There are two Caesareas in the Bible, both named after Caesar Augustus, the Roman ruler of 2,000 years ago. Caesarea Maritima is mentioned over a dozen times in the Acts of the Apostles. It was a seaport on the Mediterranean coast.
Caesarea Philippi is mentioned one time each in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark. It was located at the headwaters of the Jordan River, near Mt. Hermon.
An archaeologist who spoke in Madison Sunday afternoon believes an excavation taking place in Israel over almost a dozen years offers a new perspective on Caesarea Philippi.
Daniel Showalter is a professor of religion and classics at Carthage College in Kenosha. He is the co-director of the excavation at Omrit, a site about two miles south of Banias, the modern name for the site of Caesarea Philippi. The name comes from Paneas, another ancient name derived from the site’s pagan history as the location of a shrine for the Roman god Pan.
The historian Josephus reports that Herod built a temple to Augustus at Caesarea Philippi and most Bible scholars believe the temple was built close by the cave that was connected with the worship of Pan.
Schowalter told members of the Madison Biblical Archaeology Society that excavations over the past 11 years have uncovered the remains of a first century B.C. shrine that was built over with a temple, and then later with an even larger temple.
Although no evidence has been uncovered thus far, he believes what they’ve found at Omrit could just as easily be the temple to Augustus built by Herod. Its prominent location, on the edge of the Golan Heights, overlooking the Hula Valley, and on a major road to Damascus, would have made it a dominant architectural feature in the first century.
Both Matthew and Mark report that Jesus did not exactly visit Caesarea Philippi, but was in the area with his disciples. The NIV says, “When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi…” The fact that the location of Caesarea Philippi was less than precise in the Bible leads Schowalter to believe a site just two miles away could still be close enough to be in the region.
Both gospels say that Jesus quizzed his disciples: “Who do people say that I am…who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the son of the living God.”
This conversation about spiritual authority makes sense in the context of a temple to pagan worship, but even more so in the context of a temple dedicated to the greatest temporal authority.
Work at the site of Omrit will continue in the years ahead. Plans to develop it as an archaeological park are starting to fall into place. The possibility of identifying a Herodian temple is one of the draws for volunteers who will be needed to continue the work.
Read more:
The Carthage College website for the Omrit excavation