Caesarea 

Caesarea, built by Herod as a prominent port and cultural hub, played a pivotal role in Jesus' life; he declined a teaching offer there, shared transformative teachings during a stay in the city, and visited during his year of solitary wanderings.

Caesarea
  • Summary

    Caesarea is a beautiful, prosperous, cultural, and architectural city on the Eastern Mediterranean coast. Built by Herod the Great as a major port and cultural capital, this city helped position Palestine as the crossroads of the civilized world.

    In his twenty-fourth year, Jesus met with five prominent Jews in Caesarea and was offered a position as a leading religious teacher in Alexandria, which he declined. Four years later, during his Mediterranean tour, Jesus and his companions were delayed in Caesarea, where he volunteered to repair a damaged vessel and engaged in transformative discussions with a Mongolian merchant and a young Greek, sharing deep teachings on spiritual living.

    By his thirty-first year, 25 CE, Jesus undertook solitary wanderings through Palestine and Syria, spending significant time in Antioch as a tentmaker before traveling to Caesarea where he stayed for a few weeks.

  • About the City

    Caesarea or Caesarea Maritima, “Caesar by the Sea,” is on the coast of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, north of Joppa, south of Dora. Maritima was added to distinguish it from Caesarea Philippi, also called Dan, which is a different city near the headwaters of the Jordan River, twenty-five miles north of the Sea of Galilee and at the base of Mount Hermon. Jesus visited both cities.

    Caesarea was built by Herod the Great near the ruins of the small naval station of Straton’s Tower, an ancient Phoenician settlement, and he renamed it in honor of Caesar Augustus. It served as a major port, known as the administrative, economic, and cultural capital of the Palestinian province of Judaea. Herod greatly improved the city, first via the construction of a deep-sea harbor. He then built storerooms, markets, wide roads, baths, temples, aqueducts, and stately public buildings. Herod created a palace for himself that jutted out into the sea. Caesarea became the residence of the Roman Procurator.

    Today’s city of Caesarea is an affluent resort town in north-central Israel built about a mile south of the ancient city of Caesarea Maritima, in the adjacent Caesarea National Park on the western edge of the Sharon Plain in Israel. The city is also transliterated as Keisarya or Qaysaria.

  • Travels to the City

    In Jesus’ twenty-third year, 17 CE, he took Simon to Jerusalem for the Passover. They journeyed down through the Decapolis. On their return they walked up the coast, passing through Lydda, Joppa, Caesarea, and then around Mount Carmel to Ptolemais and Nazareth. This helped Jesus become acquainted with Palestine north of Jerusalem.

    In Jesus’ twenty-fourth year, 18 CE, a young man from Alexandria came down to Nazareth to arrange a meeting with Jesus at Caesarea with five prominent Jews of Alexandria who wished to bestow upon him the honor of being a leading religious teacher in Alexandria, with a position of assistant to the chazan in their chief synagogue. Jesus declined their offer.

  • Staying at Caesarea

    In Jesus’ twenty-eighth year, 22 CE, he agreed to serve as a translator to Gonod and his son Ganid. Gonod was an international businessman from India. Jesus also agreed to be a teacher to Ganid. They voyaged throughout the Mediterranean World, left Jerusalem, stopped at Joppa on business, and then headed to Caesarea, where they were to disembark to Alexandria in Egypt. This would be the first leg of their overall twenty-month journey.

    However, they got stuck in Caesarea. Jesus extended his stay due to a damaged vessel, volunteering his craftsmanship for repairs. He engaged in enlightening discussions, influencing a Mongolian merchant with his teachings on living a heavenly life on earth and impacting a young Greek with insights on overcoming evil with goodness. These interactions sparked transformations, leading individuals to later contribute significantly to early Christian communities. Jesus also shared teachings on the will of God versus human will, the nature of the animal mind, and the importance of spiritual choices over temporal concerns with Ganid during their stay.

  • A Year of Solitary Wanderings

    Jesus' thirty-first year, 25 CE, was a year of solitary wanderings through Palestine and Syria. Near the end, Jesus lived in Antioch for over two months, working as a tentmaker. From there he journeyed south along the coast to Caesarea where he stayed for a few weeks.

  • Other References to Caesarea

    Jesus and his apostles traveled from Jerusalem to Bethsaida through the coastal cities of Joppa, Caesarea, and Ptolemais. The next day they headed for the synagogue at Capernaum, which turned out to be unfriendly.

    When Jesus was brought before the Sanhedrin court, the religious leaders wanted to have Jesus killed as soon as possible. Not only did it have to be done before the preparation day for the Passover, as no secular work should be done after midday, but they were concerned that Pilate might decide to return to Caesarea since he came to Jerusalem only for the Passover celebration.

    When John Zebedee first reviewed the three Gospels that had already been written, he saw much that was missing. In the year 101 CE, he encouraged his associate, Nathan, a Greek Jew from Caesarea, to begin writing on his behalf the additional events that he recalled, which became the Gospel of John.

Suggested Reading from this Essay

Related People

  • Jesus

    Son of God, Son of Man. Creator Son of the Universe.

  • Simon

    A younger brother of Jesus.

  • Herod the Great

    Ruler of Judea during Jesus' early years.

Contributors

Gregg Tomusko, Mike Robinson, Gary Tonge

References and Sources

  • 121:8.10 Nathan, who inscribed John’s Gospel, came from Caesarea.
  • 128:2.2 Herod invested in the city of Caesarea.
  • 128:3.1-2 Jesus and Simon pass through Caesarea.
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