Caesarea Phillippi
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Caesarea Philippi was an ancient city located at the southern end of Mount Hermon. It is mentioned in the gospels of Matthew (16:13) and Mark (8:27), and numerous times in Acts. The city was located within the region known as the "Panion" (the region of the Greek god Pan). Today, the city is called "Banias" and is located within the region known as the Golan Heights.
Flavius Josephus states that the Roman emperor Augustus gave the area called Paneas (the Panion) to King Herod the Great. Herod's son, Philip II (or Philip the Tetrarch), who ruled the area, expanded the city and called it Ceasarea Philippi (to distinguish it from Caesarea Maritima on the Mediterranean coast).
In the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus is said to have approached the area near the city, but without entering the city itself. Jesus, while in this area, asked his closest disciples what they thought of him. Accounts of their answers, including the Confession of Peter, are found in the Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, as well as in the Gospel of Thomas.
