The sultan of Damascus is said to have fortified it; but there is nothing to show that the Moslems occupied it for any length of time. Finding out that biblical hail was actually ice and fire mixed together, which is actually ash blobs. v. 37) describe Jesus' healing of the demoniac "Legion" and . [8] [9] The distance between Bethsaida and Paneas is said to have been 50 mi (80 km). (NOTE.-The Textus Receptus of the New Testament reading. All Rights Reserved | Built by, Kursi The Gerasene Site of Jesus Miracle on the East Side of Lake Galilee. However, Im not alone in thinking that this isnt the best explanation.1819 What I find a more credible suggestion is that given by Marcus in his commentary on Mark: Although Gerasa is difficult geographically, it is appropriate symbolically, since the Hebrew root gr means to banish and is a common term for exorcism.20. Country of the Gadarenes: This city is not named in Scripture, but the territory belonging to it is spoken of as chora ton Gadarenon, "country of the Gadarenes" (Matthew 8:28).In the parallel passages (Mark 5:1 Luke 8:26, 37) we read: chora ton Gerasenon "country of the Gerasenes."There is no good reason, however, to question the accuracy of the text in either case. PLACE. (iii) Mark says that the boat started to go unto the other side to Bethsaida, while John, gives the direction "over the sea unto Capernaum" (Mark 6:17). The gospels. Here the mountains recede from the shore, leaving a crescent-shaped plain, largely covered with the ruins of the ancient city. He gave it a free constitution. When he sees Jesus, the demoniac begs Jesus not to torment him. William of Tyre calls the city Jarras, and places it 16 miles East of Jordan (Hist, xii, 16). These variations caused little concern to the early Christian fathers who, in the late third century (as we know from literary sources), fixed the site of the miracle on the northeastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, at the mouth of Wadi Samak, also known as the Valley of Kursi (KOOR-see). 27, Anchor Yale Bible (New Haven; London: Yale University Press, 2008), 342. The Sea of Galilee is Israel's largest freshwater lake. The pigs would still have had to have been long distance runners not the picture painted for us in Mark or Luke where the herd is on the hillside close to the water. 6.211. (2) Bethsaida of Galilee, where dwelt Philip, Andrew, Peter (John 1:44; John 12:21), and perhaps also James and John. Josephus explains that the country of the Gadarenes reached the shore of the lake: the villages of the Gadarenes happened to lie on the frontier between Tiberias and the territory of the Scythopolitans.4. See FISHING. , Also, Id like to think Ive demonstrated elsewhere on this site that Im more than comfortable with the notion that the biblical text contains genuine errors, contradictions, etc. In the rooms north of the prayer hall, we found an oil-press, including the crushing, pressing and collecting components. It is probably represented by the modern Jedur, not far from es-Salt (Buhl, Buhl, Geographic des alten Palastina, 255; Guthe). Mark 6:53 When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret, and moored to the shore. The figure of a ship frequently appears on its coins: conclusive. On the shore, fully 2 miles from the Jordan, are the ruins of Tell Chum. This writer extols the productiveness of the plain. In most cases they have gone, leaving not even their names with any certainty behind; but His memory abides forever. Only twice in over 5 years the present writer witnessed such a hurricane. Ronald E. Heine, Vol. The demons inside the man beg to be allowed to enter a nearby herd of swine, numbering about 2,000 according to Mark. See CAPERNAUM. In the parallel passages (Mark 5:1 Luke 8:26, 37) we read: chora ton Gerasenon "country of the Gerasenes." Identification and Description:Umm Cheis answers the description given of Gadara by ancient writers. Now a village is pointed out beside Lake Tiberias, into which the swine rushed down headlong.11. The southern city, therefore, should be understood as "the capital of Peraea" in BJ, IV; vii, 3.Gadara was a member of the DECAPOLIS (which see).W. Naturally the temperature in the valley is higher than that of the uplands; and here wheat and barley are harvested about a month earlier. After stilling the storm while crossing the Sea of Galilee, Jesus lands with his disciples on the eastern shore of the lake. The Tel Dan Steles discovery, the debate it caused, and how it shows that scripture sometimes doesnt work the way we think it does. Consequently, the church was converted to domestic uses, including the sheltering of animals; the residential quarters were resettled by a poor group of nomadic people; and the small chapel of the miracle was entirely abandoned. To deal with it he changed country of the Gerasenes to country of the Gadarenes: Matthew 8:28 When he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demoniacs coming out of the tombs met him.. Lets be clear: I know zero greek. All three Synoptic Gospels (Mark 5:120; Luke 8:2639; Matthew 8:2834) mention the swine miracle, although with variations. Sohow did this problem arise? See GENNESARET, LAND OF. From this date the era of the city was reckoned. ifsi virtual learning. In 1970, while clearing land for a new road to the Golan Heights, a bulldozer operated by the Ministry of Public Works turned up large quantities of Byzantine pottery and then began to unearth the ruins of ancient structures. Many New Testament manuscripts refer to the "Country of the Gadarenes" or "Gerasenes" rather than the Gergesenes. Gerasa and Gadara are accounted for in historical accounts (by writers such as Pliny the Elder and Josephus) and by archaeological research. The place might therefore be called with propriety, either "land of the Gerasenes," with reference to the local center, or "land of the Gadarenes," with reference to the superior city. The soil is deep, rich loam, of amazing fertility. He calls the inhabitants Syrians, when, at the beginning of the Jewish revolt, the district round Gerasa was laid waste. Fish:The sea contains many varieties of fish in great numbers. The distance line on map shows distance from Cana to Capernaum between two cities. (c) The words of Mark (Mark 6:45), it is suggested (Sanday, Sacred Sites of the Gospels, 42), have been too strictly interpreted: as the Gospel was written probably at Rome, its author being a native, not of Galilee, but of Jerusalem. A dedicatory inscription contains the date 685 A.D. The distance line on map shows distance from Tiberias to Capernaum between two cities. Matthew 15:29 Jesus departed there, and came near to the sea of Galilee; and he went up into the mountain, and sat there. The hot springs, as noted above, are in the bottom of the valley to the North. Around 150 years later Origen comes along, and, knowing that Matthews attempted fix isnt watertight, relocates the event to Gergasa based on what is probably an ancient tradition. There are some ruins now on this spot still known by the very slight corruption of Kerzha. Once it burst from the South. , Which is why I dont buy McRays argument, The problem is in the similarity of spelling in Greek. "One may call this place the ambition of nature;. It continued to be a great and important city, and was long the seat of a bishop (Reland, Palestine, 776). No trace of the name Bethsaida has been found in the district; but any one of the sites named would meet the requirements.To this neighborhood Jesus retired by boat with His disciples to rest awhile. , Ludwig Koehler et al., The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament (Leiden: E.J. The monastery compound covers four acres and is surrounded by a well-preserved wall that was originally plastered over and decorated with an incised palm-branch motif. The mountains on the East and on the West rise to about 2,000 ft. The water of the lake is clear and sweet. Farther North, Wady el-`Amud brings down much water in the rainy season. An excellent account of the ruins is given in Thomson's LB, III, 558.There is nothing above ground of older date than the 2nd and 3rd centuries of our era; but there is no reason to doubt that the Greek city of Gerasa stood on the same site. Possibly, however, the name may represent the Hebrew ganne sarim, "princely gardens." de-kap'-o-lis (Dekapolis): The name given to the region occupied by a league of "ten cities" (Matthew 4:25 Mark 5:20; Mark 7:31), which Eusebius defines (in Onomastica) as "lying in the Peraea, round Hippos, Pella and Gadara."Such combinations of Greek cities arose as Rome assumed dominion in the East, to promote their common interests in trade and commerce, and for mutual . Toward the end of the eighth century, the monastery compound was again abandoned. Geographically its certainly a better fit than Gerasa or Gadara. There is a cliff lying beside this lake from which they point out the swine were cast down by the demons.15. Rows of columns separate the central nave from the aisles on either side. Ewing, "house of fish," Bethsaida, the name of two cities on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. :Many scholars maintain that all the New Testament references to Bethsaida apply to one place, namely, Bethsaida Julias. On the shore, fully 2 miles from the Jordan, are the ruins of Tell Chum. Here he feeds the 5,000 (Mt 14:14; Mk 6:33; Lk 9:11; Jn 6:5) [6] The disciples return across the Sea of Galilee (Mt 14:22; Mk 6:45), Jesus walking on the water to join them (Mt 14:25; Mk 6:48; Jn 6:19). Colorful mosaics, covering about 8,600 square feet, originally paved the entire church. Sites such as Capernaum, the center of Jesus mission before he left for Jerusalem; Bethsaida, the birthplace of the apostles Andrew, Peter and Philip; Magdala, the home of Mary Magdalene; Tabga, where the miracle of the multiplication of loaves and fishes occurred; and the Sea of Galilee itselfall are places that to the Christian recall events connected with Jesus life, the miracles he performed and the sacred words he uttered. The distance is about 19 miles from the river. If you travel with an airplane (which has average speed of 560 miles per hour) between Jerusalem to Capernaum, It takes 0.14 hours to arrive. The narrative in question is the healing of Legion. On the other hand, with a wind from the West, such as is often experienced, eight or nine hours might easily be occupied in covering the four or five miles from el-BaTeichah to the neighborhood of Capernaum. But one things for sure: wherever the event happened it was a waste of good bacon. Thus Gamala, on the eastern shore, was within the jurisdiction of Josephus, who commanded in Galilee (BJ, II, xx, 4). Important Roman remains have recently been discovered here. After Herod's death it was joined to the province of Syria, 4 B.C. This two-terraced structure, consisting of a memorial, or landmark, tower and a chapel above, undoubtedly was thought to mark the very site of the miracle that cured the demoniac. The heights of Naphtali, piled up in the North, seem to culminate only in the snowy summit of Great Hermon. Gardens and orchards are being planted. There he meets a man seized with an unclean spirit (Mark) or with demons (Luke). The natives use it for all purposes, esteeming it light and pleasant. Harry M. Jol, Gloria I. Lpez, Haim Cohen, Michal Artzy, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Mark 5:1-20, Luke 8:26-39, Matthew 8:28-34, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gergesa&oldid=1129180387, Articles needing additional references from January 2009, All articles needing additional references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 24 December 2022, at 00:24. EVENT. The multitude following on foot along the northern shore of the lake would cross the Jordan by the ford at its mouth which is used by foot travelers to this day. Mention the swine rushed down headlong.11, largely covered with the ruins of the lake is and! In great distance from capernaum to gerasenes Lexicon of the lake is clear and sweet Amud brings down much water in the season. `` house of fish in great numbers as noted above, are in the bottom of the Testament! The storm while crossing the Sea of Galilee and pleasant witnessed such a hurricane meets a man seized an. 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