John Phocas, Short Description of the Holy Places 30
https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/298
Context
John Phocas wrote an account of his pilgrimage to the Holy Land during
the last quarter of the 12th century. He was an educated priest probably from the
eastern Aegean islands who had occasionally served the Byzantine Emperor Manuel I as a
special envoy. The earliest manuscript of the “Description” (Ἔκφρασις) that we can
securely assign to this author dates from the 15th century. John recounts his journey
from Syrian Antioch down the Phoenician coast to Acre, and from there to Galilee, the
Jordan Valley, Judaea, and eventually the coastal route north past Caesarea to Mount
Carmel. Here he has blatantly confused Caesarea Philippi with Caesarea Maritima.
Text
Μετὰ τήv χώραν ταύτην ἐστιν ἡ Πιλίππου Καισάρεια,
πόλις μεγάλη καὶ πολυάνθρωπος, ἥτις περὶ τὸ χεῖλος τῆς θαλάσσης ἴδρυται, ἐν ᾗ καὶ λιμὴν
ὑπάρχει πάνυ θαυμάσιος, τέχνῃ γεγονὼς ἀνθρωπίνῃ, δαψιλείᾳ χρημάτων ἡ τοῦ Ἡρώδου
ἐπαρκέσασα χεὶρ τῇ τούτου κατασκεύῃ. ἐν ταύτῃ Χρίστος τοὺς ἀποστόλους ἠρώτα, “Τίνα με
λέγουσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου;” καὶ ὁ Πέτρος “σὺ εἶ ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ
θεοῦ” πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀπεκρίντο, τὸ τῆς ἀγάπης ἐντεῦθεν διάπυρον ἐνδεικνύμενος.
1
Textual Note
Ed. Allatius 1875Discussion Note
Bibliotheca Vallicelliana Romae 158 (Chios, 15th century)Translation
Beyond this region (sc. around Ramla) is Caesarea Philippi, a large and populous city, founded on the
seashore. In it is a most wondrous harbor, a product of human skill, an enormous
expenditure having been incurred by Herod for its construction. Here Christ asked the
Apostles, “ Whom do people say that I, the Son of man, am?” And Peter answered him, “You
are the Christ, the Son of God,” demonstrating thereby the fervor of his love.
2
Translation Note
Adapted from Stewart 1896Works Cited
- 1 John Phocas, Ioannes Phocas, in Recueil Des Historiens Des Croisades: Historiens Grecs I, ed. Leon Allatius, repr. Westmead and Farmborough: Gregg, 1983 (Paris: Imprimerie nationale, 1875), 527–58, section: 30, p: 557.
- 2 John Phocas, The Pilgrimage of Joannes Phocas in the Holy Land, trans. Aubrey Stewart, Palestine Pilgrims’ Text Society 11 (London: Palestine Pilgrims’ Text Society, 1896), section: 35.
Additional Bibliography
- Charis Messis, Littérature, voyage et politique au XIIe siècle. L’Ekphrasis des lieux saints de Jean ‘Phokas,’ Byzantinoslavica 69, no. 3 (2011): 146–66
How to Cite This Entry
Joseph L. Rife, “John Phocas, Short Description of the Holy Places 30,” in Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, entry published June 30, 2023, https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/298.
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Bibliography:
Joseph L. Rife, “John Phocas, Short Description of the Holy Places 30.” In Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia, edited by Joseph L. Rife., edited by Joseph L. Rife. Caesarea City and Port Exploration Project, 2023. Entry published June 30, 2023. https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/298.About this Entry
Entry Title: John Phocas, Short Description of the Holy Places 30
Authorial and Editorial Responsibility:
- Joseph L. Rife, general editor, Vanderbilt University
- Joseph L. Rife, editor, Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia
- David A. Michelson, Daniel L. Schwartz, and William L. Potter, technical editor, “John Phocas, Short Description of the Holy Places 30”
- Joseph L. Rife, entry contributor, “John Phocas, Short Description of the Holy Places 30”
Additional Credit:
- TEI encoding by William L. Potter
- Electronic text added by Joseph L. Rife
- Testimonia identified by Joseph L. Rife