Caesarea Maritima

The book of Acts, Chapter 12 has especial meaning to me.  My spiritual director read it to me during our first session.  The chains dropped off Peter.  There were parts of my life that made me relate to that story.  It brings tears to my eyes.  I work every day to walk in freedom like Peter.  To walk for the Lord.

Sonia, our guide, periodically had us open our Bibles and read scripture.  That day, at the first place we stopped, the first scripture she had us read was Acts Chapter 12.  God was speaking to me, directly to me.  It was good that I had come there to the Holyland, to Caesarea Maritima.

Caesarea Maritima is a National Park.  There was a little film taking us back in history.  Caesarea was a palace, city built by Herod, the Great, who according to our guide every single time she said his name, she said, who was not so great.  Herod had a palace built over the Sea.  Think about it.  This palace has been here over 2000 years.

I can't really see much from this model photograph, but it does remind me of the lay out of the place.

The picture below was what remains of the prison, court complex.  This is where Paul was held before being sent to Rome as a Roman citizen to be tried there. The Apostle Paul was there.

More of the city, of the palace as it stands today.

More buildings.

There was a well preserved stadium.

There were columns from what is thought to be temples to Roman gods.

Birds live in Herod's palace today.

This is a copy of a stone found here with Pilate's name on it.

Our guide asked for volunteers to sit on some seats near the hippodrome.

She asked us to guess what they were for. 

Toilets.

This is the hippodrome.

Herod's palace is washing into the sea.  This Caesarea is where one of the King Herods died.  Read Acts, chapter 12.

Love the blue of the Mediterranean Sea

Those old Romans knew how to stack up the stones so they would last.  This is seating of the hippodrome.

Soon, we loaded up into our bus and headed inland toward Galilee where we would spend the night.