Caesarea Maritima Overview

 

Introduction

​

Welcome to Caesarea Maritima. Many biblical events took place here. Here are some of the highlights.

​

• We'll see over 20 monumental places at this site that will stir up your faith.

​

• After the Apostle Paul received Christ, he was sent from this seaport to Tarsus.

​

• Cornelius, the first Gentile to receive the Holy Spirit, lived here. We'll see his home and do our faith lesson there.

​

• Caesarea was the place where the Holy Spirit was given to the Gentiles.

​

• King Herod Agrippa the 1st, the son of Herod the Great, met his death in Caesarea.

​

• Philip the Evangelist lived in Caesarea.

​

• The Apostle Paul sailed to and from Caesarea on his missionary travels.

​

• The Apostle Paul stood trial here three times for his faith.

​

• The Apostle Paul was imprisoned here for 2 years because of his faith.

​

• Some scholars believe some of the Prison Epistles in the New Testament may have been written here.

​

• After spending two years in prison in Caesarea, the Apostle Paul sailed from Caesarea to Rome, where he was tried for his faith.

​

• It was one of the key places where the gospel spread worldwide.

​

• Many Christians would be martyred here at the Hippodrome for their refusal to deny Christ.

​

• Eusebius of Caesarea (260–339 AD), often called the "Father of Church History," was a Roman historian, biblical scholar, and Bishop of Caesarea Maritima whose writings provide the primary historical bridge between the apostolic era and the fourth-century legalization of Christianity. He was an eyewitness that Golgotha was at the site where the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is today.

​

We're going to be seeing all the sites where these events happened. It will be very meaningful and touching.

​

Location

 

Caesarea is located on the beautiful Mediterranean Sea, about 35 miles (56 km) north of Joppa.

 

Historical Background

 

1. 586-332 BC: Phoenician settlement.

​

2. 103 BC: Hasmonean conquest and occupation.

​

3. 22 BC: Construction of the massive city of Caesarea Maritima began during the reign of Herod the Great, who named the city in honor of Caesar Augustus. Like many of Herod’s construction projects, Caesarea was built to rival the grandest cities in the Roman world. Built over the small Phoenician village of Straton’s Tower, Herod’s city of Caesarea stretched across more than 150 acres. It featured a palace, civil halls, an amphitheater, a hippodrome, aqueducts, a high defense wall, and an exquisite temple dedicated to Rome and Augustus. It was built on the site of a Phoenician and Greek trade post known as Straton's Tower. The Phoenicians were maritime merchants of the ancient world. 

 

4. It was named after the Roman Emperor Augustus Caesar. Augustus Caesar was the first Roman Emperor to declare himself a god and demand worship. A temple was built here to honor and worship Caesar Augustus as a god. 

​

Interestingly, Christ was born during this period and was viewed as a rival god.

 

5. King Herod the Great was the one who had all the children 2 years old and younger slaughtered in Bethlehem in his attempt to kill Christ. He was a jealous king who feared losing his power and control.

 

6. King Herod built Caesarea out of nothing and was a master builder. Some of his major building projects included:

• This seaport of Caesarea

• An enlarged Temple Mount platform and temple in Jerusalem.

• Masada

• The Herodian by Bethlehem

• Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron

• Palace in Jericho

• Rebuilt and restored the Oaks of Mamre site in Hebron, where Abraham camped and received a major covenant from God.

 

7. He was known for his building ventures, and no one equaled him in this respect.

 

8. Caesarea was the largest seaport in the Roman Empire during the time of Herod. 

 

9. Caesarea was the capital of Israel during the time of Christ and the whole Roman occupation of Israel. 

​

10. Herod's architects were the best in the world, even better than those of the Roman Empire.

​

11. During the Byzantine period, Caesarea became an important Christian center. During this period, the Byzantines built a church over the ruins of the temple built to worship Augustus Caesar.

​

12. The remains of a 5th-century synagogue found on the seashore north of the harbor have also been discovered. The rectangular building faces south towards Jerusalem. Architectural details were found in its ruins, including capitals with a carved menorah, a column inscribed with the name Shalom, and parts of a Hebrew inscription listing the twenty-four priestly courses in the Temple in Jerusalem.

 

13. The Church Father Origen founded a Christian academy in the city, which included a library of 30,000 manuscripts. At the beginning of the 4th century, the theologian Eusebius, who served as Bishop of Caesarea, composed his monumental Historia Ecclesiastica on the beginnings of Christianity and the Onomasticon, a comprehensive geographical-historical study of the Holy Land, here.

​

Who Was Herod the Great?

​

Herod the Great (72 BC – 4 BC) was the Roman-appointed client king of Judea, remembered as much for his visionary architectural genius as for his ruthless, paranoid tyranny.

​

• The Roman Broker: Born into an Idumean (Edomite) family that had converted to Judaism, many Judeans viewed Herod as a religious and cultural outsider. After the Roman Senate declared him "King of the Jews" in 40 BC, he captured Jerusalem by force in 37 BC and spent his reign balancing fierce loyalty to Rome with efforts to appease his subjects.

​

• The Master Builder: To cement his legacy and boost the local economy, Herod launched some of antiquity's most ambitious construction projects. He dramatically expanded the Second Temple complex in Jerusalem by encasing Mount Moriah in massive retaining walls. He also engineered the deep-sea harbor at Caesarea Maritima using hydraulic concrete and built the desert fortresses of Masada and Herodium.

​

• The Ruthless Tyrant: Haunted by fear of usurpers, Herod crushed dissent through heavy taxation and secret police. His paranoia extended to his own family—he executed his favored Hasmonean wife, Mariamne, along with three of his own sons. In the New Testament (Matthew 2), this historical brutality forms the backdrop for the "Massacre of the Innocents" following the birth of Jesus.

​

• After his death in 4 BC, Rome divided his kingdom among three surviving sons (Archelaus, Herod Antipas, and Philip), setting the political stage for first-century Judea.

 

Places of Interest

 

1. Crusader Fortress Entrance (1099 - 1291 AD)

​

• It was the capital of Israel and an extremely wealthy, elaborate city.

​

• You can see the imported marble throughout the city.

​

2. Crusader Fortress

​

3. Lookout Point

​

• Only 20% of the city can be seen today

​

• Most of the city lies inland

​

• Cardo

​

• Home of Cornelius

​

• Area where the Apostle Paul was Imprisoned

​

4. Model Layout of Caesarea Maritima

 

5. Temple to Caesar Augustus

​

• Caesar Augustus was the first Roman emperor to declare himself a god and demand worship.

​

• The temple was positioned as the most important building in the city.

​

• Everyone was expected to worship Caesar at it.

​

• Many who did not would be executed.

​

• Many Christians chose persecution or death rather than worship Caesar.

​

6. Byzantine Church Built Over the Temple to Augustus Caesar

​

7. 5th Century Synagogue

​

8. Caesarea Harbor

​

9. Caesarea Historic Port

​

10. Governor's Palace

​

11. Mosaic Hall

​

12. Bathhouse

​

13. Hippodrome/Amphitheatre

​

• The side of the hippodrome facing the sea was removed during the Byzantine Christian era.

​

• Many Christians would be martyred here for their refusal to deny Christ.

​

• Wild animals would be let out of the gates into the arena and tear the Christians to shreds. It was brutal entertainment.

​

• The only thing these Christians had to do to save their lives was deny Christ. They chose death over denial.

​

• Their faith set in motion the transformation of the Roman Empire into a Christian nation.

​

• When others see the cost we're willing to pay for Christ, it shows Christ's value in our lives.

​

• If we are not willing to pay a cost for Christ, it tells others our faith is of little value.

​

14. Roman Toilets

​

15. Prison of the Apostle Paul

​

16. Paul Appeals to Caesar

 

17. Herod's Private Palace

​

• Freshwater Pool

​

18. Pontius Pilate Stone

​

• Dedicated to a temple for the worship of the Roman Emperor Tiberius.

​

​19. Promontory Palace

​

20. Caesarea Columns

​

21. Roman Theater

​

During his roughly two-year imprisonment in Caesarea Maritima, the Apostle Paul appeared before three distinct rulers in sequential hearings, as recorded in Acts.

​

• Marcus Antonius Felix (Roman Procurator of Judea) – In Acts 24, Jewish leaders from Jerusalem traveled to Caesarea with an attorney named Tertullus to formally accuse Paul before Felix. Felix heard both sides and kept Paul in custody under loose house arrest for two years, hoping for a bribe and delaying a final ruling to appease the local leaders until he was recalled to Rome.

​

• Porcius Festus (The Incoming Roman Procurator) – In Acts 25:1–12, Festus replaced Felix and inherited Paul's unresolved case. When Festus proposed sending Paul back to Jerusalem to stand trial, Paul invoked his legal right as a Roman citizen and appealed directly to the Roman Emperor: "I appeal to Caesar!" Festus granted the appeal, concluding his direct judicial authority over the final verdict.

​

• King Herod Agrippa II (Client King & Great-Grandson of Herod the Great) – In Acts 25:13–26:32, Agrippa II and his sister Berenice arrived in Caesarea to pay respects to the new governor. Because Festus was unsure what formal charges to include in his report to Caesar, he invited Agrippa II—well-versed in Jewish customs and religious controversies—to hear Paul speak. This resulted in Paul’s defense and hearing before Agrippa, after which both Festus and Agrippa agreed Paul had done nothing worthy of death or imprisonment.

​

22. House of Cornelius (Place where the Holy Spirit Came to the Gentiles)

​

• In 1994, the Israeli Antiquities Authority discovered a Byzantine Church here from around 350 AD. 

​

• Jerome, an early church historian, in 404 AD, writes about a Christian Pilgrim named Paula, who visited here and stated that a church was built over the house of Cornelius.

​

• It makes sense that this church would mark the house of Cornelius, as he was a Roman Centurion responsible for guarding the governor's palace complex just below his headquarters.​

​​

Caesarea Maritima in the Bible

 

1. After the Apostle Paul received Christ, he was sent to Tarsus from this seaport.

Acts 9:30: And when the brothers learned this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.

 

2. Cornelius, the first Gentile to receive the Holy Spirit, lived here.

Acts 10:1–8: At Caesarea, there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, 2 a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God. 3 About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, “Cornelius.” 4 And he stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. 5 And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter. 6 He is lodging with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.” 7 When the angel who spoke to him had departed, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among those who attended him, 8 and having related everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.

 

3. Caesarea was the place where the Holy Spirit was given to the Gentiles.

Acts 10:44–48: While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. 45 And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. 46 For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, 47 “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” 48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.

 

4. King Herod Agrippa the 1st, the grandson of Herod the Great, met his death in Caesarea because he opposed God.

Acts 12:21–24: On an appointed day Herod [Agrippa the 1st]put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and delivered an oration to them. 22 And the people were shouting, "The voice of a god, and not of a man!" 23 Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last. 24 But the word of God increased and multiplied.

​

5. Philip the Evangelist lived in Caesarea.

Acts 21:8: On the next day we departed and came to Caesarea, and we entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him.

 

6. The Apostle Paul sailed to and from Caesarea on his missionary travels.

Acts 21:7–8: When we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais, and we greeted the brothers and stayed with them for one day. 8 On the next day, we departed and came to Caesarea, and we entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him.

 

7. The Apostle Paul stood trial here before Felix for his faith.

Acts 23:33–35: When they had come to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they presented Paul also before him. 34 On reading the letter, he asked what province he was from. And when he learned that he was from Cilicia, 35 he said, "I will give you a hearing when your accusers arrive." And he commanded him to be guarded in Herod's Praetorium.

 

8. The Apostle Paul was imprisoned here for 2 years because of his faith.

Acts 24:27: When two years had elapsed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus. And desiring to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison.

​

It’s possible that Paul wrote some of the Prison Epistles in Caesarea during the 2 years he spent here in prison.

 

9. After spending 2 years of imprisonment in Caesarea and appealing to Cesar, the Apostle Paul sailed from Caesarea to Rome, where he stood trial for his faith.

Acts 25:8, 11: Paul argued in his defense, "Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar have I committed any offense. Paul then declares, in verse 11 “I appeal to Caesar.”

​

10. It was one of the key places from which the gospel would be taken to the whole world.

Acts 1:8: But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and as far as the remotest part of the earth.

​

Faith Lesson from Caesarea

 

1. The Holy Spirit was given to the Gentiles here. This demonstrates that God loves all people, regardless of their race or background, and desires their salvation. What about us? Do we love all nationalities, knowing God created and loves us all?

 

2. Paul spent two years in prison here because of his faithfulness to Christ. He may have written some of the Prison Letters while he was here. What about us? Are we willing to suffer like Paul for the gospel's advancement?

 

3. God opposes the proud and caused King Herod Agrippa the 1st, the grandson of Herod the Great, to meet his death here because of his arrogance. What about us? Do we give God the glory for what He does through us and avoid pride in our lives?

​

4. It's very likely that early Christians were martyred in the hippodrome here for their faith. What price are we willing to pay for our faith in Christ?