The Sunday Archive: The Pilot, July 1993 - Part 3
They're in the Bible, but . . .
CAESAREA
(by the sea)
By Terry Hampton
THIS WEEK I read that Jesus sailed from. Caesarea with Paul, Peter plus Luke in AD 60. Bet you didn't know that. Yes, it's all there in Acts 27. In case you, O gentle reader, have looked up the passage and searched in vain for Jesus' name in it, let me reassure you that it's not there! This nonsense comes in a recent book by an Australian Dead Sea Scrolls academic, who argues that Jesus didn't die on the Cross, that he was rescued by his disciples (He had, by the way, courted and married Mary of Magdalen — who is the same Mary as Mary of Bethany) and then Jesus manages to escape detection and betrayal during the terrible Fire of Rome (AD 64), and eventually died of old age (and inactivity perhaps?) after AD 70. The purveyor of this puerile rubbish is one Dr Barbara Thiering (or something!) Now back to Caesarea Maritima.
Built by Herod the Great (c 20 BC) it became the great and only port of the Roman province of Judea. Prefects or governors landed there and had Caesarea as their Roman capital -with with Jerusalem as the spiritual and. Jewish capital. Pilate landed there and in 1961 a stone was found in the Roman theatre with Pilate's name on it. Whether Jesus ever went there we don't know. Herod also built an aqueduct to bring water from the Mount Carmel range, a distance of some twelve miles or so. The aqueduct is still standing — tho' with large gaps as it goes across the seashore.
The theatre has been rebuilt and the Israel Orchestra play concerts there — it holds about 3,000 people. It was here we believe that the great Rossi Ahisa was tortured to death by the Romans in AD 135 for his support of the false Messiah, Bar Kochba.
Caesarea was the home of the Roman Centurion Cornelius [Acts 10], a gentile who with his "household" [v.2] received the Holy Spirit whilst listening to Peter preach. It was here that Paul was kept for two years during the rule of the corrupt Prefect Felix [Acts 24¬27] and where Paul spoke powerfully before the new Governor's judgement seat — on Porcius Testus. As a Roman citizen Paul had the right to appeal to the Emperor Nero for a fresh trial — which he used "Appelatio ad Caesarem."
Jewish Revolt
Caesarea was one of the places where the first Jewish Revolt was sparked off. Anti-Jewish mobs attacked the synagogues and the local Jews had had more than enough of anti-semitism, so they reacted fiercely. Jerusalem Jews were furious at the conduct of the then Prefect Florus, and his constant monetary exactions led some wags to go round with collecting bags calling out "Alms for poor old Florus!" He was not amused and so the first Jewish Revolt erupted in AD 66, only ending with the destruction of the Temple in the summer of AD 70.
From Caesarea Paul sailed to Rome to stand trial, tho' with a benign Roman centurion called Julius allowing him some very unusual privileges [see Acts 27:3]. As mentioned before, Rossi Ahisa died here, reciting aloud the Shema, or Jewish creed, "The Lord our God is one Lord." It ended "Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, soul, mind and strength," and then the godly but mistaken Rossi died. There is a powerful Jewish legend that Moses had a vision in which Rossi Ahisa sits teaching the Torah, the Law, to his pupils — with Moses sitting humbly in the eighth row. "And when he enquired about the end of this chosen teacher, he saw another image — Ahisa reciting the Shema as the iron combs rent his body."
Caesarea was a magnificently built town. The breakwater was made of the recently developed quick-drying Roman cement. There were great storehouses for grain and oil, a temple to Augustus, a theatre, and (c.3 AD) a small Mithraic Temple. Outside the walls were a hippodrome for chariot racing and an amphitheatre for gladiators and wild beast fights. Today an American expedition is exploring the foreshore and submerged remains and its members have to be qualified scuba divers!
And Caesarea for us (some readers saw it only a month ago of course!). If we remember Cornelius, the Roman centurion [Acts 10] we recall that here was a "devout man who feared God, gave liberally and prayed constantly." A fine man, who was then "set on fire" by receiving the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit.
What became of Cornelius and his household? We wish we knew! But I bet anything that he had a house church in his home and that it was a place of refuge and help to all in need, and that Cornelius was an outstanding Christian leader, who witnessed to his men.
A challenge there for each of us, surely. Do I witness for Jesus in my work — is my house available for God's work and for God's people? Spend some time reading, thinking about and praying through Acts 10. There are some powerful and challenging "words of the Lord" for all of us there!
St Swithun’s Day
JULY 15th is St Swithun’s Day. St Swithun was a Bishop of Winchester in the 9th century. When he died in 892 he was buried in the churchyard because he wanted to lie where the rain would fall on his wave.
Nearly 100 years later the monks at Winchester decided that they would re-bury him in a much grander tomb inside the Cathedral. Legend says that the Saint was so angry, because the monks went against his wishes, that he made it rain violently for 40 days until the monks gave up the plan.
Ever since then, if it rains on St Swithun’s Day, it is sup-posed to rain for the next 40 days. The old rhyme says
"St Swithun’s Day, if it do rain, For 40 days it will remain.
St Swithun’s Day, and it be fair, For 40 days will rain no more
Watch the weather on July 15th and'for the next 40 days to see if the old rhyme is really right.
Letters to The Editor I am writing on behalf of the Jersey Trefoil Guild to ask if a correction could be made to the paragraph in the St Helier Parish Letter in the May PILOT about the Trefoil Guild's Service of Dedication on 16th May. This service was held in parallel with a service held in Winchester Cathedral on the same day by the South West Region of England. The Channel Islands belong to this region of the Girl Guides Association and the services were held to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of the Trefoil Guild in the United Kingdom and Overseas. The Jersey Guild — a branch of the National Guild — was formed in 1947, so celebrates its Golden anniversary in 1997.
The service at Winchester was attended by two Jersey members, one of which was the Island chairman. The Colours of all the counties in the south west region were paraded and it was wonderful to see the Jersey Standard there accompanied by the Island Guide Commissioner, and the Island Chairman, Mrs Betty Lewis.
The wonderful service did not figure as part of the 900 years' celebrations of the Cathedral, but the building was packed to capacity by TG members from all over the south west region. The highlight of the service was readings by Mrs Betty Clay, daughter of the late World Chief Guide, of some of her mother's writings.
The service was followed by the Annual General Meeting of the region in Winchester Guild Hall.
Yours sincerely
DOREEN JENNINGS
PRO, The Trefoil Guild Roseville Street, St Helier
PS — The Guild was most grateful to St Helier Church Officers for letting us use the Parish Church as obviously it was not possible for all members to travel to Winchester but it joined them to all members of the region in spirit.
Dear Editor,
I refer to the parish letter from Grouville and St Peter La Rocque in the June issue of "The Pilot".
I would have expected better from the Reverend Terry after he has read bedtime stories to his own four children and probably more recently to his grandson — does he not know that Peter Rabbit, the Flopsy Bunnies, Jemima Puddleduck (not Puddlewick, Terry), were written by Beatrix Potter, not Alison Uttley. She wrote the Little Grey Rabbit books
We in Trinity Rectory are now fully conversant with the Beatrix Potter characters, especially so as four of the stories are now available on video:. Perhaps the Reverend Terry would care 'to borrow them to improve his knowledge —t am sure that Joshua would be willing to hire them out for a small fee.
JILL KEOGH
Holy Trinity Rectory Trinity
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