Caesarea Philippi (Banias) and the Grotto of Pan
The pagan spring-shrine where Peter confessed Yeshua as Messiah
Found 1988 — Zvi Maoz (Israel Antiquities Authority) excavated the sanctuary of Pan (1988–1993); Vassilios Tzaferis excavated the city and palace of Agrippa II (1988–2000s); Adi Erlich (2020s) on the Pan sanctuary
Where Banias (Hermon Stream Nature Reserve), foot of Mount Hermon (Israel (Golan Heights))
Dates from Pan shrine from 3rd century BCE; Herod's temple c. 20 BCE; city founded by Philip 2 BCE · Hellenistic–Roman · Peter's confession; Herod Philip's tetrarchy
Now at In place; Banias Nature Reserve. Finds at the Israel Museum
How Caesarea Philippi (Banias) and the Grotto of Pan was found
The cave and niches were always visible. Excavation exposed the terrace of temples in front of the cave — including what Maoz identified as Herod's Augusteum, a court of Pan and the Nymphs, a temple of Zeus and a Nemesis shrine — plus the Roman city below and a large palace attributed to Agrippa II.
What it is
A large cave from which one of the Jordan's sources once flowed, fronted by rock-cut niches with Greek dedications to Pan and Echo, and a row of temple foundations along the cliff. Below lie the streets, bathhouse and a large columned palace of the Roman city that Herod's son Philip named Caesarea and Josephus calls Caesarea Philippi.
Why it matters for the Bible
It was in 'the district of Caesarea Philippi', in front of this cave that pagans called the gate of the underworld and the seat of the goat-god Pan, that Peter declared 'You are the Messiah' and Yeshua replied that 'the gates of Hades' would not prevail against his assembly. The setting gives those words a sharp local edge. Herod's temple to Augustus here (if Maoz's identification is right) shows the imperial cult Yeshua's followers would soon face.
The Hebrew word: she-OL
שְׁאוֹל
שְׁאוֹל is pronounced she-OL and means Sheol, the realm of the dead — 'the gates of Hades' in Matthew 16:18 (Strong's H7585).
People this discovery connects to
- Peter — שִׁמְעוֹן כֵּיפָא (Shim-ON Kei-FA) — Simon 'rock'
- Herod Philip — פִילִיפּוֹס (Fee-LEE-pos) — tetrarch of Iturea and Trachonitis, 4 BCE–34 CE
Places
- Caesarea Philippi (Banias / Paneas) — קֵיסָרְיָה שֶׁל פִילִיפּוֹס (Kay-sar-YAH shel Fee-LEE-pos) — Philip's Caesarea; Paneas after Pan; Hebrew Panyas
Events
Peter's confession · Transfiguration (probably on nearby Hermon)
Caesarea Philippi (Banias) and the Grotto of Pan in Scripture
Matthew 16:13-16 'When Yeshua came into the district of Caesarea Philippi' Peter confessed him as Messiah — this is the place.
Mark 8:27 One of only 2 verses that name Caesarea Philippi.
Questions people ask
What is Caesarea Philippi (Banias) and the Grotto of Pan?
A large cave from which one of the Jordan's sources once flowed, fronted by rock-cut niches with Greek dedications to Pan and Echo, and a row of temple foundations along the cliff. Below lie the streets, bathhouse and a large columned palace of the Roman city that Herod's son Philip named Caesarea and Josephus calls Caesarea Philippi.
When was Caesarea Philippi (Banias) and the Grotto of Pan discovered?
It was found in 1988 by Zvi Maoz (Israel Antiquities Authority) excavated the sanctuary of Pan (1988–1993); Vassilios Tzaferis excavated the city and palace of Agrippa II (1988–2000s); Adi Erlich (2020s) on the Pan sanctuary, at Banias (Hermon Stream Nature Reserve), foot of Mount Hermon.
Where is Caesarea Philippi (Banias) and the Grotto of Pan today?
In place; Banias Nature Reserve. Finds at the Israel Museum.
Which Bible verses does Caesarea Philippi (Banias) and the Grotto of Pan relate to?
Matthew 16:13-16, Mark 8:27.
Related discoveries
- צַיִדBethsaida: et-Tell and el-ArajTwo rival sites for the fishing village of Peter, Andrew and Philip
- מָשִׁיחַCave Church of St Peter, AntiochThe grotto where tradition says the first 'Christians' met
- לֹדLod (Lydda) MosaicA stunning Roman floor found under a street in the town where Peter healed Aeneas
- בֵּית הָאֲסוּרִיםMamertine Prison (Carcer Tullianum), RomeThe Forum dungeon where tradition holds Peter and Paul were held before death
- כֵּיפָאTomb of Peter beneath St Peter's BasilicaA 2nd-century shrine over a simple grave, with the graffito 'Petros eni'
- כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹלSt Peter in Gallicantu and the 'House of Caiaphas'Mount Zion's Byzantine church, rock-cut cells and the 'sacred pit'
Sources
- Wilson, Caesarea Philippi: Banias, the Lost City of Pan (2004); Maoz, 'Banias, Temple of Pan', Hadashot Arkheologiyot (1993)
- Wikipedia: Banias
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