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no other "coming leader" than the one indicated from a foreign race and the rest who in succession after them led the nation, with and among whom, using them as if they were co-workers, the hater of good and destroyer of good things is said to have destroyed "both the city and the holy place". 8.2.103 For he truly destroyed the entire nation, at one time leading the order of the priesthood into lawlessness, and at another perverting the entire people, and thus summoning the city—the citizens being so named metaphorically—to impiety. Aquila also agrees with our rendering, having interpreted it in this way: "and the people of a coming leader shall destroy the city and the holy place". 8.2.104 For not only did "the coming leader," the one indicated according to what has been rendered by us, destroy "the city and the holy place," but also his "people". One might not be off the mark to say that the Roman leader and his people are also indicated by the preceding words, by which I think are signified the armies of the Roman rulers who from that time took control of the nation, who also destroyed the city Jerusalem itself and the once venerable and holy temple in it. 8.2.105 By these, at any rate, they were both cut off as if "in a flood and until the end of a decreed war they reached desolations," so that already, according to the prophecy, they endured a complete desolation after their plot against our savior, after which they also endured the final siege. You have these things also accurately in the histories written by Josephus himself. 8.2.106 But with these things having been prophesied concerning the events that happened to the Jewish nation in the time between the seven and the sixty-two weeks, the declaration of the new covenant announced by our savior is accordingly decreed. 8.2.107 With so many things, then, having been said for the middle and in between the seven and the sixty-two weeks, it adds: and one week shall confirm a covenant with many; and in the middle of the week sacrifice and libation shall be taken away, and upon the temple shall be the abomination of desolations, and until the consummation of time a consummation shall be given for the desolation". 8.2.108 Let us consider in what way these things also were fulfilled. The whole time of the teaching and miracle-working of our savior is recorded as having been three and a half years, which is half a week. This, in a way, John the evangelist will demonstrate accurately for those who pay attention to his gospel. Therefore, one week of years would be the entire time of his association with his apostles, both before the passion and after his resurrection from the dead. 8.2.109 For before the passion it is recorded that for three and a half years he presented himself to all, both disciples and those not such, during which time by his teachings and miraculous healings he demonstrated the powers of his divinity to all, simply both Greeks and Jews. 8.2.110 But after the resurrection from the dead for an equal, as is likely, period of years; he was with his own disciples and apostles, "for forty days appearing to them and eating with them, and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God," as indeed the Acts of the Apostles contains, so that this is the indicated week of years of the prophecy, during which he strengthened "a covenant with many," that is, strengthening the new covenant of the evangelical proclamation. 8.2.111 And with "many" to whom did he strengthen this but 8.2.111 clearly with his own disciples and apostles and with all those from the Hebrews who had believed in him? But yet, of this one week, during which he strengthened the indicated "covenant with the many," "in the middle" "sacrifice and libation" were taken away, and the "abomination of desolation" began, 8.2.112 since in the middle of this week, after the three and a half year period of his teaching, at which time he suffered, "the veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom"; so that from that time the libation was in effect taken away from them

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οὐκ ἄλλος «ἡγούμενος ἐρχόμενος» ἢ ὁ δηλωθεὶς ἐξ ἀλλοφύλου γένους καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ ὅσοι καθεξῆς μετ' ἐκείνους ἡγήσαντο τοῦ ἔθνους, σὺν οἷς καὶ μεθ' ὧν, ὡσπερεὶ συνεργοῖς χρώμενος, ὁ μισόκαλος καὶ τῶν ἀγαθῶν φθορεὺς «καὶ τὴν πόλιν καὶ τὸ ἅγιον» διαφθερεῖν εἴρηται. 8.2.103 καὶ γὰρ διέφθειρεν ἀληθῶς ἅπαν τὸ ἔθνος, τοτὲ μὲν τὴν τῆς ἱερωσύνης τάξιν εἰς παρανομίαν ἄγων, τοτὲ δὲ τὸν πάντα λαὸν διαστρέφων, καὶ τὴν πόλιν οὕτω τῶν πολιτῶν μεταφορικῶς ὠνομασμένων εἰς ἀσέβειαν ἐκκαλούμενος. συνᾴδει δὲ ἡμῶν τῇ ἀποδόσει καὶ ὁ Ἀκύλας, τοῦτον ἑρμηνεύσας τὸν τρόπον· «καὶ τὴν πόλιν καὶ τὸ ἅγιον διαφθερεῖ λαὸς ἡγουμένου ἐρχομένου». 8.2.104 οὐ μόνον γὰρ «ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἡγούμενος», ὁ κατὰ τὰ ἀποδεδομένα ἡμῖν δηλωθείς, διέφθειρε «τὴν πόλιν καὶ τὸ ἅγιον», ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ τούτου «λαός». εἴποι δ' ἄν τις οὐκ ἀπὸ σκοποῦ καὶ τὸν Ῥωμαίων ἡγεμόνα διὰ τῶν προκειμένων δηλοῦσθαι τόν τε τούτου λαόν, δι' οὗ νομίζω σημαίνεσθαι τὰ στρατόπεδα τῶν Ῥω μαίων ἀρχόντων ἐξ ἐκείνου κρατησάντων τοῦ ἔθνους, οἳ καὶ τὴν πόλιν αὐτὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ καὶ τὸν πάλαι ἐν αὐτῇ σεμνὸν καὶ ἅγιον νεὼν διέφθειραν. 8.2.105 ὑπὸ τούτων γοῦν καὶ ἐξεκόπησαν ὡς «ἐν κατακλυσμῷ καὶ ἕως τέλους πολέμου συντετμημένου ἀφανισμοῖς» ἔφθασαν, ὥστε ἤδη κατὰ τὴν προφητείαν παντελῆ ὑπομεῖναι ἐρημίαν μετὰ τὴν κατὰ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐπιβουλὴν αὐτῶν, μεθ' ἣν καὶ τὴν ἐσχάτην ὑπέμειναν πολιορκίαν. ἔχεις καὶ ταῦτα ἀκριβῶς ἐν ταῖς γραφείσαις αὐτῷ Ἰωσήπῳ ἱστορίαις. 8.2.106 Τούτων δὲ περὶ τῶν συμβεβηκότων τῷ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνει ἐν τῷ μεταξὺ χρόνῳ τῶν ἑπτὰ καὶ ἑξήκοντα καὶ δύο ἑβδομάδων πεπροφητευμένων, ἀκολούθως ἡ δήλωσις τῆς ὑπὸ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν καταγγελθείσης καινῆς διαθήκης θεσπίζεται. 8.2.107 τοσούτων γοῦν διὰ μέσου καὶ μεταξὺ τῶν ἑπτὰ καὶ ἑξήκοντα καὶ δύο ἑβδομάδων εἰρημένων, ἐπιλέγεται· καὶ δυναμώσει διαθήκην πολλοῖς ἑβδομὰς μία· καὶ ἐν τῷ ἡμίσει τῆς ἑβδομάδος ἀρθήσεται θυσία καὶ σπονδή, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ ἱερὸν βδέλυγμα τῶν ἐρημώσεων ἔσται, καὶ ἕως συντελείας καιροῦ συντέλεια δοθήσεται ἐπὶ τὴν ἐρήμωσιν». 8.2.108 τίνα δὲ τρόπον καὶ ταῦτα ἐπληροῦτο, κατανοήσωμεν. ἱστορεῖται δὲ ὁ πᾶς τῆς διδασκαλίας καὶ παραδοξοποιίας ὁμοῦ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν χρόνος τριῶν ἥμισυ γεγονὼς ἐτῶν, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἑβδομάδος ἥμισυ. τοῦτό πως Ἰωάννης ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς ἀκριβῶς ἐφιστῶσιν αὐτοῦ τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ παραστήσει. εἴη ἂν οὖν ἑβδομὰς ἐτῶν μία ὁ πᾶς χρόνος τῆς μετὰ τῶν ἀποστόλων αὐτοῦ συνδιατριβῆς, ὅ τε πρὸ τοῦ πάθους καὶ ὁ μετὰ τὴν ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀνάστασιν αὐτοῦ. 8.2.109 πρὸ μὲν γὰρ τοῦ πάθους ἐπὶ τρία καὶ ἥμισυ ἔτη τοῖς πᾶσιν ἑαυτὸν παρέχων μαθηταῖς τε καὶ τοῖς μὴ τοιούτοις ἀναγέγραπται, καθ' ὃν χρόνον διδασκαλίαις παραδόξοις τε θεραπείαις τῆς θεότητος αὐτοῦ τὰς δυνάμεις πᾶσιν ἁπλῶς Ἕλλησίν τε καὶ Ἰουδαίοις παρείχετο. 8.2.110 μετὰ δὲ τὴν ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀνάστασιν τὸν ἴσον, ὡς εἰκός, τῶν ἐτῶν χρόνον· τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ μαθηταῖς καὶ ἀποστόλοις συνῆν, «δι' ἡμερῶν τεσσαράκοντα ὀπτανόμενος αὐτοῖς καὶ συναλιζόμενος, καὶ λέγων τὰ περὶ τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ θεοῦ», ὡς γοῦν αἱ Πράξεις τῶν ἀποστόλων περιέχουσιν, ὡς εἶναι ταύτην τὴν δηλουμένην τῆς προφητείας τῶν ἐτῶν ἑβδομάδα, καθ' ἣν ἐνεδυνάμωσεν «διαθήκην πολλοῖς», τὴν καινὴν δηλαδὴ διαθήκην τοῦ εὐαγγελικοῦ κηρύγματος κρατύνων. 8.2.111 τίσιν δὲ «πολλοῖς» ταύτην ἐνεδυνάμωσεν ἢ 8.2.111 δηλονότι τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ μαθηταῖς καὶ ἀποστόλοις καὶ τοῖς ἐξ Ἑβραίων εἰς αὐτὸν πεπιστευκόσιν ἅπασιν; Πλὴν ἀλλὰ τῆς μιᾶς ταύτης ἑβδομάδος, καθ' ἣν ἐνεδυνάμωσεν τὴν δηλωθεῖσαν «διαθήκην τοῖς πολλοῖς», «ἐν τῷ ἡμίσει» ἤρθη «θυσία καὶ σπονδή», τό τε «βδέλυγμα τῆς ἐρημώσεως» ἤρξατο, 8.2.112 ἐπειδήπερ μεσαζούσης τῆς ἑβδομάδος ταύτης, μετὰ τὸν ἥμισυ καὶ τριετῆ χρόνον τῆς διδασκαλίας αὐτοῦ, καθ' ὃν καιρὸν πέπονθεν, «τὸ καταπέτασμα τοῦ ναοῦ ἐρράγη ἀπὸ ἄνωθεν ἕως κάτω»· ὡς ἐξ ἐκείνου δυνάμει ἦρθαι ἐξ αὐτῶν τὴν σπονδὴν