Northern Israel

We traveled to the northern-most point of Israel to visit Mt. Hermon - likely the place of Christ's transfiguration according to authorities. We also saw Tel Dan, Banias, Caesarea Philippi, and the Golan Heights.

Dan is mentioned in the Old Testament as the place where the tribe of Dan settled. It is infamous from the story of Jeroboam who instituted idol worship there and built a golden calf around 900 BC. The site of this alter and calf is seen in the second photo with the bars around it. The first photo shows the remains of the Canaanite gate to the city that dates back to 1,500 BC.

Caesarea Philippi is a city that is mentioned as a place where Christ visited. It was in Caesarea Philippi that Christ asked his apostles, "Whom do men say that I am?" The third photo are the ruins of a pagan temple that once stood here before Roman times. Apparently, human sacrifices would be made to the God Pan and then thrown into this grotto that the rear of the Temple opened to. If blood appeared downstream, then the offering was rejected by Pan.

The fourth photo is Banias Falls. This is snow melt from Mt. Hermon that feeds the Jordan River. Assuming Mt. Hermon is the place of Christ's transfiguration and given how important this fresh water is to the region - there is a Sunday School lesson just waiting to happen here.