16. Philip went to Cæsarea from Azotus, preaching in all the cities, and here he seems tohave finally settled, as years after, when Paul returned from his last missionary tour, he stopped at his house and stayed with Philip before going up to Jerusalem. At that time Philip had four daughters who were gifted with the spirit of prophecy, Acts 21:9. It is probable, therefore, that the extensive Christian influence which pervaded Cæsarea for so many centuries afterward was greatly due to the early work and presence of Philip. We should not confound the two Philips: (1) Philip the apostle, and (2) this Philip, who is sometimes called Philip the evangelist. The latter probably died in Cæsarea, but the apostle in Asia Minor.
17. Lydda and Joppa. Joppa is upon the sea-coast thirty-five miles northwest from Jerusalem, measured on a straight line, and Lydda is twelve miles southeast of Joppa. Joppa is mentioned in the inscriptions of Sennacherib, the Assyrian king, who reigned B. C. 705–681, as Jo-ap-pa, so that the name Joppa is ancient, and the place was the seaport of Jerusalem in the time of Solomon, B. C. 1015, at which he received wood “out of Lebanon,” 2 Chron. 2:16. This is the first mention in Scripture.
It is now called Yafa, and its population is much greater than that which generally appears in the guide-books, being about 18,000, as the author has been informed by a long resident physician. Both of these places are on the great coast-plain known as the plain of Sharon, or Saron, which was, in the time of Solomon, a great pasture-land, 1 Chron. 27:29.
It is probable that at this time greater opportunity was allowed the Christians to work on in peace, not only because of the conversion of Saul, but because at the death of Tiberius, March, A. D. 37, Caligula became emperor, and the attention of the Jews was violently drawn to care for themselves.
On his accession to power Caligula ordered that divine honors should be paid to him throughout the empire. In furtherance of this order he directed that an image of himself should be placed in the Holy of holies, the most sacred place in the Temple at Jerusalem. Such a profanation of the Temple was so abhorrent to the Jews that it seemed at one time to the prefect of Syria, Pétronius, that the Jews must be exterminated if the order was carried out, and he wrote to Caligula in accordance with his impression. But the emperor was inexorable, and it is impossible to say what would have been the result had not Caligula been assassinated,on the 24th of January, A. D. 41.[185]
18. A. D. 38. It was during these troublous times in the Jewish community that the apostle Peter went to Lydda in the course of his visits to the Christian churches. There he raised Æneas from a sick-bed, Acts 9:33, and going from Lydda to Joppa he raised Dorcas to life, Acts 9:40.
A. D. 41. Peter now visited Cæsarea by the invitation of Cornelius, the centurion, or captain of aband called the Italian band, or cohort, probably because it was a company of soldiers who were all from Italy, enlisted under Roman orders.
The soldiers usually employed were provincial, that is, belonging to the country where they were stationed; but in this case they were sent here from Italy and were generally composed of both infantry and cavalry, serving as a body-guard for the governor,and were probably at this time garrisoning Cæsarea.[186]