The last thing I expected to see at Caesarea Philippi

Caesarea Philippi is known for being the place in Matthew 16 where Peter says to Jesus, "You are the Christ (Messiah), the Son of the Living God".

In this region is this mountain and cave where the headwaters of the Hermon Stream (from Mount Hermon) flow out of the ground and form part of the headwaters of the Jordan River. 

What I learned on this visit there, that differs from my tour in 2017, is that while Peter said this to Jesus in this area, it's unlikely he said it right here at this cave. 

Why?

Because it's a place of pagan idolatry, and Jews would not have gone there. Jesus didn't need to—everyone know about this place, this rock. His play on words, "Upon this rock I will build my church" still makes sense whether or not Jesus was standing there. 

While today the cave is closed up (though still deep), back in the day, this is where the water flowed from—just like the spring where Gideon's men drank. It's was so deep they couldn't find the bottom, and it was believed that this was the gate to the underworld.

Next to this cave were temples to the pagan god Pan. People worshipped here, did vile acts, and sacrifices were made in this stream. This site says that children were thrown in; we know for a fact that goats were too. If the goats sank, then the sacrifice was accepted.

In 749 AD, the same earthquake that destroyed Beit She'an, Susita, and so many other places in Israel, also destroyed this place. At that point, the cave was closed in and the springs found a place farther south to stream from the rock.

The last time I visited this site, this is basically all I saw, along with more statues/pillars. So I was unprepared for the latest excavations:

It turns out that Augustus Caesar gave this town to Herod, who turned around and built a marble temple for Caesar in front of the cave. About 5 centuries later, a church was built right over those ruins.

Something that is very common in Israel that is that any place where it's documented that Jesus said or did something, the Catholic, Greek Orthodox, or another liturgical church came later and built a church there. So, I guess it shouldn't be that surprising—but I was only here 5 years ago and those ruins had not been excavated then! So that definitely shocked me.

It's also surprising to me, to see a church here at a place of pagan worship, even if Jesus did say that statement nearby (or right there). But, there you go... can't argue with proven fact. 

What do you think of this?

There's more to Caesarea Philippi than I thought!

The second thing I didn't expect to see at Caesarea Philippi was King Agrippa II's palace and an ancient city.

The walk there was gorgeous. We followed Hermon Stream from the grotto into the woods, and this North Ga girl's heart was soooooo happy! Forests, streams, and waterfalls—yes please!

Along the way, we passed some modern ruins, like a mill and a hydro-electric station. I was so thankful for the shade, the cold water to splash on my face, and excited for what we would discover. I've basically realized that pretty much any place you go on a tour, you've probably only seen a piece of the entire park. There just isn't enough time to see it all. So this was completely brand new to me!

Then, there we were: Agrippa's palace

He had a very sophisticated sewage system for his day.

The palace ruins actually span either side of a modern day highway!

And then, outside of the palace, there are ruins from the town, including a basilica (of course) and a synagogue.

High up on the mountain in the distance is Nimrod Fortress!

Inside the synagogue:

As we left this area of ruins and walked around the corner, we found the cardo (main street), which tells us this was a very big town. Now it's a nature reserve with ruins, but that's only what we can see. There's so much more underneath the surface (as always!).

At the end of the path, as we walked to the parking lot, we saw this building, another excellent example of how Israel builds on top of the old.

The sign explains how below this building and on the building itself are building materials dating back millennia. You can literally see the passage of time and the modernization of tools and resources as your eyes move towards the roof!

Wow, there was so much more to this park than I realized! I can't wait to go back and explore more... somewhere in the forest is a waterfall!

The place where everything changed

Tel Dan was an incredible adventure.

First, the 4,000+-year-old Abrahamic gate.

Then, walking into the ancient city, through the next set of gates, and sitting at the spot of the king:

The rocks are so rounded, that they look like something from a theme park, haha.

View from inside the gate:

Once again, a place just outside the gate for the city's idols to stand at the entrance. Visitors and vendors would pay homage on that high place. This would have been before the Israelite time (I think).

Then, you go through newer gates:

The view from inside, looking out:

To the residential area:

this last photo cracks me up a bit (the sign):

Then, to the place that broke my heart:

“After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves. He said to the people, ‘It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’ One he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan. And this thing became a sin; the people came to worship the one at Bethel and went as far as Dan to worship the other.” 1 Kings 12:28-30

It’s not often you get to ‘witness’ the point where everything changed for a nation. More often than not, these things are more of a “frogs set to a slow boil” situation than a sudden point of no return.

Here, at Tel Dan, is a replica of an altar commissioned by Jeroboam, who had golden calves placed for worship at Beth-el and Dan, all so the people wouldn’t go to worship in Jerusalem (and maybe swear allegiance to Rehoboam). Off to the side of the altar, in these other buildings, implements were found that just like what were used in the temple to carry incense, proving the record of worship here.

It may have been a slow boil up until this point, but right here is where everything changed- forever.

I can't over-emphasize how sobering it is to sit and look at the altar (the metal form is just to give us an idea of what it looked like), and realize that this is whenever everything changed forever for Israel. The weight, and grief, of this place is indescribable.

After visiting Tel Dan, I watched Sergio and Rhoda's video of their visit there, and they said the same thing. I'm pasting it here so you can hear it from the mouth of Israelis.

The 4,000-year-old Abrahamic gate

It's not every day you see something that is over 4,000 years old.

This mud gate, with its iconic triple arch, has been verified to being present at Dan in Northern Israel during the time of Abraham.

“When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained men born in his household and went in pursuit as far as Dan.” Genesis 14:14.

This gate was only in use for about half a century before it was covered over— because mud and rain don’t mix well. The arch over the doorway is one of the earliest compete arches found in the world.

The gate has a view of Nimrod fortress in the distance, which I still need to visit!

This is only part of my visit to Tel Dan Nature Reserve, which I will talk about more next week. This reserve contains part of the Dan Stream, which makes up one of the 3 headwaters of the Jordan River. It was unlike no other park I've been to in Israel, as we got to walk through the woods and sometimes, through the streams.

And it made this North Ga girl's heart so happy! There's nothing like being in the mountains, forests, and rivers!

Upon this Rock | Caesarea Philippi

Caesarea Phillippi, where Jesus said to Peter in Matthew 16: "Upon this rock I will build my church."

The cave to the left was extremely deep (it has since filled with a rockslide), and the area in front of the mountain held temples to the god Pan and Zeus. Known as Banaiss Springs (because water flowed from the cave), pagan worshippers would throw animal sacrifices into its depths. #israel #apictureadayofIsrael