τῆς πόλεως ἔτη #22απηʹ, ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς δευτέρας οἰκο δομῆς ἔτη φʹ, ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς κατὰ Ἀντίοχον πολιορκίας σμηʹ, ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς ἀναλήψεως Χριστοῦ ἕως τῆς ὑπὸ Τίτου ἁλώσεως ἔτη μβʹ.

Τῷ τρίτῳ ἔτει τῆς βασιλείας Τίτου υἱοῦ Οὐεσπασιανοῦ τὸ Βέσβιον ὄρος ἐν τῇ δύσει κατὰ κορυφῆς ῥαγὲν ἐξεφύσησε πῦρ τοσοῦτον ὡς καταφλέξαι τὴν παρακειμένην χώραν καὶ τὰς πόλεις. ὅπερ θεασάμενοι οἱ Ἕλληνες, καὶ σφόδρα καταπλαγέντες, ἠρώ των τινὰς τῶν ἐλλογίμων Χριστιανῶν πῶς καὶ πόθεν ἐξῆλθε τὸ πῦρ ἐκ τῶν μυχαιτάτων τῆς γῆς. οἱ δέ φασιν, ἐκ τῆς ἡτοιμασμέ νης τῷ διαβόλῳ καὶ τοῖς ἀγγέλοις αὐτοῦ καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ἁμαρτωλοῖς καὶ ἀσεβέσιν ἀνθρώποις γεέννης ἀνεδόθη πρὸς σωφρονισμὸν καὶ ἐπίγνωσιν τῶν ἁμαρτανόντων. καὶ δῆλον ἐξ ὧν καὶ ὁ περιβόητος ὑμῶν διδάσκαλος Πλάτων ἔφη, διεξερχόμενος ἐν τῷ Φαίδωνι περὶ τῶν λήξεων καὶ ἀποπληρώσεων τῶν ψυχῶν, ὅτι οἱ κακῶς βεβιωκότες κολάζονται ἐν τῷ Κωκυτῷ καὶ ἐν τῷ Πυριφλεγέθοντι 1.425 καὶ ἐν τῷ Ταρτάρῳ, ἅτινά εἰσιν ἐν τῷ βάθει τῆς γῆς. καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ἐκεῖνοι πρὸς τοὺς κατ' ἐκεῖνο καιροῦ διαποροῦντας Ἕλληνας. ὁ δὲ θεῖος Πατρίκιος καὶ τῆς Προύσης ἐπίσκοπος καὶ μάρτυς πρὸς τὸν δικαστὴν