After our boat ride, we got back in our bus & drove a couple hours north to the Golan Heights. This area is controlled by Palestine & we had to go through a checkpoint to get there. This area at the northernmost part of Israel is located near the Syria/Israel/Lebanon border. In fact, Banias is considered a part of Syria that has been occupied & annexed by Israel. You could literally touch Lebanon & Syria there if it weren't for all the electric fences labeled "WARNING! LAND MINES!" everywhere. There were several cows roaming those areas & we couldn't help but joke a little bit about the exploding "fire grilled burgers" behind the fence. We all decided to "mark" Lebanon & Syria off our "countries visited" lists since we were there even if we couldn't physically cross the fence.
Banias is a natural spring, once associated with the Greek god Pan. It had been inhabited for 2,000 years until it was abandoned & destroyed during the 6 Day War. It is located at the foot of Mount Hermon & the spring is the source of the Banias River (or the Dan River), one of the main tributaries of the Jordan River. Archaeologists uncovered a shrine to Pan there & the remains of an ancient city. This ancient city was mentioned in the books of Matthew & Mark under the name of Caesarea Philippi as the place where Jesus confirmed Peter's assumption that Jesus was the Messiah.
Matthew 16: 13-19
"When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; & others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He said unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered & said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered & said unto him, Blessed art thou Simon Barjona; for flesh & blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, & upon this rock I will build my church; & the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: & whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: & whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
This area is also located on the road to Damascus & the apostle Paul is said to have traveled on this very road.
After exploring the spring, the temple of Pan, & the ancient ruins, we found a cute little spot for a picnic. Since it was our Sabbath, we decided to all pack lunches to eat. We made PB&J & had some chips that we bought the night before at the grocery store. It was a nice little lunch. We ate, the kids climbed trees, it was a great way to relax.
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