The Gates of Hell

The Gates of Hell at Caesarea Philippi

On our way to the Golan Heights we had the opportunity to visit Caesarea Philippi, a current archaeological site near Mount Hermon.  Caesarea Philippi is located along one of the three main springs emanating from Mount Hermon and serving as headwaters for the Jordan River.  Pagan worship was often conducted near running water and so Caesarea Philippi was the site of many pagan rituals from both the Greek and the Roman eras.  

During the period of Greek control following the conquest by Alexander the Great, pagan worshipers set up a place to worship their god Pan.  Pan was the Greek god which was half goat, half man - complete with horns and a flute! Pan, a god of fertility, was especially fond of remote mountains and caves, so logically the people arranged  to worship Pan right here at this cave near the spring of this high rock bluff. 

This area was originally called Panias, but is now known as Banias (Arabic for Panias).

Several niches carved into the rock bluff are identified as being dedicated "to Pan and the nymphs."  

  Pan and his "nymphs"

 Notice the niche carved in the rock where our friend Mason is perching.  Placed on this niche there would have been a wooden statue of Pan - even during the time when Christ visited this area.

The cave (see photo below) was filled with water and seemed bottomless. (They say that when you threw a rock into it, you never heard the splash.)  Part of their pagan ritual involved throwing dead animal sacrifices into the cave.  The presence of  blood downstream was seen as Pan having accepted the sacrifice.    We were told that these sacrifices included the sacrifice of children! This cave even became known as "the gates of hell".

This truly was a terrifying, evil place full of death and destruction and fear.  In fact, Pan was believed to be responsible for any sudden, inexplicable fear, or panic.  The Greek god Pan was the god of fear.  His name became the basis from which we derive the word “panic”.  It comes from the same root in Greek as the word for the god Pan. 

Cool, clear waters from the spring that used to flow from the Pan's cave above.  Over the years earthquakes have filled the cave with rocks and now the waters no longer flow from the cave, but the spring found another entrance point below the cave.  We know more about the cave from the writings and descriptions of the historian, Josephus.  According to Josephus, in Jesus day it was filled with still water that went to an unfathomable depth. [See Josephus's Jewish Antiquities XX, 9, 4] No sounding line had been found which could reach bottom. It was over 800 feet deep.

Picture of Caesarea Philippi during the time of the Romans

Later during the Roman era,  (see picture above) Herod the Great built a temple here dedicated to Emperor Augustus, who had given him the town. When Herod the Great died in 4 B.C., his kingdom was divided among his sons: Archelaeus inheriting Judea and Samaria, Herod Antipas receiving Galilee and Perea (Transjordan), and Philip taking over Gaulanitis, the territory on the Golan, east of the Jordan River and north of the Sea of Galilee. Following the example of his father, Philip built the first city here at Panias, naming it Caesarea Philippi to honor the Roman emperor, Caesar Augustus and to distinguish it from Caesarea Maritima on the Mediterranean coast.

The Remains of Caesarea Philippi Today

Evan enjoying a walk through the Greco Roman ruins of Caesarea Philippi

Caesarea Philippi became a center of Greek-Roman culture, a city known for its pagan worship, its prestigious status as the capital city of Herod Philip’s domain, and its significant Gentile population. References to "the district of Caesarea Philippi" (Matt 16:13) and "the villages of Caesarea Philippi" (Mark 8:27) reflect the city’s status as the power center of Philip’s territory. These factors, together with the sheer rock cliff at the worship site, made this an ideal place for Jesus to make His historic announcement as recorded in Matthew 16:

"Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter replied,"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ."

It is significant to note a few things - or at least I found them compelling!  Jesus often used metaphors that referenced his surroundings.  While teaching near the Sea of Galilee, he talks about being fishers of men, and when walking through a field he talks about being like a grain of wheat...  While in Caesarea Philippi,  Jesus used the context of this pagan place to highlight His message.  

When Jesus asked the question, "Who do YOU say that I am?" Peter declared that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the Living God!  What a sharp contrast to declare that Jesus is the Living God in the city known for worshipping Pan, the god of fear - and a dead god too!  What a challenge to the gods in the niches of the cliff and to their followers who worshiped these gods as if they actually existed.  

Also, when Jesus refers to the gates of hell not being able to prevail - that was a direct reference to this cave entrance where Pan was thought to preside over the animal sacrifices.  

And when Jesus spoke of the rock (Petra) on which he would build his church - surely his disciples could see the rock precipice that loomed before them.

While Caesarea Philippi pointed to the false gods of Caesar and the Pagan god of Pan, Jesus established His Church to point the world to the One True God - the Lord Jesus. 

This is a graveyard of Roman architectural features. They are still excavating and finding beautiful pieces of the remnants of Caesarea Philippi.  It was amazing to walk among these remains and imagine Jesus standing here with his disciples.

Hey, Christopher! (Christopher - mid turn)  I caught you with a smile!