About 30 miles north of Tel Aviv is Caesarea. Built by Herod the Great who demonstrated his loyalty to the Roman emperor by naming city after him. It started as a fishing village with a large port to rival nearby Joppa. It took 12 yrs to build the city. Over 2,000 years ago, this big city had a population of over 100,000!
What else is Caesarea known for?
- Cornelius, the Roman centurion and first Gentile Christian was baptized by Peter here
- Pontius Pilate governed during Jesus’ time here. Only artifact confirming his name and identity was found at this location
- This is where Paul was imprisoned for 2 years, had a hearing before Felix and appealed to Caesar
- Philip the evangelizer was born in Caesarea
Former palaces have been plundered by thieves over the years - only parts of the marble columns remain to give one a sense for size of these buildings. What does remain shows no expense was spared - as evident by the large swimming pool and mosaic marble tile floors designed by artists. This is especially impressive as there is no marble in Israel - it had to be imported from Greece!
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| Avi demonstrating public latrines outside amphitheater |
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| Replicas of columns lining the exterior walls of the palace |
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| King Herod’s swimming pool - a marvel in engineering design |
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The Caesarean Amphitheater where idolatrous entertainment were the headlines and it is now the stage for local artists - still being used to give the people what they want!
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Thank you for tying in the scriptural signifigance.
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