Banias and the dynasty of Herod the Great 

 

After the conquest of Israel by Alexander the Great, the Greeks built a city here called Paneas, named after its shrine to the god Pan. (Arabs have difficulty pronouncing the letter p and they called it Banias, which is its current name). The shrine to Pan and his statue were set up on a natural terrace to the north of the city at the foot of a steep cliff and in front of a quarried-out cave. Subsequently, other pagan shrines were constructed along this platform. Pan was a god of nature, shepherds, flocks and the mountain wilds, and a companion of the nymphs. He was also recognized as a fertility god. He had the hindquarter, legs and horns of a goat.

 

The Romans incorporated Paneas into Herod the Great’s empire. To demonstrate his appreciation of this, Herod dedicated a temple here to his patron, the Roman emperor Augustus. The ruins of all these pagan worship sites can be seen on the platform.

 

At Herod’s death, his kingdom was divided among his three sons. To fully understand the history of northern Israel in late Second Temple times, it is helpful to understand the history of Herod’s dynasty, as their names appear in relation to Banias and other places and in texts such as the New Testament. Admittedly, this can be challenging as some of the names are rather similar.

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Herod Antipas (reigned 4 BCE to 39 CE) was the son of Herod and a Samaritan wife and he became the tetrarch of the Galilee and territory east of the Jordan River and Dead Sea. The word tetrarch means ruler of a minor principality of the Roman Empire. Herod Antipas built Tiberias as his capital and carried out building projects in Tzipori. This is the Herod who ruled the Galilee during the ministry of Jesus of Nazareth and who murdered John the Baptist in his palace in Transjordan. John the Baptist was beheaded at the request of Herod Antipas’ wife Herodias for denouncing her marriage. Herodias was formerly the wife of Herod Antipas' half-brother Philip the Tetrarch and Herod Antipas divorced his first wife in order to marry her. The New Testament sometimes calls Herod Antipas King Herod, although he never bore the title king.

 

Philip the Tetrarch (reigned 3 BCE to 34 CE) was another son of Herod the Great by a different wife and he ruled over what is now northern Israel, Lebanon and southern Syria. He made Paneas his capital and named it Caesarea Philipi to distinguish it from other cities called Caesarea. He had few Jewish subjects and pursued a policy of Hellenization. He had no sons and at his death the Roman emperor Tiberius attached his realms to the province of Syria. When Tiberius died in 37 CE, his successor Caligula immediately restored it as a principality, and appointed as its king Philip the Tetrarch’s nephew Herod Agrippa.

 

Herod Agrippa (born 11 BCE, died 44 CE and reigned 41 to 44 CE) was a grandson of Herod the Great. Herod the Great married the last surviving Hasmonean, Miriam, and they had a son Aristobulus. Herod murdered Aristobulus and his mother because of suspected insurrection, but not before Aristobulus had fathered a son called Agrippa. He was sent to Rome when he was 6 years old and raised as a Roman aristocrat. He was appointed ruler of Transjordan and eventually all of the Galilee by his schoolfriend the Roman emperor Gaius, and his kingdom was later expanded to include Judea and Jerusalem by the new emperor Claudius. Herod Agrippa had an excellent relationship with his Jewish subjects and was very popular. He identified with the Jewish people and never worshipped pagan gods. However, he was poisoned after being king of Judea for only 4 years by enemies resentful of his pro-Jewish activities. Roman procurators now took over his kingdom. The turmoil these seven corrupt procurators created was a major factor in the Great Revolt of the Jews against Rome.

 

Herod Agrippa’s son Herod Agrippa II (27 to 100 CE) was the last ruler of the Herodian dynasty, and he was appointed ruler over provinces outside of Judea. He was eventually given territories previously governed by Philip the Tetrarch and also ruled over Tiberias. He made Banias the capital of his kingdom during the second half of the first century CE. He tried to dissuade the Jews from rebelling during the Great Revolt, but when unsuccessful became active on the side of Rome. His palace can be seen during your visit to the Banias Nature Reserve.