Monday May 20, Day 3 = Magnificence and Meaning: Along the Holy Land coast to the Sea of Galilee Caesarea (Maritima) Crusader/Jewish Underground Prison Akko Caesarea Maritima In the attractive Mediterranean seaport of Caesarea Maritima, the apostle Peter baptised the first recorded gentile convert to Christianity Cornelius, a centurion in the Roman army. When this Italian soldier and his household believed in Jesus they received the gift of the Holy Spirit and began speaking in tongues. This event astonished the Jewish Christians but validated the fact that salvation was for all people (Acts 10). Caesarea Maritima ( by the sea ) was the scene of other significant events for Christians: It was the headquarters of Pontius Pilate. From here the Roman procurator set out for the Passover festival in Jerusalem, where he sentenced Jesus to death. Here the apostle Paul was imprisoned for two years and preached to the last of the Herods, King Agrippa II, who said that if he were to listen any longer to Paul s persuasion he might become a Christian. The city was the home of Philip the evangelist and his four daughters, who were prophetesses. Paul stayed with them when he returned from his missionary journeys. At Philip s home, a prophet named Agabus bound Paul s hands and feet with his belt, foretelling how the apostle would be handed over to the Romans. After Jerusalem was destroyed, Caesarea became the centre of Christianity in Palestine. A Church council held here in AD 195 determined that Easter should be celebrated on a Sunday. Caesarea not to be confused with Caesarea Philippi in Galilee was founded by Herod the Great on the site of an ancient fortified town. In 22 BC, with no expense spared, he began building a new city and harbor. Massive breakwaters gave safe anchorage to 300 ships, a sewage system was flushed by the tide, and a vast hippodrome seated more than 20,000 people at chariot races. Later an amphitheatre was built to present chariot races, gladiatorial combats, animal performances and theatrical events. Little wonder that Caesarea has been dubbed Vegas on the Med. During the Roman occupation, clashes between Jews and the majority Greco-Syrian population, who supported Rome, were frequent. The desecration of Caesarea s synagogue and the massacre of 20,000 Jews in a single hour, according to the historian Josephus culminated in the First Jewish Revolt, which ended with the AD 70 destruction of both Jerusalem and the Second Temple. Bishop s territory included Jerusalem = Christianity was accepted early in Caesarea. By the end of the 2nd century the city had a bishop, Theophilus of Caesarea, whose territory included Jerusalem. Well-known Christian Fathers who were active in Caesarea included Origen and Pamphilius. The library they built up was second only to that of Alexandria (in the 7th century it held 30,000 works). Eusebius, who became bishop in 314, was both the first Church historian and the first biblical geographer. Without his book of place names, the Onomasticon, many biblical sites would never have been identified. Today s visitors can see a restored Roman theatre built to accommodate 4000 and a Roman aqueduct that brought water from the foothills of Mount Carmel. Just inside the theatre is a replica of an inscription carved in stone, bearing the name of Pontius Pilate. The remains of a Crusader walled city, from the 13th century, include a cathedral which was never completed because the vaults below, from an earlier period, were unable to bear the weight.
In Scripture: Philip arrives in Caesarea: Acts 8:40 Agabus prophesies Paul s death: Acts 21:8-11 Peter visits Cornelius: Acts 10 God strikes down Herod Agrippa I: Acts 12:21-23 Paul is imprisoned in Caesarea: Acts 23:23 26:32
Akko The Biblical city of Akko (Acre) is located east to the old city, and located on a large Tel (Mound, Heap) east of the old city, on the north bank of the Na'aman (Belus) river. The city originated in the Bronze period, and was abandoned in the late Hellenistic period, when the new city moved closer to the sea. The hill was reused in later periods for brief times, such as being a base for the sieges of the Crusaders (1099) and Napoleon's Army (1799). Today, the site is in ruins. The neighborhoods of the modern city of Akko are located to the east and north of the Tel. On the western foothills is the city's soccer field. Akko (Acre) is located at the North of Israel, on the shores of the bay of Haifa. The Tel is located on the east side of the old city of Acre, as indicated on this map. In the Biblical times the Na'aman river, far away to the south, used to be closer to the Tel, but its natural flow was diverted to the south at modern times. Tel Akko was located
on a prime location - it stood on the northern part of Via Maris, the major ancient North-South road. Another road lead from Akko towards south-east, then east to the sea of Galilee and Syria. The city was a gateway on these important cross roads, which at those times were the important trade routes. It was protected by its great walls and high rampart, and by the marshes of the Na'aman (Belus) river, flowing at the south and east of the Tel. According to the archaeological surveys, evidence indicates that seawater was used to encircle the city from 3 sides (east, south and west). The city was so strong that the Israelites failed to capture it, as written in the Bible (Judges 1): "Asher drove not out the inhabitants of Acco"). The Tel was located at the mouth of the river, which gave it its most important asset: a natural harbor for the port city. The sea-trade in the ancient times made the city prosperous. With these two assets, maritime and land trade, the city rose to be one of the strongest and important cities in the Biblical Israel. Crusaider Underground Prison At the northern part of old Acre stands an impressive fortress built in the Ottoman era over the ruins of a crusader fortress. During the British rule the fortress was used as a central prison. Hundreds of members of the underground organizations Haganah, Etzel and Lehi, were imprisoned here due to their struggle to defend the Jewish settlement, war against the British Mandate and their right to establish a national home in the Land of Israel. The museum presents the story of the Acre Prison the imprisonment of Ze ev Jabotinsky and the defenders of Jerusalem in 1920, the nine prisoners sentenced to death ( Oley Hagardom 1938-1947), the breakin into the Acre Prison in May 1947 as well as the story of the central groups of prisoner, prison routine and more. The citadel of Acre was built during the Ottoman Period over the ruins of a 12th century Crusader fortress. During the Ottoman Period, the citadel first served as a Saraya (government building) for Acre's rulers and then as a prison, army barracks and weapon warehouse for the local garrison. Several members of the "Hashomer" organization were imprisoned in the Citadel of Acre under Turkish rule. What s at the site: an innovative display combining an interactive experience, accompanied by guidance, original and reconstructed exhibits, a tour of the prison cells, the Jabotinsky section, the break-in point, the solitary confinement cells, execution chamber and commemoration rooms. During the British Mandate, the citadel served as the main prison for the north of Israel. Hundreds of members of the Haganah, Etzel and Lehi underground organizations were imprisoned here because of their struggle to defend the Yishuv (the body of Jewish residents in Palestine, before the establishment of the State of Israel), their war against mandatory rule and their fight for their right to establish a national home in the Land of Israel. The first
prisoner during British military rule was Zeev Jabotinsky, Commander of the Jewish defense of Jerusalem. Nineteen other members of the city's defense were imprisoned along with him during the 1920 Palestine riots. In 1939, 43 members of the Haganah commander courses held in Yavniel including Moshe Dayan and Moshe Carmel, ten Haganah members from Kibbutz Ginosar, as well as 38 members of the Etzel commander courses held in Mishmar Hayarden, were imprisoned in the Citadel of Acre. On May 4, 1947, Etzel forces broke into the prison in a daring action coordinated with their imprisoned friends. Forty-one prisoners were freed, including thirty Etzel members and eleven Lehi members. Three members of the attacking force and six released prisoners were killed in a battle that ensued outside of the prison walls against British police and military forces. Operation commander Dov Cohen, AKA "Gundar (District of Unit Commander) Shimshon", was among the casualties. As the operation drew to its conclusion, it became evident that 27 prisoners had managed to escape; however, eight escapees were captured, along with five of the Etzel fighters. Three out of the five men captured were sentenced to hang to death by a British military court. The Jewish Resistance Fighters Museum features an innovative display run by the Ministry of Defense describing the circumstances of the resistance fighters' imprisonment, their way of life in prison, the story of the Acre prison break and the story of Olei Hagardom (refers to the 12 members of the pre-state Jewish underground who were tried in British Mandate courts and sentenced to death by hanging). The tour of the Museum highlights the main values guiding the resistance fighters, namely: Zionism and a the love of Eretz Yisrael, heroism and sacrifice.