A Temple on a Lonely Hill

And when he [Herod the Great] returned home after escorting Caesar [Augustus] to the sea, he erected to him a very beautiful temple of white stone in the territory of Zenodorus, near the place called Paneion.

Josephus, The Antiquities of the Jews, 15:363

Reaching the Sea of Galilee, we began a few days exploring the Golan region, east/northeast of the lake.

Our first stop of the morning was a remote site called Omrit. Following some directions, we drove off the main road into seemingly the middle of nowhere, the dirt road jostling the car until we pulled over. Hiking a little ways up a hill, we reached our destination!

Approaching Omrit – the ruins are just right of the dark green bush/tree
 

King Herod the Great built three temples to Caesar Augustus. One was in Caesarea, the other in Sebaste (Samaria), and the last one may be the one found at Omrit. While it seems remote today, it provides a great view of the Huleh basin to the immediate west. The main international road through Israel to Damascus and beyond passed nearby. A temple on a hill like this would have been visible for miles, proclaiming Caesar’s lordship.

Omrit
Exploring the temple ruins with the Huleh basin in the distance
 

This is not a normal tourist stop. We were surprised to meet a local Israeli man out for a bike ride who had just stumbled across the ruins that morning. We spent the next hour combing the site, trying to piece together what we could with no guidance. “Notice the different stone types here.” “I found an inscription!” “These parts appear to be built at different times.” It’s like a large puzzle.

We had previously seen some of the temple’s remains at the Israel Museum
 

I mentioned the Roman road to Damascus passed close to here. There’s a famous story in the Bible that took place on that road. That day a zealous Jew passed by this temple, paying it no mind; he knew Caesar wasn’t a god. Later on their journey a light and voice came from heaven, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” (Acts 9:4) In that moment, his life took a dramatic turn as he realized Jesus is Lord.

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