Who knows not how the people of Israel flourished of old, raised up against all the powers of the world; what were the palaces in the city of Jerusalem, what the walls, the towers, the majestic structure of the Temple? things that seemed worthy of admiration even to the disciples of the Lord, so that they asked the Lord to take notice of them, in their disposition to marvel, as the Gospel history shows us, saying, "What works, and what buildings !" But He indicates to those who wondered at its present state the future desolation of the place and the disappearance of that beauty, saying that after a little while nothing of what they saw should be left. And, again, at the time of His Passion, the women followed, bewailing the unjust sentence against Him,-for they could not yet see into the dispensation of what was being done:-but He bids them be silent as to what is befalling Him, for it does not demand their tears, but to reserve their wailing and lamentation for the true time for tears, when the city should be compassed by besiegers, and their sufferings reach so great a strait that they should deem him happy who had not been born: and herein He foretold also the horrid deed of her who devoured her child, when He said that in those days the womb should be accounted blest that never bare . Where then are those palaces? where is the Temple? where are the walls? where are the defences of the towers? where is the power of the Israelites? were not they scattered in different quarters over almost the whole world? and in their overthrow the palaces also were brought to ruin.

Τίς οὐκ οἶδεν ὅπως ἤνθει κατὰ τὸ ἀρχαῖον ὁ Ἰσραηλίτης λαός͵ πάσαις ταῖς κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην δυναστείαις ἀντεγειρόμενος, οἷα ἦν τὰ βασίλεια κατὰ τὴν τῶν Ἱεροσολύμων πόλιν, οἷα τὰ τείχη, οἱ πύργοι, ἡ τοῦ ἱεροῦ μεγαλουργία, ἅπερ καὶ τοῖς μαθηταῖς τοῦ Κυρίου ἄξια θαύματος ἐνομίσθη καὶ κατανοεῖν ἀξιοῦσι τὸν Κύριον͵ θαυμαστικῶς περὶ τὰ φαινόμενα διατεθέντες͵ ὡς ἡ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου ἱστορία δηλοῖ͵ λέγοντες πρὸς αὐτόν, Ποταπὰ τὰ ἔργα καὶ ποταπαὶ αἱ οἰκοδομαί, ὁ δὲ τὴν ἐσομένην περὶ τὸν τόπον ἐρήμωσιν καὶ τὸν ἀφανισμὸν τοῦ κάλλους ἐκείνου πρὸς τοὺς τὸ παρὸν θαυμάζοντας, ὑποδείκνυσι λέγων μηδὲν τῶν φαινομένων μετ' ὀλίγον ὑπολειφθήσεσθαι. Ἀλλὰ καὶ παρὰ τὸν τοῦ πάθους καιρόν͵ αἱ μὲν γυναῖκες ἐπηκολούθουν θρηνοῦσαι τὴν ἄδικον ἐπ' αὐτῷ ψῆφον, οὔπω γὰρ εἰς τὴν τῶν γινομένων οἰκονομίαν ἀπέβλεπον, ὁ δὲ συμβουλεύει τὰ μὲν περὶ αὐτὸν γινόμενα σιωπᾷν, μηδὲ γὰρ εἶναι δακρύων ἄξια, ὑπερθέσθαι δὲ τὸν ὀδυρμὸν καὶ τὸν θρῆνον εἰς τὸν ἀληθῆ τῶν δακρύων καιρόν͵ ὅταν περισχεθῇ τοῖς πολιορκοῦσιν ἡ πόλις καὶ εἰς τοσοῦτον συνοχῆς ἔλθῃ τὰ πάθη͵ ὡς μακαριστὸν ἡγεῖσθαι τὸν μὴ γεννώμενον. Ἐν οἷς καὶ τὸ περὶ τὴν τεκνοφάγον προεμήνυσεν ἄγος͵ εἰπὼν μακαρισθήσεσθαι κατὰ τὰς ἡμέρας ἐκείνας τὴν γαστέρα τὴν ἄγονον. Ποῦ τοίνυν ἐκεῖνα τὰ βασίλεια, ποῦ τὸ ἱερόν, ποῦ τὰ τείχη, ποῦ τῶν πύργων αἱ προβολαί, ποῦ δὲ ἡ τῶν Ἰσραηλιτῶν δυναστεία; οὐχ οἱ μὲν κατὰ πᾶσαν μικροῦ δεῖν τὴν οἰκουμένην ἄλλος ἀλλαχῆ διεσπάρησαν, τῇ δὲ τούτων καταστροφῇ συνηρειπώθη καὶ τὰ βασίλεια;