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if I return and come here again, what is that to you?” Therefore, rightly correcting their mistaken supposition, he reasonably said, “and Jesus did not say to him that he does not die.” For indeed in many things they were often mistaken regarding Christ's questions and answers, and they heard without understanding and were slow of heart, until the Holy Spirit came and guided them into all truth according to the word of the Lord. But if someone, contentiously and rashly answering these sacred words and testimonies, reasoning unseasonably as it were, should say, “to announce the second 1.436 coming of Christ he was left alive in the flesh with Enoch and Elijah,” let him hear that this same one, through the revelation, says that they alone in the person of the Lord will be the two witnesses, Enoch and Elijah, saying thus, “And I will give to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands. Fire proceeds from their mouth and consumes their enemies. And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that ascends from the abyss will make war against them, and will conquer and kill them, and their corpses will be on the street of the great city for three and a half days, unburied, where their Lord was also crucified. In vain, therefore, do some talk nonsense, saying that he is still alive in the flesh, and not understanding either what they are truly saying nor about what things they are asserting, inventing this on their own and not from any sacred commentators, rashly and daringly and indeed monstrously."

And after Nerva, Trajan reigned for 19 years, months, 15 days. This man was a hater of evil and a lover of justice. For once, having drawn his sword in the presence of all the officials, he gave it to the prefect, saying, "Take this; and if I rule well, use it for me, but if not, against me." He was chosen by Nerva because of his excellence, as he was most warlike and had achieved many successes in Rome and everywhere on earth. And when a certain friend of his was once slandered as a conspirator, and had his eyes gouged out 1.437 by his own hands and his beard shaved off, when he was brought blind before Trajan, being greatly grieved for his friend, the city which he had founded in his name, now Trajanopolis, pitying him, he sent him there to be the master of the city, taking care of all his treatment until his death. This man commanded that the Christian tribe not be sought out, but if they came to attention, they were to be punished. In his time, Menander succeeded Simon Magus, a sorcerer and a deceiver, a Samaritan by race, calling himself Christ. And Cerinthus was also a heresiarch then, and Nicolaus, one of the seven deacons, who were heresiarchs and enemies of the truth. Under him, the holy Ignatius the God-bearer and Symeon son of Cleopas were martyred. And Trajan died, having appointed Hadrian his son-in-law as emperor. Aelius Hadrian reigned for 24 years. He was an African by race, a lover of letters, skilled in both prose and verse, a relative and adopted son of Trajan. This man, having hunted in Mysia, built a city, and renamed it Hadrian's Hunt in the imperial post stations. Likewise also another city in Thrace, calling it Hadrianopolis, and a temple in Cyzicus. Under him, when the Jews revolted and wished to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem, he became exceedingly angry with them, and when a war occurred between them, he killed 58 myriads of them in one day. And having demolished the old remains of the city and of the temple, he builds a new Jerusalem, which indeed he also named Aelia. 1.438 And having set up his own idol in the temple, he commanded Greeks to live in the city. And a sign of its capture occurred, as the seal of Solomon was spontaneously broken. And a certain Simelus, adorned with both prudence and equity and with many virtues

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ἂν ὑποστρέψας ἔρχωμαι πάλιν ὧδε, τί πρὸς σέ;» ὥστε οὖν ἄρι στα διορθούμενος τὴν ἐσφαλμένην αὐτῶν ὑπόνοιαν, εἰκότως ἔφη «καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς ὅτι οὐκ ἀποθνήσκει.» καὶ γὰρ ἐν πολλοῖς πολλάκις ἐσφάλλοντο πρὸς τὰς πεύσεις Χριστοῦ καὶ τὰς ἀποκρίσεις, καὶ ἤκουον ἀσύνετοι καὶ βραδεῖς τῇ καρδίᾳ, ἕως ἐλθὸν τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ὡδήγησεν αὐτοὺς εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν ἀλή θειαν κατὰ τὸν τοῦ κυρίου λόγον. εἰ δέ τις ἐριστικῶς καὶ προ πετῶς ἀποκρινόμενος τὰς ἱερὰς ταύτας φωνὰς καὶ μαρτυρίας ἀκαίρως δῆθεν συλλογιζόμενος εἴπῃ «πρὸς τὸ καταγγεῖλαι τὴν δευ 1.436 τέραν Χριστοῦ παρουσίαν κατελείφθη ζῶν ἐν σαρκὶ μετὰ Ἐνὼχ καὶ Ἠλία,» ἀκουέτω ὅτι περ μόνους διὰ τῆς ἀποκαλύψεως αὐτὸς οὗτος ἐκείνους ἐκ προσώπου λέγει κυρίου τοὺς δύο μάρτυρας γενή σεσθαι, Ἐνὼχ καὶ Ἠλίαν, τοιάδε φάσκων «καὶ δώσω τοῖς δυσὶ μάρτυσί μου, καὶ προφητεύσουσιν ἡμέρας #22ασξʹ, περιβεβλημένοι σάκκους.» οὗτοί εἰσιν αἱ δύο ἐλαῖαι καὶ αἱ δύο λυχνίαι. πῦρ ἐκπορεύεται τοῦ στόματος αὐτῶν καὶ κατεσθίει τοὺς ἐχθροὺς αὐ τῶν. καὶ ὅταν τελέσωσι τὴν μαρτυρίαν αὐτῶν, ποιήσει τὸ ἀνα βαῖνον θηρίον ἐκ τῆς ἀβύσσου πόλεμον μετ' αὐτῶν, καὶ νικήσει καὶ ἀποκτείνει αὐτούς, καὶ τὰ πτώματα αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τῆς πλατείας τῆς μεγάλης πόλεως ἔσονται ἡμέρας τρεῖς ἥμισυ ἄταφα, ὅπου καὶ ὁ κύριος αὐτῶν ἐσταυρώθη. μάτην οὖν παραληροῦσί τινες, φάσκοντες αὐτὸν ζῆν ἔτι ἐν σαρκί, καὶ μὴ νοοῦντες μήτε ἃ λέγουσι τῷ ὄντι μήτε περὶ τίνων διαβεβαιοῦνται, οἴκοθεν τοῦτο καὶ οὐκ ἔκ τινων ἱερῶν ἐξηγητῶν ῥιψοκινδύνως τε καὶ τολμηρῶς ὄντως τε ρατευόμενοι."

Μετὰ δὲ Νέρουαν ἐβασίλευσε Τραϊανὸς ἔτη ιθʹ μῆνας ʹ ἡμέρας ιεʹ. οὗτος ἦν μισοπόνηρος καὶ φιλοδίκαιος. γυμνώσας γάρ ποτε ξίφος ἐνώπιον τῶν ἐν τέλει πάντων ἔδωκε τῷ ἐπάρχῳ, εἰπών "δέξαι τοῦτο· καὶ εἰ μὲν καλῶς ἄρχω, ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ, εἰ δὲ μή, κατ' ἐμοῦ αὐτῷ χρῆσαι." προεχειρίσθη δὲ ὑπὸ Νέρουα διὰ τὴν ἀρετὴν αὐτοῦ ὡς πολεμικώτατος καὶ πολλὰ κατορθώματα ἐν Ῥώμῃ καὶ πανταχοῦ γῆς πεποιηκώς. φίλου δέ τινος αὐτοῦ ποτὲ διαβληθέντος ὡς ἐπιβούλου, καὶ τούς τε ὀφθαλμοὺς ἐκκεντηθέν 1.437 τος ὑπὸ τῶν ἰδίων χειρῶν καὶ τὸ γένειον ἀποκειραμένου, ἐπεὶ τυφλὸς πρὸς Τραϊανὸν εἰσήχθη, πολλὰ λυπηθεὶς ἐπὶ τῷ αὐτοῦ φίλῳ, πόλιν ἣν ἔκτισεν ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ τὴν νῦν Τραϊανού πολιν, τοῦτον κατοικτείρας ὡς δεσπότην τῆς πόλεως ἐκεῖσε ἀπέ στειλεν εἶναι, ἕως τῆς αὐτοῦ τελευτῆς θεραπείαν αὐτοῦ πᾶσαν ποιησάμενος. οὗτος προσέταξε τὸ Χριστιανὸν φῦλον μὴ ἐκζητεῖ σθαι, ἐμπεσὸν δὲ κολάζεσθαι. ἐπὶ αὐτοῦ Σίμωνα τὸν μάγον Μένανδρος διεδέξατο, γόης καὶ ἀπατεών, Σαμαρεὺς τὸ γένος, ἑαυτὸν Χριστὸν ὀνομάζων. ἦν δὲ καὶ Κήρινθος αἱρεσιάρχης τότε καὶ Νικόλαος, εἷς τῶν ἑπτὰ διακόνων, οἱ αἱρεσιάρχαι καὶ ἐχθροὶ τῆς ἀληθείας. ἐπὶ τούτου ἐμαρτύρησεν ὁ ἅγιος Ἰγνάτιος ὁ θεοφόρος καὶ Συμεὼν ὁ τοῦ Κλεόπα. θνήσκει δὲ Τραϊανὸς Ἀδριανὸν τὸν γαμβρὸν αὐτοῦ προχειρισάμενος βασιλέα. Ἀδριανὸς Αἴλιος ἐβασίλευσεν ἔτη κδʹ. ἦν δὲ Ἄφρος τὸ γένος, φιλολόγος, ἐπιτήδειος ἔν τε τῷ πεζῷ λόγῳ καὶ τῷ ἐμμέ τρῳ, συγγενὴς καὶ υἱοπεποιημένος τῷ Τραϊανῷ. οὗτος ἐν Μυσίᾳ θηράσας ᾠκοδόμησε πόλιν, καὶ μετωνόμασεν αὐτὴν Ἀδριανοῦ θήρας ἐν τοῖς μιτάτοις. ὡσαύτως καὶ ἑτέραν πόλιν ἐν Θρᾴκῃ, προσαγορεύσας αὐτὴν Ἀδριανούπολιν, καὶ ναὸν ἐν Κυζίκῳ. ἐφ' οὗ στασιασάντων τῶν Ἰουδαίων καὶ τὸν ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις ναὸν οἰκοδομῆσαι βουληθέντων, ὀργίζεται κατ' αὐτῶν σφόδρα, καὶ πολέμου γενομένου μεταξὺ ἀνεῖλεν ἐξ αὐτῶν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ μιᾷ μυριά δας νηʹ. καὶ τὰ μὲν παλαιὰ λείψανα τῆς πόλεως καὶ τοῦ ναοῦ κατερειπώσας κτίζει νέαν Ἱερουσαλήμ, ἣν δὴ καὶ Αἰλίαν προση 1.438 γόρευσε. καὶ στήσας τὸ ἑαυτοῦ εἴδωλον ἐν τῷ ναῷ, οἰκεῖν Ἕλ ληνας ἐν τῇ πόλει προσέταξε. σημεῖον δὲ γέγονε τῆς ἁλώσεως αὐτοῦ ὡς τὸ τοῦ Σολομῶντος σημεῖον αὐτόματον διαλυθῆναι. Σίμηλον δέ τινα ἔν τε φρονήσει καὶ ἐπιεικείᾳ καὶ ἀρεταῖς πολλαῖς κεκοσμημένον