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. The Valley of Kursi, or Wadi Samak, is still rich in fertile farming land. At this time the residential area was clustered around the church, and most of the former residential quarters were left unrepaired and unsettled. 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. Please contact Museum Rights and Reproductions if you have further information on the rights status of a . (BJ, I, iv, 8). 1. Nearby, halfway up the steep slope was a separate towerlike structure. Commentary on the Gospel according to John Books 1-10, Ed. Distances. At the center is a large prayer hall in the form of a basilica. Galilee is one of the USA city. The most likely answer is to the country of the Gerasenes: i.e., Gerasa, a Greek town thought to be the same as the similarly-named Kersa on the east shore of Lake Tiberias. Therefore it was no contrary wind that carried them toward Capernaum and the "land of Gennesaret." Some of these it is impossible to identify. They brought a blind man to him, and begged him to touch him. 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. (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. Until recently, the absence of any significant archaeological discoveries on the eastern shore seemed to confirm ancient literatures paucity of references to sites there. But one things for sure: wherever the event happened it was a waste of good bacon. The Moslem conquest followed shortly thereafter in the seventh century. Gergasa, it has been suggested12, is a transliteration of Kursi, located half way up the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. To the North of this the waters of the sea almost touch the foot of the steep slope. With these, however, the Gerasenes dealt mercifully, letting such as wished go free, and escorting them to the border (BJ, II, xviii, 1, 5). (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. 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. So, Im kinda dependent on lexicons to tell me whats what. 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. About 2 miles farther West are the hot springs of eT-Tabgha. At the end of the nave is a semicircular apse. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a1615141b8e2bf0 The house of Andrew and Peter seems to have been not far from the synagogue in Capernaum . As in the case of the other Bethsaida, no name has been recovered to guide us to the site. 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. The pretty wild ride that the Black Obelisk took from Nimrud, where it was found, to the British Museum, where its displayed to this day. Sohow did this problem arise? This it is that lends its highest charm to "the eye of Galilee. Jesus'-Ministry, In the parallel passages (Mark 5:1 Luke 8:26, 37) we read: chora ton Gerasenon "country of the Gerasenes." Decaplis, 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. Or something. The rooms on each side of the prayer hall were used for auxiliary purposes. Gadara was the capital of Matthews country of the Gadarenes. It is probably represented by the modern Jedur, not far from es-Salt (Buhl, Buhl, Geographic des alten Palastina, 255; Guthe). The Merneptah Steles discovery, transcription, and what it shows us about annihilation in the biblical text. The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah Alfred Edersheim. Want of precision on topographical points, therefore, need not surprise us. 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. 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. The Gerasa of Mark 5:1 was probably Kursi/Gergesa. Bacon, 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. After stilling the storm while crossing the Sea of Galilee, Jesus lands with his disciples on the eastern shore of the lake. This is a difficulty for Marks account the pigs would have had to trot many miles from the country of the Gerasenes before they even reached the hillside that overlooks the lake, never mind actually get to the lake itself. Click to reveal 2019 Dr. Andrew Jackson. 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. The location of the incident of the "Gadarene . It is located at the longitude of -71.522615 and latitude of 41.364855. 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. These demon-possessed pigs then run headlong into the lake and, presumably, drown. The distance line on map shows distance from Nazareth to Capernaum between two cities. Ewing. (he thalassa tes Galilaias):1. John 1:44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter. When it comes down to it we really have no idea where the event the narratives are based on took place. Only the mosaic in the baptistery can be dated with certainty. Hippos, Gerasa, and Gadara were all counted in the Decapolis, an informal grouping of Greco-Roman cities just south of the ancient city of Caesarea Philippi. 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. 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. We may assume that the cities named in the Gospels were mainly Jewish. The absence of any name resembling Bethsaida need not concern us.Were There Two Bethsaidas? A dedicatory inscription contains the date 685 A.D. The distance is about 19 miles from the river. When he sees Jesus, the demoniac begs Jesus not to torment him. 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. The bulldozer was stopped and the Department of Antiquities and Museums was called in to excavate scientifically. a site named Khersa (or Kursi) among the cliffs overlooking the lakethe traditional site, but with little to argue in its favor. (Ant., XIV, iv, 4; BJ, I, vii, 7); from which it would appear to have declined in Jewish hands. I just think that in this case theres a better explanation. 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"). Distance between Haifa and Capernaum (51,83 km.) See GENNESARET, LAND OF. Geographically its certainly a better fit than Gerasa or Gadara. 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.. John, writing after 84 A.D., would hardly have 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 recalling the former familiar conditions. "Jesus of Nazareth" was born in Bethlehem. 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. Gerasa itself is probably represented by the ruins of Kurseh on the South side of Wady Semak, just where it opens on the seashore. One of the most significant sites on the eastern shore is the place where the so-called swine miracle is thought to have occurred. 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. Like, not even the alphabet. He deals with a remaining issue by locating the herd some distance away rather than on the hillside next to the lake. Many New Testament manuscripts refer to the "Country of the Gadarenes" or "Gerasenes" rather than the Gergesenes. du Talmud, 45).Centuries of neglect made a sad change in the plain. Some are of the opinion that Gergesa was the country of the ancient Girgashites; but it is more probable that 'Gergesenes' was introduced by Origen upon mere conjecture; as before him most copies seem to have read 'Gadarenes', agreeable to the parallel passages and the ancient Syriac version. "The advent of the railway has stirred afresh the pulses of life in the valley. Description:Modern Jerash lies on both banks of Wady Jerash, about 6 miles from its confluence with Wady ez-Zerqa (the Jabbok). The ridge sinks gradually to the East, and falls steeply on the other three sides, so that the position was one of great strength. 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) gad'-a-ra (Gadara):1. At the beginning of the Jewish revolt the country around Gadara was laid waste (BJ, II, xviii, 1). Description: During the second half of the sixth century, the diaconicon was remodeled to house a baptistery. It varies in depth from 130 ft. to 148 ft., being deepest along the course of the Jordan (Barrois, PEFS, 1894, 211-20). OK. First up: they dont agree. 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. A herd of swine running headlong down the mountain would here inevitably perish in the lake (Matthew 8:32, etc.). He calls the inhabitants Syrians, when, at the beginning of the Jewish revolt, the district round Gerasa was laid waste. , James R. Edwards, The Gospel according to Mark, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: Eerdmans; Apollos, 2002), 154. A narrow ribbon of plain between the mountain and the shore runs to the South end of the lake. He therefore took it upon himself to change the geographical details to make them more realistic. , William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 612. (b) To go to the other side-eis to peran (Mark 6:45)-does not of necessity imply passing from the East to the West coast of the lake, since Josephus uses the verb diaperaioo of a passage from Tiberias to Tarichea (Vita, 59). 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. Alexander Janneus invested the place, and reduced it after a ten months' siege (Ant., XIII, iii, 3; BJ, I, iv, 2). it is a happy contention of the seasons, as if each of them claimed this country; for it not only nourishes different sorts of autumnal fruit beyond men's expectation, but preserves them a great while." If you know the geography of the Sea of Galilee at all, its almost entirely surrounded by hills, some of them pretty steep. The monastery compound lies at the foot of a hill, on a plain by the Sea of Galilee. 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. Two cities the Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah Alfred Edersheim John 1:44 Now Philip was from,! The rooms on each side of the lake ( Matthew 8:32,.! 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