he first invaded Palestine (Polyb. Jesus gives Kingdom illustrations. 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 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. gad'-a-ra (Gadara): 1. Woe to you, Bethsaida! 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. Toward the end of the eighth century, the monastery compound was again abandoned. Unfortunately, the most severe damage to the mosaics occurred in the nave. 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). 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. This it is that lends its highest charm to "the eye of Galilee. , For those who subscribe to inerrancy, get over yourselves and actually read the text. The fruits of Gennesaret had such high repute among the rabbis that they were not allowed in Jerusalem at the time of the feasts, lest any might be tempted to come merely for their enjoyment (Neubauer, Geog. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. In some places, the wall actually touches the boulder. Capernaum is a Peru city located at the longitude of -77.488175 and latitude of -4.446235 . He says the "soil is so fruitful that all sorts of trees can grow upon it."3. David Noel Freedman, The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (New York: Doubleday, 1992), 673. Smooth plaster covered the rock walls of the apse. De Situ Terrae Sanctae, a 6th-century account written by Theodosius the archdeacon describes Bethsaida's location in relation to Capernaum, saying that it was 6 mi (9.7 km) distant from Capernaum. Four of the apostles, and these the chief, had been brought up as fishermen on the Sea of Galilee. Many New Testament manuscripts refer to the "Country of the Gadarenes" or "Gerasenes" rather than the Gergesenes. Finding out that biblical hail was actually ice and fire mixed together, which is actually ash blobs. Want of precision on topographical points, therefore, need not surprise us. The "green grass" of Mark 6:39, and the "much grass" of John 6:10, point to some place in the plain of el-BaTeichah, on the rich soil of which the grass is green and plentiful compared with the scanty herbage on the higher slopes. Josephus names it as marking the eastern limit of Peraea (BJ, III, iii, 3). EVENT. Gerasa and Gadara are accounted for in historical accounts (by writers such as Pliny the Elder and Josephus) and by archaeological research. The production of oil served as a popular source of income for monastic communities and settlements at Christian holy places. If Capernaum were at Khan Minyeh, then the two lay close together. They refuse to drink from the Jordan, alleging that "who drinks Jordan drinks fever." The name is derived from either a lakeside village, Gergesa, the next larger city, Gadara, or the best-known city in the region, Gerasa. In the small bay nearby, we can still see the remains of a well-constructed harbor used both for sea travel and by the fishing industry during the Roman period (first to fifth centuries A.D.). Judas of Gamala (Ant., XVIII, i, l) is also called Judas of Galilee (ibid., i, 6). Click to reveal We may assume that the cities named in the Gospels were mainly Jewish. Both Gerasa and Gadara were cities to the east of the Sea of Galilee and the River Jordan. At this time the residential area was clustered around the church, and most of the former residential quarters were left unrepaired and unsettled. 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. Nazareth: 32.699634: 35.303548: Capernaum: 32.88033: 35.573307: Distance: 32.24 km: Occasionally, however, tempests break over the lake, in which a boat could hardly live. Galilee is one of the USA city. The mountains on the East and on the West rise to about 2,000 ft. 2023 Biblical Historical Context. The bulldozer was stopped and the Department of Antiquities and Museums was called in to excavate scientifically. Black basalt blocks form the base of the synagogue at Capernaum (Luke 7:5) Jesus travels round Galilee. 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. Mention is made of the strength of the site and the mighty masonry of its walls. From this date the era of the city was reckoned. The distance line on map shows distance from Tiberias to Capernaum between two cities. This is just five miles from Capernaum, where Jesus had previously been, so it makes sense. Thomas P. Halton, trans. 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 Name:The first syllable of the name Gennesaret is evidently the Hebrew gan, "garden"; while the second may be a proper name. to Capernaum, to Bethsaida . 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. Soon after the sites final abandonment, alluvial soil from the Wadi Samak covered this important Christian holy place. About halfway up the hill is the towerlike structure mentioned earlier. If you travel with an airplane (which has average speed of 560 miles per hour) between Tyre to Capernaum, It takes 0.06 hours to arrive. Commentary on the Gospel according to John Books 1-10, Ed. Geographically its certainly a better fit than Gerasa or Gadara. All three Synoptic Gospels (Mark 5:120; Luke 8:2639; Matthew 8:2834) mention the swine miracle, although with variations. It gradually narrows toward the South, taking the shape of a gigantic pear, with a decided bulge to the West. 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 brief harvest in Samaria was, as Jesus had indicated to His disciples, in another sense also the beginning of sowing-time, or at least . See GENNESARET, LAND OF. As in the case of the other Bethsaida, no name has been recovered to guide us to the site. 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. 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. Now there is no question that Capernaum was on "the other side," nor is there any suggestion that the boat was driven out of its course; and it is quite obvious that, sailing toward Capernaum, whether at Tell Chum or at Khan Minyeh, it would never reach Bethsaida Julius. The distance from the Dead Sea to the Sea of Galilee is 104 miles or 167 kilometers. The soil is deep, rich loam, of amazing fertility. 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.3The country of the Gerasenes did not reach the Sea of Galilee (an important point that we'll get to in a bit). The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah Alfred Edersheim. The first two are in the Authorized Version. It was conquered by the Moslems in the time of Omar (Guy le Strange, Palestine under the Moslems, 462). From this disaster it appears soon to have recovered, and the period of its greatest prosperity lay, probably, in the 2nd and 3nd centuries of our era. Jesus is in Capernaum, he gets on a boat, sails across the Sea of Galilee, ends up in a storm, and calms the water. :Many scholars maintain that all the New Testament references to Bethsaida apply to one place, namely, Bethsaida Julias. John 1:44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter. He is however inclined to favor el-Mes`adiyeh, a ruin and winter village of Arab et-Tellawiyeh, which stands on an artificial mound, about a mile and a half from the mouth of the Jordan. He deals with a remaining issue by locating the herd some distance away rather than on the hillside next to the lake. Description:Modern Jerash lies on both banks of Wady Jerash, about 6 miles from its confluence with Wady ez-Zerqa (the Jabbok). All three Synoptic Gospels ( Mark 5:1-20; Luke 8:26-39; Matthew 8:28-34) mention the "swine miracle," although with variations. Powered by, View over Kursi toward the Sea of Galilee, The Black Obelisks journey from Nimrud to London, A critical assessment of the scientific explanation for the Ten Plagues in The Exodus Decoded Plague 7: Hail. Capernaum (in the original Hebrew. 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. In the parallel passages (Mark 5:1 Luke 8:26, 37) we read: chora ton Gerasenon "country of the Gerasenes." At the end of the nave is a semicircular apse. 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. After stilling the storm while crossing the Sea of Galilee, Jesus lands with his disciples on the eastern shore of the lake. 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. Many ancient tombs are to be seen in the face of the hills. A third city, Hippos, was similar in character to Gadara and Gerasa, and it may fit the biblical account even better. distance from capernaum to gerasenes. A Christian laymans perspective on the intersection between archaeology, historical criticism, text, and faith. The "desert" of the narrative is just the barriyeh of the Arabs where the animals are driven out for pasture. 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. Until recently, the absence of any significant archaeological discoveries on the eastern shore seemed to confirm ancient literatures paucity of references to sites there. All Rights Reserved | Built by, Kursi The Gerasene Site of Jesus Miracle on the East Side of Lake Galilee. David Noel Freedman, The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (New York: Doubleday, 1992), 991. , Ludwig Koehler et al., The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament (Leiden: E.J. Some would identify the place with RAMOTH-GILEAD, which see.The site is now occupied by a colony of Circassians, and there is reason to fear that, unless something is done to preserve them, many valuable remains of antiquity will perish.W. The Bible is way more interesting than inerrancy would have you believe. 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. So, all a layman like me who wants to avoid exegeting the english can do is trust good scholarship: Its comforting to know that Luz translates it But far off from them a large herd of pigs was feeding.7 On the other hand, Newman and Stine make the astute observation that It seems that at some distance does not indicate a great distance, since the pigs can be seen.8. Zebedee was able to hire men to assist him (Mark 1:20). ifsi virtual learning. II, ix, 1). Login & Purchase. Gadara was the capital of Matthews country of the Gadarenes. The indigo plant is grown in the plain of Gennesaret. It was a strong fortress (Ant., XIII, iii, 3), near the Hieromax-i.e. 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. To one descending from Mt. 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"). ger'-a-sa, ger'-a-senz (Gerasa; Gerasenon):1. So, Matthew is aware that on the face of it Marks account doesnt work. As a result of excavations by the Israel Department of Antiquities and Museums, however, it is becoming quite clear that the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee also played an important role in early Christian pilgrimages. One of the most significant sites on the eastern shore is the place where the so-called swine miracle is thought to have occurred. It is overlaid with lava; and here and there around the lake there are outcrops of basalt through the limestone. Here the mountains recede from the shore, leaving a crescent-shaped plain, largely covered with the ruins of the ancient city. The triumphal arch to the South of the city is almost entire. proof that its territory reached the sea. (iii) The East coast of the sea was definitely attached to Galilee in A.D. 84, and Ptolemy (circa 140) places Julius in Galilee. Facebook. This describes the district in which Christ met and healed the demoniac from the tombs, where also took place the destruction of the swine. Cataloging is a continuous work in progress, however, and we welcome your input to enhance our understanding and presentation of the collection. 33A, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1998), 226. 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. Why swap out one territory for another? Mark 8:22 He came to Bethsaida. 27, Anchor Yale Bible (New Haven; London: Yale University Press, 2008), 342. , The name Gerasenes is to be associated with the modern city of Jerash, located in Transjordan, 22 miles N of Amman. John McRay, Gerasenes, ed. App., 11).)2. In 1 Maccabees 11:67 the sea is called "the water of Gennesar" (the Revised Version (British and American) "Gennesareth"). On the upper terrace of the hill is the structures second element: a small chapel paved with a colorful mosaic floor. Robert L. Webb and Mark Allan Powell, vol. Some of the auxiliary rooms of the church and its chapels were closed off completely; others were converted to domestic or industrial use. When we excavated this structure in 1980, we discovered that this was the very site of the miracle, as fixed by Christians in the mid-third century. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Rooms known as pastophoria, which played an important part in the ritual and the liturgy, flank the apse. (Matthew 8:28; Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26) In Gerasenes in place of Gadarenes. Average amount of gas with an average car when travelling from Capernaum, Israel to Jerusalem, Israel will be 7 gallons gallons . A party in the city surrendered it to Vespasian, who placed a garrison there (BJ, IV, vii, 3). If you travel with an airplane (which has average speed of 560 miles per hour) between Cana to Capernaum, It takes 0.03 hours to arrive. Jesus commands the unclean spirits to come out of him. , Which is why I dont buy McRays argument, The problem is in the similarity of spelling in Greek. Its fair to say this is one of the weirder gospel narratives. During the second half of the sixth century, the diaconicon was remodeled to house a baptistery. The land is almost entirely cleared, and it rewards the toil of the husbandman with all its ancient generosity.W. Your IP: The Merneptah Steles discovery, transcription, and what it shows us about annihilation in the biblical text. (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). This seems to be the fountain called "Capharnaum" by Josephus (BJ, III, x, 8). (iv) The present writer is familiar with these waters in both storm and calm. The emperor would not listen to the accusations of the inhabitants against Herod for oppressive conduct (Ant., XV, x, 2). He calls the inhabitants Syrians, when, at the beginning of the Jewish revolt, the district round Gerasa was laid waste. Ewing. 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. One of the great Roman roads ran eastward to Der`ah; and an aqueduct has been traced to the pool of el Khab, about 20 miles to the North of Der`ah. William of Tyre calls the city Jarras, and places it 16 miles East of Jordan (Hist, xii, 16). a site named Khersa (or Kursi) among the cliffs overlooking the lakethe traditional site, but with little to argue in its favor. A steamer plies on the sea between the station at Semakh and Tiberias. They are closed by carved stone doors, and are used as storehouses for grain, and also as dwellings by the inhabitants. Both Gerasa and Gadara were cities to the east of the Sea of Galilee and the River Jordan. 51.91.102.219 "One may call this place the ambition of nature;. Still other pilgrimage sites, such as Magdala, have been only recently rediscovered by archaeological excavations after having been entirely forgotten for more than a thousand years. It lights up the landscape as the eye does the human face; and it is often spoken of as "the eye of Galilee." See CAPERNAUM. With the conquest of the Moslems it passed under eclipse, and is now an utter ruin.3. This has therefore always been a favorite haunt of fishermen. Jesus'-Ministry, Now a village is pointed out beside Lake Tiberias, into which the swine rushed down headlong.11. Gergesa, also Gergasa ( in Byzantine greek) or the Country of the Gergesenes, is a place on the eastern ( Golan Heights) side of the Sea of Galilee located at some distance to the ancient Decapolis cities of Gadara and Gerasa. Considerable portions have also passed into the hands of Jews. Round the greater part of the lake there is a broad pebbly beach, with a sprinkling of small shells. Recently the German Catholics made extensive purchases, including the village of el-Mejdel. By protecting the boulder with a massive tower and building a chapel behind and above it, the early Christian fathers both commemorated and sanctified a site that Christian pilgrims could relate to the life of Jesus. But one things for sure: wherever the event happened it was a waste of good bacon. , Glenn F. Chesnut, Eusebius of Caesarea (Person), ed. Distance between Ramat Gan and Capernaum (114,37 km.) 2, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1989), 158. Frost is not quite unknown; but no one now alive remembers it to have done more than lay the most delicate fringe of ice around some of the stones on the shore. Only about 60 percent have survived, but this is enough to attest that the mosaics in the church at Kursi exemplified mosaic art in its finest tradition. , William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 612. Although the site was severely damaged, life continued as before, but with a lower living standard. Gergasa, it has been suggested12, is a transliteration of Kursi, located half way up the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. When he sees Jesus, the demoniac begs Jesus not to torment him. The abundance of fish at each place furnished a good reason for the recurrence of the name.W. It continued to be a great and important city, and was long the seat of a bishop (Reland, Palestine, 776). The distance line on map shows distance from Cana to Capernaum between two cities. If it lay on the East it is inconceivable that none of them should have mentioned the river in this connection. As Jesus began to get back into the boat, the delivered demoniac pleaded with Him that he might accompany Him. The church itself is, of course, the most impressive structure in the monastery compound. He says that it supplies grapes and figs through ten months of the year, and other fruits as they ripen together throughout the year (same place). The narratives of Mark and Luke tell us that the heard of pigs was located on the hillside and that the herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea (Mk 5:13 Lukes record is pretty much identical). These differences caused copyists of the gospels to perform no end of monkey-business with the sentence there are 3 variants for each of the synoptic gospels.2 Were looking at a genuine problem that was recognised very early. Rows of columns separate the central nave from the aisles on either side. At eT-Tabgha in the North, at `Ain el Fuliyeh, South of el-Mejdel, and on the shore, about 2 miles South of modern Tiberias, there are strong hot springs. (2) Bethsaida of Galilee, where dwelt Philip, Andrew, Peter (John 1:44; John 12:21), and perhaps also James and John. A paved street, with double colonnade, ran from East to West. 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. Gardens and orchards are being planted. Did he just take a stab at a location that seemed possible based on what hed heard somewhere? Distance between North District and Capernaum (9,93 km.) Luke 5:1 Now it happened, while the multitude pressed on him and heard the word of God, that he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret. Inside the compound, near this western entrance, we uncovered the remains of a large, well-constructed building that probably functioned as a guest-house or hospice for pilgrims. , Flavius Josephus and Steve Mason, Flavius Josephus: Life of Josephus (Boston; Leiden: Brill, 2003), 47. "Jesus of Nazareth" was born in Bethlehem. Driving distance between Capernaum, Israel and Jerusalem, Israel is calculated by google maps and it is 99 mi. ge-nes'-a-ret he ge Gennesaret):1. Then Josephus explicitly says that Bethsaida was in Lower Gaulonitis (BJ, II, ix, 1). (ii) The Bethsaida of medieval writers was evidently on the West of the Jordan. (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. Storms:The position of the lake makes it liable to sudden storms, the cool air from the uplands rushing down the gorges with great violence and tossing the waters in tumultuous billows. A friend recently asked about the geographical problem of Mark 5 so I thought Id write up some thoughts on the topic. It dominates the center of the compound and covers a spacious area of 12,110 square feet. It is mentioned in some ancient manuscripts of the Gospel of Matthew as the place where the Miracle of the Swine took place, a miracle performed by Jesus who drove demons out of two possessed men and into a herd of pigs. West of this village opens the tremendous gorge, Wady el Chamam, with the famous robbers' fastnesses in its precipitous sides, and the ruins of Arbela on its southern lip. du Talmud, 45).Centuries of neglect made a sad change in the plain. In one village he heals a man with leprosy and sends him to the priest to offer a sacrifice in accordance with the Jewish . Distance between Haifa and Capernaum (51,83 km.) It was located on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, whereas Gerasa and Gadara were several kilometers south-east of it. All scripture quoted from The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989), If you want to get into the detail see Bruce Manning Metzger, United Bible Societies, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, Second Edition a Companion Volume to the United Bible Societies Greek New Testament (4th Rev. Gergesenes means "those who come from pilgrimage or fight."[1]. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. It was besieged by Baldwin II, in 1121 A.D. That monastery was destroyed by Sassanid Persian armies in 614 CE, partially rebuilt, and finally levelled by the 749 Galilee earthquake. 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. In a few moments the air was thick with mist, through which one could hear the roar of the tortured waters. Fish:The sea contains many varieties of fish in great numbers. From the point where the Jordan enters in the North to its exit in the South is about 13 miles. The absence of any name resembling Bethsaida need not concern us.Were There Two Bethsaidas? 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. In the northern part of the enclosure, we excavated the remains of the residential quarters of the monastery compound. (iv) In view of the frequent repetition of names in Palestine the nearness of the two Bethsaidas raises no difficulty. Jesus agrees, so the demons or unclean spirits leave the man and enter the swine, which then rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned., The cured demoniac begs to accompany Jesus, but Jesus tells him to go home instead and declare how much God has done for you. The cured demoniac then declares to all how much Jesus had done for him. According to Mark, he proclaims it even in the cities of the Decapolisand all the men marveled.. (London; New York: United Bible Societies, 1994), 18, 72, 121. Modern methods of agriculture are being employed in the Jewish colonies, which are rapidly increasing in number. When they arrive on the shore he gets out and is met by two demoniacs/a guy called Legion. This courtyard provided an impressive space to meet, talk and restperhaps on the low benches whose remains we found on the western side. (NOTE.-The Textus Receptus of the New Testament reading. The surface is 680 ft. below the level of the Mediterranean. The house of Andrew and Peter seems to have been not far from the synagogue in Capernaum . The location of the incident of the "Gadarene .