Spend any time in Israel and you’ll come to appreciate Herod the Great. In his time he was feared and hated but to this day he remains unparalleled in the realm of building grandiose projects. And Herod’s projects set the background scene when Jesus of Nazareth began to spread his message of Love. Caesarea ranks among Herod’s greatest achievements. A mere dozen years from conception to completion, Caesarea was the realization of Herod’s dream to provide the Roman provence of Judea with a deep water port that would open the country to international trade. Caesarea became the catalyst to improving the local Judean economy, and it was a city based on the Roman model. As the New Testament narrates the interplay between the Jesus’ disciple Peter and the Roman Centurion Cornelius, the city played a critical role in the developing notion that the teachings of Jesus were not meant for a provincial Jewish audience alone, but instead destined to be shared with all of humanity (Acts 10).
To this day the amphitheatre still stands and weekly performances fill the 4,000 seats, set close to the Mediterranean Sea. Walk along the waterfront where Herod’s promontory palacd stood and pass by the ancient Hippodrome, where chariot racing entertained audiences. Imagine the ancient port, today a sheltered beach where couples come to wed. Caesarea enchants.