Ewing. 10, Library of the Historical Jesus Studies (London; New Delhi; New York; Sydney: Bloomsbury, 2013), 168. There he meets a man seized with an unclean spirit (Mark) or with demons (Luke). On the sands along the shore from el-Mejdel to `Ain et-Tineh these shells are so numerous as to cause a white glister in the sunlight.The main formation of the surrounding district is limestone. To the Galilee flocked not only pilgrims, but also monks and scholars, searching for the places that Jesus had known. The Name:The first syllable of the name Gennesaret is evidently the Hebrew gan, "garden"; while the second may be a proper name. , Freeman-Grenville, Chapman, and Taylor, The Onomasticon by Eusebius of Caesarea (Carta Jerusalem, 2003), 45. Further, if the Gospel of Mark embodies the recollections of Peter, it would be difficult to find a more reliable authority for topographical details connected with the sea on which his fisher life was spent. Distance between Haifa and Capernaum (51,83 km.) The distance is about 19 miles from the river. So at least that part of the story adds up the pigs could have run into the lake from Gadaras territory. On the rocky promontory, however, East of Khan Minyeh we find Sheikh `Aly ec-Caiyadin, "Sheikh Aly of the Fishermen," as the name of a ruined weley, in which the second element in the name Bethsaida is represented. A city in Transjordania, situated about thirty-five m. SE of the S end of the Sea of Galilee, one of the cities of the Decapolis; the inhabitants of the city. GENNESARET, lake of, same as Tiberias, sea of. (d) In support of the single-city theory it is further argued that(i) Jesus withdrew to Bethsaida as being in the jurisdiction of Philip, when he heard of the murder of John by Antipas, and would not have sought again the territories of the latter so soon after leaving them. Commentary on the Gospel according to John Books 1-10, Ed. See CAPERNAUM. He took them, and withdrew apart to a deserted place of a city called Bethsaida. A Christian laymans perspective on the intersection between archaeology, historical criticism, text, and faith. On the second occasion the wind blew from the East, and the phenomena described above were practically repeated.4. John 6:1 After these things, Jesus went away to the other side of the sea of Galilee, which is also called the Sea of Tiberias. , Barclay Moon Newman and Philip C. Stine, A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew, UBS Handbook Series (New York: United Bible Societies, 1992), 248. It lay near the place where the Jordan enters the Sea of Gennesaret (Ant., XVIII, ii, 1; BJ, II, ix, 1; III, x, 7; Vita, 72). Country of the Gerasenes:The town itself is not named in Scripture, and is referred to only in the expression, "country of the Gerasenes" (Mark 5:1 Luke 8:26, 37; see Westcott and Hort, The New Testament in Greek, Appendix, 11). Many are the ruins of great and splendid cities on slope and height of which almost nothing is known today. The production of oil served as a popular source of income for monastic communities and settlements at Christian holy places. Nearby, halfway up the steep slope was a separate towerlike structure. There the Jordan, issuing from the sea, almost surrounds the mound on which are the ruins of Kerak, the Tarichea of Josephus Crossing the floor of the valley, past Semakh, which is now a station on the Haifa-Damascus railway, we find a similar strip of plain along the eastern shore. From the beginning of our work, it was clear that we were excavating the remains of a large, walled settlement of a religious character, undoubtedly a monastery that included a well-built basilica of exceptional quality. It had begun to be named from the city so recently built on its western shore even in New Testament times (John 21:1; John 6:1); and by this name, slightly modified, it is known to this day-Bachr Tabariyeh.2. The emperor would not listen to the accusations of the inhabitants against Herod for oppressive conduct (Ant., XV, x, 2). The city of Gadara is represented today by the ruins of Umm Qeis on the heights south of el-Chummeh-the hot springs in the Yarmuk valley-about 6 miles Southeast of the Sea of Galilee. If Marcus is right then heres an oversimplified explanation of what may have happened: Mark, wanting to make a theological point, locates the event in a place whose name is associated with casting out demons the language, as Marcus points out, does kinda support this.21 This strengthens the exorcism theme of the pericope seems legit. 3. It maybe taken as certain that the jurisdiction of Gadara, as the chief city in these regions, extended over the country East of the Sea, including the lands of the subordinate town, GERASA (which see). It is the only place fitting Matthew's description, since it contains the only "steep bank" in the area descending all the way to the shore of the lake. Some of the auxiliary rooms of the church and its chapels were closed off completely; others were converted to domestic or industrial use. A dedicatory inscription contains the date 685 A.D. 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. ), and "the lake" (Luke 5:1, etc.). In the side aisles were images of birds and other animals, but in the eighth century, after the church had been abandoned by Christians, Moslem iconoclasts systematically and intentionally destroyed these images in accordance with the Islamic prohibition against human or animal representations. Heres where Matthew locates the pigs: Mt 8:30 Now a large herd of swine was feeding at some distance from them. From this point the plain of Gennesaret (el-Ghuweir) sweeps round to el-Mejdel, a distance of about 4 miles. Why would Matthew do that? They brought a blind man to him, and begged him to touch him. 4:1-34. Distance between Ramat Gan and Capernaum (114,37 km.) Yarmuk (Pliny N H, xvi)-East of Tiberias and Scythopolis, on the top of a hill, 3 Roman miles from hot springs and baths called Amatha, on the bank of the Hieromax (Onomasticon, under the word). This describes the district in which Christ met and healed the demoniac from the tombs, where also took place the destruction of the swine. This courtyard provided an impressive space to meet, talk and restperhaps on the low benches whose remains we found on the western side. distance from capernaum to gerasenes. The pilgrimage sites associated with the swine miracle, as opposed to the urban settlement of Tell el-Kursi, were discovered quite by accident in the late 20th century. The factors that led to this site selection were undoubtedly: (1) its location on the eastern shore of the lake; (2) its proximity to an urban center (variously named Gergessa, Gadara and Gerasa); and (3) its topographical setting, in particular the steep hill where the swine herd had presumably been grazing. Traces of ancient buildings in the vicinity show that there must have been a fairly numerous population in the district.2. used the phrase "Bethsaida of Galilee" of a place only recently attached to that province, writing, as he was, at a distance from the scene, and . But from their mute testimony we gather that the lake in the valley which is now so quiet was once the center of a busy and prosperous population. The northern one, called the prothesis, housed the offerings of the faithful; the southern one, called the diaconicon, provided storage space for the sacred vessels and the vestments of the clergy. After Herod's death it was joined to the province of Syria, 4 B.C. ge-nes'-a-ret he ge Gennesaret):1. At the mouth of the wadi lies the Sea of Galilee with its abundant fishing grounds. This is true even today. (iv) The present writer is familiar with these waters in both storm and calm. John 12:21 These, therefore, came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we want to see Jesus. The arguments for and against this view may be summarized as follows:(a) Galilee ran right round the lake, including most of the level coastland on the East. From this date the era of the city was reckoned. Byzantine Christian monks venerated a site situated a few kilometres north of Hippos on the lake shore, as the location of the miracle. Two paved streets with double colonnades cut through the city at right angles, four massive pedestals still marking the point of intersection. 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 healing of Legion is narrated in all three synoptic gospels; they all begin by describing where the event took place: 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.1, Mark 5:1 They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes., Luke 8:26 Then they arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee.. Four of the apostles, and these the chief, had been brought up as fishermen on the Sea of Galilee. From Mount Tabor to Capernaum: Step 27: From Caperaum to Nain: Step 28: From Nain to the second Galilean preaching tour: Step 29: From the second Galilean preaching tour to the country of Gerasenes: Step 30: From he country of Gerasenes to Capernaum: Step 31: From Capernaum to Jerusalem: Step 32: From Jerusalem to Nazareth: Step 33 There is no good reason, however, to question the accuracy of the text in either case. In their season the wild flowers lavish a wealth of lovely colors upon the surrounding slopes; while bright-blossoming oleanders fringe the shore.Coming westward from the point where the Jordan enters the lake, the mountains approach within a short distance of the sea. 27, Anchor Yale Bible (New Haven; London: Yale University Press, 2008), 342. 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). (London; New York: United Bible Societies, 1994), 18, 72, 121. The Gadarenes captured some of the boldest of the Jews, of whom several were put to death, and others imprisoned (ibid., 5). Ancient scribes probably heard or saw one name in the process of copying a manuscript and thought they heard another. John R. McRay, Archaeology and the New Testament, Dictionary of New Testament Background: A Compendium of Contemporary Biblical Scholarship (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2000), 97. The structure itself consists of two parts. It continued to be a great and important city, and was long the seat of a bishop (Reland, Palestine, 776). ton Gergesenon, "of the Gergesenes," must be rejected (Westcott-Hort, II. The Merneptah Steles discovery, transcription, and what it shows us about annihilation in the biblical text. Its interesting then that Matthew locates the pigs not on the hillside from where they could have rushed down the steep bank into the sea. Gerasa, Gadara, Gergesa from where did the pigs stampede? The demons inside the man beg to be allowed to enter a nearby herd of swine, numbering about 2,000 according to Mark. The lake and mountains are, in main outline, such as His eyes beheld. Thus Gamala, on the eastern shore, was within the jurisdiction of Josephus, who commanded in Galilee (BJ, II, xx, 4). Superior buildings are rising outside the ancient walls. According to Luke, the demoniac wears no clothes and lives among the tombs. 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. Ewing. Many ancient tombs are to be seen in the face of the hills. The Moslem conquest followed shortly thereafter in the seventh century. His rst preaching at Nazareth seems to have been unsuccessful, and he left the town to settle at Capernaum on the shores of Lake Gennesaret. 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. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a1615141b8e2bf0 he first invaded Palestine (Polyb. (iv) In view of the frequent repetition of names in Palestine the nearness of the two Bethsaidas raises no difficulty. He who feared His arrival now dreaded His departure. It throws out a rocky promontory into the sea, and beyond this are the ruins of Khan Minyeh, with `Ain et-Tineh close under the cliff. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. Further, Luke places the country of the Gerasenes on the other side of the sea from Galilee (Luke 8:26)-antipera tes Galilaias ("over against Galilee"). In the northern part of the enclosure, we excavated the remains of the residential quarters of the monastery compound. unique traits of plants, animals and humans. Gardens and orchards are being planted. Here a shallow vale breaks northward, bounded on the West by Tell `Areimeh. Gergesenes means "those who come from pilgrimage or fight.". The name Samak, which means fish both in Aramaic (the vernacular of Jesus time) and in Arabic, reflects the fact that these fish were as important to the ancients as to people today. The fig and the vine are still cultivated with success. History:The great and splendid city in the Decapolis is first mentioned as taken after a siege by Alexander Janneus, 85 B.C. The ridge sinks gradually to the East, and falls steeply on the other three sides, so that the position was one of great strength. In addition to the domestic uses of oilin foods, as well as in lampsvials of holy oil were often given or sold to pilgrims. There is scarcely any doubt that the scene of the miracle on the poor demoniac, and of the subsequent possession of the swine, must be looked for on this spot. Jesus is in Capernaum, he gets on a boat, sails across the Sea of Galilee, ends up in a storm, and calms the water. However, later, probably after the Persian invasion in 614 A.D., only the western entrance, which opened onto the lake and harbor, was retained. There is a cliff lying beside this lake from which they point out the swine were cast down by the demons.15. This is doubtless to be identified with the village of Bethsaida in Lower Gaulonitis which the Tetrarch Philip raised to the rank of a city, and called Julias, in honor of Julia, the daughter of Augustus. Most of the sites in the area of the Sea of Galilee, like all the sites mentioned above, lie on the western shore, so it is natural that this side of the lake proved more attractive and was more often the goal of visitors. The two towns were therefore practically in the same line. Gergesenes means "those who come from pilgrimage or fight."[1]. Or something. Scholarship seems to be split on whether Gergasa/Kursi is a viable option or not: But, whats the historical value of Eusebius claim? The Name:This is the name 5 times given in the New Testament (Matthew 4:18; Matthew 15:29 Mark 1:16; Mark 7:31 John 6:1) to the sheet of water which is elsewhere called "the sea of Tiberias" (John 21:1; compare John 6:1); "the lake of Gennesaret" (Luke 5:1); "the sea" (John 6:16, etc. Gerasa, one of the cities of Decapolis and the capital of the country of the Gerasenes, lay around 37 miles/60 kilometres away from the Sea of Galilee in what is today the city of Jerash in Jordan.3 The country of the Gerasenes did not reach the Sea of Galilee (an important point that well get to in a bit). Jesus would naturally avoid those in which Greek influences were strong. (ii) No case can be cited where the phrase eis to peran certainly means anything else than "to the other side." The Response of the Released Demoniac(5:18-20) The Lord granted the only request of these residents, which was for Him to leave. It is located at the longitude of -71.522615 and latitude of 41.364855. Ewing, "house of fish," Bethsaida, the name of two cities on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. In the middle of the eighth century, probably as a result of the disastrous earthquake of 746/747, the monastery was destroyed. Gergesa was a small and very obscure town nearly opposite Capernaum. Almost nothing is known today heard another, searching for the places that Jesus had known in Palestine nearness! Christian monks venerated a site situated a few kilometres north of Hippos on the occasion! Two paved streets with double colonnades cut through the city at right angles, four massive pedestals still the! [ 1 ] beside this lake from Gadaras territory popular source of income monastic. Fairly distance from capernaum to gerasenes population in the northern part of the city was reckoned etc! 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