Caesarea

Caesarea in the Bible

Caesarea appears chiefly in Acts, where several important events in the life of the early church took place.

• Philip settles there: Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven, preached the gospel in a number of towns and then came to Caesarea (Acts 8:40). Later he is recorded as having a home there and four daughters who prophesied (Acts 21:8-9).
• Paul's comings and goings: After his conversion, Paul was sent by way of this port to Tarsus (Acts 9:30). Returning from a missionary journey, he again passed through Caesarea on his way to Jerusalem (Acts 18:22).
• Cornelius and Peter: Cornelius, a centurion of the Italian band, saw a vision and sent for Peter, who was staying in Joppa. While Peter was preaching, the Holy Spirit fell on the Gentiles, who were then baptized (Acts 10).
• The death of Herod Agrippa I: Herod Agrippa I died here after receiving the acclaim of the people (Acts 12:19-23).
• Paul's custody and defense: Arrested in Jerusalem, Paul was transferred to Caesarea, the seat of the governor Felix, and was held there for two years. He then made his defense before Festus and Agrippa II, and from here he set sail for Rome (Acts 23:23-27:1).

Background

Caesarea was built by Herod the Great in the late first century BC on the site of an older harbor known as Strato's Tower. It was named in honor of the Roman emperor Augustus, that is, "Caesar" (in Greek, a title designating the emperor). Herod constructed an artificial harbor, a theater, temples, and other structures there.

After the Herodian dynasty, when Rome governed Judea directly, the city served as the administrative center and residence of the governor. For this reason it had a large Gentile population. The city is also well known as the site where a stone inscription bearing the name of Pontius Pilate was discovered. In later church history, Origen worked there in the third century, and Eusebius served as its bishop in the fourth century.

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

In Acts, Caesarea marks a turning point at which the gospel moves beyond the Jews to the Gentiles. The Cornelius episode led the Jerusalem church to accept the mission to the Gentiles (Acts 11:1-18). The city was also where Paul bore witness to the gospel before Roman authorities and from which he departed for Rome, continuing the movement toward "the uttermost part of the earth" announced in Acts 1:8.

Caesarea Philippi is a different place, mentioned in the Gospels. It lay north of Galilee at the foot of Mount Hermon and is where Peter confessed, "Thou art the Christ" (Matthew 16:13-16). Because the names are similar, the two are easily confused.

Interpretation and Debated Points

• The order of the Spirit and baptism: In Acts 10:44-46, Cornelius's household receives the Holy Spirit and speaks in tongues before being baptized. The Pentecostal tradition reads this scene as a model of Spirit baptism accompanied by speaking in tongues. Many scholars in the Presbyterian and Reformed traditions understand it as a unique event in redemptive history showing that Gentiles, too, received the same Spirit. For this reason the scene is sometimes called "the Gentile Pentecost."
• Philip's daughters: The prophesying daughters of Acts 21:9 are frequently cited in discussions of women's ordination. Those who support women's public ministry appeal to them as evidence, while those who oppose it argue that prophecy must be distinguished from church office.

In the Korean Church

In Korean preaching, Cornelius is often presented as "a devout man, and one that feared God with all his house" (Acts 10:2), and he serves as an example of family faith and prayer. The ruins of Caesarea are commonly included in itineraries for pilgrimages to the Holy Land in Israel.