Antipatris

About Antipatris

Antipatris was a city located in the region of Samaria, approximately 35 miles (56 km) northwest of Jerusalem. It is mentioned in Act.23.31 in connection with the apostle Paul's transfer from Jerusalem to Caesarea. After a plot against Paul's life was uncovered, the Roman commander ordered soldiers to escort Paul to Antipatris by night, ensuring his safety.

The city of Antipatris was built by Herod the Great and named after his father, Antipater. It was situated in a strategic location along the major road connecting Jerusalem to Caesarea, the Roman capital of Judea. The soldiers brought Paul to Antipatris, where they likely rested before continuing the journey to Caesarea the following day.

The mention of Antipatris in the account of Paul's transfer highlights the Roman authorities' concern for his safety and their efforts to protect him from the Jewish conspirators who sought to kill him. The city served as a stopover point on the journey, allowing the soldiers to cover a significant distance from Jerusalem and ensuring Paul's secure arrival in Caesarea.

Apart from this single reference in the context of Paul's transfer, no other information about Antipatris is provided in the Bible. Its inclusion in the narrative demonstrates the historical and geographical accuracy of the biblical account and the efficiency of the Roman military in transporting prisoners.

Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.