He said: A rebellious fighter in Babylon rose up against this Caesar, so the Caesar marched out against him in person. A fierce war ensued between them; great multitudes fell on both sides, and the Caesar himself was killed in the fighting.

After him, Hadrian Caesar ruled for twenty years. He advanced against that same rebel in Babylon and routed him, then moved on to Egypt, where the people suffered grievously at his hands. He compelled the populace to worship idols and slew a large number of Christians.

Hadrian’s son, Ilya, was struck by a bodily illness. He journeyed through many lands in search of a cure, and people advised him to visit Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem). When he arrived, he found it in ruins, with no inhabitants save a single Christian church. He therefore ordered that the city be rebuilt and fortified with a strong citadel.

When the Jews heard of this, they converged upon the city from every town and district, and before long it was filled with them. Then, when their numbers had grown—