Antonia

Morrish Bible Dictionary

A tower or fortress built by Herod the Great near the temple at Jerusalem in which he placed a guard to watch over the approaches to the sacred edifice. Josephus (Wars v. 5,8) says it was situated "at the corner of two cloisters of the court of the temple; of that on the west, and that on the north; it was erected upon a rock fifty cubits in height and was on a great precipice." Where this precipice was is not known, for it is a much disputed question upon what part of the temple area the temple was built. There is a tower, now called Antonia, on the N.W. angle, and there are indications of a similar one having stood on the S.E. angle.

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

A square fortress on the east side of Jerusalem, north of the temple area, with which it had a covered communication. There was a tower at each corner, and it was isolated by high walls and trenches. It was rebuilt by Herod the Great, and named after Mark Antony. Josephus often speaks of it. It was "the castle" from which soldiers came down to rescue Paul from the Jews in the temple; and from its stairs he addressed the multitude,  Acts 21:31-40 .

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Anto'nia. ( from Marc Antony). (A square stone fortress or castle adjoining the northwest corner of the Temple area at Jerusalem. There was a tower at each corner. It was rebuilt by Herod the Great, and named by him from Marc Antony. From the stairs of this castle Paul addressed the multitude who had assaulted him  Acts 21:31-40 - Editor).

Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary

one of the towers of Jerusalem, called by Herod after M. Antony. The Romans generally kept a garrison in this tower; and from thence it was that the tribune ran with his soldiers to rescue St. Paul out of the hands of the Jews, who had seized him in the temple, and designed to have murdered him,  Acts 21:31-32 .

Easton's Bible Dictionary

 Acts 21:34,37 Acts 22:1-21

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

Antonia . See Jerusalem.

Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament

See Castle.

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

(a frequent Roman name, fem. of Antonius the name of two females mentioned by Josephus.

1. The mother of Germanicus and Claudius (afterward emperor); she loaned Herod Agrippa money to retrieve his credit with Tiberius (Josephus, Ant. 18, 6, 4). She was a woman of eminent virtue ( Ib. 6). She was born about B.C. 36, and lived to see the accession of her grandson Caligula (see Smith's Dict. Of Class. Ant. s.v.).

2. A daughter of the Emperor Claudius by Petina (Josephus, War, 2, 12, 7). Nero had her put to death on a charge of treason, after her refusal to marry him (Suet. Claud. 27; Ner. 35; Tacit. Ann. 12, 2; 13:23; 15:53; Dio Cass. 9:5).

( Ἀντωνία , from Antony ) , a fortress in Jerusalem, on the north side of the area of the Temple, often mentioned by Josephus in his account of the later wars of the Jews. It was originally built by the Maccabees, under the name of Baris, and was afterward rebuilt with great strength and splendor by the first Herod (Josephus, Ant. 15, 11). In a more particular description Josephus states ( War, 5, 5, 8) that the fortress stood upon a rock or hill fifty cubits high, at the north-west corner of the temple area, above which its wall rose to the height of forty cubits. Within it had the extent and appearance of a palace, being divided into apartments of every kind, with galleries and baths, and broad halls or barracks for soldiers; so that, as having every thing necessary within itself, it seemed a city, while in magnificence it resembled a palace. At each of the four corners was a tower. Three of these were fifty cubits high; but the fourth, at the south- east corner, was seventy cubits high, and overlooked the whole temple, with its courts. The fortress communicated with the northern and western porticoes of the temple area, and had flights of stairs descending into both, by which the garrison could at any time enter the courts of the Temple and prevent tumults. On the north it was separated from the hill Bezetha by a deep trench, lest it should be approachable from that quarter, and the depth of the trench added much to the apparent elevation of the towers (War, 5,4, 2).

This fortress is called Ἡ Παρεμβολή in the New Testament ( Acts 21:34;  Acts 21:37), and is the "castle" into which Paul was carried from the Temple by the soldiers, from the stairs of which he addressed the people collected in the adjacent court ( Acts 21:31-40). Dr. Robinson ( Researches, 1, 422) conceives that the deep and otherwise inexplicable excavation called "the pool of Bethesda" was part of the trench below the north wall of this fortress; in which case, as he remarks, its extent must have been much more considerable than has usually been supposed. (See Jerusalem).

Kitto's Popular Cyclopedia of Biblial Literature

Anto´nia, a fortress in Jerusalem, on the north side of the area of the temple, often mentioned by Josephus in his account of the later wars of the Jews. It was originally built by the Maccabees, under the name of Baris, and was afterwards rebuilt with great strength and splendor by the first Herod. This fortress is the 'castle' into which Paul was carried from the temple by the soldiers: from the stairs of which he addressed the people collected in the adjacent court ( Acts 21:31-40).