Caesarea

From the sea looking to the Theater

Above & below: Pictures of
Herod's Aqueduct

Easton's Dict. [Caesarea] # 682
Caesarea (Palestinae), a city on the shore of the Mediterranean, on the great road from Tyre to
Egypt, about 70 miles northwest of Jerusalem,
at the northern extremity of the plain of Sharon.
It was built by Herod the Great (B.C. 10) who
named it after Caesar Augustus, hence called
Caesarea Sebaste (Gr. Sebastos = "Augustus"), on
the site of an old town called "Strato's Tower."
It was the capital of the Roman province of Judaea,
the seat of the governors or procurators, and the headquarters of the Roman troops. It was the great
Gentile city of Palestine, with a spacious artificial
harbour. It was adorned with many buildings of great splendour, after the manner of the Roman cities of
the West. Here Cornelius the centurion was converted through the instrumentality of Peter
#Ac 10:1- 24
and thus for the first time the door of faith was
opened to the Gentiles. Philip the evangelist
resided here with his four daughters
#Ac 21:8
From this place Saul sailed for his native Tarsus
when forced to flee from Jerusalem
#Ac 9:30
and here he landed when returning from his second missionary journey
#Ac 18:22
He remained as a prisoner here for two years before
his voyage to Rome
#Ac 24:27 25:1,4,6,13
Here on a "set day," when games were celebrated
in the theatre in honour of the emperor Claudius,
Herod Agrippa I. appeared among the people in
great pomp, and in the midst of the idolatrous
homage paid to him was suddenly smitten by an
angel, and carried out a dying man. He was
"eaten of worms"
#Ac 12:19-23
thus perishing by the same loathsome disease as
his granfather, Herod the Great. It still retains its
ancient name Kaiseriyeh, but is now desolate.
"The present inhabitants of the ruins are snakes,
scorpions, lizards, wild boars, and jackals.
" It is described as the most desolate city of
all Palestine.