Caesarea Maritima

Caesarea Maritima was once a major port city of Israel. This is the site of Paul's imprisonment before being sent to Rome to eventually meet his execution. He would have left by ship from this city as well. The ruins are from the time of Herod the Great. This was also the headquarters of Pontius Pilate.

Pictured above is an ancient amphitheater. The bottom half is original and the top was reconstructed with added guardrails. We were able to have a worship service while seated in the amphitheater. The acoustics and entire worship service was awesome. It seems to have a sense of irony that thousands of years after the Roman persecution of Christians that we would gather here in worship of Jesus.

This picture (above) shows what is left of a Roman hippodrome (imaging the chariot races from Ben-Hur), which explains the oval shape and seating.

Pictured above is a replica of a slab that was uncovered during the excavation here. The second line bears the name of Pontius Pilate. Prior to this discovery, bible critics held that this man could not be considered as real (or that he went by this name) because there was no evidence anywhere in Roman records that made reference to him. The discovery of this slab proved the bible to be correct once again. Imagine, a debate going on over Pilate for over a thousand years, and God reveals proof that his Word stands correct once again! Every generation He reveals signs to prove that He is real, but only to those that are looking for the answer!