Hippolytus of Rome
(II/III Centuries):
From His Work, Fragments of Dogmatic and
Historical Works
And From His Work, EXPOSITORY TREATISE AGAINST THE JEWS.
On the Significance of A.D.70. Come, then,
O blessed Isaiah; arise, tell us clearly what thou didst prophesy with
respect to the mighty Babyon. For thou didst speak also of Jerusalem, and
thy word is accomplished. For thou didst speak boldly and openly: "Your
country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire; your land,
strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate as overthrown by
many strangers. The daughter of Sion shall be left as a cottage in a
vineyard, and as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city."
What then? Are not these things come to pass? Are
not the things announced by thee fulfilled? Is not their country, Judea,
desolate? Is not the holy place burned with fire? Are not their walls cast
down?
Are not their cities destroyed? Their land, do
not strangers devour it? Do not the Romans rule the country? And indeed
these impious people hated thee, and did saw thee asunder, and they
crucified Christ. Thou art dead in the world, but thou livest in Christ."
(Fragments of Dogmatic and Historical Works, 30)
On the Significance of A.D.70 "And whereas
thou didst pour out His blood in indignation, hear what thy recompense
shall be: "Pour out Thine indignation upon them, and let Thy wrathful
anger take hold of them;" and, "Let their habitation be desolate," to wit,
their celebrated temple. 7. But why, O prophet, tell us, and for what
reason, was the temple made desolate? Was it on account of that ancient
fabrication of the calf? Was it on account of the idolatry of the people?
Was it for the blood of the prophets?
Was it for the adultery and fornication of
Israel? By no means, he says; for in all these transgressions they always
found pardon open to them, and benignity; but it was because they killed
the Son of their Benefactor, for He is coeternal with the Father.
Whence He saith, "Father, let their temple be
made desolate; for they have persecuted Him whom Thou didst of Thine own
will smite for the salvation of the world;" that is, they have persecuted
me with a violent and unjust death, "and they have added to the pain of my
wounds." In former time, as the Lover of man, I had pain on account of the
straying of the Gentiles; but to this pain they have added another, by
going also themselves astray. Wherefore "add iniquity to their iniquity,
and tribulation to tribulation, and let them not enter into Thy
righteousness," that is, into Thy kingdom; but "let them be blotted out of
the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous," that is,
with their holy fathers and patriarchs. (EXPOSITORY TREATISE AGAINST THE
JEWS, 6,7)
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