10

When did it come true? When did prophecy cease altogether? When was the anointing destroyed so that it will never be restored? If we remain silent, the stones will cry out: "Events are so clearly to speak!" And we cannot point to any other time in which this would be fulfilled than the present, which has already lasted so long and will continue even more. Further, God says even more precisely: "And weigh and understand, from the departure of the word, if thou shalt declare, and if thou shalt keep Jerusalem even unto Christ, the elders of seven seven, and sixty-two sevens" (Dan. IX, 25). Now listen to me attentively: for here lies the whole question. Seven weeks and sixty-two weeks make four hundred and eighty-three years: the weeks here are not meant days or months, but years. But from Cyrus to Antiochus Epiphanes and the captivity (who was with him) passed (only) three hundred and ninety-four years. Thus (God) makes it clear that He is not speaking of that desolation of the temple (from Antiochus Epiphanes), but about that which came after him from Pompey, Vespasian, and Titus; and thus spends time further. Then, in order to show us whence the reckoning should lead, he says that (it is necessary to count) not from the day of return, but from where? From the exodus of the word, to declare, and to protect Jerusalem; but it was built not under Cyrus, but under Artaxerxes Longimanus. For after the death of (Cyrus) Cambyses ascended (the throne), after him the Magi, after them Darius Istaspus, then Xerxes, the son of Darius, after him Artabanus; after Artabanus, Artaxerxes Longiman reigned in Persia, and during his reign, in the twentieth year of his reign, Nehemiah, returning (from captivity), rebuilt the city. Ezra told us about this in detail. If, therefore, we begin to count four hundred and eighty-three years from here, we shall surely come to the time of this (last) destruction (of the temple). Therefore (God) says: The stack will be gathered and taken away. So from that time, he says, when (the city) rises (from the ruins) and receives its form, count seventy weeks, and you will see that the present captivity is not yet over. And in order to show this still more clearly, that is, that the calamities that weigh upon the Jews will have no end, He says thus: "And after the weeks of the sixty-two anointing shall be needed, and judgment shall not be in it: but the city and the holy shall be scattered with the elder to come, and shall be consumed as in the flood, so that there shall be no more remnant nor root; who would sprout again; and to the end of the army, reduced by the rank of perdition. And again of the same captivity he says: "Sacrifice and drink offering shall be taken away, and besides, in the sanctuary shall be the abomination of desolation, and even to the end of time the end shall be given to desolation" (IX, 2627). And when you, Jew, hear about the end, what else can you expect? And moreover: what does this mean beyond that? This means that to this, as has been said, to the taking away of sacrifice and libation, a still greater evil will be added. What is it? In the sanctuary is the abomination of desolation; the temple is called the sanctuary here, and the statue which the destroyer of the city placed in the temple is called the abomination of desolation. And even to the end, he says, desolation. For this reason Christ, who came in the flesh after Antiochus Epiphanes, foretelling of the impending captivity (of the Jews), and showing that Daniel prophesied about this captivity, says: "When ye see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, I stand in a holy place: whosoever honoreth, let him understand" (Matt. XXIV, 15). For among the Jews every idol and every image of man was considered an abomination; then Christ, mysteriously pointing to that statue, suddenly predicted and when, and from whom the captivity would take place. And that this is said of the Romans, Josephus also testified, as we have shown above. And so, what remains for us to say, when the prophets have foretold about other captivities with the appointment of a time (their continuation), and for the present one they not only did not appoint any time, but also added the opposite, that even to the end there will be desolation? And that what has been said is not false, we will also present evidence of experience itself. If (the Jews) had not attempted to build the temple, they might have said that if we had wanted to proceed and set about building, we would certainly have succeeded in doing so. But I will show that they attempted not once, not twice, but even three times and were repelled as it happens (happens with fighters) at the Olympic Games, so that the crown (of victory) indisputably belongs to the Church.

11

When did they, these always resisting the Holy Spirit, intricate and rebellious Jews, make attempts? After the devastation wrought under Vespasian and Titus, and having rebelled under Hadrian, they tried to restore their former state, but they did not know that they were going against the decree of God, which had decreed that their city should remain forever desolate, and that it was impossible to conquer by fighting against God. So, by rebelling against the (Roman) king, they only forced him to devastate (the city) in the end. For he, having struck and subdued them, and destroyed all that was still left (in Jerusalem), so that they could no longer act boldly, set up (there) his statue; then, considering that it might one day be destroyed, and wishing to impose on the Jews an indelible stain of defeat and a sign of their rebelliousness, he gave his name to the remnants of the city (Jerusalem). Since he himself was called Elihem Hadrian, he commanded the city to be called in the same way: from this (Jerusalem) to this day it is called Elia, after the name of him who took it and destroyed it. Do you see the first attempt of the shameless Jews? Look at what happened after him. Under Constantine they again attempted to do the same; but the king cut off their ears, and put on their bodies the mark of their indignation, and led them everywhere as fugitives and scoundrels, making them visible to all by such a distortion of the body, and admonishing those who lived everywhere (the Jews) not to dare to do such things. But all this (you will say) is old and was long ago; but your old people still know about it; but what I am going to say now is known even to the youngest; for it did not happen in the time of Hadrian and Constantine, but in the time of a king who lived only twenty years, in our lifetime. When Julian, who surpassed all kings in impiety, first invited (the Jews) to idolatry and persuaded them to their own impiety, then proposed (to restore) the ancient (Jewish) worship, saying that even your ancestors thus served God; Then they also unwillingly confessed the same thing that we have now proved, that is, that they are not allowed to offer sacrifices outside the city, and that they act lawlessly who perform (sacred) rites in a foreign land. And so, they said (to Julian), if you want us to offer sacrifices, give us back the city, rebuild the temple, open to us the holy of holies, restore the altar, and we will offer sacrifices now as before. And they were not ashamed, worthless and shameless, to ask the wicked and pagan king for this, and to invite his foul hands to build up the holy thing; they did not feel that they were encroaching on the impossible, and did not comprehend that if man were to destroy this holy thing, then man could also restore it, but when God destroyed their city, human power can never change what is prescribed by God's decree. For the holy God consults, who will destroy? and whosoever shall turn away His high hand (Isa. XIV, 27)? What He will raise up and will to be firm, it is impossible for people to destroy; just as He destroys and wants to remain ruined forever, it is also impossible to restore him. Suppose, however, Jews, that the king would restore the temple to you and restore the altar, which you expect in vain: but could he bring down to you from above the fire of heaven? And without him, your sacrifice would be both unclean and ungodly. The children of Aaron perished because they brought in an alien fire. But, blind to all this, they begged and begged him to unite with them and begin to build the temple. And he also appointed money for expenses, sent overseers for the work, summoned artists from everywhere, did everything, set everything in motion, so that gradually and little by little he would bring them to the offering of sacrifices, thinking that from this they would easily pass to idolatry, and at the same time, in a frenzy and madness, hoping to destroy the decree of Christ, that their temple would not be restored. But stumble upon the wise in their deceit (1 Cor. III, 19) immediately showed in practice that God's decrees are stronger than all and powerful are the actions of God's words. For as soon as the Jews had taken up this wicked work, and had begun to clear the foundation, and had hauled out not a little earth, and were about to begin the building, suddenly a fire came out of the ground, and burned many people, and even the stones that were in that place, and stopped this untimely audacity, so that not only those who set to work, but many Jews who saw it, they were astonished and ashamed. Hearing of this, the emperor Julian, although he had such an insane zeal for this matter, nevertheless feared lest, by continuing it further, he should attract fire on his head, and he ceased his work, thus defeated with all paganism. And now, if you were to go up to Jerusalem, you would see only one reason; and if you were to ask about the reason, you would hear no other reason than this (of which we have spoken). We are all witnesses of this, for it happened in our presence, not so long ago. See how famous the victory is. This did not happen under pious kings, lest anyone should say that the Christians attacked and hindered the Jews; no, when our faith was persecuted, when we all feared for our lives and were deprived of all freedom, and paganism flourished; When some of the faithful hid themselves in their homes, others moved into the deserts and fled from the cities, then this happened, so that there would be no excuse for shameless obstinacy for the Jews.

12

Do you still persist, O Jew, when you see that both the prediction of Christ and the proof borrowed from the prophets and from the events themselves testify against you? But it is not surprising: such is your people, from time immemorial shameless, quarrelsome, accustomed always to argue against the obvious. Wilt thou arm against thee and the other prophets, who clearly say the same thing, that yours (the Jewish) will cease, and ours (Christianity) will flourish, that the preaching of Christ will spread throughout the whole world, and another sacrifice will be introduced, with the destruction of your sacrifices? Listen therefore to Malachi, who came after the other prophets: I do not yet give testimony either from Isaiah, or from Jeremiah, or from the other prophets who lived before the captivity, lest you say that these calamities, of which they foretold, occurred during the captivity (of Babylon); no, I cite the prophet who lived after your return from Babylon and after the rebuilding of the city, and clearly foretold your fate. In fact, after the Jews had already returned (from captivity) and rebuilt the city, built the temple, and began to offer sacrifices, Malachi, predicting the present captivity and destruction of the sacrifices, thus says on behalf of God: "Shall I receive your face from you?" saith the Lord Almighty. From east to west, My name is glorified in every place, and in every place incense is offered to My name, and the sacrifice is pure: but you are more filthy (Mal. I, 9, 10). When did this happen, Jew? When did incense begin to be offered to God in every place? When is the sacrifice pure? You cannot point to any other time than that which came after the coming of Christ; For if the prophet foretells not of this time, not of our sacrifice, but of the Jewish sacrifice, then his prophecy will be contrary to the law. Because Moses did not allow sacrifices to be offered in any other place, but only in that which the Lord God Himself chose, and because He tied the Jewish sacrifices to one place; then the prophet, saying that incense and a pure sacrifice would be offered in every place, rose up and would have gone against Moses. But there is no contradiction or disagreement: for Moses spoke of another sacrifice, and Malachi prophesied of another after him. How can this be seen? And from what has already been said, and from many other very many signs. And first, from the place: for Malachi foretold that the worship would not be performed in one city, as among the Jews, but from the east of the sun to the west; then from the sacrifice itself: for he called it pure; by this he showed what sacrifice he was talking about; finally, from the persons who bring it; for he did not say, "In Israel," but in the tongue. And lest you think that this worship will be instituted in one, or two, or three cities, he did not simply say, "In every place," but from the east of the sun to the west, showing that the whole earth, which the sun only shines, will be embraced by the preaching (of Christ). And he calls the sacrifice pure because the former was unclean, not by its nature, but from the disposition of those who offer it. Wherefore He said, "The incense of Me is an abomination" (Isa. I, 1). However, if we compare the sacrifice itself (the Old Testament with the New Testament), we will find a great and immeasurable distance between them, so that, in such a comparison, only this sacrifice (the New Testament) must be called pure. And what did Paul say about the law and grace, that the glorified was not glorified for its surpassing glory (2 Cor. III, 10); we can also boldly say here that this sacrifice alone can be called pure in comparison with that (ancient): for it is offered not with smoke and vapors, not with blood and ransom, but with the grace of the Spirit. Listen to how another prophet foretells the same thing and says that the service of God will not be confined in one place, but all people will finally know Him. This is what Zephaniah says: "The Lord will appear in all tongues, and all the gods of the tongues will consume: and they will bow to Him from their place" (Zeph. III, 11); but Moses did not allow this, but commanded (God) to be served in one place. So when you hear the prophets predict and foretell that people will no longer be compelled to gather everywhere to one city and one place, but every one will serve God sitting at home; then to what other time can you attribute this, if not to the present? Listen to how both the gospel and the apostle agree with this prophet (Zephaniah). The prophet said, The Lord will appear; The Apostle says: "The grace of God is manifested, saving all men, punishing us" (. II, 11). He said, "In tongues; this one says: by the whole man. He said, "Their gods will consume them; this one: chastise us, that having renounced wickedness and worldly lusts, we may live chastely and righteously. Again, Christ says to the Samaritan woman: "Woman, believe in Me with them, for the hour is coming, when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father." The Spirit is God: and whosoever worshipeth Him in spirit and in truth is worthy to worship (Jn. IV, 21, 24). With these words, He already destroys the need to observe the place, and introduces a more sublime and spiritual Divine service. At the same time, it would be possible to prove that the Jews would no longer have a sacrifice, a priesthood, or a king. Of course, all this is clearly proved by the very destruction of the city; but we could cite prophets who speak directly about the same thing. But I see that you are tired of the length of the conversation, and I am afraid that I will burden you in vain and in vain. Therefore, promising to tell you about this at another time, I now ask you this: save your brethren, deliver them from error, return them to the truth. For there is no use in hearing sermons when words are not proved by deeds. And what is said is not said for you, but for those who are weak, so that they, having learned this from you, and abandoning the evil habit, may discover in themselves pure and true Christianity, and avoid the harmful meetings and synagogues of the Jews, both in the city and in the suburbs, these dens of robbers, these dwellings of demons. Therefore, do not neglect their salvation, but, having searched and found the sick, bring them back to Christ, so that we may receive a reward from above merit, according to the grace and love of mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, through Whom and with Whom be glory to the Father, with the Holy and Life-Giving Spirit, now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

15 Josephi Flavii Antiqu. Jud. lib. X, cap. XI, 7.

"Having previously pronounced a long discourse against the Jews, and having received a throat sore from the length of the speech, (Chrysostom) now said this (the word)."