Bible Dictionary
Castle
A castle was a fortress, fortified tower, or military quarter. In Acts, Paul was taken into the fortress occupied by Roman soldiers near the temple.
Definition
A castle was a fortified place, military fortress, or strong tower. The word could also describe a watchtower or fortified enclosure from which observation was made.
Biblical Usage
Paul was taken into the fortress occupied by Roman soldiers near the temple. Other references associate castles with fortified places and watchtowers.
Historical Background
The fortress near the temple was the Antonia, named by Herod after Mark Antony. It stood near the temple’s northwestern corner and commanded it.
Scripture References
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
A military fortress (1 Chr. 11:7), also probably a kind of tower used by the priests for making known anything discovered at a distance (1 Chr. 6:54). Castles are also mentioned (Gen. 25:16) as a kind of watch-tower, from which shepherds kept watch over their flocks by night. The “castle” into which the chief captain commanded Paul to be brought was the quarters of the Roman soldiers in the fortress of Antonia (so called by Herod after his patron Mark Antony), which was close to the north-west corner of the temple (Acts 21:34), which it commanded.
Smith's Bible Dictionary
[Fenced Cities CITIES]
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>kas'-'-l.</p><p>See FORTIFICATION.</p>