Reid 1 Dana Reid Professor Walker Honors 211B 21 March 2014 Herods Other Temple Herod, king of the

Jews from 37 BCE to 4 CE, is well remembered for being an incredible architect who planned and built the Second Temple in Jerusalem, replacing the original, modest Second Temple structure with a grand building that dominated the city. He initiated construction on the Temple around 20 BCE, and it took 46 years for the project to be completed. But in 22 BCE, shortly before Herod began this famous project, construction was already underway on another temple, this one in the newly founded port city of Caesarea Maritima. Unlike the Jerusalem Temple, this temple was not dedicated to the Jewish Godor even to any of the other multitude of local deitiesbut to the Roman Imperial Cult, in which the emperor and his family were worshipped as divinities. At first glance it may seem strange for a Jewish king to erect a pagan temple in honor of Roman gods, but Herod had many reasons for such an act. In 31 BCE, Herods Roman benefactor Mark Antony was defeated in his bid to control the Roman Republic, and his rival Octavian came to power. Eager to please his new benefactor, Herod established the city of Caesarea Maritima in his honor. The temple was a major part of this flattery and a way for Herod to show his appreciation to the empire and emperor that had given him his kingship. Even though the building of a pagan temple would have displeased the local Jewish population, for Herod the benefits of such a temple far outweighed whatever backlash it caused. Luckily enough for Herod, there was hardly any reaction at all from the Jewish community concerning the construction of this temple. Herod

Reid 2 established the temple at Caesarea Maritima to demonstrate his loyalty to the Roman Empire and strengthen his reign, but was able to do so in a way that did not greatly offend his Jewish subjects. Herod relied heavily on Rome to support his kingship in Judea, since the majority of Jews did not support his claim to the throne. As Josephus reports, Herod was a commoner and an Idumaean, that is, a half-Jew.1 The Idumaeans were a group from the southeast of Judea who had only recently converted to Judaism, and because of this many Jews did not officially recognize Herod as being of Jewish descent and therefore considered him unworthy to be their king. Herod was also considered unworthy because he was not a priest and did not belong to a priestly family, which was considered a necessity for Jewish kingship. But while the local Jewish population had many objections to Herods troublesome lineage, the Romans did not. As archaeologist Lisa Kahn of the University of Tulsa relates: Rome considered Herod Jewish enough for their purposes.2 The Roman Senate elected Herod king of Judea in 40 BCE and gave him an army to secure his claim against Antigonus, a Hasmonean who was also fighting for the throne. Herod won thanks to Romes support and executed Antigonus in 37 BCE. When Octavian defeated Mark Antony, Herods friend and main benefactor in Rome, in the battle of Actium in 31 BCE, Herod immediately went to Octavian and pledged his loyalty. Octavian who later changed his name to Augustus Caesar in 27 BCE, marking the end of the Roman Republic and the beginning of the Roman Empireallowed Herod to retain his kingship and even extended his lands. Without the support of Rome and later the patronage of Augustus, Herod never would have become king or attained such power in Judea, and he was very eager to express his loyalty and gratitude to Augustus and the Empire to ensure their continued support by dedicating the grand, Romanesque city of Caesarea Maritima, and its temple, in their honor.

Reid 3 Five years after Augustus became emperor, Herod began construction on Caesarea. It was an entirely Roman citycomplete with an amphitheater, hippodrome, bathhouse, and aqueductbuilt over the small town of Stratons Tower and located along the coast on land granted to Herod by Augustus. It was an area which Josephus reports was on the sea route to EgyptThese are small towns on the seashore and are poor harbors3 To make up for the lack of natural harbors and also to establish Caesarea as an important trade and economic center, Herod constructed a grand, manmade harbor for this city using hydraulic cement imported from Italy. He named the harbor Sebastos, the Greek form of Augustus, in honor of his patron. He also constructed Caesareas temple, the Temple of Roma and Augustus, to honor both Augustus and the Roman Empire that had given him his kingship and power. Herod intentionally designed the temple to be an impressive structure, displaying the might of the Roman Empire, within which cult statues representing Rome and Augustus were worshipped as gods. An atypical feature of this temple when compared to similar Roman polis in Judea was the fact that it was built at an angle to the rest of the Hippodamian city street plan. Most Roman cities were laid out in grids with streets running along the cardinal directions, but Herod specifically chose to build his temple at an angle. Although it upset the citys symmetry, it was an important detail that aligned the temples western faade with the harbor, creating a more striking visual impact as visitors entered the harbor by boat. Steps leading up to the temple were also on the western side, making it so one could walk directly from the harbor into the temple, again providing a link between the temple and harbor. The temenos, the temples sacred space, was located upon a small, natural hill that was artificially extended to make a large platform supported by underground vaults, not unlike the platform Herod built upon the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. This made the temple a high point in the city and an easily seen landmark from any direction. The temple building itself

Reid 4 was also a notable structure. Unlike other Greco-Roman temples, Herod constructed the temple at Caesarea using kurkar, a local stone, instead of marble, yet still managed to retain the illusion of marble by plastering the stones with white stucco, just as he did with Jerusalems Temple. Caesareas Temple of Roma and Augustus was also lined with impressive Corinthian columns befitting a Greco-Roman temple. From fragmentary column pieces found scattered around the temple site, archaeologist have been able to estimate the height of the columns and overall temple structure using Vitruvian ratios of column proportions. Based on these ratios, the columns were estimated to be around 20.5 meters tall, and the complete temples faade is thought to have been between 25 and 30 meters in height.4 Placed upon the raised temenos platform, the temple would have been tall enough to be seen from quite far out at sea, as Josephus confirms, describing that Caesareas temple was visible a great way off to those sailing into the harbor.5 All aspects of the outer temple faade were designed to impress and inspire awe in visitors to the city, and it obviously had the desired effect, for Josephus records, even though he himself never saw it, that the temple was remarkable both for its beauty and grand proportions.6 Herod intentionally built the temple to tower over the ships in the harbor, representing the might and splendor of the Roman Empire over its kingdoms, and by linking the Sebastos harbor and the Temple of Roma and Augustus together, Herod made clear that this was a city dedicated to Augustus. Herod founded the Roman city of Caesarea Maritima and its temple as a way to show his loyalty to Rome and Augustus, and, by designing the citys temple to be so impressive outwardly, demonstrated to his subjects and visitors alike the might of his benefactors in the Roman Empire. The interior of the Temple of Roma and Augustus held great importance too, for this was where the cult statues representing Rome and Augustus as deities were worshipped. Josephus

Reid 5 likens the statue of Augustus to that of Zeus at Olympia and the statue of Roma to the one of Hera at Argos, both well-known and impressive works from Josephus time that would have instantly given his readers a sense of the grandeur of Caesareas statues.7 The statue of Augustus was obviously meant to represent the emperor, who had founded the Imperial Cult and began the official practice of worshipping Roman emperors as gods. Roma, on the other hand, was not merely a representation of the city of Rome, but was a personification of the Roman people and of Roman history,8 It gave the city of Caesarea a direct link to Rome, and at the statue of Roma one could pray for the favors and good grace of the Empire to bless Caesarea and the Judean kingdom. In a polytheistic religion such as the Romans practiced, it was quite common for a city to have multiple temples dedicated to different gods, but Caesarea only had one. Even though there were many Romans and Roman soldiers living in Caesarea during Herods time who would have imported their beliefs and gods with them, Herods original plan for the city did not include sites of worship for any gods but those of Augustus and Roma. Even though other gods and goddesses were certainly worshipped within the cityfor example Caesareas Tyche, the personification of the citys fortune, whose image has been prominently found on coins and as a statue within the citynone of these deities had their own temple. This again helped reinforce the concept of the city being exclusively dedicated to the Roman Empire and Augustus, and further demonstrated Herods eagerness to express how his loyalty lay to none but these two powers. By placing such impressive statues within the temple and by focusing the citys religious site exclusively to the worship of Roma and Augustus, Herod sought to once again display the might of both his patron and Rome, and to show the depths of his loyalty to none but them. As a Jewish king with subjects who were from the start continuously opposed to his reign, Herods decision to erect a pagan temple within Judea could have been political suicide,

Reid 6 but due to a variety of factors it was not so. Most Jews were very resistant to the spread of Roman culture in the region, as they felt it corrupted and conflicted with their own religious values. Josephus scathingly wrote that Herod went still farther in departing from the native customs, and through foreign practices he gradually corrupted the ancient way of life.9 These foreign practices included the introduction of quadrennial Roman gamesa precursor to the modern Olympicsand the building of an amphitheater and other Roman buildings within Jerusalem. But even though Herod was obviously a supporter of the dissemination of Roman culture throughout his kingdom, he did not do so with the intention to spite the Jews. When the Jerusalemites complained that the trophies Herod brought for the winners of the games bore images of men, which were forbidden under Jewish law, Herod immediately had the images stripped off to placate the populace.10 Herod, having been raised a Jew himself, well understood Jewish practices and respected the religious views of his subjects. It becomes clear, then, that Herod did not build the Temple of Roma and Augustus with malicious intentions or as a statement against Judaism. Even so, it is somewhat surprising how little of a reaction there was from the Jewish community concerning the erection of this pagan temple. The most likely cause for this lack of sentiment was due to the temples location along the coast, far from the Jews sacred city of Jerusalem. Josephus recorded that although Herod founded many Roman cities and temples, they were not in Jewish territory, for the Jews would not have put up with this.11 The Jews did not consider Caesarea within their territory nor was it a sacred place to them, so they did not care if a pagan temple was erected there, especially when at the same time their own, far more important Temple was being erected as well. An instance that reinforces this Jewish view of Caesarea being a separate entity and not part of Jewish land is an event recorded by both Josephus and Philo involving shields bearing the image of the emperor being placed in

Reid 7 Jerusalem. The Jerusalemites reacted very strongly to this affront on their religious laws banning figured images, and immediately protested that the shields be removed. When Pontius Pilate (or Tiberius, by Philos account) removed the shields, he had them sent to Caesarea, where they were received and displayed without a fuss.12 This again demonstrates how the Jews did not consider Caesarea a holy or sacred place, considering the fact that Caesarea was deemed an appropriate location to send these idolatrous objects, and explains the lack of interest Jews had at the presence of a pagan temple there. Herod purposefully built Caesarea and its temple in a location that would not offend his Jewish subjects because he respected their religion, or because at the very least he was not keen to antagonize a populace yearning to remove him from the throne. Along with the Jerusalemites, even the Jews living within Caesarea appear to have been unaffected by the presence of the Temple of Roma and Augustus. Admittedly, not much is known of the Jews in Caesarea during the time of Herodit is theorized that there must have been some sort of community there, considering how strong the Jewish population was by the mid-first century CE, and at the very least Jews must have visited the city considering its importance economicallybut no evidence has been found to suggest there was any sort of substantial reaction to the temple. From later events, set after Herods time, we know that Caesareas Jews considered themselves a separate unit from the rest of the citys Hellenized populace, a sentiment that one could make an educated guess was most likely present during Herods time as well. In 66 CE, the citys Jewish and Greek inhabitants were arguing over isopoliteia, that is, who was entitled to civic rights, sparking tensions that would eventually accumulate into the start of the First Roman-Jewish War. An interesting detail of this struggle is how the Jews, or at least Josephus, referred to the citys Greek inhabitants as Caesareans to

Reid 8 differentiate them from the Jews.13 This is important to note because it demonstrates that Jews did not consider themselves Caesareans even though they lived within the city, again reinforcing how Caesarea and its Hellenized people and culture were considered separate from the Jewish community. This key idea of Caesarea Maritima and its pagan temple being completely separate from Judaism is what allowed Herod to build a temple dedicated to the Roman Imperial Cult in Judea without antagonizing his Jewish subjects in any way. The grand port city of Caesarea Maritima and its towering Temple of Roma and Augustus were specifically designed by Herod to make a statement. The temples location near the harbor, the angle at which it was built, its size, outward appearance, and inner statuary all were intended to visibly display the might of the Roman Empire in Judea. Herod also elucidated through the citys lack of other temples that Caesarea was a city dedicated exclusively to Augustus and Rome, to whom Herod was eager to please for supporting his reign and allowing him to retain his kingship. Although the temple was dedicated to show his appreciation to Rome, Herod remained conscientious of Jewish sentiments regarding Roman influence in their land, and built his pagan temple far from the sacred city of Jerusalem and outside Jewish territory. Even Jews who lived within Caesarea were not offended by the temple because they considered themselves a separate entity whose loyalties lay towards Jerusalem, therefore the temples presence did not affect them. Although the Temple of Roma and Augustus remains nowhere near as well known as Herods grandiose Second Temple, it is nonetheless important. This temple was a way for Herod to express his appreciation to Rome and flatter his benefactors, ensuring the continued support of the Roman Empire and strengthening his own reign, all without antagonizing his Jewish subjects or causing any strife within his kingdom.

Reid 9 Citations
1. Josephus, Jewish Antiquities, Books XIV-XV. Translated by Ralph Marcus. (London: Harvard University Press, 1963), 14.403. 2. Lisa C. Kahn, King Herods Temple of Roma and Augustus at Caesarea Maritima, in Caesarea Maritima: A Retrospective After Two Millennia, ed. Avner Raban et al. (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1996), 130. 3. Josephus, Jewish Antiquities, 15.333. 4. Kahn, King Herods Temple, 141-145. 5. Josephus, Jewish Antiquities, 15.339. 6. Michele Murray, Jews and Judaism in Caesarea Maritima, in Religious Rivalries and the Struggle for Success in Caesarea Maritima, ed. Terrence L. Donaldson. (Canadian Corporation for Studies in Religion, 2000), 130. 7. Peter Richardson, Archaeological Evidence for Religion and Urbanism in Caesarea Maritima, in Religious Rivalries and the Struggle for Success in Caesarea Maritima, ed. Terrence L. Donaldson. (Canadian Corporation for Studies in Religion, 2000), 23. 8. Stephen Fai, Architecture and Conflict in Caesarea Maritima, in Religious Rivalries and the Struggle for Success in Caesarea Maritima, ed. Terrence L. Donaldson. (Canadian Corporation for Studies in Religion, 2000), 277. 9. Josephus, Jewish Antiquities, 15.267. 10. Josephus, Jewish Antiquities, 15.277-279. 11. Josephus, Jewish Antiquities, 15.329. 12. Lee A. Johnson, A Literary Guide to Caesarea Maritima, in Religious Rivalries and the Struggle for Success in Caesarea Maritima, ed. Terrence L. Donaldson. (Canadian Corporation for Studies in Religion, 2000), 38. 13. Murray, Jews and Judaism, 135-136.

Reid 10 Bibliography Fai, Stephen. Architecture and Conflict in Caesarea Maritima. In Religious Rivalries and the Struggle for Success in Caesarea Maritima, edited by Terrence L. Donaldson, 267-278. Canadian Corporation for Studies in Religion, 2000. "Herod." Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopdia Britannica Inc., 2014. Web. Johnson, Lee A. A Literary Guide to Caesarea Maritima. In Religious Rivalries and the Struggle for Success in Caesarea Maritima, edited by Terrence L. Donaldson, 35-56. Canadian Corporation for Studies in Religion, 2000. Josephus. Jewish Antiquities, Books XIV-XV. Translated by Ralph Marcus. London: Harvard University Press, 1963. Kahn, Lisa C. King Herods Temple of Roma and Augustus at Caesarea Maritima. In Caesarea Maritima: A Retrospective After Two Millennia, edited by Avner Raban and Kenneth G. Holum, 130-145. Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1996. Magness, Jodi. The Archaeology of the Holy Land: From the Destruction of Solomons Temple to the Muslim Conquests. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2012. Murray, Michele. Jews and Judaism in Caesarea Maritima. In Religious Rivalries and the Struggle for Success in Caesarea Maritima, edited by Terrence L. Donaldson, 127-152. Canadian Corporation for Studies in Religion, 2000. Richardson, Peter. Archaeological Evidence for Religion and Urbanism in Caesarea Maritima. In Religious Rivalries and the Struggle for Success in Caesarea Maritima, edited by Terrence L. Donaldson, 11-34. Canadian Corporation for Studies in Religion, 2000.