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!
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.
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.
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.