The region of Bashan, known in Canaanite as Bathan and encompassing cities like Ashtaroth and Edri, was historically regarded as eerie and ominous, even described as gateways to the netherworld in ancient Semitic languages. This area, located near the Sea of Galilee and Mount Hermon, was considered a stronghold of pagan worship, notably of Baal, the Canaanite lord of the underworld. In the New Testament, this region gains profound significance: Jesus takes Peter, James, and John to Cesarea Philippi at the foot of Mount Hermon—a site synonymous with pagan worship and symbolic “gates of hell”—where he declares Peter the rock upon which he will build his church. This declaration is widely interpreted not merely as a theological statement about Peter but as a deliberate confrontation with the spiritual forces associated with this place. Shortly afterward, Jesus leads his disciples up Mount Hermon for the Transfiguration, revealing his divine glory and signaling a bold challenge to spiritual adversaries. This series of events marks a turning point in Jesus’ ministry, heralding his forthcoming suffering, death, and resurrection—a mission designed to defeat death itself. Although the disciples initially fail to grasp the necessity of Jesus’ sacrificial role, the scattered prophecies and allusions in the Old Testament only fully coalesce into a coherent messianic understanding through the New Testament’s hindsight narrative, illustrating a divine plan that was partially hidden and only fully revealed after the resurrection. Jesus’ actions in Bashan and at Mount Hermon symbolise a deliberate provocation against the powers of evil, transforming a place once associated with darkness into the foundation of the Christian faith.

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