The site chosen is located exactly opposite Capernaum, from which Jesus sailed on the day of the miracle. 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). 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. Many New Testament manuscripts refer to the "Country of the Gadarenes" or "Gerasenes" rather than the Gergesenes. Like many large and important early Christian churches in the Holy Land, the church of Kursi includes a number of different elements. Thats a pretty early source, and hes appealing to an earlier tradition (from which they point out) but whether the entry really reflects ancient tradition is hard to know. If it lay on the East it is inconceivable that none of them should have mentioned the river in this connection. On the Sea of Galilee there are frequent storms. It is almost 20 miles from Amman (Philadelphia), and 22 from Fahil (Pella). The "desert" of the narrative is just the barriyeh of the Arabs where the animals are driven out for pasture. A third city, Hippos, was similar in character to Gadara and Gerasa, and it may fit the biblical account even better. GERASA, GERASENES ( , ). Mark 6:53 When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret, and moored to the shore. 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. Now a village is pointed out beside Lake Tiberias, into which the swine rushed down headlong.11. Unless they had moved their residence from Bethsaida to Capernaum, of which there is no record, and which for fishermen was unlikely, Bethsaida must have lain close to Capernaum. Description: The sheltering hills provide excellent grazing areas, particularly for hogs, which are best suited to these rocky hills. Rows of columns separate the central nave from the aisles on either side. From the late fifth to the early seventh centuries, all four sides of the compound had entrances. It was taken by Antiochus the Great when in 218 B.C. ton Gergesenon, "of the Gergesenes," must be rejected (Westcott-Hort, II. There is a cliff lying beside this lake from which they point out the swine were cast down by the demons.15. About 2 miles farther West are the hot springs of eT-Tabgha. Demonology, Well, it seems Eusebius didnt arrive at his Gergesa idea alone; it appears he may have just been following Origens (185-253 CE) commentary on John where we read: Origen, John. (Ant., XIV, iv, 4; BJ, I, vii, 7); from which it would appear to have declined in Jewish hands. Many are the ruins of great and splendid cities on slope and height of which almost nothing is known today. Superior buildings are rising outside the ancient walls. All Im able to say with any confidence is that Matthew felt compelled to change the location of the pigs. It is applied to a district on the Northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 14:34 Mark 6:53), now known as el-Ghuweir, "little Ghor." A few birds escaped the iconoclasts blows, however, because they lay under fallen columns or under entranceways that had been blocked, and therefore had avoided notice. So at least that part of the story adds up the pigs could have run into the lake from Gadaras territory. Nevertheless, life continued at Kursi. The greatest breadth is in the North, from el-Mejdel to the mouth of Wady Semak being rather over 7 miles. Kursi disappeared entirely until a bulldozer rediscovered it more than a thousand years later. There he meets a man seized with an unclean spirit (Mark) or with demons (Luke). 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. ifsi virtual learning. Gergesa was a small and very obscure town nearly opposite Capernaum. A paved street, with double colonnade, ran from East to West. In the parallel passages (Mark 5:1 Luke 8:26, 37) we read: chora ton Gerasenon "country of the Gerasenes." After Herod's death it was joined to the province of Syria, 4 B.C. The distance is about 19 miles from the river. The soil is deep, rich loam, of amazing fertility. He gave it a free constitution. Jesus commands the unclean spirits to come out of him. 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. [10] Among the variants are the Land of Gadarenes, the Land of Gergesenes, the Land of Gerasenes and the Land of Gergustenes. 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. Map 4 - The Travels and Acts of Jesus in Year Three of His Ministry c AD29-30 : THIRD PREACHING TOUR OF GALILEE [1] Jesus travels from Capernaum to "his own native town" of Nazareth ( Mk 6:1) [2] In Nazareth, he is rejected for a second time (Mt 13:54; Mk 6:1) [3] He continues through Galilee (Mt 13:58; Mk 6:6) and sends out the twelve apostles to preach the Gospel (Mt 10:5; Mk 6:7; Lk 9:1) Login & Purchase. The Merneptah Steles discovery, transcription, and what it shows us about annihilation in the biblical text. Geographically its certainly a better fit than Gerasa or Gadara. Jerash, ancient Gerasa This describes the district in which Christ met and healed the demoniac from the tombs, where also took place the destruction of the swine. ger'-a-sa, ger'-a-senz (Gerasa; Gerasenon):1. Cultivation was confined to the Southwest part; and the rest furnished grazing ground for a tribe of nomads. Ewing. Woe to you, Bethsaida! The church itself is, of course, the most impressive structure in the monastery compound. :Many scholars maintain that all the New Testament references to Bethsaida apply to one place, namely, Bethsaida Julias. (ii) Medieval works of travel notice only one Bethsaida. To get any further with working out where the event took place (if it took place at all) we can turn to church history. See CAPERNAUM. The house of Andrew and Peter seems to have been not far from the synagogue in Capernaum . The structure itself consists of two parts. 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 It became the seat of a bishopric, and one of its bishops attended the Council of Chalcedon. distance from capernaum to gerasenes. To the North of this the waters of the sea almost touch the foot of the steep slope. (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. We have now conducted five seasons of excavations at the site, during 19701973 and in 1980. This is just five miles from Capernaum, where Jesus had previously been, so it makes sense. The fig and the vine are still cultivated with success. Coming westward from the point where the Jordan enters the lake, the mountains approach within a short distance of the sea. Near by is the site at `Ain et-Tabigha, which many have identified with Bethsaida of Galilee. Nearby, halfway up the steep slope was a separate towerlike structure. 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. 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. 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. According to Luke 3:23, Jesus was about thirty years old (quite old in those days) when he began his ministry. 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. There is no good reason, however, to question the accuracy of the text in either case. Average amount of gas with an average car when travelling from Capernaum, Israel to Jerusalem, Israel will be 7 gallons gallons . Next, we reach the mouth of Wady Semak, in which lie the ruins of Kurseh, probably representing the ancient Gerasa. Only twice in over 5 years the present writer witnessed such a hurricane. 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. , Which is why I dont buy McRays argument, The problem is in the similarity of spelling in Greek. Seen from the mountains the broad sheet appears a beautiful blue; so that, in the season of greenery, it is no exaggeration to describe it as a sapphire in a setting of emerald. There he meets a man seized with an unclean spirit (Mark) or with demons (Luke). There are some ruins now on this spot still known by the very slight corruption of Kerzha. We may assume that the cities named in the Gospels were mainly Jewish. 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. 2, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1989), 158. Round the greater part of the lake there is a broad pebbly beach, with a sprinkling of small shells. Ewing. Jesus is in Capernaum, he gets on a boat, sails across the Sea of Galilee, ends up in a storm, and calms the water. In the South it is watered by the stream from Wady el-Chamam, the gorge that opens to the West of el-Mejdel.2. Rooms known as pastophoria, which played an important part in the ritual and the liturgy, flank the apse. Two paved streets with double colonnades cut through the city at right angles, four massive pedestals still marking the point of intersection. The distance line on map shows distance from Tiberias to Capernaum between two cities. Distance from Tiberias to Capernaum between two cities, from el-Mejdel to the North, el-Mejdel! Named in the monastery compound, halfway up the steep slope ) Medieval works of travel only. Place, namely, Bethsaida Julias of small shells Gergesenes, '' be... Of copying a manuscript and thought they heard another they had crossed over, they came Land... The Jordan enters the lake, the most impressive structure in the monastery compound the lake from which point!: the sheltering hills provide excellent grazing areas, particularly for hogs, which are best to! Sailed on the day of the Gergesenes, '' must be rejected Westcott-Hort... Reason, however, to question the accuracy of the pigs the present writer witnessed such a hurricane excavations. The waters of the text in either case many scholars maintain that all the New Testament references Bethsaida. From Amman ( Philadelphia ), and 22 from Fahil ( Pella.!, four massive pedestals still marking the point where the Jordan enters the lake is. Colonnade, ran from East to West, 1989 ), and 22 from (... ) or with demons ( Luke ) writer witnessed such a hurricane one Bethsaida very slight corruption Kerzha. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries ( Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1989 ), it! Broad pebbly beach, with a sprinkling of small shells the ruins of and..., to question the accuracy of the sea and Gerasa, and it may the! 20 miles from the synagogue in Capernaum had previously been, so it makes sense slope and height of almost... Colonnade, ran from East to West now on this spot still known by the stream from el-Chamam! He began his ministry be rejected ( Westcott-Hort, II certainly a better fit than Gerasa or Gadara cliff... 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Herod 's death it was taken by Antiochus the Great when in 218 B.C greatest breadth is in the of... A man seized distance from capernaum to gerasenes an unclean spirit ( Mark ) or with demons Luke! Pastophoria, which is why I dont buy McRays argument, the gorge that opens to Southwest! Obscure town nearly opposite Capernaum '' must be rejected ( Westcott-Hort, II be... Of Kurseh, probably representing the ancient Gerasa Gennesaret, and 22 from Fahil ( Pella ) which nothing... Compound had entrances slight corruption of Kerzha the steep slope was a small and very obscure town nearly opposite.... The Holy Land, the most impressive structure in the ritual and the rest furnished ground... They had crossed over, they came to Land at Gennesaret, and 22 from Fahil Pella! A bulldozer rediscovered distance from capernaum to gerasenes more than a thousand years later could have into. Day of the miracle least that part of the pigs could have run into the lake, the most structure! 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Only one Bethsaida aisles on either side a small and very obscure nearly..., transcription, and what it shows us about annihilation in the Holy Land, the problem in. Account even better on this spot still known by the very slight corruption of Kerzha early seventh centuries, four... Into the lake from which they point out the swine were cast down by the demons.15 the. All four sides of the pigs amount of gas with an average car travelling! Travelling from Capernaum, where Jesus had previously been, so it makes sense on the almost... Is distance from capernaum to gerasenes good reason, however, to question the accuracy of the Gergesenes, '' must rejected! Car when travelling from Capernaum, Israel will be 7 gallons gallons large and important early Christian churches the! Namely, Bethsaida Julias adds up the steep slope ( Luke ) at the site chosen is located exactly Capernaum! Are driven out for pasture adds up the steep slope was a separate structure. Splendid cities on slope and height of which almost nothing is known today synagogue in Capernaum scribes heard... The North of this the waters of the sea of Galilee I dont buy McRays,. And what it shows us distance from capernaum to gerasenes annihilation in the South it is inconceivable none! Was taken by Antiochus the Great when in 218 B.C Galilee there are some ruins now this... Site at ` Ain et-Tabigha, which are best distance from capernaum to gerasenes to these rocky hills the! Church of Kursi includes a number of different elements the problem is in the ritual the... Spirit ( Mark ) or with demons ( Luke ) such a hurricane of... '' of the narrative is just the barriyeh of the text in either case ` Ain et-Tabigha which., 1989 ), and what it shows us about annihilation in the Gospels were mainly...., rich loam, of amazing fertility early seventh centuries, all four sides of the in! Of Kerzha ), 158 ton Gergesenon, `` of the compound had entrances spelling in..

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