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of Simeon by itself, and their women by themselves. All the remaining tribes, each tribe by itself, and their women by themselves.” 8.4.6 And again after other things he proclaims more clearly the final siege of Jerusalem, saying: “Behold, the days of the Lord are coming, and your spoils will be divided in your midst. And I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem for war, and the city will be captured, and the houses will be plundered, and the women will be defiled, and half of the city will go into captivity, but the rest of my people shall not be utterly destroyed from the city. And the Lord will go forth, and will fight against those nations, as on his day of battle in a day of war. And his feet will stand in that day on the Mount of Olives, which is opposite Jerusalem.” 8.4.7 Then after other things in between he says: “And the Lord will be one, and his name one, encompassing all the land and the desert.” 8.4.8 And again after other things, concluding the book of the prophecy, he ordains the calling of the gentiles through these words: “And it shall be that whoever is left from all the nations that came against Jerusalem, they will also go up year by year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the festival of tabernacles. And it shall be that whoever from all the tribes of the earth does not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, these also will be added to them. And if the tribe of Egypt does not go up or come there, upon them also will be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the nations of the earth, as many as do not go up to celebrate the festival of tabernacles. This will be the sin of Egypt and the sin of all the nations, as many as do not go up to celebrate the festival of tabernacles.” 8.4.9 Zechariah also prophesies these things after the return from Babylon, when Darius was king of the Persians, Jerusalem having just then been rebuilt from its former desolation, which it had suffered under the Babylonians. And the entire time from the reign of Darius the Persian up to Augustus, emperor of the Romans, is reckoned into the seven and sixty-two weeks of years mentioned in Daniel, which becomes four hundred and eighty-three years, as we demonstrated in the exercises a little before, during which Zechariah prophesies, 8.4.10 nor in the time of the Macedonians, extending from Alexander up to Augustus ..., does anything contained in the words of the prophet appear to have been fulfilled. 8.4.11 For when in those times, when the Lord spoken of by the prophets appeared to men, did many nations, recognizing him and confessing him to be the only God, flee to him and become his people? Or when in the times of the Persians or the Macedonians did the prophesied king come, “mounted on a donkey and a young colt,” and coming, did he destroy the royal array called “chariots” and “horse” of the Judean nation named “Ephraim” and of Jerusalem itself, and abolish the armed forces of the Judean nation? For this the oracle indicated, saying: “Behold, your king comes to you, just and saving, he is meek and mounted on a donkey and a young colt,” “and the battle bow will be utterly destroyed.” 8.4.12 For these things were prophesied concerning the abolition of the royal dignity of the Judean nation, on which again the matters of peace for the nations are added in agreement with what was previously stated through the words “and abundance of peace from the nations.” 8.4.13 Instead of which Aquila and the other interpreters have rendered: “and he will speak peace to the nations,” which is especially established and literally fulfilled from the reign of Augustus, since from that time every polyarchy was dissolved, and peace embraced most of the nations of the world. 8.4.14 But who before Roman times, in the Persian or Macedonian periods, has become such a king of the Jews, as to rule “from sea to sea and from

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τοῦ Συμεὼν καθ' ἑαυτήν, καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες αὐτῶν καθ' ἑαυτάς. πᾶσαι αἱ ὑπολελειμμέναι φυλαί, φυλὴ καθ' ἑαυτὴν, καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες αὐτῶν καθ' ἑαυτάς.» 8.4.6 Καὶ πάλιν μεθ' ἕτερα τὴν ἐσχάτην τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ πολιορκίαν σαφέστερον κηρύττει, λέγων· «ἰδοὺ ἡμέραι ἔρχονται τοῦ κυρίου, καὶ διαμερισθήσονται τὰ σκῦλά σου ἐν σοί· καὶ ἐπισυνάξω πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ἐπὶ Ἱερουσαλὴμ εἰς πόλεμον, καὶ ἁλώσεται ἡ πόλις καὶ διαρπαγήσονται αἱ οἰκίαι, καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες μολυνθήσονται, καὶ ἐξελεύσεται τὸ ἥμισυ τῆς πόλεως ἐν αἰχμαλωσίᾳ, οἱ δὲ κατάλοιποι τοῦ λαοῦ μου οὐ μὴ ἐξολοθρευθῶσιν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως. καὶ ἐξελεύσεται κύριος, καὶ παρατάξεται ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἐκείνοις, καθὼς ἡμέρα παρατάξεως αὐτοῦ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ πολέμου. καὶ στήσονται οἱ πόδες αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος τῶν ἐλαιῶν τὸ κατέναντι Ἱερουσαλήμ.» 8.4.7 Εἶτα μεθ' ἕτερα τὰ μεταξύ φησιν· «καὶ ἔσται κύριος εἷς, καὶ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ ἕν, κυκλοῦν πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν καὶ τὴν ἔρημον». 8.4.8 καὶ αὖθις μεθ' ἕτερα, περιγράφων τὴν βίβλον τῆς προφητείας, τὴν κλῆσιν τῶν ἐθνῶν διὰ τούτων θεσπίζει· «καὶ ἔσται ὅσοι ἐὰν καταλειφθῶσιν ἐκ πάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν τῶν ἐλθόντων ἐπὶ Ἱερουσαλήμ, καὶ ἀναβήσονται κατ' ἐνιαυτὸν τοῦ προσκυνῆσαι τῷ βασιλεῖ κυρίῳ παντοκράτορι καὶ τοῦ ἑορτάζειν τὴν ἑορτὴν τῆς σκηνοπηγίας. καὶ ἔσται, ὅσοι ἐὰν μὴ ἀναβῶσιν ἐκ πασῶν τῶν φυλῶν τῆς γῆς εἰς Ἱερουσαλὴμ τοῦ προσκυνῆσαι τῷ βασιλεῖ κυρίῳ παντοκράτορι, καὶ οὗτοι ἐκείνοις προστεθήσονται. ἐὰν δὲ φυλὴ Αἰγύπτου μὴ ἀναβῇ μηδὲ ἔλθῃ ἐκεῖ, καὶ ἐπὶ τούτους ἔσται ἡ πτῶσις, ἣν πατάξει κύριος πάντα τὰ ἔθνη τῆς γῆς, ὅσα ἐὰν μὴ ἀναβῇ τοῦ ἑορτάσαι τὴν ἑορτὴν τῆς σκηνοπηγίας. αὕτη ἔσται ἡ ἁμαρτία Αἰγύπτου καὶ ἡ ἁμαρτία πάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν, ὅσα ἂν μὴ ἀναβῇ τοῦ ἑορτάσαι τὴν ἑορτὴν τῆς σκηνοπηγίας.» 8.4.9 Ταῦτα καὶ ὁ Ζαχαρίας μετὰ τὴν ἀπὸ Βαβυλῶνος ἐπάνοδον, ∆αρείου Περσῶν βασιλεύοντος, προφητεύει, τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἄρτι τότε ἀνεγηγερμένης ἐκ τῆς προτέρας ἐρημίας, ἣν ὑπὸ Βαβυλωνίων πέπονθεν. συνάγεται δὲ ὁ πᾶς χρόνος ἀπὸ τῆς ∆αρείου τοῦ Πέρσου βασιλείας καὶ ἐπὶ Αὔγουστον Ῥωμαίων βασιλέα εἰς ἐτῶν ἑβδομάδας ἑπτὰ καὶ ἑξήκοντα δύο τὰς ἐν τῷ ∆ανιὴλ φερομένας ἃ γίνεται ἔτη τετρακόσια ὀγδοήκοντα τρία, ὡς ἀπεδείξαμεν ἐν τοῖς μικρῷ πρόσθεν γεγυμνασμένοις καθ' ἣν ὁ Ζαχαρίας προφητεύει, 8.4.10 οὔτε δὲ ἐπὶ Μακεδόνων, ἀπὸ Ἀλεξάνδρου καὶ μέχρις Αὐγούστου παραταθείσης ..., τῶν ἐμφερομένων τοῖς τοῦ προφήτου λόγοις συνίσταταί τι πεπληρωμένον. 8.4.11 πότε γὰρ κατ' ἐκείνους τοὺς χρόνους, τοῦ παρὰ τοῖς προφήταις θεολογουμένου κυρίου ἀνθρώποις ἐπιστάντος, ἔθνη πολλὰ ἐπιγνόντα αὐτὸν καὶ μόνον θεὸν αὐτὸν ὁμολογήσαντα ἐπ' αὐτὸν καταπέφευγεν καὶ γέγονεν αὐτῷ εἰς λαόν; ἢ πότε κατὰ τοὺς Περσῶν ἢ Μακεδόνων χρόνους ὁ προφητευόμενος βασιλεὺς ἐλήλυθεν, «ἐπιβεβηκὼς ἐπὶ ὑποζύγιον καὶ πῶλον νέον», ἐλθών τε τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους «Ἐφραῒμ» ὀνομαζομένου καὶ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ αὐτῆς τὴν βασιλικὴν παράταξιν «ἅρματα» καὶ «ἵππον» ἐπικαλουμένην ἐξολόθρευσεν, τό τε ὁπλιτικὸν τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους καθεῖλεν; τοῦτο γὰρ ἐδήλου τὸ λόγιον φάσκον· «ἰδοὺ ὁ βασιλεύς σου ἔρχεταί σοι δίκαιος καὶ σώζων, αὐτὸς πραῢς καὶ ἐπιβεβηκὼς ἐπὶ ὑποζύγιον καὶ πῶλον νέον», «καὶ ἐξολοθρευθήσεται τόξον πολεμικόν». 8.4.12 ταῦτα γὰρ περὶ τῆς καθαιρέσεως τῆς βασιλικῆς ἀξίας τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους ἐθεσπίζετο, ἐφ' ᾗ πάλιν τὰ τῆς τῶν ἐθνῶν εἰρήνης συμφώνως τοῖς πρόσθεν ἀποδεδομένοις ἐπιλέγεται διὰ τοῦ «καὶ πλῆθος εἰρήνης ἐξ ἐθνῶν». 8.4.13 ἀνθ' οὗ ὁ Ἀκύλας καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ ἑρμηνευταὶ ἐκδεδώκασιν· «καὶ λαλήσει εἰρήνην τοῖς ἔθνεσιν», ὃ καὶ μάλιστα ἀπὸ τῆς Αὐγούστου βασιλείας συνίσταται καὶ πρὸς λέξιν πεπληρωμένον, πάσης μὲν ἐξ ἐκείνου καταλυθείσης πολυαρχίας, εἰρήνης δὲ τὰ πλεῖστα τῆς οἰκουμένης ἔθνη διαλαβούσης. 8.4.14 τίς δὲ πρὸ τῶν Ῥωμαϊκῶν χρόνων ἐπὶ τῶν Περσικῶν ἢ τῶν Μακεδονικῶν τοιοῦτος γέγονεν Ἰουδαίων βασιλεύς, ὡς ἄρξαι αὐτὸν «ἀπὸ θαλάσσης ἕως θαλάσσης καὶ ἀπὸ