STUDIUM BIBLICUM FRANCISCANUM - JERUSALEM

34TH BIBLICAL & THEOLOGICAL COURSE

ST. PAUL
march 25 – 28, 2008

Memories
of St. Paul
in the Holy Land
Presentation
S. Paul the Apostle.
by E. Alliata, ofm
Detail of a painting by M. Barberis (1930) updated version
in the Church of the Flagellation - Jerusalem
 •
Giscala Giscala

el-Jish, Gush Halav •

JERUSALEM

Panorama of El-Jish (Galilee)

 About Epaphra, prisoner with Paul we have
heard this story (fabulam): It has been reported
that the parents of the Apostle were of the region
of Giscala of Judaea but, when all the Roman
province was subverted and the Jews dispersed
throughout the world, they had moved themsel-
ves to Tarsus, a city of Cilicia. The adolescent
Paul would have followed its parents and therefo-
re what he says of himself would be also true.
(Jerome, Comm. Fil., 23)

Ancient Synagogue (IVth century)

Catholic Maronite church

 At 22 3 “I am a Jew, •
born in Tarsus in Tarsus
Cilicia, but brought
up in this city. At
the feet of Gama- •
liel I was educated JERUSALEM
strictly in our an-
cestral law and was
zealous for God, just
as all of you are to-
day. 4 I persecuted
this Way to death,
Theodotos’ inscription found here…
binding both men and
women and deliver- Theodotos, son of Vettenos, kohen and ar-
chisynagogos (synagogue leader), son of an
ing them to prison. archisynagogos, grandson of an archisyna-
5
Even the high priest gogos, who built the synagogue f o r t h e

and the whole coun-

r e a din g o f t h e l a w a n d t h e t e a ch in g
o f t h e c o m m a n dm e n t s , and the guest
cil of elders can tes- house, chambers, and water supplies to

tify on my behalf.
serve as an inn for those who come from
abroad, and whose fathers, with the elders
and Simonidus, founded the synagogue.

Jerusalem, al-Quds, Yerushalaim

 At 7 58 They
threw him out of
the city, and be-
Cedron Valley
gan to stone him.
The witnesses
laid down their
cloaks at the feet
of a young man
named Saul.

The Rock of the Martyrdom of St. Stephen

Photo: 1890 circa

Greek-orthodox chapel at present St-Étienne of the dominicans

Jerusalem, al-Quds, Yerushalaim

 Acre, Akko, Akka, Ptolemais

Acre •

•
JERUSALEM

The promontory upon which the Old City od Acre is built

 At 21 7 We continued the voyage and came from Tyre
to Ptolemais, where we greeted the brothers and stayed
a day with them.
8
On the next day we resumed the trip and came to
Caesarea, where we went to the house of Philip the evan-
gelist, who was one of the Seven, and stayed with him.
9
He had four virgin daughters
gifted with prophecy.

Church of St. John the Baptist at the Sea Bronze panels by Nazareno Panzeri - 2005
 Damascus Gate

Cedron Valley
El-Aqsa

Mount Sion

Jerusalem, al-Quds, Yerushalaim

 At 21 15 After these
days we made prepara-
Mount Sion
tions for our journey,
then went up to Jerusa-
lem. 16 Some of the disci-
ples from Caesarea came
along to lead us to the
house of Mnason, a Cy-
priot, a disciple of long
standing, with whom we The Holy Cenacle. Interior view
were to stay. 17 When we
reached Jerusalem the
brothers welcomed us
warmly. 18 The next day,
Paul accompanied us Photos: 1890 circa
on a visit to James, and
all the presbyters were
present. 19 He greeted
them, then proceeded to
tell them in detail what
God had accomplished
among the Gentiles
through his ministry.

The Holy Cenacle. External view

 At 21 27When the seven
days were nearly completed, Temple Mount
the Jews from the province
of Asia noticed him in the
temple, stirred up the whole
crowd, and laid hands on him,
28
shouting, “Fellow Israelites,
help us. This is the man who is
teaching everyone everywhe-
re against the people and the
law and this place, and what Fragment of a Greek inscription:
is more, he has even brought “No Gentile may enter beyond
Greeks into the temple and the dividing wall into the court
defiled this sacred place.” around the Holy Place; whoever
29
For they had previously seen is caught will be to blame for
Trophimus the Ephesian in his subsequent death.”
the city with him and suppo-
sed that Paul had brought him
into the temple. 30The whole
city was in turmoil with peo-
ple rushing together. They
seized Paul and dragged him
out of the temple, and imme-
diately the gates were closed.
Fragment in the Rockefeller Museum
(a complete exemplar is in a museum at Istambul)
Second Temple

Zerubbalel
phasing

I.
Temple Mount
(V cent. BC)

Seleucids - Acra II.

(III cent. BC)

Asmonaeans III.
(II cent. BC) Town of Jerusalem
in the time of Jesus

Herod IV.
(I cent. AD)

Umayyads V.
(VIII cent. AD)
 The Antonia fortress
Photo: 1910 circa

At 23 10 The dispute was so

serious that the commander,
afraid that Paul would be torn
to pieces by them, ordered his
troops to go down and re-
scue him from their midst
and take him into the com-
pound. 11 The following ni-
ght the Lord stood by him and
said, “Take courage. For just
as you have borne witness to
my cause in Jerusalem, so
you must also bear witness in
Photos and drawings from: L. Ritmeyer, The Quest (2007) Rome.” .
 At 23 23 Then he Ottoman castle built to protect

summoned two of
the sources of the Yarqon River

the centurions and

said, “Get two hun-
dred soldiers ready
Antipatris
•
to go to Caesarea by
nine o’clock tonight, •
along with seventy JERUSALEM
horsemen and two
hundred auxiliaries.
24
Provide mounts for
Paul to ride and give
him safe conduct to
Felix the governor.”
31
So the soldiers, ac-
cording to their or-
ders, took Paul and
escorted him by
night to Antipatris.
32
The next day they
re turned to the com-
pound, leaving the

Antipatris, Ras el-‘Ayn, Rosh haAyn

horsemen to complete
the journey with him.
 The Roman Road
and the sources
of the Yarkon River

The Paved Roman Road

Yarqon sources Photo: 1920 circa

 Caesarea, Kaisariya, Caesarea Maritima

•
Caesarea
•
JERUSALEM

Aereal photo of Caesarea

 Herod’s Promontory Palace

Excavation
area
33
When they arrived in Caesarea they delivered
the letter to the governor and presented Paul to
him. 34When he had read it and asked to what
province he belonged, and learned that he was
from Cilicia, 35he said, “I shall hear your case
when your accusers arrive.” Then he ordered that
he be held in custody in Herod’s praetorium.
 At 25 23The next day Agrippa and Bernice came with
great ceremony and entered the audience hall in the
company of cohort commanders and the prominent men of
the city and, by command of Festus, Paul was brought in.
At 26 28Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You will soon
persuade me to play the Christian.” 29Paul replied, “I
Public area
of the palace
would pray to God that sooner or later not only you but
all who listen to me today might become as I am except
for these chains.” 30Then the king rose, and with him
the governor and Bernice and the others who sat with
them. 31And after they had withdrawn they said to one
another, “This man is doing nothing (at all) that deserves
death or imprisonment.”
Private
area

The Promontory Palace

 Public
Private
area
area

The Promontory Palace

 1 2a 2b 2c
Good O Good O Good
To the hope Hope! Hope!
sacred to the I came to I came to
Genius assistants the gates the gates
of the (adiutorib[us]) (adivi orib[us]) (adivi orib[us])
Frumentarii. of the office of the office of this
Good luck in charge of in charge of office.
in all prisoners prisoners I will be
things (custodiar[um]) (custodiar[um]) secure
(custodiar)
A replica of
1 2 Pilatus
inscription
Drawing found in
of two on secondary use

degli scavi
four latin in the theatre

Area
inscriptions
found
in the
Roman
Pretorium

The Roman Pretorium

 Excavation
area

The Palace of the

Byzantine Governor
Main Christian findings in the new excavations of Caesarea (1992-1997).
Paintings (in red) and mosaics (in blue)
 Memories of St. Paul in the civic area
Biblical
mosaic
inscriptions Chapel
built upon
granaries

Liturgical objects
Christ and
the Apostles Cross and
names

“Crux gemmata”
Paul[e] reconstruction with inscription
“boast of the
Apostles”:
“[Aposto]lōn
kauchêm[a]”

From Paul’s Letter to the Galatians:

Marbles 6 14 But may I never boast (kauchàsthai –>
Eucharistic kauchêma) except in the cross of our Lord
Jesus Christ, through which the world has
bread stamp.
“Eulogìa Kyrìou…
been crucified to me, and I to the world.
P]aulo[u”
From Paul’s Letter From Paul’s Letter to the Romans:
to the Romans: Entrance to the Governor’s Palace
13 3 For rulers are not a cause of fear
13 3 … Do you wish to to good conduct, but to evil.
have no fear of au- Do you wish to have no fear of au-
thority? Then do what Biblical thority? Then do what is good and
is good and you will mosaic you will receive approval from it
receive approval from … 6 This is why you also pay taxes,
inscriptions

it, 4 for it is a servant of for the authorities are ministers of

God for your good. But God, devoting themselves to this
if you do evil, be afraid, very thing.
for it does not bear the
sword without purpose.
A

B
Paintings found in the
palace substructions:
A: “Orantes” – Saints.
B: Christ with apostles.
Paul, at Jesus’ right,
marked by a red arrow
in this archaeol. relief)
 The Byzantine and Crusader Churches

Excavation
area

From Pagan Temple to

Christian Church

Roman Temple of Augustus Byzantine Octagonal Church

H. V. Morton, In the Steps of St. Paul, London 1936, p. 358-359, 361-364.
In Caesarea he meets a Greek monk, and visits the church and crypt of St. Paul’s prison.
“The Bishop (of Caesarea) lives in Jerusalem, and I, Father John, am merely a watch-dog
— a caretaker… I watch a piece of land which the Greek Orthodox Church has possessed
since the time of the Byzantine Empire. It is all that is left of our great possessions. All, all,
was once Christian… but now, well, you can see for yourself!”…
“Are there are no Christians in Caesarea to-day, not even one family?” I asked.
“There are four families – he replied – but they are Latins and Maronites. You, sir, seem
interested in such things?” I told him that I was writing a book about St. Paul. At the sound
of St. Paul’s name, he slipped a leg over the withers of his horse and jumped to the ground,
coming towards me with outstretched arms as if about to embrace me.
“Thrice welcome to Caesarea! – he cried – You come and see my church, which is dedicated
to St. Paul”. Photo: 1930 circa

Cathedral Church:
St. Peter’s or St. Paul’s?
Photo: 1960 circa
 The sea port of •
ROME

Caesarea Maritima •
Caesarea

At 27 1 When it was decided that we should sail to Italy, they handed Paul and some other prisoners over
to a centurion named Julius of the Cohort Augusta.2 We went on board a ship from Adramyttium bound
for ports in the province of Asia and set sail [with Rome as the final destination].

Crusader masonry upon the Herodian sea-walls.