Burchard of Mt. Sion, Description of the Holy Land 10.1-5
created: This entry is taken from Description of the Holy Land 10.1-5 written by Burchard
edition published: 2022-10-19-05:00
language: la; la
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https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/204

Cesarea

,

Pyrgus Stratonis

,

Cesaream

, and

Caesarea

are directly attested at Burchard of Mt. Sion, Description of the Holy Land 10.1-5. This passage was written ca. 1274-1285 CE possibly in Palestine. Burchard of Mt. Sion was a Dominican friar from Magdeburg in Lower Saxony who wrote the the most important description of the Holy Land from the 13th century. The earliest and longest account of his pilgrimage, which grew particularly popular during the 14th-18th centuries, described his journey from northern Germany to the Levant, where he stayed from 1274 to 1284, shortly before the fall of Acre, the last Crusader stronghold in the Holy Land, in 1291. The content of his description is based upon personal experience, research into ancient writings and earlier itineraries, and close study of scripture. In this passage, Burchard describes the historical geography and sites between Haifa and Arsuf.

(1) Ρrima divisio quarte australis incipit ab Accon, sicut omnes alie. In quo primo IIII leucis de Acco occurrit civitas Cayphas sub pede montis Carmeli. (2) De Caypha III leucis contra austrum est Castrum Peregrinorum, fratrum milicie templi, munitum pre omnibus locis, que unquam possederunt Christiani. Et est situm in corde maris, munitum muris et antemuralibus et barbicanus ita fortibus et turribus, quod non deberet expugnare totus mundus. (3) De Caypha ad unam leucam, ad sinistram, que ducit ad Castrum perigrinorum supra montem Carmeli est spelunca Helie et mansio Helisei et fons, ubi habitabant filii prophetarum in Carmelo et inhabitant hodie fratres de Carmelo. Et fui cum ipsis ibidem. (4) De Castro Peregrinoruιn ad quinque leucas est Cesarea, Palestine metropolis, que fuit sedes archiepiscopalis. Hec prima dicibatur Dora, postea Pyrgus Stratonis, sed Herodes Magnus eam instauravit et Cesaream apellavit. De cuius structura et munitione Iosephus multa scribit. Cingitur ab occidente mari magno, ab oriente palude quadam dulci et profunda, in qua est multitudo cocodrillorum. Et incideram ibi in periculum valde magnum, nisi Dominus misericorditer abstulisset. Situm quidem habet firmum sed hodie penitus est destructa. Mansionem habuit in ea Philippus et filie eius. Petrust eciam in ea baptizavit Cornelium centurionem, qui primus in ea fuit episcopus. Paulus eciam in ea coram rege Agrippa et Felice preside contra Tertullum oratorem elegantissime disputavit. (5) De Cesarea ΙΙΙ leucis contra austrum est villa Αssur dicta: quondam tamen Antipatrida dicebatur ab Antipatre, patre Herodis Magni. Que fuit fratrum de hospitali sancti Iohannis, qui licet eam perdiderunt, tamen solvunt domino de Assur et heredibus eius XXVIII milia bysantinorum aureorum singulis annis.

[Ed. Laurent 1873]

(1) The first division of the southern quarter begins from Acre, like all the others. First, four leagues from Acre comes the city of Cayphas at the foot of Mount Carmel. (2) Three leagues southward from Cayphas is Pilgrims’ Castle belonging to the Militia of the Temple, the best defended of all places ever held by the Christians. It is located in the deep sea and is defended with walls, outworks, barbicans, and towers so strong that the entire world ought not be able to storm it. (3) One league from Caypha, on the left of the road to Pilgrims’ Castle, on Mount Carmel is Elijah’s cave and Elisha’s dwelling and spring, where the sons of the Prophets used to lived and the Carmelite friars do today. Ι stayed with them there. (4) Five leagues from Pilgrims’ Castle is Caesarea, capital of Palestine, which once was the seat of an archbishop. This place was first called Dora, and after that Pyrgus Stratonis, but Herod the Great rebuilt it and named it Caesarea. Josephus writes at length about its buildings and fortifications. It is bounded on the west by the Great Sea and on the east by a deep, freshwater marsh in which there is a great number of crocodiles. There Ι would have fallen into very great danger if the Lord in His mercy had not saved me. The city has a strong position, but today it is completely destroyed. Philip and his daughters had a dwelling here. There also Peter baptized Cornelius the centurion, who was its first bishop. Moreover, it was here that Paul disputed with great eloquence against the orator Tertullus, in the presence of King Agrippa and the governor Felix. (5) Three leagues south of Caesarea is a town called Assur, but once it was called Antipatris after Antipater, Herod the Great's father. It belonged to the brothers of the Hospital of St. John, who, although they have lost it, still pay 28,000 gold bezants a year to the Lord of Assur and his heirs.

[Adapted from Pringle 2018]

Works Cited

[...] 10.1-5 82-83
[...] 10.1-5 307-308

[Acts 10:1-48

Acts 21:8-9

Acts 24-26

Acts 8:40

Josephus Jewish Antiquities 15.9.6

Marino Sanudo the Elder, Secrets for Those Faithful to the Cross 3.14.2]

[Acre (Akko, Ptolemaïs)

Antipatris

Assur (Arsuf)

Carmel, Mount

Caypha (Haifa)

Dor (Dora)

Pilgrims’ Castle (Castrum Peregrinorum, Athlit)]

[Agrippa

Antipater, Father of Herod I

Carmelites

Cornelius, early Christian at Caesarea

Elijah the Prophet

Elisha the Prophet

Felix

Herod I, King

Knights Hospitaller

Knights Templar

Paul the Apostle

Peter the Apostle

Philip, early Christian at Caesarea

Tertullus]

[Christian Bible

Christianity

Crusades

Economy and Commerce

Geography

Government and Law

Hebrew Bible

Medieval History

Military

Natural Environment

Pilgrimage

Roman History

Travel

Urban Topography]