Caesarea Philippi

The place was first called Panium or Paneas. Josephus describes a deep cave there, under a mountain, from which springs of the Jordan rise. Herod the Great built a temple of white stone there in honour of Augustus (Josephus, Antiquities 15.363–364). His son Philip, tetrarch of the lands north and east of the lake, built a city at the springs and named it Caesarea (Josephus, Antiquities 18.28) (Josephus, Jewish War 2.168). It was called Philip’s Caesarea to distinguish it from Caesarea Maritima on the coast.

Mark says that Jesus went with his disciples “into the villages of Caesarea Philippi”, and Matthew “into the parts of Caesarea Philippi”; neither says that he entered the city (Mark 8:27) (Matthew 16:13). It is there that Peter says, “You are the Christ”; see Peter’s Confession at Caesarea Philippi. The ancient site is at Banias, at the foot of Mount Hermon.