Emmaus (Nikopolis), Antipatride (Afeq) and Caesarea

On Thursday I went with the students for an excursion with Prof. Eugenio Alliata OFM. He knows the Holy Land so very well and his explanations are so exhaustive that you never really tire to listen to him. The marvelous thing then is that he is so simple and he says things in such a simple way that you may miss the importance of what he is saying. He may be described as a walking encyclopedia of all that has to do with the Holy Land.

Emmaus (Nikopolis)

The first place we visited as we were travelling on the main road which from Jerusalem takes you to the airport in Tel Aviv is Emmaus – Nicopolis (city of victory). During my trips I have already visited another candidate for the Emmaus story, found in Al Qubeibeh. I have already spoken about the problem we have with the reading of the text in Luke’s Gospel, chapter 24,13, where we read the story of the Risen Lord meeting the two disciples going to ‘Emmaus’. There are manuscripts which speak of 60 stadia; there are others which say 160 stadia. The first one will suit Emmaus in Al Qubeibeh, the second one will be indicative of Nicopolis. Origen and Eusebius of Caesarea are both in favour of the tradition that Nicopolis is the place where Jesus manifested himself in the breaking of the bread. Regarding the distance between Jerusalem and here – something in the region of 30 kilometers (which would entail a 7/8 hour walk) – and the fact the Gospel says that the disciples returned to Jerusalem to relate their experience to the other disciples (which would double the time of walking to 14/15 hours in one day), Prof. Alliata told us that disciples’ ‘heart on fire’ would somehow explain such a great endeavor!

He also explained to us that, when the exact place was not known, it was quite customary for pilgrims to establish a place on the way to the great sanctuaries (like Jerusalem), as a convenient place where to recall such an event. While the historicity of the event is not put in doubt, what needs to be commemorated is the mystery present and manifested in the event. This is the reason behind the sanctuaries.

Nicopolis was an important place en route to and from Jerusalem. In 165 BC Judas Maccabee won an important victory nearby against the Greek troops of Nicanor, thus opening the way to Jerusalem and the purification of the Temple. In the 19^th Century a Carmelite Nun in the Bethlehem Monastery, Blessed Mariam had a vision where she was told that this was the place mentioned in Luke 24. Today, members of the Community of the Beatitudes are taking care of the place.

Excavations, began in 1880 and continued through the 20^th Century, unearthed the remains of two big Byzantine basilicas with beautiful mosaics and a baptistery. There was also a Crusader chapel. Beside the quadriform baptistery there is a basin which could have been used either for the baptism of babies or else to put the holy chrism in it, since at that time the whole body of the newly baptized person was anointed with chrism. 

Nicopolis: the baptistery with a basin for holy chrism or
for the baptism of infants

Among other remains a number of tombs dating back to the first century were also found. They are quite low laying tombs. John’s Gospel tells us that the beloved disciple “stooped to look in” (20,5). Could the tomb of Jesus be similar to this?

Nicopolis: low lying tombs

From here we drove through the Sharon Plain, or Shar'un (Acts 9,35). This is an very fertile coastal plain between Joppa on the South and Mount Carmel on the North. In the Bible it was noted for its flowery beauty (Isa 35,2; Song 2,1). It was famous for its forests and lush vegetation (Is 33,9; Song 2,1), rich pasture. David appointed his overseer for the herds that grazed there (1 Chr 27,29). The Via Maris (a favorite caravan route) passed through the Plain of Sharon, connecting Egypt to Palestine and Syria, Asia Minor, and Mesopotamia with many cities along the road (according to the lists of the Egyptian Kings). A problem connected to this plain is that rain water coming down the Palestinian Hills is blocked here by the sand dunes on the coast, thus becoming stagnant – a source of malaria. For this reason, humanly dug canals were built to channel the water to the sea. The British have also brought from Australia Eucalyptus Trees which helped to eradicate this sickness from the region.

On the way we visited the Roman Mausoleum of Mazor. It was built for an important Roman couple in the 3^rd Century AD. The Mausoleum is very well preserved, with Corinth-type columns, and a columbarium on the inside. The dove is considered to be a symbol of life since the female dove gives birth to 2 offspring every month. Artemide is considered to be the goddess of doves! This was also used as a Mosque, dedicated to the Prophet Yahya – John the Baptist.

The Mausoleum of Mazor

Close to this place there is an indication to a kibbutz, called Nahshonim, where Messianic Jews live. These are Jews who have accepted Jesus to be the Messiah but never joined any Christian Church. Speak of someone being on the doorstep but refuses to enter!

Afeq (Antipatris) – Yarkon Springs

This is a beautiful park which celebrates one of the greatest sources of water (Rosh Ha’ayin – Ras il-Għajn in Maltese) in all the Holy Land: the Yarkon Stream. Here we find also the remains of the Tel Afeq which controls the springs and the Afeq Pass (a narrow pass between the Samaria Mountains on the east and the springs on the west). A number of tree-shaded picnic sites are found here. It is truly a great place where one could relax and venture a little bit in the countryside.

Yarkon Springs: an ideal place for fauna and flora

The earliest remains on the mound where the fortress lies date from the Chalcolithic period (4500-3300 BC). Between 3300 and 3000 BC we have the establishment of the site’s first walled city. Clay tablets inscribed in various languages – Sumerian, Akkadian and Canaanite were discovered in the palace. An entire letter written in Akkadian from the city of Ugarit was also found here. The Canaanite city is among those conquered by Joshua (12,18) and it was the base used by the Philistines in their battle against the Israelites (1 Sam 4,1). During the Roman period, Herod expanded the city (9 BC) and named it Antipatris after his father. Remains of the Cardo (the main street), shops lining it, and the odeon (small theater) could still be seen.

According to Acts 23, St Paul was brought to this fortress as a prisoner from Jerusalem on his way to Caesarea (v.31), where the Governor Felix resided. Paul was very well escorted for fear of being lynched by the Jews: “At the third hour of the night get ready two hundred soldiers with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go as far as Caesarea” (v.23).

The Afeq Fortress where Paul was kept overnight on his way to Caesarea

Caesarea

A very important city-harbour of antiquity, rivaling great Mediterranean harbours like Alexandria and Carthage. Major excavations were made here in the last 60 years making Caesarea one of the most impressive excavation sites of the country. King Herod began building a city here in 22 BC, dedicating it to the Roman Emperor Augustus Caesar. As an aftermath of the great Jewish Revolt against the Romans (66-70 AD), many were executed in the amphitheater in Caesarea. In 1251 King Louis IX of France captured the city and added most of the fortifications that are visible today. However, it could not withstand the assault of the Beybars in 1261.

The Roman Amphitheater which is still used

Right on the sea, we have the Roman Amphitheatre (still used today after major restructuring), the Promontory Palace, the hippodrome (seating some 10,000 spectators), a byzantine street, and a number of houses. Herod had also built a Temple to Augustus, although he wanted the city to remain as secular as possible.

In the Promontory Palace, Paul was held as a prisoner in what is called “the hall of hearing”, or “audience hall”. It is here that Paul appeals to Caesar (Acts 25,11) and is heard by King Agrippa (Acts 25,23 – 26,32). From here they sailed for Italy (Acts 27,1), a journey which would providentially end in Malta: “But we shall have to run on some island” (Acts 27,26).

The "Audience Hall" where Paul appealed to Caesar

It was also here in Caesarea that we could mark the beginning of the Church’s mission to evangelize the pagans. Peter, who was in Joppa, had a vision in which he was summoned to accompany some men sent to him by the centurion Cornelius and go with them to Caesarea. After Peter’s preaching of the Word, the Holy Spirit fell on all of them. And Peter baptized all in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 10).

It was also here that Philip, the deacon, had a house. Staying with him were his four daughters who prophesied (Acts 21,8-9). Here the imprisonment of Paul was prophesied and Paul made a most audacious statement: “For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 21,13). O Lord, grant to me also this audacity.

An Inscription found in Caesarea bearing the name of Pontius Pilate.
It says: Pontius Pilate, the prefect of Judaea, erected a building dedicated
to the Emperor Tiberius.

Many Christian martyrs have witnessed to their faith unto death in this city of Caesarea, especially during the persecution of Emperor Diocletian. Eusebius of Caesarea has a whole book on the martyrs, most of whom gave their life here in this city. It is quite remarkable that an inscription found here said: “May peace remains for Christians!”

Caesarea is being today promoted as a tourist attraction