Approx. mid-way along Highway 2 from Haifa to Jaffa, we caught site of the remnants of the Summer Palace of King Herod the Great at Caesarea Maritima. This site which is by the seaside of the Mediterranean Sea is now within the Caesarea National Park.
A stop at this ruin is not in the pilgrimage itinerary because this site is not normally considered a site for pilgrims' visits. Nevertheless, King Herod the Great is a prominent individual mentioned in the Bible. He is recorded in the Gospel of Matthew as the ruler of Judea at the time of Jesus' birth . When he heard from the magi from the east who came to look for the new born king of the Jews, he was worried of the rise of another potential future leader who might be a threat to him. It is recorded in Matthew 2:16 that he ordered the killing of all male infants below the age of two in Bethlehem and its vicinity to make sure the threat was neutralized.
Despite being viewed by many as a tyrant, King Herod is credited as a great builder of city and mega-structures. He was credited to have rebuilt the Temple of Jerusalem after it was destroyed in 586BC by Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian king. He was also credited to have built the port city in Caesarea Maritima of which the ruins of the Summer Palace is part of it. In Caesarea Maritima, there is an old 4,000-seat capacity Roman theatre which was built during King Herod's reign.
Matthew 2:19 recorded that Herod died when Jesus was still a child. His death allowed Jesus and his family to return to Israel and they chose to stay in the town of Nazareth.
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| View of the ruins from the bus. |
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| Google map of the site in Caesarea. |
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| Courtesy from BiblePlaces.com |
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