Page 79 - Bible Geography and Near East Studies - Textbook w videos short

Caesarea Maritima (by the Sea)
This city was built on the Mediterranean between Joppa and Tyre.
Originally it was an ancient village called “Strato’s Tower”, but Herod the
Great built here a magnificent and strongly fortified city, which he
named Caesarea Sebaste (Sebastos is Greek for “Augustus”), in honor of
Caesar Augustus. He formed a secure harbor 300 yards across by
constructing a couple of breakwaters out into the sea. The city was
adorned with many buildings of great splendor, after the manner of the
Roman cities of the West. Herod built an amphitheater, a hippodrome,
libraries, a temple with colossal statues sacred to Caesar and to Rome
and public baths.

It was the capital of Judea during the reigns of Herod the Great and Agrippa I, and was the usual
residence of the Roman governor when Judea was a province of the Empire. The inhabitants of the city
were principally Greeks. It was the city where Philip the Evangelists, his four prophesying daughters,
and Cornelius the centurion lived. Herod Agrippa died here by God’s hand. Paul sailed for his native
Tarsus when forced to flee from Jerusalem (Acts 9:30) and
where he landed when returning from his second missionary
journey (Acts 18:22). Paul was imprisoned here for two
years, having hearings before Felix, Festus, and Agrippa.
Vespasian was declared emperor there and he made it a
Roman colony with all the rights of Rome. The ruins of the
city are quite extensive and well preserved.

10.4 Let’s Practice…

1. Why was Jericho an important city in Christ’s day?

2. In what ways was it dangerous to travel from Jericho to Jerusalem?

3. What was the amazing event that happened in the insignificant city of Adam?

4. What made Joppa (Jaffa) significant as a city in the Bible?

5. Why was Shiloh important to the Benjamites?

6. Explain why the Jews would have nothing to do with the Samaritans:

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