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Running head: INSPECTION OF THE PRISONS OF PAUL

Inspection of the Prisons of Paul

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Inspection of the Prisons of Paul

The exact years of the Apostle Paul’s imprisonment can vary depending on which commentary or reference work scholars use to decipher the problem. The following chronology adapted from “The life & epistles of St. Paul” by Conybeare and Howson, however is acceptable to use as a general guideline. Paul was arrested in Jerusalem in 58 AD. He spent two years in the Caesarea jail from 58 AD to 60 AD. He was then shipwrecked on the way to Rome in 60 AD. This led to his first imprisonment in Rome which lasted from 61 AD to 63 AD. Paul was released from Roman prison in 63 AD, but was imprisoned again in 68 AD (, nd). This paper will focus on descriptions of the prison in Caesarea Maritima, the jail in ancient Philippi and the Mamertine prison in Rome where Paul spent time according to biblical records.

Caesarea Maritima

Paul was a prisoner at Caesarea Maritima for two years before sailing to Rome to stand before Caesar. This site is still under study because its archaeological recovery began only since 1956 when an Italian team excavated the theater through 1961. They found the name “Pontius Pilate” inscribed on a badly eroded stone in the theater. A copy of this inscription is now on display near the theater, while the original resides In Jerusalem at the Israel Museum (BibArch, 2009).

Although Caesarea Maritima is a large and fruitful archeological site with many beautiful finds, the site of Paul’s prison is rather humble looking, as one might expect (see Figure 1 below). The photo in Figure 1 shows the guard house where the Roman authorities would have first held Paul (Lion Tracks Ministries, 2009).

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Figure 1: The Guard House at Caesarea Maritima (Lion Tracks Ministries, 2009)

The Jail in Ancient Philippi

This is the traditional place where the bible holds that Roman authorities imprisoned Paul and Silas and where their Philippian jailer converted to Christianity. Excavations In Philippi have uncovered ruins of many Roman buildings including Roman baths, a colonnaded street with basilicas at either end, a roman forum, a 4th century theater, an acropolis and several Christian churches (Padfield, 2005). The map in figure 2 highlights the location of Paul’s prison and the photo in figure 3 shows the entrance to the cramped prison.

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Figure 2: “The Biblical City of Philippi” (Padfield, 2005)

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Figure 3: Paul’s Jail in Philippi (Bolen, 2009)

The Mamertine prison in Rome

Biblical scholars generally assume that Paul wrote 2 Timothy while he was a prisoner in Rome for a second time during Nero's reign. Because he was a Roman citizen who had committed no serious crime, Paul was accorded the privilege of being under house arrest during his first imprisonment in Rome. His second imprisonment was a much harsher term in a dungeon in Mamertine prison. Figures 4, 5 and 6 provide outside and inside views of Mamertine prison as well as a view of the cramped dungeon cell where Paul and Peter spent time as a prisoners (Peterson, 2008).

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Figure 4: Front View of the Mamertine Prison (Peterson, 2008)

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Figure 5: Steps Leading Down to the Dungeons in Mamertine Prison (Peterson, 2008)

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Figure 6: Interior of Paul and Peter’s Cell (Peterson, 2008)

Conclusion

The three prisons in Caesarea Maritima, ancient Philippi and the Mamertine prison in Rome where Paul spent time as a prisoner were generally bleak and dreary places where one who is driven, such as Paul was, could do nothing else but write. Paul’s imprisonments during his apostolic years were important to Christianity in that they accorded Paul the time to write down what later became important Christian scriptures.

References

BibArch (2009). Caesarea Maritima. Retrieved February 27, 2009 from



(nd). When was the Apostle Paul in prison? Retrieved February 27, 2009 from



Bolen, T. (2009). Philippi. . Retrieved February 27, 2009, from



Lion Tracks Ministries (2009). Lion Tracks Q ‘n’A. Retrieved February 27, 2009 from



Padfield, D. (2005). The biblical city of Philippi. Retrieved February 27, 2009 from



Peterson, J. K., I (2008). The Mamertine prison: The place where Paul and Peter were

imprisoned in Rome. Scholar’s Corner. Retrieved February 27, 2009 from

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