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so many beauties will be destroyed, and the luxury of material, and the unspeakable variety of art; no longer then does he speak to them simply about desolation, but he proclaims beforehand a complete annihilation. For do you not see all these things, he says, and marvel and are astonished? Not a stone shall be left upon a stone. How then did it remain? he says. And what of this, For not even so has the decree failed. For either indicating the complete desolation, 58.686 he said these things; or concerning that place, where he was. For parts of it have vanished down to the foundations. And with these things we might also say that, from what has happened concerning the remains, even the most contentious must be persuaded that they will be utterly destroyed. And as he was sitting on the Mount of Olives the disciples came to him privately, saying: Tell us, when will these things be? and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age? For this reason they approached him privately, since they were about to ask about such things. For they were in travail to learn the day of his coming, because they greatly desired to see that glory which is the cause of myriad good things. And they ask him these two things: When will these things be? that is, the destruction of the temple; and, What will be the sign of your coming? But Luke says there was one question, that concerning Jerusalem, since they thought that his coming would be then. But Mark says that not all of them 58.687 asked about the end of Jerusalem, but Peter and John, since they had greater boldness. What then does he say? See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed; for all these things must take place, but the end is not yet. For since they were disposed to hear about the punishment brought upon Jerusalem as if it were for others, and as if they would be outside the tumults, and were dreaming only of good things, and expected them to happen very soon; for this reason he again proclaims difficult things to them, making them anxious, and bidding them to be doubly vigilant, so as neither to be deceived by the deceit of those who mislead, nor to be overcome by the tyranny of the evils that would befall them. For the war, he says, will be twofold, that of the deceivers, and that of the enemies; but that one is much more difficult, since it attacks in the midst of confusion and disturbance of affairs, and of people who are frightened and troubled. For the storm was great then, as Roman rule began to flourish, and cities were being captured, and camps and arms were being moved, and many things were easily believed. But he speaks of the wars in Jerusalem; for not indeed those from outside and everywhere in the world; for what concern were these to them? Besides, he would not have been saying anything new, if he spoke of the sufferings of the world, things which are always happening. For even before this there were wars and disturbances and battles; but he speaks of the Jewish wars approaching not far off; for from that point the affairs of the Romans were a concern to them. Since, therefore, these things were also sufficient to trouble them, he foretells all these things. Then, showing that he himself will also attack the Jews and make war, he speaks not only of battles, but also of plagues sent from God, famines and pestilences and earthquakes, showing that he himself allowed the wars to come on, and that these things do not happen simply, according to the custom previously existing among men, but from the wrath from above. For this reason he says that they will not come simply, nor all at once, but with signs. For so that the Jews might not say that those who believed then were the cause of these evils, for this reason he also told them the cause of their being brought on. For Amen I say to you, he said before, that all these things will come upon this generation, having mentioned their bloodguiltiness. Then, lest hearing of the snowstorms of evils, they should think that the preaching was being torn apart, he added: See that you are not troubled, for all these things must take place, that is, what I have foretold, and the assault of the temptations will in no way interrupt the things spoken by me; but there will be tumult and disturbance, but it will in no way shake my oracles. Then

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τοσαῦτα ἀφανισθήσεται κάλλη, καὶ ὕλης πολυτέλεια, καὶ τέχνης ποικιλία ἄφατος· οὐκέτι λοιπὸν περὶ ἐρημίας ἁπλῶς αὐτοῖς διαλέγεται, ἀλλὰ παντελῆ προαναφωνεῖ τὸν ἀφανισμόν. Οὐ βλέπετε γὰρ ταῦτα πάντα, φησι, καὶ θαυμάζετε καὶ ἐκπλήττεσθε; Οὐ μὴ μείνῃ λίθος ἐπὶ λίθον. Πῶς οὖν ἔμεινε; φησί. Καὶ τί τοῦτο, Οὐδὲ γὰρ οὕτω διέπεσεν ἡ ἀπόφασις. Ἢ γὰρ τὴν ἐρημίαν ἐνδεικνύμενος τὴν παντελῆ, 58.686 ταῦτα ἔλεγεν· ἢ κατ' ἐκεῖνον τὸν τόπον, ἔνθα ἦν. Ἔστι γὰρ αὐτοῦ μέρη μέχρι τῶν θεμελίων ἠφανισμένα. Μετὰ δὲ τούτων κἀκεῖνο ἂν εἴποιμεν, ὅτι ἐκ τῶν γεγενημένων καὶ περὶ τῶν λειψάνων καὶ τοὺς σφόδρα φιλονεικοῦντας δεῖ πείθεσθαι, ὡς τέλεον ἀπολουμένων. Καθημένου δὲ αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τοῦ ὄρους τῶν Ἐλαιῶν προσῆλθον οἱ μαθηταὶ κατ' ἰδίαν, λέγοντες· Εἰπὲ ἡμῖν, πότε ταῦτα ἔσται; καὶ τί τὸ σημεῖον τῆς σῆς παρουσίας καὶ τῆς συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο κατ' ἰδίαν προσῆλθον, ἅτε ὑπὲρ τοιούτων πευσόμενοι. Καὶ γὰρ ὤδινον μαθεῖν τὴν ἡμέραν τῆς παρουσίας αὐτοῦ, διὰ τὸ σφόδρα ἐπιθυμεῖν τὴν δόξαν ἐκείνην ἰδεῖν τὴν μυρίων οὖσαν ἀγαθῶν αἰτίαν. Καὶ δύο ταῦτα ἐρωτῶσιν αὐτόν· Πότε ταῦτα ἔσται; τουτέστιν, ἡ τοῦ ναοῦ κατασκαφή· καὶ, Τί τὸ σημεῖον τῆς σῆς παρουσίας; Ὁ δὲ Λουκᾶς ἔν φησιν εἶναι τὸ ἐρώτημα, τὸ περὶ τῶν Ἱεροσολύμων, ἅτε νομιζόντων αὐτῶν τότε καὶ τὴν παρουσίαν αὐτοῦ εἶναι. Ὁ δὲ Μάρκος οὐδὲ πάντας αὐτούς φησιν ἐρω 58.687 τῆσαι περὶ τῆς συντελείας τῶν Ἱεροσολύμων, ἀλλὰ Πέτρον καὶ Ἰωάννην, ἅτε πλείονα παῤῥησίαν ἔχοντας. Τί οὖν αὐτός; Βλέπετε μή τις ὑμᾶς πλανήσῃ. Πολλοὶ γὰρ ἐλεύσονται ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματί μου, λέγοντες· Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ Χριστὸς, καὶ πολλοὺς πλανήσουσι. Μελλήσετε δὲ ἀκούειν πολέμους καὶ ἀκοὰς πολέμων. Ὁρᾶτε, μὴ θροεῖσθε· δεῖ γὰρ πάντα γενέσθαι, ἀλλ' οὔπω τὸ τέλος. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὡς περὶ ἀλλοτρίας τιμωρίας ἀκούοντες τῆς ἐπαγομένης τῇ Ἱερουσαλὴμ διέκειντο, καὶ ὡς ἕξω θορύβων ἐσόμενοι, καὶ τὰ ἀγαθὰ μόνα ὠνειροπόλουν, καὶ αὐτίκα μάλα αὐτὰ ἀπαντήσεσθαι προσεδόκων· διὰ τοῦτο πάλιν αὐτοῖς χαλεπὰ προαναφωνεῖ, ἐναγωνίους ποιῶν, καὶ κελεύων διπλῇ νήφειν, ὡς μήτε ὑπὸ τῆς ἀπάτης τῶν παραλογιζομένων φενακισθῆναι, μήτε ὑπὸ τῆς τυραννίδος τῶν καταληψομένων κακῶν βιασθῆναι. ∆ιπλοῦς γὰρ ὁ πόλεμος, φησὶν, ἔσται, ὅ τε τῶν πλάνων, ὅ τε τῶν πολεμίων· ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνος πολλῷ χαλεπώτερος, ἅτε ἐν συγχύσει καὶ ταραχῇ πραγμάτων, καὶ φοβουμένων καὶ ταραττομένων ἀνθρώπων ἐπιτιθέμενος. Καὶ γὰρ πολλὴ τότε ἡ ζάλη ἦν, τῶν Ῥωμαϊκῶν ἀρχομένων ἀνθεῖν, καὶ πόλεων ἁλισκομένων, καὶ στρατοπέδων καὶ ὅπλων κινουμένων, καὶ πολλῶν εὐκόλως πιστευομένων. Πολέμους δὲ τοὺς ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις λέγει· οὐ γὰρ δὴ τοὺς ἔξωθεν καὶ πανταχοῦ τῆς οἰκουμένης· τί γὰρ ἔμελεν αὐτοῖς τούτων; Ἄλλως δὲ οὐδὲ καινόν τι ἔμελλεν ἐρεῖν, εἰ τὰ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἔλεγε πάθη, τὰ ἀεὶ συμβαίνοντα. Καὶ γὰρ πρὸ τούτου ἦσαν καὶ πόλεμοι καὶ ταραχαὶ καὶ μάχαι· ἀλλὰ τοὺς Ἰουδαϊκοὺς οὐ μακρόθεν λέγει ἐπιόντας πολέμους· λοιπὸν γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἐν φροντίδι τὰ τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἦν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν καὶ ταῦτα ἱκανὰ ἦν αὐτοὺς θορυβεῖν, προλέγει ταῦτα πάντα. Εἶτα δεικνὺς ὅτι καὶ αὐτὸς συνεπιθήσεται Ἰουδαίοις καὶ πολεμήσει, οὐχὶ μάχας φησὶ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ θεηλάτους πληγὰς, λιμοὺς καὶ λοιμοὺς καὶ σεισμοὺς, δεικνὺς ὅτι καὶ τοὺς πολέμους αὐτὸς εἴασεν ἐπελθεῖν, καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς ταῦτα γίνεται, κατὰ τὴν ἔμπροσθεν ἐν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις οὖσαν συνήθειαν, ἀλλ' ἐκ τῆς ἄνωθεν ὀργῆς. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐδὲ ἁπλῶς αὐτὰ ἥξειν φησὶν, οὐδὲ ἀθρόως, ἀλλὰ μετὰ σημείων. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ λέγωσιν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, ὅτι οἱ τότε πιστεύσαντες αἴτιοι τούτων τῶν κακῶν, διὰ τοῦτο καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν αὐτοῖς εἴρηκε τῆς ἐπαγωγῆς. Ἀμὴν γὰρ λέγω ὑμῖν, ἔμπροσθεν ἔλεγεν, ὅτι ἥξει πάντα ταῦτα ἐπὶ τὴν γενεὰν ταύτην, τῆς μιαιφονίας αὐτῶν μνησθείς. Εἶτα ἵνα μὴ τὰς νιφάδας τῶν κακῶν ἀκούοντες, νομίσωσι διασπᾶσθαι τὸ κήρυγμα, ἐπήγαγεν· Ὁρᾶτε, μὴ θορυβεῖσθε, δεῖ γὰρ πάντα γενέσθαι, τουτέστιν, Ἃ προεῖπον ἐγὼ, καὶ τῶν πειρασμῶν ἡ ἔφοδος οὐδὲν διακόψει τῶν παρ' ἐμοῦ εἰρημένων· ἀλλ' ἔσται μὲν θόρυβος καὶ ταραχὴ, τοὺς δὲ ἐμοὺς οὐδὲν διασαλεύσει χρησμούς. Εἶτα