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these things a voice all at once said: ‘We are departing from here.’ And he records that these things happened after the passion of our Savior. 8.2.122 And again the same man says that Pilate, that very governor in the time of our Savior, brought the images of Caesar by night into the temple, which was not lawful, and that a very great disturbance of tumult and sedition was cast among the Jews. 8.2.123 Philo also bears witness to these very things, saying that Pilate set up the royal standards in the temple by night, and that from that time a beginning of seditions and successive calamities befell the Jews. 8.2.124 From that time, therefore, uprisings of all kinds of evils did not cease for the whole nation and their metropolis, until the final war against them and the last siege, during which by all kinds of ‘destructions’ of famine and pestilence and sword, with the ruin against them flowing together like a flood, all who had conspired against our Savior were cut down to a man, at which time also the ‘abomination of desolation’ stood ‘in the holy place,’ which has remained until now, daily advancing to a worse state of desolation. 8.2.125 And it is likely that it will intensify until the consummation of the age, according to the limit declared by the prophecy, which said, “and until the consummation of time a consummation shall be given upon the desolation,” 8.2.126 which saying our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ confirmed, saying: “But when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place, then know that its desolation has drawn near.” 8.2.127 But if those of the circumcision are unbelieving towards these things, they must be refuted not only for shamelessly standing against what is true and evident, but also for slandering the prophecies as false, as far as it is in their power, since the prophecies indeed limit the whole time to seventy weeks of years, decreeing the events that would happen in between, but they, although it is now almost the thousandth year from the prophecy advancing to our time, show that none of the things written has happened, even though their anointing was destroyed according to the divine prophecy and their holy place, and its former inhabitants were destroyed and cut off “in a flood” of a “war cut short by destructions,” and the most paradoxical thing of all is still seen there now, I mean the abomination of desolation standing until now in the formerly holy place, concerning which our Savior and Lord also uttered the words that have been set forth. 8.2.128 Since these things are clearly seen before our eyes even now, it is possible to marvel at those of the circumcision, not so much for daring to look against what is evident, but for being blind and darkened in their mind so as not to see the results of the divine scriptures that are so clear and evident. 8.2.129 And this they have suffered according to the saying of Isaiah fulfilled in them in this, through which he prophesied to them, saying: “With hearing you will hear and will not understand, and seeing you will see and will not perceive; for the heart of this people has grown dull, and with their ears they have heard heavily and their eyes they have closed, lest they should ever see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I should heal them.” 8.2.130 But since it was also said long ago concerning the nations who have believed in the Christ of God, “they to whom it was not announced concerning him will see, and they who have not heard will understand” by his grace and that of the Father who sent him, we too, to the best of our ability, have stated the things that appeared in these passages, and we have set forth the things that seemed good to Africanus before us with due recognition, since they themselves also possess accuracy, for which reason they must be used as being good. 8.3.1 From Micah. “Hear, all you peoples, and let the earth give heed and all who are in it, and the Lord will be among you for a testimony, the Lord from his holy house. Because behold, the Lord, the Lord goes forth from his place, and will come down and will tread upon the high places of the earth, and the mountains will be shaken under him, and the valleys will melt like wax before the face

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ταῦτα φωνῆς ἀθρόας λεγούσης· μεταβαίνομεν ἐντεῦθεν». ταῦτα δὲ ἱστορεῖ μετὰ τὸ πάθος τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν γεγονέναι. 8.2.122 καὶ πάλιν ὁ αὐτός φησιν, Πιλάτον τὸν ἡγεμόνα αὐτὸν δὴ ἐκεῖνον τὸν ἐπὶ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν τὰς Καίσαρος εἰκόνας νύκτωρ εἰς τὸ ἱερόν, ὅπερ οὐκ ἦν θέμις, εἰσκομίσαι, μεγίστην τε ταραχὴν θορύβου τε καὶ στάσεως ἐμβεβλῆσθαι τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις. 8.2.123 αὐτὰ δὴ ταῦτα καὶ ὁ Φίλων συμμαρτυρεῖ, τὰς σημαίας φάσκων τὰς βασιλικὰς τὸν Πιλάτον νύκτωρ ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ ἀναθεῖναι, ἀρχήν τε στάσεων καὶ συμφορῶν ἐπαλλήλων ἐξ ἐκείνου τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις συμπεσεῖν. 8.2.124 οὐ διέλιπον οὖν ἐκ τότε τὸ πᾶν ἔθνος καὶ τὴν μητρόπολιν αὐτῶν παντοίων κακῶν ἐπαναστάσεις, ἕως τοῦ ὑστάτου κατ' αὐτῶν πολέμου καὶ τῆς ἐσχάτης πολιορκίας, καθ' ἣν παντοίοις «ἀφανισμοῖς» λιμοῦ τε καὶ λοιμοῦ καὶ μαχαίρας, καταποντισμοῦ δίκην τοῦ κατ' αὐτῶν ὀλέθρου συρρεύσαντος, πάντες οἱ κατασυστάντες τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἡβηδὸν ἐξεκόπησαν, ὅτε καὶ τὸ «βδέλυγμα τῆς ἐρημώσεως» «ἐπὶ τὸ ἱερὸν» ἔστη, ὃ καὶ εἰς δεῦρο διέμεινεν, ὁσημέραι ἐπὶ τὸ χεῖρον ἐρημίας ἐλαῦνον. 8.2.125 εἰκὸς δὲ καὶ ἐπιτείνειν αὐτὸ μέχρι τῆς τοῦ βίου συντελείας, κατὰ τὸν ὑπὸ τῆς προφητείας ἀποφανθέντα ὅρον, φήσαντα «καὶ ἕως συντελείας καιροῦ συντέλεια δοθήσεται ἐπὶ τὴν ἐρήμωσιν», 8.2.126 ἥντινα φωνὴν ὁ σωτὴρ καὶ κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς ὁ Χριστὸς ἐπεσφραγίσατο εἰπών· «ὅταν δὲ ἴδητε τὸ βδέλυγμα τῆς ἐρημώσεως τὸ ῥηθὲν διὰ ∆ανιὴλ τοῦ προφήτου ἑστὼς ἐν τόπῳ ἁγίῳ, τότε γινώσκετε ὅτι ἤγγικεν ἡ ἐρήμωσις αὐτῆς». 8.2.127 Εἰ δὲ δυσπίστως πρὸς ταῦτα ἔχοιεν οἱ ἐκ περιτομῆς, ἐλεγκτέον αὐτοὺς μὴ μόνον ἀναιδῶς πρὸς τὰ ἀληθῆ καὶ ἐναργῆ ἱσταμένους, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς προρρήσεις ὡς ψευδεῖς, τὸ ὅσον ἐπ' αὐτοῖς, διαβάλλοντας, εἴ γε αἱ μὲν εἰς ἑβδομήκοντα ἑβδομάδας ἐτῶν τὸν πάντα περιορίζουσι χρόνον, τὰ ἐν τῷ μεταξὺ συμβησόμενα θεσπίζουσαι, οἱ δὲ σχεδὸν ἤδη χιλιοστοῦ ἔτους ἀπὸ τῆς προφητείας καὶ εἰς ἡμᾶς ἐλαύνοντος οὐδὲν τῶν γεγραμμένων γεγονὸς ἐπιδείκνυνται, καίτοι ἐξολοθρευθέντος αὐτῶν τοῦ χρίσματος κατὰ τὴν θείαν πρόρρησιν καὶ τοῦ ἁγιάσματος αὐτῶν, καὶ τῶν πρὶν οἰκητόρων διαφθαρέντων καὶ ἐκκοπέντων «ἐν κατακλυσμῷ» «πολέμου συντετμημένου ἀφανισμοῖς», καὶ τοῦ γε πάντων παραδοξοτάτου εἰσέτι νῦν αὐτόθι ὁρωμένου, λέγω δὴ τοῦ βδελύγματος τῆς ἐρημώσεως εἰς δεῦρο ἑστῶτος ἐν τῷ πρὶν ἁγίῳ τόπῳ, περὶ οὗ καὶ ὁ σωτὴρ καὶ κύριος ἡμῶν τὰς ἐκτεθείσας προήκατο φωνάς. 8.2.128 ὧν σαφῶς ὑπ' ὀφθαλμοῖς ὁρωμένων ἡμῖν εἰσέτι νῦν θαυμάσαι ἔστιν τοὺς ἐκ περιτομῆς, οὐχ οὕτως ἀντιβλέπειν τοῖς ἐναργέσι τολμῶντας, ὅσον ἀβλεπτοῦντας καὶ τὴν διάνοιαν ἐσκοτωμένους πρὸς τὸ μὴ ὁρᾶν τὰ οὕτω σαφῆ καὶ ἐναργῆ τῶν θείων γραφῶν ἀποτελέσματα. 8.2.129 ὃ καὶ πεπόνθασιν κατὰ τὴν εἰς αὐτοὺς πληρωθεῖσαν κἀν τούτῳ τοῦ Ἡσαΐου φωνήν, δι' ἧς ἐθέσπισεν αὐτοῖς, εἰπών· «ἀκοῇ ἀκούσετε καὶ οὐ μὴ συνῆτε, καὶ βλέποντες βλέψετε καὶ οὐ μὴ ἴδητε· ἐπαχύνθη γὰρ ἡ καρδία τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου, καὶ τοῖς ὠσὶν αὐτῶν βαρέως ἤκουσαν καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν ἐκάμμυσαν, μήποτε ἴδωσι τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς καὶ τοῖς ὠσὶν ἀκούσωσιν, καὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ συνῶσιν, καὶ ἐπιστρέψωσιν, καὶ ἰάσομαι αὐτούς». 8.2.130 Ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ καὶ περὶ τῶν πεπιστευκότων ἐθνῶν εἰς τὸν Χριστὸν τοῦ θεοῦ πάλαι πρότερον εἴρητο «οἷς οὐκ ἀνηγγέλη περὶ αὐτοῦ ὄψονται, καὶ οἳ οὐκ ἀκηκόασι συνήσουσιν» τῇ αὐτοῦ χάριτι καὶ τῇ τοῦ πέμψαντος αὐτὸν πατέρος, ἡμεῖς τε κατὰ τὸ δυνατὸν τὰ φανέντα εἰς τοὺς τόπους εἰρήκαμεν, καὶ τὰ τῷ πρὸ ἡμῶν Ἀφρικανῷ εὐγνωμόνως δόξαντα παρεθήκαμεν, ἐχόμενα καὶ αὐτὰ ἀκριβείας, ὅθεν καὶ αὐτοῖς ὡς καλῶς ἔχουσι χρηστέον. 8.3.1 Ἀπὸ τοῦ Μιχαία. «Ἀκούσατε, λαοὶ πάντες, καὶ προσεχέτω ἡ γῆ καὶ πάντες οἱ ἐν αὐτῇ, καὶ ἔσται κύριος ἐν ὑμῖν εἰς μαρτύριον, κύριος ἐξ οἴκου ἁγίου αὐτοῦ. διότι ἰδοὺ κύριος κύριος ἐκπορεύεται ἐκ τοῦ τόπου αὐτοῦ, καὶ καταβήσεται καὶ ἐπιβήσεται ἐπὶ τὰ ὕψη τῆς γῆς, καὶ σαλευθήσονται τὰ ὄρη ὑποκάτωθεν αὐτοῦ, καὶ αἱ κοιλάδες τακήσονται ὡς κηρὸς ἀπὸ προσώπου