Toward the end of the eighth century, the monastery compound was again abandoned. he first invaded Palestine (Polyb. Every effort has been made to accurately determine the rights status of works and their images. Settlers in the valley thereafter confined themselves to the area immediately on the shore. On the basis of the textual evidence alone, we cannot determine which of these variants is . ), and "the lake" (Luke 5:1, etc.). 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. We may assume that the cities named in the Gospels were mainly Jewish. Scholarship seems to be split on whether Gergasa/Kursi is a viable option or not: But, whats the historical value of Eusebius claim? Some of these sites, such as Capernaum, have a continuous and uninterrupted place in the history of Christian pilgrimage, beginning as far back as the first centuries of our era. GADARA. This would exclude Gadara on the Hieromax. When it comes down to it we really have no idea where the event the narratives are based on took place. Only twice in over 5 years the present writer witnessed such a hurricane. Then Josephus explicitly says that Bethsaida was in Lower Gaulonitis (BJ, II, ix, 1). 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. Important Roman remains have recently been discovered here. It is almost 20 miles from Amman (Philadelphia), and 22 from Fahil (Pella). John 12:21 These, therefore, came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we want to see Jesus. To the North of this the waters of the sea almost touch the foot of the steep slope. Within the apse is a bench subdivided into semicircular, plastered seats. Distances. If Capernaum were at Khan Minyeh, then the two lay close together. MATTHEW. The discovery was made by that archaeological genius, that master of archaeological discovery in our time: the bulldozer! South of el-Mejdel the mountains advance to the shore, and the path is cut in the face of the slope, bringing us to the hot spring, `Ain el-Fuliyeh, where is a little valley, with gardens and orange grove. If we accept Marcan Priority (which we do around here) then weve got Mark writing country of the Gerasenes, Luke following him faithfully, but Matthew deliberately changing Gerasenes to Gadarenes in his version of events. 27, Anchor Yale Bible (New Haven; London: Yale University Press, 2008), 342. DECAPOLIS. It curves round from el-Mejdel in the South, to `Ain et-Tineh, or Khan Minyeh, in the North, a distance of over 3 miles, with an average breadth from the sea to the foot of the mountains of about a mile. This writer extols the productiveness of the plain. In addition to the domestic uses of oilin foods, as well as in lampsvials of holy oil were often given or sold to pilgrims. Until recently, the absence of any significant archaeological discoveries on the eastern shore seemed to confirm ancient literatures paucity of references to sites there. The triumphal arch to the South of the city is almost entire. Unfortunately, the most severe damage to the mosaics occurred in the nave. Jesus would naturally avoid those in which Greek influences were strong. The greatest breadth is in the North, from el-Mejdel to the mouth of Wady Semak being rather over 7 miles. 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. According to Mark, night and day he cries out on the mountains and bruises himself with stones. It is located at the longitude of -71.522615 and latitude of 41.364855. , 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. App., 11).)2. 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. Gerasa and Gadara are accounted for in historical accounts (by writers such as Pliny the Elder and Josephus) and by archaeological research. (Ant., XVII, xi, 4; BJ, II, vi, 3). The name is derived from either a lakeside village, Gergesa, the next larger city, Gadara, or the best-known city in the region, Gerasa. It should be noted, however, that the name is in origin radically different from Bethsaida. gad'-a-ra (Gadara):1. Reland (Pal, II, 806) notes certain extant coins of Gerasa, from which it is clear that in the 2nd century it was a center of the worship of Artemis. The settlement was quite well planned and carefully organized. Luke 10:13 "Woe to you, Chorazin! As this is too far from the sea for a fishing village, Schumacher (The Jaulan, 246) suggests that el-`Araj, "a large, completely destroyed site close to the lake," connected in ancient times with et-Tell "by the beautiful roads still visible," may have been the fishing village, and et-Tell the princely residence. (In Matthew, the story tells of two demoniacs.) [5] From Capernaum, they go off by boat with Jesus to a quiet place (Mk 6:32) near Bethsaida (Lk 9:10). Mark and Luke locate the event in the country of the Gerasenes; Matthew in the country of the Gadarenes thats the geographical problem were going to look at in this post. If the waters are still, the shining splendors of the mountain may be seen mirrored in the blue depths. So, Im kinda dependent on lexicons to tell me whats what. He deals with a remaining issue by locating the herd some distance away rather than on the hillside next to the lake. Why swap out one territory for another? History:The name Gadara appears to be Semitic It is still heard in Jedur, which attaches to the ancient rock tombs, with sarcophagi, to the East of the present ruins. Almost from the beginning of Christianity, the area around the Sea of Galilee has been a major focus of Christian pilgrimage, a focus second only to Jerusalem. Mark 1:16 Passing along by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. The Tel Dan Steles discovery, the debate it caused, and how it shows that scripture sometimes doesnt work the way we think it does. Josephus gives Pella as the northern boundary of Peraea (BJ, III, iii, 3). Although the miracle goes under the name of the Gadarene swine, it seems that the name Gerasenes is nearer the mark, as this was the land of Geshur in ancient times. These demon-possessed pigs then run headlong into the lake and, presumably, drown. Kefar-nahum, "Village of Nahum") was a prosperous . It was used to drive certain mills, and also to refresh the neighboring land. unique traits of plants, animals and humans. 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. Many are the ruins of great and splendid cities on slope and height of which almost nothing is known today. Cataloging is a continuous work in progress, however, and we welcome your input to enhance our understanding and presentation of the collection. From this date the era of the city was reckoned. 13:1-53. (iv) In view of the frequent repetition of names in Palestine the nearness of the two Bethsaidas raises no difficulty. With the conquest of the Moslems it passed under eclipse, and is now an utter ruin.3. Description: 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. (Ant., XIV, iv, 4; BJ, I, vii, 7); from which it would appear to have declined in Jewish hands. The water of the lake is clear and sweet. The narrative in question is the healing of Legion. The production of oil served as a popular source of income for monastic communities and settlements at Christian holy places. There he meets a man seized with an unclean spirit (Mark) or with demons (Luke). On the second occasion the wind blew from the East, and the phenomena described above were practically repeated.4. It gradually narrows toward the South, taking the shape of a gigantic pear, with a decided bulge to the West. 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. A person seated on this bench beholds, through the chapels small prayer hall, an excellent view of the enclosed rock on the terrace below, and, from there, of the monastery at the bottom of the hill and the Sea of Galilee beyond. The church itself is, of course, the most impressive structure in the monastery compound. The soil is deep, rich loam, of amazing fertility. They brought a blind man to him, and begged him to touch him. It was taken by Antiochus the Great when in 218 B.C. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a1615141b8e2bf0 From this point the plain of Gennesaret (el-Ghuweir) sweeps round to el-Mejdel, a distance of about 4 miles. II, ix, 1). From the northern parts of the lake the Horns of ChaTTin, the traditional Mount of Beatitudes, may be seen through the rocky jaws of the gorge. Gergesenes means "those who come from pilgrimage or fight."[1]. Description:Modern Jerash lies on both banks of Wady Jerash, about 6 miles from its confluence with Wady ez-Zerqa (the Jabbok). Facebook. See CAPERNAUM. The names of many ancient places have been lost, and others have strayed from their original localities. Pilgrimage was cut off and with it a major source of income. They are closed by carved stone doors, and are used as storehouses for grain, and also as dwellings by the inhabitants. [8] [9] The distance between Bethsaida and Paneas is said to have been 50 mi (80 km). (2) Bethsaida of Galilee, where dwelt Philip, Andrew, Peter (John 1:44; John 12:21), and perhaps also James and John. Or something. 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. Next, we reach the mouth of Wady Semak, in which lie the ruins of Kurseh, probably representing the ancient Gerasa. 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. A paved street, with double colonnade, ran from East to West. Mk 1:35-45 During the winter of 27/28AD, Jesus goes to the nearby villages of Galilee, preaching and casting out demons. (ii) Medieval works of travel notice only one Bethsaida. Mark 6:53 When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret, and moored to the shore. The structure itself consists of two parts. The monastery compound lies at the foot of a hill, on a plain by the Sea of Galilee. , Ludwig Koehler et al., The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament (Leiden: E.J. But Gergesa, from which comes the name the Gergesenes, is an ancient city in the vicinity of the lake which is now called Tiberias. 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. The figure of a ship frequently appears on its coins: conclusive. ", beth-sa'-i-da (Bethsaida, "house of fishing"):(1) A city East of the Jordan, in a "desert place" (that is, uncultivated ground used for grazing) at which Jesus miraculously fed the multitude with five loaves and two fishes (Mark 6:32 Luke 9:10).
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