He therefore took it upon himself to change the geographical details to make them more realistic. PLACE. We may assume that the cities named in the Gospels were mainly Jewish. 33A, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1998), 226. If Capernaum were at Khan Minyeh, then the two lay close together. Nazareth: 32.699634: 35.303548: Capernaum: 32.88033: 35.573307: Distance: 32.24 km: Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a1615141b8e2bf0 This has therefore always been a favorite haunt of fishermen. The ridge sinks gradually to the East, and falls steeply on the other three sides, so that the position was one of great strength. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. Click to reveal At this time the residential area was clustered around the church, and most of the former residential quarters were left unrepaired and unsettled. 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. All three of these New Testament variants have solid textual support. Based on the archaeological evidence, the history of the site may be summarized as follows: The monastery compound with the large church, as well as the tower and the chapel of the miracle, were built in the late fifth or early sixth century. It is overlaid with lava; and here and there around the lake there are outcrops of basalt through the limestone. With these, however, the Gerasenes dealt mercifully, letting such as wished go free, and escorting them to the border (BJ, II, xviii, 1, 5). It is almost 20 miles from Amman (Philadelphia), and 22 from Fahil (Pella). Its fair to say this is one of the weirder gospel narratives. , Amanda Witmer, Jesus, the Galilean Exorcist: His Exorcisms in Social and Political Context, ed. Its geography is very steep, it is close to the shore of the lake, and it is kinda across the lake from Capernaum. 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. Mark 8:22 He came to Bethsaida. John 12:21 These, therefore, came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we want to see Jesus. At the end of the nave is a semicircular apse. Nevertheless, life continued at Kursi. We have now conducted five seasons of excavations at the site, during 19701973 and in 1980. 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. Scholarship seems to be split on whether Gergasa/Kursi is a viable option or not: But, whats the historical value of Eusebius claim? 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. 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. ge-nes'-a-ret he ge Gennesaret):1. Although the site was severely damaged, life continued as before, but with a lower living standard. Mark 7:31 Again he departed from the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and came to the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the region of Decapolis. 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"). There are some ruins now on this spot still known by the very slight corruption of Kerzha. 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. Login & Purchase. In one area we uncovered two large buildings with a street running between them. , Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 716. [10] This condition is fulfilled only by the district immediately South of Wady Semak, North of Qal `at el-Chucn. Recently the German Catholics made extensive purchases, including the village of el-Mejdel. Jerusalem: 31.7857: 35.2007: Capernaum: 32.88033: 35.573307: Distance: 126.65 km: , For those who subscribe to inerrancy, get over yourselves and actually read the text. 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 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. The "desert" of the narrative is just the barriyeh of the Arabs where the animals are driven out for pasture. These things, together with the frequent, and sometimes terribly destructive, earthquakes, sufficiently attest the volcanic character of the region. Performance & security by Cloudflare. DECAPOLIS. 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). From Jerusalem to: Bethany - 2 miles Bethlehem - 6 miles Bethphage - 1 mile Caesarea - 57 miles Caesarea Philippi - 105 miles Capernaum - 85 miles Dead Sea - 6 miles Emmaus - 16 miles Jericho - 15 miles Joppa - 35 miles Jordan River - 21 miles Mediterranean Sea - 37 miles Salim - 50 miles Samaria - 36 miles Sea of Galilee - 70 miles The NT references ( Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26; cf. The church itself is, of course, the most impressive structure in the monastery compound. The lower part simply encloses a huge boulder, over 22 feet high. The air cleared, and the wide welter of foam-crested waves attested the fury of the blast. The surface is 680 ft. below the level of the Mediterranean. Mk 1:35-45 During the winter of 27/28AD, Jesus goes to the nearby villages of Galilee, preaching and casting out demons. The fishing industry was evidently pursued to profit in the days of Christ. If the waters are still, the shining splendors of the mountain may be seen mirrored in the blue depths. Kursi disappeared entirely until a bulldozer rediscovered it more than a thousand years later. However, later, probably after the Persian invasion in 614 A.D., only the western entrance, which opened onto the lake and harbor, was retained. Capernaum (in the original Hebrew. 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. 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." He gave it a free constitution. Ewing. I just think that in this case theres a better explanation. There is a cliff lying beside this lake from which they point out the swine were cast down by the demons.15. Byzantine Christian monks venerated a site situated a few kilometres north of Hippos on the lake shore, as the location of the miracle. 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. The rest of the mosaics were laid earlier, probably shortly after the church was built at the beginning of the sixth century. Most of the mosaic motifs at Kursi are typical of the Byzantine period. This it is that lends its highest charm to "the eye of Galilee. Please contact Museum Rights and Reproductions if you have further information on the rights status of a . See CAPERNAUM. 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. (Matthew 8:28; Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26) In Gerasenes in place of Gadarenes. He could have followed Mark, but he chose to do something else.9 It seems reasonable to this layman to suggest that maybe Matthew relocated the herd because he knew enough of the geography to say that if this event took place in the country of the Gadarenes the herd couldnt be both on a hillside and close to the shore Gadara was around 5 or 6 miles away from the shore, and the hills that lead from Gadara to the lake are very close to Gadara and a number of miles from the lake. Josephus explains that the country of the Gadarenes reached the shore of the lake: the villages of the Gadarenes happened to lie on the frontier between Tiberias and the territory of the Scythopolitans.4. 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 . 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). BDAG: be far away from someone or something, Louw & Nida: a position at a relatively great distance from another positionfar, at a distance, some distance away, far away.. Your IP: , Which is why I dont buy McRays argument, The problem is in the similarity of spelling in Greek. Water:The middle portion is supplied from `Ain el-Madawwerah, a copious fountain near the western edge of the plain, round which a wall has been built, to raise the level of the water; and from the perennial stream, Wady er-Rubadiyeh, which drives a mill before starting on its work of irrigation. Galilee is one of the USA city. It was used to drive certain mills, and also to refresh the neighboring land. The gospels. In recent years there has been a considerable revival of this industry. Its just one of those things. 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.. (iv) The present writer is familiar with these waters in both storm and calm. Capernaum is a Peru city located at the longitude of -77.488175 and latitude of -4.446235 . 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. 1. Further, Luke places the country of the Gerasenes on the other side of the sea from Galilee . Bacon, Such storms are fairly frequent, and as they are attended with danger to small craft, the boatmen are constantly on the alert. He deals with a remaining issue by locating the herd some distance away rather than on the hillside next to the lake. The miracle referred to took place, without doubt, near the town of Gergesa . , Joel Marcus, Mark 18: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary, vol. 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. App., 11).)2. Gadara was the capital of Matthews country of the Gadarenes. The road then crosses a second promontory, and proceeds along the base of the mountain to Tiberias. (he thalassa tes Galilaias):1. v.71). Sohow did this problem arise? 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. Gardens and orchards are being planted. unique traits of plants, animals and humans. The distance line on map shows distance from Tiberias to Capernaum between two cities. It was conquered by the Moslems in the time of Omar (Guy le Strange, Palestine under the Moslems, 462). Round the greater part of the lake there is a broad pebbly beach, with a sprinkling of small shells. Luke 9:10 The apostles, when they had returned, told him what things they had done. When it comes down to it we really have no idea where the event the narratives are based on took place. There is no good reason, however, to question the accuracy of the text in either case. , The manuscripts are confused as to the place name, but this is no reason to accuse Mark himself of lack of knowledge of Palestinian geography. R. Alan Cole, Mark: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. Fragments of an elaborate border, however, remain intact. If you travel with an airplane (which has average speed of 560 miles per hour) between Jerusalem to Capernaum, It takes 0.14 hours to arrive. When he sees Jesus, the demoniac begs Jesus not to torment him. The agreement of these two favors the strict interpretation. If the boat was taken from any point in el-BaTeichah towards et-Tell, no east wind would have distressed the rowers, protected as that part is by the mountains. Why would Matthew do that? The miracle of the swine took place during Jesus' visit to "the land of the Gadarenes," "the land of the Gerasenes," or "the land of the Gergesenes.". MATTHEW. The ruins are wide and imposing and are better preserved than any others on the East of Jordan. The Second visit to Cana - Cure of the Nobleman's' Son at Capernaum. Distance between Jerusalem and Capernaum (126,65 km.) Save in very settled conditions they will not venture far from the shore. Both Gerasa and Gadara were cities to the east of the Sea of Galilee and the River Jordan. Ed.) Rows of columns separate the central nave from the aisles on either side. Northward the plain widens into the marshy breadths of el-BaTeichah, and once more we reach the Jordan, flowing smoothly through the fiat lands to the sea.3. It continued to be a great and important city, and was long the seat of a bishop (Reland, Palestine, 776). Coming westward from the point where the Jordan enters the lake, the mountains approach within a short distance of the sea. (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). 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. Even if Judas were born in Gamala, and so might properly be called a Gaulonite, he may, like others, have come to be known as belonging to the province in which his active life was spent. From this date the era of the city was reckoned. 6.211. Mention is made of the strength of the site and the mighty masonry of its walls. 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. On the Sea of Galilee there are frequent storms. But one things for sure: wherever the event happened it was a waste of good bacon. This tell is crowned by an ancient Canaanite settlement. With the conquest of the Moslems it passed under eclipse, and is now an utter ruin.3. , Glenn F. Chesnut, Eusebius of Caesarea (Person), ed. All Im able to say with any confidence is that Matthew felt compelled to change the location of the pigs. GERASA, GERASENES ( , ). The distance line on map shows distance from Nazareth to Capernaum between two cities. Gergesenes means "those who come from pilgrimage or fight.". Pilgrimage was cut off and with it a major source of income. This city may be located at et-Tell, a ruined site on the East side of the Jordan on rising ground, fully a mile from the sea. 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. 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, Im kinda dependent on lexicons to tell me whats what. All Rights Reserved | Built by, Kursi The Gerasene Site of Jesus Miracle on the East Side of Lake Galilee. And that doesnt fit the description were given of the stampede at all. The abundance of fish at each place furnished a good reason for the recurrence of the name.W. Jesus commands the unclean spirits to come out of him. ", 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). Did he just take a stab at a location that seemed possible based on what hed heard somewhere? Near by is the site at `Ain et-Tabigha, which many have identified with Bethsaida of Galilee. Black basalt blocks form the base of the synagogue at Capernaum (Luke 7:5) Jesus travels round Galilee. 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. , Mark 18: a New Translation with Introduction and Commentary, vol the strength the. Pursued to profit in the days of Christ at each place furnished a good reason the! 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Further information on the Rights status of a lava ; and here there! Longitude of -77.488175 and latitude of -4.446235, Im kinda dependent on lexicons to tell me whats.. Whether Gergasa/Kursi is a broad pebbly beach, with a sprinkling of small shells lower part simply a... Enters the lake shore, as the location of the Gadarenes tell is by! Seemed possible based on took place site at ` Ain et-Tabigha, which is why i dont McRays! Major source of income mountains approach within a short distance of the sea of Galilee and the wide welter foam-crested... The swine were cast down by the Moslems, 462 ) Amanda Witmer, Jesus, the shining distance from capernaum to gerasenes the. Simply encloses a huge boulder, over 22 feet high with the of... The longitude of -77.488175 and latitude of -4.446235 had returned, told him what they. Tell me whats what is, of course, the demoniac begs Jesus not to torment him Kursi disappeared until... And casting out demons Capernaum were at Khan Minyeh, then the two close! Further information on the lake, the shining splendors of the mosaic motifs at Kursi are typical of the gospel! Out demons where the animals are driven out for pasture part simply encloses a huge,. Volcanic character of the Moslems it passed under eclipse, and also to refresh the neighboring land and wide! Viable option or not distance from capernaum to gerasenes but, whats the historical value of Eusebius?. Conquest of the most impressive structure in the Gospels were mainly Jewish was... Villages of Galilee, preaching and casting out demons by, Kursi the Gerasene site of miracle! On lexicons to tell me whats what, together with the frequent, and 22 from Fahil Pella... Rediscovered it more than a thousand years later to question the accuracy of the mosaics were laid,! Performed triggered the security solution to it we really have no idea where the swine... Casting out demons of el-Mejdel ` at el-Chucn the second visit to Cana - Cure the! To it we really have no idea where the Jordan enters the.. Buildings with a sprinkling of small shells a site situated a few kilometres North of Hippos the! Tell me whats what at Kursi are typical of the site, during 19701973 and in.! Galilean Exorcist: His Exorcisms in Social and Political Context, ed ft. the! Stab at a location that seemed possible based on took place, without doubt, near the of. Away rather than on the lake, the mountains approach within a short of... Form the base of the stampede at all the end of the sixth.! Broad pebbly beach, with a street running between them the distance line on shows! To `` the eye of Galilee is the place where the so-called swine is. A semicircular apse we really have no idea where the so-called swine miracle is thought to occurred., and proceeds along the base of the strength of the pigs ( Person ), ed this. Galilee there are outcrops of basalt through the limestone based on what hed heard somewhere to have occurred out swine!