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The Pagan Historian
Ammianus Marcellinus
(A.D. c.330 - 395)
"Res Gestae," Book XXIII
He [Julian the
Apostate] planned at vast cost to restore the once splendid Temple at Jerusalem,
which after many mortal combats during the siege by Vespasian and later by
Titus had barely been stormed. He had entrusted the speedy performance of
this work to Alypius of Antioch... But though this Alypius pushed the work
on with vigor, aided by the governor of the province, terrible balls of fire
kept bursting forth near the foundations of the Temple and made the place
inaccessible to the workmen, some of whom were burned to death; and since
in this way the element persistently repelled them, the enterprise halted.
Socrates Scholasticus
(ca. A.D. 379-450)
"Ecclesiastical History"
Book III, Chapter XX
The emperor [Julian
the Apostate] in another attempt to molest the Christians exposed his
superstition. Being fond of sacrificing, he not only himself delighted in
the blood of victims, but considered it an indignity offered to him, if others
did not do likewise. And as he found but few persons of this stamp, he sent
for the Jews and enquired of them why they abstained from sacrificing, since
the law of Moses enjoined it? On their replying that it was not permitted
them to do this in any other place than Jerusalem, he immediately ordered
them to rebuild Solomon's temple. Meanwhile he himself proceeded on his
expedition against the Persians. The Jews who had been long desirous of obtaining
a favorable opportunity for rearing their temple afresh in order that they
might therein offer sacrifice, applied themselves very vigorously to the
work. Moreover, they conducted themselves with great insolence toward the
Christians, and threatened to do them as much mischief, as they had themselves
suffered from the Romans. The emperor having ordered that the expenses of
this structure should be defrayed out of the public treasury, all things
were soon provided, such as timber and stone, burnt brick, clay, lime, and
all other materials. necessary for building. On this occasion Cyril bishop
of Jerusalem, called to mind the prophecy of Daniel, which Christ also in
the holy gospels has confirmed, and predicted in the presence of many persons,
that the time had indeed come 'in which one stone should not be left upon
another in that temple,' but that the Saviour's prophetic declaration should
have its full accomplishment. Such were the bishop's words: and on the night
following, a mighty earthquake tore up the stones of the old foundations
of the temple and dispersed them all together with the adjacent edifices.
Terror consequently possessed the Jews on account of the event; and the report
of it brought many to the spot who resided at a great distance: when therefore
a vast multitude was assembled, another prodigy took place. Fire came down
from heaven and consumed all the builders' tools: so that the flames were
seen preying upon mallets, irons to smooth and polish stones, saws, hatchets,
adzes, in short all the various implements which the workmen had procured
as necessary for the undertaking; and the fire continued burning among these
for a whole day. The Jews indeed were in the greatest possible alarm, and
unwillingly confessed Christ, calling him God: yet they did not do his will;
but influenced by inveterate prepossessions they still clung to Judaism.
Even a third miracle which afterwards happened failed to lead them to a belief
of the truth. For the next night luminous impressions of a cross appeared
imprinted on their garments, which at daybreak they in vain attempted to
rub or wash out. They were therefore 'blinded' as the apostle says, and cast
away the good which they had in their hands: and thus was the temple, instead
of being rebuilt, at that time wholly overthrown.
Sozomen (ca.
A.D.375-447)
"Ecclesiastical History"
Book V, Chapter XXII
Though the emperor
[Julian the Apostate] hated and opressed the Christians, he manifested
benevolence and humanity towards the Jews. He wrote to the Jewish patriarchs
and leaders, as well as to the people, requesting them to pray for him, and
for the prosperity of the empire. In taking this step he was not actuated,
I am convinced, by any respect for their religion; for he was aware that
it is, so to speak, the mother of the Christian religion, and he knew that
both religions rest upon the authority of the patriarchs and the prophets;
but he thought to grieve the Christians by favoring the Jews, who are their
most inveterate enemies. But perhaps he also calculated upon persuading the
Jews to embrace paganism and sacrifices; for they were only acquainted with
the mere letter of Scripture, and could not, like the Christians and a few
of the wisest among the Hebrews, discern the hidden meaning.
Events proved that this was his real motive; for he sent for some of the
chiefs of the race and exhorted them to return to the observance of the laws
of Moses and the customs of their fathers. On their replying that because
the temple in Jerusalem was overturned, it was neither lawful nor ancestral
to do this in another place than the metropolis out of which they had been
cast, he gave them public money, commanded them to rebuild the temple, and
to practice the cult similar to that of their ancestors, by sacrificing after
the ancient way. The Jews entered upon the undertaking, without reflecting
that, according to the prediction of the holy prophets, it could not be
accomplished. They sought for the most skillful artisans, collected materials,
cleared the ground, and entered so earnestly upon the task, that even the
women carried heaps of earth, and brought their necklaces and other female
ornaments towards defraying the expense. The emperor, the other pagans, and
all the Jews, regarded every other undertaking as secondary in importance
to this. Although the pagans were not well-disposed towards the Jews, yet
they assisted them in this enterprise, because they reckoned upon its ultimate
success, and hoped by this means to falsify the prophecies of Christ. Besides
this motive, the Jews themselves were impelled by the consideration that
the time had arrived for rebuilding their temple. When they had removed the
ruins of the former building, they dug up the ground and cleared away its
foundation; it is said that on the following day when they were about to
lay the first foundation, a great earthquake occurred, and by the violent
agitation of the earth, stones were thrown up from the depths, by which those
of the Jews who were engaged in the work were wounded, as likewise those
who were merely looking on. The houses and public porticos, near the site
of the temple, in which they had diverted themselves, were suddenly thrown
down; many were caught thereby, some perished immediately, others were found
half dead and mutilated of hands or legs, others were injured in other parts
of the body. When God caused the earthquake to cease, the workmen who survived
again returned to their task, partly because such was the edict of the emperor,
and partly because they were themselves interested in the undertaking. Men
often, in endeavoring to gratify their own passions, seek what is injurious
to them, reject what would be truly advantageous, and are deluded-by the
idea that nothing is really useful except what is agreeable to them. When
once led astray by this error, they are no longer able to act in a manner
conducive to their own interests, or to take warning by the calamities which
are visited upon them.
The Jews, I believe, were just in this state; for, instead of regarding this
unexpected earthquake as a manifest indication that God was opposed to the
re-erection of their temple, they proceeded to recommence the work. But all
parties relate, that they had scarcely returned to the undertaking, when
fire burst suddenly from the foundations of the temple, and consumed several
of the workmen.
This fact is fearlessly stated, and believed by all; the only discrepancy
in the narrative is that some maintain that flame burst from the interior
of the temple, as the workmen were striving to force an entrance, while others
say that the fire proceeded directly from the earth. In whichever way the
phenomenon might have occurred, it is equally wonderful. A more tangible
and still more extraordinary prodigy ensued; suddenly the sign of the cross
appeared spontaneously on the garments of the persons engaged in the undertaking.
These crosses were disposed like stars, and appeared the work of art. Many
were hence led to confess that Christ is God, and that the rebuilding of
the temple was not pleasing to Him; others presented themselves in the church,
were initiated, and besought Christ, with hymns and supplications, to pardon
their transgression. If any one does not feel disposed to believe my narrative,
let him go and be convinced by those who heard the facts I have related from
the eyewitnesses of them, for they are still alive. Let him inquire, also,
of the Jews and pagans who left the work in an incomplete state, or who,
to speak more accurately, were able to commence it.
Theodoret (A.D.
397-451)
"Ecclesiastical History"
Book III, Chapter XV
Julian, who had
made his soul a home of destroying demons, went his corybantic way, ever
raging against true religion. He accordingly now armed the Jews too against
the believers in Christ. He began by enquiring of some whom he got together
why, though their law imposed on them the duty of sacrifices, they offered
none. On their reply that their worship was limited to one particular spot,
this enemy of God immediately gave directions for the re-erection of the
destroyed temple, supposing in his vanity that he could falsify the prediction
of the Lord, of which, in reality, he exhibited the truth. The Jews heard
his words with delight and made known his orders to their countrymen throughout
the world. They came with haste from all directions, contributing alike money
and enthusiasm for the work; and the emperor made all the provisions he could,
less from the pride of munificence than from hostility to the truth. He
despatched also as governor a fit man to carry out his impious orders. It
is said that they made mattocks, shovels, and baskets of silver. When they
had begun to dig and to carry out the earth a vast multitude of them went
on with the work all day, but by night the earth which had been carried away
shifted back from the ravine of its own accord. They destroyed moreover the
remains of the former construction, with the intention of building everything
up afresh; but when they had got together thousands of bushels of chalk and
lime, of a sudden a violent gale blew, and storms, tempests and whirlwinds
scattered everything far and wide. They still went on in their madness, nor
were they brought to their senses by the divine longsuffering. Then first
came a great earthquake, fit to strike terror into the hearts of men quite
ignorant of God's dealings; and, when still they were not awed, fire running
from the excavated foundations burnt up most of the diggers, and put the
rest to flight. Moreover when a large number of men were sleeping at night
in an adjacent building it suddenly fell down, roof and all, and crushed
the whole of them. On that night and also on the following night the sign
of the cross of salvation was seen brightly shining in the sky, and the very
garments of the Jews were filled with crosses, not bright but black. When
God's enemies saw these things, in terror at the heaven-sent plagues they
fled, and made their way home, confessing the Godhead of Him who had been
crucified by their fathers. Julian heard of these events, for they were repeated
by every one.But like Pharaoh he hardened his heart.
John Chrysostom
(A.D. 347-407)
"Homilies on Matthew"
Homily IV, Chapter II
And what may be
the reason that Matthew said not at the beginning, in the same way as the
prophet, "the vision which I saw," and "the word which came unto me"? Because
he was writing unto men well disposed, and exceedingly attentive to him.
For both the miracles that were done cried aloud, and they who received the
word were exceeding faithful. But in the case of the prophets, there were
neither so many miracles to proclaim them; and besides, the tribe of the
false prophets, no small one, was riotously breaking in upon them: to whom
the people of the Jews gave even more heed. This kind of opening therefore
was necessary in their case.
And if ever miracles were done, they were done for the aliens' sake, to increase
the number of the proselytes; and for manifestation of God's power, if haply
their enemies having taken them captives, fancied they prevailed, because
their own gods were mighty: like as in Egypt, out of which no small "mixed
multitude"went up; and, after that, in Babylon, what befell touching the
furnace and the dreams. And miracles were wrought also, when they were by
themselves in the wilderness; as also in our case: for among us too, when
we had just come out of error, many wonderful works were shown forth; but
afterwards they stayed, when in all countries true religion had taken root.
And what took place at a later periodwere few and at intervals; for example,
when the sun stood still in its course, and started back in the opposite
direction. And this one may see to have occurred in our case also. For so
even in our generation, in the instance of him who surpassed all in ungodliness,
I mean Julian, many strange things happened. Thus when the Jews were attempting
to raise up again the temple at Jerusalem, fire burst out from the foundations,
and utterly hindered them all; and when both his treasurer,and his uncle
and namesake, made the sacred vessels the subject of their open insolence,
the one was "eaten with worms, and gave up the ghost,"the other "burst asunder
in the midst." Moreover, the fountains failing, when sacrifices were made
there, and the entrance of the famine into the cities together with the emperor
himself, was a very great sign. For it is usual with God to do such things;
when evils are multiplied, and He sees His own people afflicted, and their
adversaries greatly intoxicated with their dominion over them, then to display
His own power; which he did also in Persia with respect to the Jews.
Gregory Nazianzen
(A.D. ca. 325-389)
"Second Invective Against Julian"
3. He [Julian]
was daily growing more infuriated against us, as though raising up waves
by other waves, he that went mad first against himself, that trampled upon
things holy, and that did despite unto the Spirit of Grace: is it more proper
to call him Jeroboam or Ahab, those most wicked of the Israelites; or Pharaoh
the Egyptian, or Nebuchadnezzar the Assyrian; or combining all together shall
we name him one and the same, since he shows himself to have united in himself
the vices of them all----the apostasy of Jeroboam, the bloodthirstiness of
Ahab, the hardness of heart of Pharaoh, the sacrilegious acts of Nebuchadnezzar,
the impiety of all put together! For when he had exhausted every other resource,
and despised every other form of tyranny in our regard as trifling and unworthy
of him (since there never was a character so fertile in finding out and
contriving mischief), at last he stirred up against us the nation of the
Jews, making his accomplice in his machinations their well-known credulity,
as well as that hatred for us which has smouldered in them from the very
beginning; prophesying to them out of their own books and mysteries that
now was the appointed time come for them to return into their own land, and
to rebuild the Temple, and restore the reign of their hereditary institutions
---- thus hiding his true purpose under the mark of benevolence.
4. And when he had formed this plan, and made them believe it (for whatever
suits one's wishes is a ready engine for deceiving people), they began to
debate about rebuilding the Temple, and in large number and with great zeal
set about the work. For the partisans of the other side report that not only
did their women strip off all their personal ornaments and contribute it
towards the work and operations, but even carried away the rubbish in the
laps of their gowns, sparing neither the so precious clothes nor yet the
tenderness of their own limbs, for they believed they were doing a pious
action, and regarded everything of less moment than the work in hand. But
they being driven against one another, as though by a furious blast of wind,
and sudden heaving of the earth, some rushed to one of the neighbouring sacred
places to pray for mercy; others, as is wont to happen in such cases, made
use of what came to hand to shelter themselves; others were carried away
blindly by the panic, and struck against those who were running up to see
what was the matter. There are some who say that neither did the sacred place
admit them, but that when they approached the folding doors that stood wide
open, on coming up to them they found them closed in their faces by an unseen
and invisible power which works wonders of the sort for the confusion of
the impious and the saving of the godly. But what all people nowadays report
and believe is that when they were forcing their way and struggling about
the entrance a flame issued forth from the sacred place and stopped them,
and some it burnt up and consumed so that a fate befell them similar to the
disaster of the people of Sodom, or to the miracle about Nadab and Abiud,
who offered incense and perished so strangely: whilst others it maimed in
the principal parts of the body, and so left them for a living monument of
God's threatening and wrath against sinners. Such then was this event; and
let no one disbelieve, unless he doubts likewise the other mighty works of
God! But what is yet more strange and more conspicuous, there stood in the
heavens a light circumscribing a Cross, and that which before on earth was
contemned by the ungodly both in figure and in name is now exhibited in heaven,
and is made by God a trophy of His victory over the impious, a trophy more
lofty than any other!
5. What will those gentlemen say of these events----they who are wise, as
this world goes, and make a fine show of their own cause, smoothing down
their flowing beard and trailing before our eyes that elegant philosophic
mantle! Eeply to me for thyself, thou writer of long discourses, that dost
compose incredible stories and gapest up at the skies, telling lies about
things celestial, and weaving out of the movements of the stars, people's
nativities and predictions of the future! Tell me of those stars of thine,
the Ariadne's Crown, the Berenice's Hair, the lascivious Swan, the violent
Bull! or, if thou pleasest, tell me of thine Ophiuchus, or of thy Capricorn,
or of thy Lion, or all the rest that thou hast discovered for a bad end and
made them into gods in constellations! Where dost thou find this cycle in
thy science, where the Star that of old moved towards Bethlehem out of the
East, that leader and introducer of thy own Wise Men! I, too, have something
to tell from the heavens: that Star declared the presence of Christ: this
Crown is that of the victory of Christ!
6. Thus much is taken from things celestial and sympathizing with our fortunes,
in accordance with the mighty harmony and disposition of the universe. What
follows let the Psalm finish for me: "Because Thou hast cast down cities,"
namely, those ancient ones for the very same acts of impiety, in the middle
of the very same offences against us; some thereof overwhelmed by the floods,
others swallowed up by earthquake; so that one is pretty nearly able to apply
the remainder: "The memorial of them hath perished with a sound and a destruction
noised abroad." For such has been their fall, and such their ruin, also of
those their neighbours who took the most delight in their impiety, so that
a very long time were necessary to them for their restoration, even if anyone
should have the boldness to undertake it.
7. Was it then only earth and heaven, and did not air likewise give a sign
on that occasion, and was hallowed with the badges of the Passion? Let those
who were spectators and partakers of that prodigy exhibit their garments,
which to the present time are stamped with the brandmarks of the Cross! For
at the very moment that anyone, either of our own brethren or of the outsiders,
was telling the event or hearing it told by others, he beheld the miracle
happening in his own case or to his neighbour, being all spotted with stars,
or beholding the other so marked upon his clothes in a manner more variegated
than could be done by any artificial work of the loom or elaborate painting.
What is the result of this? Such great consternation at the spectacle that
nearly all, as by one signal and with one voice, invoked the God of the
Christians, and propitiated Him with many praises and supplications: whilst
many, without further delay, but at the moment of the occurrence, ran up
to our priests, and besought them earnestly that they might be made members
of the Church, being sanctified by the holy baptism, for they had been saved
by means of their fright.
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