By Water & Blood

Aquila

13. Afterward the kings of the Romans:^[116] Augustus, fifty-six years ^[117] and six months.^[117] In the forty-second year of the days of this |29 Augustus ^[118] our Lord Jesus Christ was born in the flesh. Tiberius, twenty-three years. And in his eighteenth year Christ was crucified ^[117]of his own free will. And from the crucifixion to the destruction of Jerusalem the years are as follows: the rest of Tiberius, five years;^[117] Gaius, three years and nine months and twenty-nine days; Claudius, thirteen years and one month and twenty-eight days; Nero, thirteen years and seven months and twenty-seven days; Galba, seven months and twenty-six days; Otho, three months and five days; Vitellius, eight ^[119] months and twelve days; Vespasian, nine years and seven months and twelve days; Titus, two years and two months and two days. At this time occurred the destruction of Jerusalem, fifty years after Christ was crucified, lacking three months.^[120] Domitian, fifteen years and five months; Nerva, one year and four months; Trajan, nineteen years; Hadrian, twenty-one years.

^[121]Concerning Aquila.^[121] In the twelfth year of Hadrian Aquila became known. And again from Augustine to Hadrian is one hundred eighty years^[122] and four months, lacking nine days. So from the time of the translation by the seventy-two translators to the translator Aquila and the twelfth year of Hadrian is altogether four hundred thirty years and four months, ^[123]lacking nine days;^[123] and to the end of the entire (reign) of Hadrian four hundred thirty-nine years and four months, lacking nine days.^[124]

14. For this Hadrian, when leprosy^[125] appeared in his body and he had summoned the whole multitude of the physicians under his dominion before him, demanded of them healing for his body. And when they had labored much ^[126]and done many things^[126] and availed nothing, they were scorned by him. He ^[127] wrote an abusive letter concerning |30 them, assailing^[128] their art as devoid of knowledge. But as a result of the illness^[129] that befell him he went on a journey to the land of Egypt. And, approaching other places^[130] in order from that of the Romans, he must inspect them, for he was ¹²²a man who loved to see places. So he passed through the city of Antioch and passed through [Coele-Syria]^[131] and Phoenicia and came to Palestine---- which is also called Judea----forty-seven years after the destruction of Jerusalem. And he went up to Jersualem, the famous and illustrious city which Titus, the son of Vespasian, overthrew in the second year of his reign.^[132] And he found the temple of God trodden down and the whole city devastated save for a few houses and the church of God, which was small, where the disciples, when they had returned after the Savior had ascended from the Mount of Olives, went to the upper room. For there it had been built, that is, in that portion of Zion which escaped destruction, together with blocks of houses in the neighborhood of Zion and the seven synagogues which alone remained standing in Zion, like solitary huts, one of which remained until the time of Maximona the bishop and Constantine the king, "like a booth in a vineyard,"^[133] as it is written. Therefore Hadrian made up his mind to (re)build the city, but not the temple. And he took the Aquila mentioned above, who was a Greek interpreter, ^[134]since Hadrian also was a Greek^[134]---- now Aquila was related to the king by marriage and was from Sinope in Pontus----and he established him there ^[135]in Jerusalem^[135] as overseer of the work of building the city. And he gave to the city that was being built his own name and the appellation of the royal title. For as he was named Aelius Hadrian, so he also named the city Aelia.

15. So Aquila, while he was in Jerusalem, also saw the disciples ^[136]of the disciples^[136] of the apostles flourishing in the faith and working |31 great signs, healings, and other miracles. For they were such as had come back from the city of Pella to Jerusalem and were ^[137]living there and^[137] teaching. For when the city was about to be taken ^[137]and destroyed^[137] by the Romans, it was revealed in advance to all the disciples by an angel of God that they should remove from the city, as it was going to be completely destroyed. They sojourned as emigrants in Pella, the city above mentioned, in Transjordania. And this city is said to be of the Decapolis. But after the destruction of Jerusalem, when they had returned ^[138]to Jerusalem,^[138] as I have said, they wrought great signs, ^[138]as I have already said.^[138] So Aquila, after he had been strongly stirred in mind, believed in Christianity, and after a while, when he asked, he received the seal in Christ.^[139] But according to his former habit,^[140] while yet thinking the things of the heathen, he had been thoroughly trained in vain astronomy, so that also after he became a Christian he never departed from this fault of his, but every day he made calculations on the horoscope of his birth. He was reproved by the teachers, and they rebuked him for this ^[141]every day^[141] but did not accomplish anything. But instead of standing rebuked, he became bold in disputation and tried to establish things that have no existence, tales about fate. Hence, as one who proved useless and could not be saved, he was expelled from the church. But as one who had become embittered in mind over how he had suffered dishonor, he was puffed up with vain jealousy, and having cursed^[142] Christianity and renounced his life he became a proselyte^[143] and was circumcised as a Jew. And, being painfully ambitious, he dedicated himself to learning the language of the Hebrews and their writings. After he had first been thoroughly trained for it, he made his translation. He was moved not by the right motive, but (by the desire) so to distort certain of the words occurring in the translation of the seventy-two that he might proclaim the things testified to about Christ in the divine Scriptures |32 to be fulfilled in some other way, on account of a certain shame that he felt (to proffer) a senseless excuse for himself.