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Since He had said to the Jews: You will not see me, until you say, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; the disciples thought that the end would come at the same time as the destruction. And correcting this supposition of theirs, He said: But the end is not yet. For that they suspected as I have said, learn from their question. For what did they ask? When will these things be? that is, When will Jerusalem be destroyed? And what will be the sign of your coming and 58.688 of the end of the age? But He did not immediately answer this question, but first speaks of those things that were urgent, and which they needed to learn first. For He spoke neither immediately of Jerusalem, nor of His second coming; but of the evils that would meet them at the doors. Wherefore He also makes them anxious, saying: See that no one leads you astray; for many will come in my name, saying: I am the Christ. Then, having stirred them up to hear about these things (For See, He says, that no one leads you astray), and having made them anxious, and prepared them to be sober, and having spoken of the false Christs first, then He speaks of the evils of Jerusalem, from the things that had already happened confirming even the things to come, even for the foolish and contentious. 2. But wars and rumors of wars, as I also said before, He calls the troubles coming upon them. Then, since, as I have said before, they thought that the end would come after that war, see how He reassures them, saying: But the end is not yet. For nation will rise, He says, against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. He speaks of the preludes to the Jewish evils. But all these are the beginning of sorrows; that is, of the things happening to them. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation, and will kill you. He opportunely inserted their own evils, which had comfort from the common ones; not only in this way, but also by adding, that it was For my name’s sake. For you will be, He says, hated by all for my name’s sake. Then many will be offended, and will betray one another; and many false Christs and false prophets will arise, and will lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be multiplied, the love of many will grow cold; but he who endures to the end will be saved. This is a greater evil, when the war is also internal; for many have become false brethren. Have you seen that the war is threefold, that from the deceivers, that from the enemies, that from the false brethren? See also Paul lamenting the same things and saying: Outside are fights, inside are fears; and, Perils among false brethren; and again: For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. Then again, the hardest thing of all, that they will not even have the comfort that comes from love. Then showing that none of these things will harm the noble and steadfast, Do not be afraid, He says, nor be troubled. For if you show the proper endurance, the terrible things will not overcome you. And a clear proof of this is that the preaching will by all means be preached everywhere in the world; thus you will be higher than the terrible things. For so that they might not say, How then shall we live? He said something more, that You will both live and teach everywhere. Wherefore He added: And this Gospel will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations; and then the end will come: of the end of Jerusalem. For that He meant that, and that the Gospel was preached before the capture, hear what Paul says: Their sound has gone out into all the earth; and again, Of the Gospel that was preached 58.689 in all creation under heaven. And you see him running from Jerusalem to Spain. If one man took so great a part, consider how much the rest accomplished. For also writing to others, Paul said again concerning the Gospel, that It is bearing fruit and growing in all creation under heaven. And what is, As a testimony to all nations? Since it was preached everywhere, but not believed everywhere, As a testimony, He says, to those who disbelieved; that is, for

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ἐπειδὴ εἶπε τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις· Οὐ μή με ἴδητε, ἕως ἂν εἴπητε, Εὐλογημένος ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἐν ὀνόματι Κυρίου· ᾤοντο δὲ οἱ μαθηταὶ ἅμα τῇ κατασκαφῇ καὶ τὴν συντέλειαν ἔσεσθαι. καὶ ταύτην διορθούμενος αὐτῶν τὴν ὑπόνοιαν, ἔλεγεν· Ἀλλ' οὔπω τὸ τέλος. Ὅτι γὰρ οὕτως ὡς ἔφην ὑπώπτευον, ἐκ τῆς ἐρωτήσεως αὐτῶν μάνθανε. Τί γὰρ ἠρώτησαν; Πότε ταῦτα ἔσται; τουτέστι, Πότε τὰ Ἱεροσόλυμα ἀπολεῖται; Καὶ τί τὸ σημεῖον τῆς σῆς παρουσίας καὶ 58.688 τῆς συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος; Αὐτὸς δὲ οὐδὲν εὐθέως πρὸς τὴν ἐρώτησιν ἀπεκρίνατο ταύτην, ἀλλὰ πρότερον ἐκεῖνα τὰ κατεπείγοντα λέγει, καὶ ἃ πρῶτα μαθεῖν ἐχρῆν. Οὔτε γὰρ περὶ Ἱεροσολύμων εὐθέως, οὔτε περὶ τῆς παρουσίας αὐτοῦ τῆς δευτέρας εἴρηκεν· ἀλλὰ περὶ τῶν ἐπὶ θύραις ἀπαντησομένων κακῶν. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐναγωνίους αὐτοὺς ποιεῖ λέγων· Βλέπετε μή τις ὑμᾶς πλανήσῃ· πολλοὶ γὰρ ἐλεύσονται ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματί μου, λέγοντες· Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ Χριστός. Εἶτα διεγείρας αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν περὶ τούτων ἀκρόασιν· (Βλέπετε γὰρ, φησὶ, μή τις ὑμᾶς πλανήσῃ·) καὶ ἐναγωνίους ποιήσας, καὶ νήφειν παρασκευάσας, καὶ εἰπὼν τοὺς ψευδοχρίστους πρότερον, τότε τὰ τῶν Ἱεροσολύμων λέγει κακὰ, ἀπὸ τῶν ἤδη γενομένων καὶ τὰ μέλλοντα ἀεὶ καὶ παρὰ τοῖς ἀνοήτοις καὶ φιλονείκοις πιστούμενος. βʹ. Πολέμους δὲ καὶ ἀκοὰς πολέμων, ὅπερ καὶ ἔμπροσθεν εἶπον, τὰς αὐτοῖς ἐπιούσας φησὶ ταραχάς. Εἶτα ἐπειδὴ, καθὼς καὶ προεῖπον, ἐνόμιζον μετ' ἐκεῖνον τὸν πόλεμον ἥξειν τὸ τέλος, ὅρα πῶς αὐτοὺς ἀσφαλίζεται λέγων· Ἀλλ' οὔπω τὸ τέλος. Ἐγερθήσεται γὰρ, φησὶν, ἔθνος ἐπὶ ἔθνος, καὶ βασιλεία ἐπὶ βασιλείαν. Τὰ προοίμια λέγει τῶν Ἰουδαϊκῶν κακῶν. Πάντα δὲ ταῦτα ἀρχὴ ὠδίνων· τουτέστι, τῶν συμβαινόντων αὐτοῖς. Τότε παραδώσουσιν ὑμᾶς εἰς θλῖψιν, καὶ ἀποκτενοῦσιν ὑμᾶς. Εὐκαίρως παρενέβαλε τὰ αὐτῶν κακὰ, ἔχοντα παραμυθίαν ἀπὸ τῶν κοινῶν· οὐ ταύτῃ δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ προσθεῖναι, ὅτι ∆ιὰ τὸ ὄνομά μου. Ἔσεσθε γὰρ, φησὶ, μισούμενοι ὑπὸ πάντων διὰ τὸ ὄνομά μου. Τότε σκανδαλισθήσονται πολλοὶ, καὶ ἀλλήλους παραδώσουσι· καὶ πολλοὶ ψευδόχριστοι καὶ ψευδοπροφῆται ἐγερθήσονται, καὶ πλανήσουσι πολλούς. Καὶ διὰ τὸ πληθυνθῆναι τὴν ἀνομίαν, ψυγήσεται ἡ ἀγάπη τῶν πολλῶν· ὁ δὲ ὑπομείνας εἰς τέλος, οὗτος σωθήσεται. Τοῦτο μεῖζον κακὸν, ὅταν καὶ ἐμφύλιος ὁ πόλεμος ᾖ· πολλοὶ γὰρ ψευδάδελφοι γεγόνασιν. Εἶδες τριπλοῦν τὸν πόλεμον ὄντα, τὸν ἀπὸ τῶν πλάνων, τὸν ἀπὸ τῶν πολεμίων, τὸν ἀπὸ τῶν ψευδαδέλφων; Ὅρα καὶ Παῦλον τὰ αὐτὰ ἀποδυρόμενον καὶ λέγοντα· Ἔξωθεν μάχαι, ἔσωθεν φόβοι· καὶ, Κίνδυνοι ἐν ψευδαδέλφοις· καὶ πάλιν· Οἱ γὰρ τοιοῦτοι ψευδαπόστολοι, ἐργάται δόλιοι, μετασχηματιζόμενοι εἰς ἀποστόλους Χριστοῦ. Εἶτα πάλιν τὸ πάντων χαλεπώτερον, ὅτι οὐδὲ τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγάπης παραμυθίαν ἕξουσιν. Εἶτα δεικνὺς ὅτι τὸν γενναῖον καὶ καρτερικὸν οὐδὲν ταῦτα λυμανεῖται, Μὴ φοβεῖσθε, φησὶ, μηδὲ ταράττεσθε. Ἂν γὰρ τὴν προσήκουσαν ὑπομονὴν ἐπιδείξησθε, οὐ περιέσται ὑμῶν τὰ δεινά. Καὶ τούτου σαφὴς ἀπόδειξις, τὸ πάντως κηρυχθῆναι τὸ κήρυγμα πανταχοῦ τῆς οἰκουμένης· οὕτως ὑψηλότεροι ἔσεσθε τῶν δεινῶν. Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ λέγωσι, Πῶς οὖν ζησόμεθα; τὸ πλέον εἶπεν, ὅτι Καὶ ζήσεσθε καὶ διδάξετε πανταχοῦ. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐπήγαγε· Καὶ κηρυχθήσεται τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον τοῦτο ἐν ὅλῳ τῷ κόσμῳ εἰς μαρτύριον πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσι· καὶ τότε ἥξει τὸ τέλος· τῆς συντελείας τῶν Ἱεροσολύμων. Ὅτι γὰρ ἐκεῖνο ἔλεγε, καὶ πρὸ τῆς ἁλώσεως τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον ἐκηρύχθη, ἄκουσον τί φησιν ὁ Παῦλος· Εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ἐξῆλθεν ὁ φθόγγος αὐτῶν· καὶ πάλιν, Τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου τοῦ κηρυχθέντος 58.689 ἐν πάσῃ τῇ κτίσει τῇ ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρανόν. Καὶ ὁρᾷς αὐτὸν ἀπὸ Ἱερουσαλὴμ εἰς Σπανίαν τρέχοντα. Εἰ δὲ εἷς τοσοῦτον μέρος κατέλαβεν, ἐννόησον καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ πόσα εἰργάσαντο. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἑτέροις γράφων πάλιν ὁ Παῦλος ἔλεγε περὶ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου, ὅτι Ἔστι καρποφορούμενον καὶ αὐξανόμενον ἐν πάσῃ τῇ κτίσει τῇ ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρανόν. Τί δέ ἐστιν, Εἰς μαρτύριον πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσιν; Ἐπειδὴ ἐκηρύχθη μὲν πανταχοῦ, οὐκ ἐπιστεύθη δὲ πανταχοῦ, Εἰς μαρτύριον, φησὶ, τοῖς ἀπιστήσασι· τουτέστιν, εἰς