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So going up, they threw down the just man, and began to stone him. In which, having been thrown down, he did not die, but turning, he knelt down, saying: I beseech you, Lord God Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. And as they were stoning him, one of the priests of the sons of Rechab, son of Rachaeim, those testified to by Jeremiah, cried out, saying: Stop, what are you doing? The just man is praying for us. And one of them, one of the fullers, taking the club with which he beats out the clothes, brought it down on the head of the just man. And thus he was martyred; and they buried him on the spot by the temple, and his monument remains by the temple. This man became a true witness to both Jews and Greeks, that Jesus is the Christ. And immediately Vespasian besieged them. 413 Hegesippus, a trustworthy writer of our orthodox faith, correctly relates these things, with whom Josephus also harmoniously agrees, writing that this was the cause of the capture of the Jews under Vespasian. Josephus concerning the same things These things happened to the Jews as a vengeance for James the Just, who was the brother of Jesus who is called Christ, because the Jews killed him though he was most just. But the younger Ananus, whom we said had received the high priesthood, was rash in his manner and exceedingly bold. And he followed the sect of the Sadducees, who are cruel in their judgments beyond all the Jews, as we have already shown. Ananus, being of such a character, thinking he had a favorable opportunity because Festus was dead, and Albinus was still on the road, assembled a council of judges, and brought before it the brother of Jesus who is called Christ, James by name, and certain others, and having made an accusation against them as transgressors of the law, he delivered them to be stoned. But those of the city who seemed most reasonable and strict regarding the laws were greatly displeased at this, and they sent to the king secretly, beseeching him to write to Ananus to do such things no more; for he had not done rightly in the first place; And some of them went to meet Albinus as he was journeying from Alexandria, and informed him that it was not lawful for Ananus to assemble a council without his consent. Albinus, persuaded by what was said, wrote with anger to Ananus, threatening that he would exact penalties from him. And King Agrippa for this reason deprived him of the high priesthood after he had held it for three months, and appointed Jesus the son of Damnaeus.

414 5563 YEARS OF THE WORLD 63 years of the divine incarnation The remaining years of

Nero's Nero, who first stirred up a persecution against the Christians toward the end of his most shameful life and reign, during which Peter and Paul, the divine apostles, were martyred, killed many other Christians, and exiled many more. Nero, having killed the divine apostles Peter and Paul, and having corrupted many Christians and persecuted many more, on top of this paraded in cithara-playing and tragedies both in Rome and Greece, and was crowned at the Isthmian, Pythian, Elean, and Actian games as a herald, with a chariot of colts, a perfect one, and one of ten colts; having also altered the Olympiad, he shamefully exhibited himself on stage. At that time he also wished to dig through the Isthmus, so that the Peloponnese might become an island. Having returned to Rome from Greece, he then fled again from there to Argos, having experienced a rebellion, and was violently killed by one of his servants, or as others say, he died having dispatched himself. Vespasian, a powerful consular man, was sent by Nero against the revolting Jews, and having routed them in two wars, he blockaded them. And Josephus, a general of the Jews, having barely been saved, prophesies to Vespasian the death of Nero and his own reign. Nero was adopted by the one before him

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Ἀναβάντες οὖν κατέβαλον τὸν δίκαιον, καὶ ἤρξαντο λιθάζειν αὐτόν. ἐν ᾗ καταβληθεὶς οὐκ ἀπέθανεν, ἀλλὰ στραφεὶς ἔθηκε τὰ γόνατα λέγων· παρακαλῷ κύριε θεὲ πάτερ, ἄφες αὐτοῖς, οὐ γὰρ οἴδασι τί ποιοῦσιν. οὕτως δὲ καταλιθοβολούντων αὐτὸν εἷς τῶν ἱερέων τῶν υἱῶν Ῥηχάβ, υἱοῦ Ῥαχαείμ, τῶν μαρτυρουμένων ὑπὸ Ἱερεμίου, ἔκραξε λέγων· παύσασθε, τί ποιεῖτε; εὔχεται ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ὁ δίκαιος. καὶ λαβών τις ἀπ' αὐτῶν εἷς τῶν γναφέων τὸ ξύλον, ἐν ᾧ ἀποπιέζει τὰ ἱμάτια, ἤνεγκε κατὰ τῆς κεφαλῆς τοῦ δικαίου. καὶ οὕτως ἐμαρτύρησε· καὶ ἔθαψαν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τῷ τόπῳ παρὰ τῷ ναῷ, καὶ ἐπ' αὐτοῦ στήλη μένει παρὰ τῷ ναῷ. μάρτυς οὗτος ἀληθὴς Ἰουδαίοις τε καὶ Ἕλλησι γεγένηται, ὅτι Ἰησοῦς ὁ Χριστός ἐστι. καὶ εὐθὺς Οὐεσπασιανὸς πολιορκεῖ αὐτούς. 413 Ταῦτα μὲν Ἡγήσιππος τῶν τοῦ καθ' ἡμᾶς ὀρθοῦ λόγου ἀξιόπιστος συγγραφεὺς ὀρθῶς ἱστορεῖ, ᾧ καὶ Ἰώσηππος οὐκ ἀπᾴδοντα συμφωνεῖ γράφων ταύτην γενέσθαι τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς κατὰ Οὐεσπασιανὸν ἁλώσεως Ἰουδαίων. Ἰωσήππου περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν Ταῦτα δὲ συμβέβηκεν Ἰουδαίοις κατ' ἐκδίκησιν Ἰακώβου τοῦ δικαίου, ὃς ἦν ἀδελφὸς Ἰησοῦ τοῦ λεγομένου Χριστοῦ, ἐπειδήπερ δικαιότατον αὐ τὸν ὄντα Ἰουδαῖοι ἀπέκτειναν. Ὁ δὲ νεώτερος Ἄνανος, ὃν τὴν ἀρχιερωσύνην εἴπαμεν παρειληφέναι, θρασὺς ἦν τὸν τρόπον καὶ τολμητὴς διαφερόντως. αἵρεσιν δὲ μετῄει τὴν Σαδδουκαίων, οἵπερ εἰσὶ περὶ τὰς κρίσεις ὠμοὶ παρὰ πάντας τοὺς Ἰουδαίους, καθὼς ἤδη δεδηλώκαμεν. ἅτε δὴ τοιοῦτος ὢν ὁ Ἄνανος, νομίσας ἔχειν καιρὸν ἐπιτήδειον διὰ τὸ τεθνάναι μὲν Φίστον, Ἀλβῖνον δὲ ἔτι κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν ὑπάρχειν καθίζει συνέδριον κριτῶν καὶ παραγαγὼν εἰς αὐτὸ τὸν ἀδελφὸν Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Χριστοῦ λεγόμενον, Ἰάκωβος ὄνομα αὐτῷ, καί τινας ἑτέρους, ὡς κατὰ παρανομησάντων κατηγορίαν ποιησάμενος, παραδέ δωκε καταλευσθησομένους. ὅσοι δὲ ἐδόκουν ἐπιεικέστατοι τῶν κατὰ τὴν πόλιν εἶναι καὶ τὰ περὶ τοὺς νόμους ἀκριβεῖς, βαρέως ἤνεγκαν ἐπὶ τούτῳ, καὶ πέμπουσι πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα κρύφα παρακαλοῦντες αὐτὸν ἐπιστεῖλαι τῷ Ἀνάνῳ μηκέτι τοιαῦτα πράττειν· μηδὲ γὰρ τὸ πρῶτον ὀρθῶς αὐτὸν πεποιηκέναι· τινὲς δὲ ἐκ τῶν κατὰ τὸν Ἀλβῖνον ὑπαντιάζουσιν ἀπὸ τῆς Ἀλεξανδρείας ὁδοιποροῦντι, καὶ διδάσκουσιν ὡς οὐκ ἐξὸν ἦν Ἀνάνῳ χωρὶς τῆς αὐτοῦ γνώμης καθίσαι συνέδριον. Ἀλβῖνος δὲ πεισθεὶς τοῖς λεγομένοις γράφει μετ' ὀργῆς τῷ Ἀνάνῳ λή ψεσθαι παρ' αὐτοῦ δίκας ἀπειλῶν. καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἀγρίππας διὰ τοῦτο τῆς ἀρχιερωσύνης ἀφελόμενος αὐτὸν ἄρξαντα μῆνας τρεῖς Ἰησοῦν τὸν Ἰδαμμαίου κατέστησε.

414 ΚΟΣΜΟΥ ΕΤΗ ΕΦΞΓ Τῆς θείας σαρκώσεως ἔτη ξγʹ Τὰ ὑπόλοιπα τοῦ

Νέρωνοσ Νέρων πρῶτος κατὰ Χριστιανῶν κινήσας διωγμὸν πρὸς τῷ τέλει τῆς αἰσχίστης ζωῆς καὶ βασιλείας αὐτοῦ, καθ' ὃν Πέτρος καὶ Παῦλος ἐμαρ τύρησαν οἱ θεῖον ἀπόστολοι, πολλοὺς καὶ ἄλλους Χριστιανῶν ἀνεῖλε, πλείονας ἐκδιώξας. Νέρων τοὺς θείους ἀποστόλους Πέτρον καὶ Παῦλον ἀνελών, πολλούς τε Χριστιανῶν διαφθείρας καὶ πλείονας διώξας, ἐπὶ τούτοις κιθαρῳδίαις καὶ τραγῳδίαις κατά τε Ῥώμην καὶ τὴν Ἑλλάδα πομπεύων, Ἰσθμίοις καὶ Πυθίοις καὶ Ἠλείοις καὶ Ἀκτίοις ἐστεφανοῦτο κήρυξιν ἅρματι πωλικῷ καὶτῷ τελείῳ καὶ δεκαπώλῳ· μεταθέμενος καὶ τὴν ὀλυμπιάδα κατὰ σκηνῆς αἰσχρῶς ἑαυτὸν ὑπεδείκνυ. Τότε καὶ τὸν Ἰσθμὸν ἠβουλήθη διορύξαι πρὸς τὸ γενέσθαι νῆσον τὴν Πελοπόννησον. Οὗτος εἰς Ῥώμην ἐπανελθὼν ἐκ τῆς Ἑλλάδος ἐκεῖθεν πάλιν εἰς Ἄργοςφεύγει πειρασθεὶς ἐπαναστάσεως καὶ ὑπό τινος τῶν οἰκετῶν βιαίως ἀναι ρεῖται, ὡς δὲ ἕτεροι, ἑαυτὸν διαχειρισάμενος τέθνηκεν. Οὐεσπασιανὸς ὑπατικὸς ἀνὴρ δυνατὸς ὑπὸ Νέρωνος κατὰ Ἰουδαίων ἀποστάντων πεμφθεὶς καὶ δυσὶ πολέμοις τούτους τρεψάμενος ἀπέκλεισεν. Ἰώσηππος δὲ στρατηγῶν Ἰουδαίων μόλις περισωθεὶς θεσπίζει τῷ Οὐεσπασιανῷ τὰ τῆς Νέρωνος τελευτῆς καὶ τῆς αὐτοῦ βασιλείας. Νέρων υἱοθετήθη μὲν τῷ πρὸ αὐτοῦ