Bible Lexicons

Καισάρεια (Καισαρια Tdf. (cf. his note on Acts 9:30), WH; see Iota), Καισαριας, ἡ, Caesarea; there were two cities of this name in Palestine:

1. Caesarea Philippi (Καισάρεια ἡ Φιλίππου), situated at the foot of Lebanon near the sources of the Jordan in Gaulanitis, and formerly called Paneas (ἥν Πανεαδα Φοίνικες προσαγορεύουσιν, Eus. h. e. 7, 17); but after being rebuilt by Philip the tetrarch, it was called by him Caesarea in honor of Tiberius Caesar (Josephus, Antiquities 18, 2, 1f); subsequently it was called Neronias by Agrippa II., in honor of Nero (Josephus, Antiquities 20, 9, 4); now Banias, a village of about 150 ((?) "about 50" (Bädeker), some forty (Murray)) houses: Matthew 16:13; Mark 8:27.

2. Caesarea (more fully Caesarea of Palestine (modern Kaisariyeh)), built near the Mediterranean by Herod the Great on the site of Strato's Tower, between Joppa and Dora. It was provided with a magnificent harbor and had conferred upon it the name of Caesarea, in honor of Augustus. It was the residence of the Roman procurators, and the majority of its inhabitants were Greeks (Josephus, Antiquities 13, 11, 2; 15, 9, 6; 19, 8, 2; b. j. 2, 9, 1): Acts 8:40; Acts 9:30; Acts 10:1, 24; Acts 11:11; Acts 12:19; Acts 18:22; Acts 21:8, 16; Acts 23:23, 33; Acts 25:1, 4, 6, 13. Cf. Winers RWB (and BB. DD.) under the word ; Arnold in Herzog ii., p. 486ff; Overbeck in Schenkel i., p. 499f; (Schürer § 23, i. 9; and for ether references cf. McClintock and Strong's Cyclopaedia under the word).