False Witnesses against Simon

Now the Jews, who have always been the adversaries of our people—they who killed the prophets, crucified Christ, stoned the apostles, and are always thirsting for our blood—they found an opportunity to accuse us because of the free access they had through their relationship with the queen, since she was of their way of thinking. They began to malign the triumphant Simeon with accusations and they said, “If you, the King of Kings, the lord of all the earth, were to send to Caesar great and learned letters of your royalty, along with glorious offerings and delicious gifts of your majesty, they would not be much revered in his eyes. But if Simeon were to send to him a single trivial and curt letter, [Caesar] would arise and bow and receive it with both his hands and diligently fulfill his command. In addition, there is no secret in your kingdom that [Simeon] does not write down and make known to Caesar.”

Indeed, the Jews are accustomed to bearing false witness all the time. Just as they bore false witness against our Lord, so, too, did they bear false witness against the servant of Christ. Those who bore false witness against our Lord were rejected and fell under the sword of the Romans in the time of the destruction of their city. Those who witnessed unjustly against Simeon fell under the sword of the Persians. There they shouted, “We have no king but Caesar!” (John 19:15) and they fell under the sword of Caesar. Here, they took pride in King Shapur, yet they were killed by him. What is the reason they were killed? We ought to briefly show it.

After twenty-four years, once the sons of victorious Constantine, Constans and Constantius, had died, Julian reigned over the Romans. From the outset of his reign he sacrificed to idols. And, in order to provoke Christians and falsify the words of Christ—who prophesied about the destruction of Jerusalem and said, “There will not be left on it a stone upon a stone that is not overturned” (Matthew 24:2; Mark 13:2; Luke 21:6)—for this reason, [Julian] commanded the Jews in all of his empire to go up and rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple and to offer sacrifices as the law commands. Indeed, many went up and began to dig the foundations of Jerusalem. While these things were happening, a charlatan came to the land of the Persians and proclaimed to all the Jews and said, “It is the time of the return that was predetermined by the prophets! (Daniel 9:25; Isaiah 27:13). I have been commanded by God to proclaim the return to you so that you would go up [to Jerusalem]!”

The charlatan also went to Maḥoza in Beth Aramaye and led astray masses of Jews. They set forth and went out from Maḥoza in the hope of the return, and they went three parasangs [approx. 10 mi, or 15 km—Ed.] from the city. When word of their departure reached King Shapur he sent out a force and destroyed many thousands of them.