52. Captivity at Caesarea
The port of Caesarea, where Paul would be imprisoned, had a long history. In the 4th century BC, the king of Sidon built a very modest first port and a small village which took the name of Strabo's Tower. In 63, Pompey granted autonomy to the village and, seven years later, the Emperor Augustus donated it to Herod the Great who discovered a construction site there that suited him. Huge works brought out from the sea a pier at the rear of which was dug a port thirty-two meters deep, “more spacious than Piraeus”, which sheltered boats from all storms. It took twelve years to complete the work on the port and the city. Herod made it his capital with his palace made entirely of white marble which was a true marvel.
Today, the sands and the centuries have engulfed the city and a good part of the port. In 1946, archaeological excavations discovered the ramparts built by Saint Louis at the time of the Crusades (13th century) and the remains of the city of Herod, with its hippodrome and its theater. In the ruins of the theater, an inscription was discovered stating that it had been dedicated to the Emperor Tiberius by the “prefaectus Pontius Pilatus”. It is the oldest epigraphic document concerning Pontius Pilate.
When Paul entered the city, Herod's palace had become the official residence of the Roman prosecutors of Judea. Antonius Felix, a slave freed by the Emperor Claudius, had been in office since the year 52. He was depicted by Tacitus as being “cruel and debauched, exercising royal power with the soul of a slave”. Pallas, his brother, was the all-powerful favorite and prime minister of the Emperor Claudius, as well as that of Nero, at the beginning of his reign. Thanks to him, Felix had a brilliant career. The great consideration Pallas enjoyed in Rome assured him impunity.
Paul's incarceration in Caesarea lasted two long years, a monotonous period for a man who had been in continuous movement for several years! A few days after his arrival in Caesarea, the high priest Ananias appeared surrounded by a group of elders and a Roman lawyer, a beginner whose inexperience was evident at the very beginning of the argument. The high priest had difficulty suppressing a smile when he heard his lawyer use heavy and clumsy flattery. According to the lawyer, thanks to Felix, the country enjoyed deep peace; his foresight had restored order to the nation. This is why the Jews owed him great gratitude. In reality, Felix was one of the most hated prosecutors the country had ever known. The Jews showed him this, two years later, by accusing him of having massacred several of their compatriots in Caesarea and of having mismanaged public affairs, which caused his recall by Nero.
Under the influence of the Sadducees, political accusations were brought against Paul: Paul was a dangerous revolutionary, guilty of sedition, leader of an unauthorized sect, of a “religio illicita”. Finally, he would have desecrated the Temple of Jerusalem by introducing a non-Jew there. Each of these offenses was punishable by death.
Felix had enough experience to see clearly into the game of the “honorable high priest” and the members of the Sanhedrin. He turned to Paul, curious to hear what he would say. He spoke wisely and brought the situation back to the level of religious law. “You have had this nation under your jurisdiction for many years; so it is with confidence that I will plead my cause.” Paul thus implies: “You know them well!”. And then he refutes the accusation point by point, insisting that he is not unfaithful to the religion of his fathers who profess the messianic faith. His religious approach, unlike that of the Sadducees, is based on the Law and the Prophets. His teaching on the resurrection is that of Judaism, a religion protected by the State; therefore we cannot blame him for favoring an “illicit religion”. It is therefore a question of divergences within the borders of the Jewish religion, which does not interest the Romans.
This plea is the first official apology for Christianity before the power of Rome. The Christians of the first century adopted this point of view and used it for many years. For the Roman courts, the essential difference between Judaism and Christianity did not yet exist. It was only later, at the end of Nero's reign, that Jews began to accuse the founder of Christianity of having been crucified "because he opposed Caesar." Roman justice will then accept the difference between the two religions and this legal point of view will be definitively accepted by the emperor Domitian who will trigger the great persecutions. Following the meeting with the Sanhedrin, Felix gave orders to make Paul's imprisonment as bearable as possible (custodia militaris). He will be kept in the palace prison but his captivity will be without unnecessary harshness. His followers will be able to visit him and take care of him.
Paul hoped that after a while the pressure from Jerusalem would end and he would be released. However, all the information that reached Felix proved that Paul's situation still worried hard-core Jews as well as Judeo-Christians. There appears to have been an unhealthy alliance between these two very different groups. The close relationship between the high priest and James, the brother of Jesus, allows us to come to this conclusion. From time to time, Felix made slight allusions to Paul about a ransom. Behind the so-called religious interest lurked greed, so characteristic of many state servants.
The detention in Caesarea had already lasted for two years and Paul's situation would not have changed if, due to a bloody incident, events had not precipitated. Caesarea was a city where Jews and Greeks enjoyed equal rights. However, there were often clashes between the two groups. During a melee, the Greeks were beaten and Felix intervened to order the Jews to evacuate the street. When they refused, the cohort attacked, caused a massacre and burned several Jewish houses. Their cry of revolt reached as far as Rome, where they enjoyed great influence. In his Antiquities, Flavius Josephus denounces the misadministration and anti-Semitism of Felix. This time he had crossed the line. Pallas managed to save his life, but in 60, he was replaced by Porcius Festus.
The port of Caesarea, where Paul would be imprisoned, had a long history. In the 4th century BC, the king of Sidon built a very modest first port and a small village which took the name of Strabo's Tower. In 63, Pompey granted autonomy to the village and, seven years later, the Emperor Augustus donated it to Herod the Great who discovered a construction site there that suited him. Huge works brought out from the sea a pier at the rear of which was dug a port thirty-two meters deep, “more spacious than Piraeus”, which sheltered boats from all storms. It took twelve years to complete the work on the port and the city. Herod made it his capital with his palace made entirely of white marble which was a true marvel.
Today, the sands and the centuries have engulfed the city and a good part of the port. In 1946, archaeological excavations discovered the ramparts built by Saint Louis at the time of the Crusades (13th century) and the remains of the city of Herod, with its hippodrome and its theater. In the ruins of the theater, an inscription was discovered stating that it had been dedicated to the Emperor Tiberius by the “prefaectus Pontius Pilatus”. It is the oldest epigraphic document concerning Pontius Pilate.
When Paul entered the city, Herod's palace had become the official residence of the Roman prosecutors of Judea. Antonius Felix, a slave freed by the Emperor Claudius, had been in office since the year 52. He was depicted by Tacitus as being “cruel and debauched, exercising royal power with the soul of a slave”. Pallas, his brother, was the all-powerful favorite and prime minister of the Emperor Claudius, as well as that of Nero, at the beginning of his reign. Thanks to him, Felix had a brilliant career. The great consideration Pallas enjoyed in Rome assured him impunity.
Paul's incarceration in Caesarea lasted two long years, a monotonous period for a man who had been in continuous movement for several years! A few days after his arrival in Caesarea, the high priest Ananias appeared surrounded by a group of elders and a Roman lawyer, a beginner whose inexperience was evident at the very beginning of the argument. The high priest had difficulty suppressing a smile when he heard his lawyer use heavy and clumsy flattery. According to the lawyer, thanks to Felix, the country enjoyed deep peace; his foresight had restored order to the nation. This is why the Jews owed him great gratitude. In reality, Felix was one of the most hated prosecutors the country had ever known. The Jews showed him this, two years later, by accusing him of having massacred several of their compatriots in Caesarea and of having mismanaged public affairs, which caused his recall by Nero.
Under the influence of the Sadducees, political accusations were brought against Paul: Paul was a dangerous revolutionary, guilty of sedition, leader of an unauthorized sect, of a “religio illicita”. Finally, he would have desecrated the Temple of Jerusalem by introducing a non-Jew there. Each of these offenses was punishable by death.
Felix had enough experience to see clearly into the game of the “honorable high priest” and the members of the Sanhedrin. He turned to Paul, curious to hear what he would say. He spoke wisely and brought the situation back to the level of religious law. “You have had this nation under your jurisdiction for many years; so it is with confidence that I will plead my cause.” Paul thus implies: “You know them well!”. And then he refutes the accusation point by point, insisting that he is not unfaithful to the religion of his fathers who profess the messianic faith. His religious approach, unlike that of the Sadducees, is based on the Law and the Prophets. His teaching on the resurrection is that of Judaism, a religion protected by the State; therefore we cannot blame him for favoring an “illicit religion”. It is therefore a question of divergences within the borders of the Jewish religion, which does not interest the Romans.
This plea is the first official apology for Christianity before the power of Rome. The Christians of the first century adopted this point of view and used it for many years. For the Roman courts, the essential difference between Judaism and Christianity did not yet exist. It was only later, at the end of Nero's reign, that Jews began to accuse the founder of Christianity of having been crucified "because he opposed Caesar." Roman justice will then accept the difference between the two religions and this legal point of view will be definitively accepted by the emperor Domitian who will trigger the great persecutions. Following the meeting with the Sanhedrin, Felix gave orders to make Paul's imprisonment as bearable as possible (custodia militaris). He will be kept in the palace prison but his captivity will be without unnecessary harshness. His followers will be able to visit him and take care of him.
Paul hoped that after a while the pressure from Jerusalem would end and he would be released. However, all the information that reached Felix proved that Paul's situation still worried hard-core Jews as well as Judeo-Christians. There appears to have been an unhealthy alliance between these two very different groups. The close relationship between the high priest and James, the brother of Jesus, allows us to come to this conclusion. From time to time, Felix made slight allusions to Paul about a ransom. Behind the so-called religious interest lurked greed, so characteristic of many state servants.
The detention in Caesarea had already lasted for two years and Paul's situation would not have changed if, due to a bloody incident, events had not precipitated. Caesarea was a city where Jews and Greeks enjoyed equal rights. However, there were often clashes between the two groups. During a melee, the Greeks were beaten and Felix intervened to order the Jews to evacuate the street. When they refused, the cohort attacked, caused a massacre and burned several Jewish houses. Their cry of revolt reached as far as Rome, where they enjoyed great influence. In his Antiquities, Flavius Josephus denounces the misadministration and anti-Semitism of Felix. This time he had crossed the line. Pallas managed to save his life, but in 60, he was replaced by Porcius Festus.
(1) / Alaha Aba / Alahi / Alaha Abuhe(i) / Alaha alahak / Alaha abun = 1
