Page:Mahometanism in its relation to prophecy - or, an inquiry into the prophecies concerning antichrist, with some reference to their bearing on the events of the present day (IA mahometanisminit00philrich).pdf/250

 entirely driven out from Jerusalem until the time of Omar. When Titus destroyed Jerusalem, many still lingered in its sacred precincts, and, converted to Christianity, were governed by their patriarchs, who for a long period were all of them of Jewish extraction, Under the Emperor Adrian, after the destruction of six hundred thousand Jews, in consequence of the revolt effected amongst his countrymen by the impostor Barchochebaz, a new city was built at Jerusalem, to which the name of Ælia was given by the Romans. But this city became a most flourishing Christian city and its patriarchs were famous in the annals of the Church, many of them having been canonized,—witness St, Cyril, St. Sophronius, and others. But when the Caliph Omar took Jerusalem, and built his mosque on the site of Solomon's Temple, the patriarch St. Sophronius, as we have already seen, declared that this fact was the fulfilment of the prophecy of Daniel concerning the placing of the abomination of desolation in the holy place. Now our Blessed Lord had expressly declared that when his disciples (that is, the Christians) should see "the abomination of desolation" there placed, "they were to flee to the mountains."—(Matt. xxiv. 15, 16.) This advice of our Lord they followed; for, immediately after that event,