Caesarea in the Bible is a small town near the waters of the Jordan, famous in the Hellenistic age for a cave (from which the Jordan flows). It was dedicated to Pan, therefore also called Πανιάς, hence the Arabic form of today’s Bāniyā’s village. Donated by Augustus to Herod the Great, it was enlarged by his son Filippo tetrarch dell’Iturea and called Caesarea in honor of Augustus.
According to the Gospel, he made the profession of faith to St. Peter. Caesarea in the Bible, became the episcopal seat (in the 4th century). And Caesarea fell (in the 7th century) into the hands of the Arabs. Therefore, Caesarea in the Bible was conquered in 1130 by the Crusaders.
Caesarea in the Bible, is located south of Mount Carmel. It was Herod the Great who undertook to build it. Between 22 and 9 BC, Herod ordered a series of constructions. (In addition to the port and its facilities, we can mention a temple, a theater, and a hippodrome. An aqueduct and a theater) to make Caesarea in the Bible the central city of his kingdom. Caesarea becomes the most critical part of Palestine. In the 1960s, the only archaeological proof of the existence of Pontius Pilate was found in Caesarea: his name was engraved on a stone.
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Caesarea in the Bible and Christianity
The Acts of the Apostles mention Caesarea several times. Deacon Philip eventually made it his permanent residence (Acts 8.40; 21.8). It was in Caesarea that the Roman centurion Cornelius was converted and baptized (Acts 10). Paul stays two years in Caesarea as a prisoner after his arrest in the Temple of Jerusalem and before being sent to Rome under the guard of a centurion (Acts 21,27-22,29; 23,23-35; 24,1 -27;25.1-26-32).
A little history
Caesarea in the Bible was founded in the first century BC by Herod the Great, king of Judea and vassal of Rome, who wanted to pay homage to the Roman emperor by naming this new city after Caesar. In the 2nd and 3rd centuries, Caesarea became one of the most influential eastern cities of the Roman Empire. In Byzantine times, this Roman nucleus began to receive the first fathers of Christianity. Year 639, Caesarea was invaded by the Arabs.
With the arrival of the Crusaders, it regained some of its splendor. It became the capital of Israel, but that chapter was also closed, and Caesarea was abandoned, eventually becoming an important archaeological site.
Why did Mark invent the name Caesarea Philippi for the city of Caesarea?
In 1 Enoch and the Gospel of Mark, the place of God’s revelation is in Galilee. And especially in the upper Galilee, Tel Dan region, which extends through Caesarea Philippi to Mount Hermon. It was outside Caesarea Philippi that Jesus was recognized as the Christ (by Peter, who did not understand his true nature), and He was transfigured on a nearby mountain.
In both books, this northern area, which has long been associated with sacred sites of Jewish and pagan origin, stands in opposition to the earthly and corrupt priesthood and the Jerusalem-centered Temple system. It may not be insignificant that Dan (part of this region) is regularly associated with apostasy from the Jerusalem Temple-centered faith and the priesthood in Hebrew Scriptures. Dan (part of this region) is regularly associated with apostasy from the Jerusalem Temple-centered faith and the priesthood.
And Jesus went with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi ( Φιλίππου – Philippou). And on the way, he asked his disciples: “Who do people say I am?” And they said to him: ‘John the Baptist; and others say Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.
“He asked them:” And you, who do you say I am? ” And Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” And he ordered them not to tell anyone about him … Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
The above confrontation between Jesus and Peter occurred at Caesarea Philippi, located near the foot of Mount Hermon.
Representation of Caesarea in the Bible
What is Caesarea also called?
The transfiguration of Jesus took place on Mount Hermon in the context of the visions and legends recorded in the Book of Enoch and the Testament of Levi. Also, this was the region of ideas. It was the gateway between heaven and earth, at least for those who found the Book of Enoch authoritative. Also, the Caesarea Philippi area was recognized as a spiritual center among those who questioned the practices and personnel of worship associated with the Jerusalem Temple.
But the city of Caesarea in the Bible was known in ancient times by Banias, Paneas, Baniya, and Maritima. In 3 CE, Philip the Tetrarch founded a new city on the site of Paneas, the administrative capital of Batanes. Also, in the 14th Philip gave the town the name Caesarea in honor of the emperor Tiberius. Therefore, in his Jewish Antiquities, Flavius Josephus mentions the city, the title of Caesarea Panias. From the Gospel of Mark onwards, the town is referred to as the Caesarea of Philip.
What happened at Caesarea in the Bible?
Caesarea is rising betwixt Tel Aviv and Haifa. All the more precariously, Caesarea in the Bible was the scene place of gigantic occasions observed in the New Testament.
Also, all the more definitely, occasions in Caesarea esteemed nonbeliever concern and the desire for the Gospel for all things. But Cornelius may be distinguished as the Roman person in law enforcement assigned to the source in the Gospels. The one conventional Jesus would recover welcome peasants (Matthew 8:5-13).
Primary Takeaways
- Caesarea Philippi is also known as the oriental city of Dan. It isn’t at a great distance from the inclines of Mount Hermon and the fountain of the Jordan River. After Herod the Great’s passing welcome teenager Philip (the Tetrarch). The one is likely to rule an over-field holding the city of Paneas. And modifies and renames it Caesarea Philippi to praise Tiberias Caesar and himself.
- Also, in Caesarea, Paul had suffered. In Caesarea Philippi, Jesus suffered from the clash with Peter. Also, in Caesarea Philippi, Paul taught his gospel. In Caesarea Philippi, Jesus taught about the Son of man.
Conclusion
Although Caesarea was inhabited by the Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, and Crusaders, the archaeological sites from Roman times are the most significant reflection of the splendor that this important Mediterranean enclave had thousands of years ago.
