Ancient Church unearthed where Jesus called peter as Rock
Israeli Archaeologists found one of the oldest church / ancient church in Israel dating it around 4th century a place in Banias where Jesus Christ gave his disciple peter, the key to the kingdom of heaven in Matthew 16:18-19.
According to The Times of Israel, this ancient church at Banias is exactly at the foot of breathtaking waterfalls in the scenic Banias Nature Reserve in Northern Israel. The rare circa 400 CE Byzantine church was build on top of a Roman-era temple to Pan, the Greek god from whom the park takes its name.
Professor Adi Erlich, University of Haifa revealed about this finding. He told that this ancient church was built to commemorate Jesus’s significant interactions with Peter — who recognized his teacher as the Messiah — that are documented to have taken place in the area, called “Caesarea of Philip” during Jesus’ time.
The highly stylized open-air temple, adorned with classic Roman architecture and a small pool in the center, is securely identified as a temple to Pan through a dedication inscribed on an altar to the satyr god of shepherds, music, and sex. The original Roman temple architecture structure was Christianized and turned into a church.
