Caesarea

Barb and I are sitting at a table under the trees in the garden of the Safed Inn, catching up on our notes and journals. Here's a picture I took this afternoon after we arrived.





We have been in cities for the last 12 days: Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Haifa. Now, we are on the outskirts of a town of fewer than 30,000. Even with an Army base just across the road, it is very quiet, light jazz on the stereo and voices of other guests sitting outside instead of horns blowing and buses rumbling.

It is much cooler here. At 800 meters, Tsfat is the highest town in Israel. After walking in crowds, drenched in sweat from the heat and humidity, I am glad for the rest and the peace.

I have had a couple of more encounters with the Biblical story.

We visited Caesarea on the Mediterranean coast. In Palestine of the New Testament, Caesarea was the headquarters of the Roman government. Pilate actually lived here in Caesarea, I think, and went down to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration, in case there was trouble.



According to Acts, Paul came to Caesarea at the end of his second missionary trip:

When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church, and then went down to Antioch...(18:22)




At the end of his third missionary trip:

When we had finishe the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais; and we greeted the believers and stayed with them for one day. The next day we left and came to Caesarea; and we went into the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the seven, and stayed with him. He had four unmarried daughters who had the gift of prophecy....After these days we got ready and started to go up to Jerusalem. Some of the disciples from Caesarea also came along and brought us to the house of Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we were to stay. (21:7-10,15-16)



And Paul stood in the imperial court in Caesarea before Felix and Agrippa before sailing for Rome:

After several days had passed, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea to welcome Festus. Since they were staying there several days, Festus laid Paul’s case before the king....(25:13 but the story begins in Chapter 23)





I appreciate Ralph Nelson asking, when I posted that we were at the Caesarea Golf Course, if we're were playing a round of golf with Festus and Agrippa.




There is no traditional Christian site here marking Paul's visits to both Imperial Rome and Christians here in Caesarea. I do think he and they saw this same blue sky and blue sea. That's enough for me.

Next encounter: Elijah....

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Location:Safed Inn, Tsfat