The "desert" of the narrative is just the barriyeh of the Arabs where the animals are driven out for pasture. Josephus names it as marking the eastern limit of Peraea (BJ, III, iii, 3). Gergesenes means "those who come from pilgrimage or fight.". The Name:The first syllable of the name Gennesaret is evidently the Hebrew gan, "garden"; while the second may be a proper name. After stilling the storm while crossing the Sea of Galilee, Jesus lands with his disciples on the eastern shore of the lake. 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. Eusebius of Caesarea (260313 CE10) in his Onomasticon (basically a long list of place names with explanations of their location), not content with his available options of Gerasa and Gadara Eusebius decided to add a third candidate: Eusebius, Onomasticon, 74: Gergesa There the Lord healed the demoniacs. Sohow did this problem arise? Luke 10:13 "Woe to you, Chorazin! John 12:21 These, therefore, came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we want to see Jesus. If freedom and security be enjoyed in reasonable measure, the region will again display its long-hidden treasures of fertility and beauty.W. Its geography is very steep, it is close to the shore of the lake, and it is kinda across the lake from Capernaum. 4:1-34. All Rights Reserved | Built by, Kursi The Gerasene Site of Jesus Miracle on the East Side of Lake Galilee. The ruins of the town are not considerable; but there are remains of a strong wall which must have surrounded the place. Ewing, "house of fish," Bethsaida, the name of two cities on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. The substitution of sin for cad is easy: but the insertion of the guttural `ain is impossible. The ruins include those of two theaters, a basilica, a temple, and many important buildings, telling of a once great and splendid city. The natives use it for all purposes, esteeming it light and pleasant. 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. Superior buildings are rising outside the ancient walls. The names of many ancient places have been lost, and others have strayed from their original localities. It was conquered by the Moslems in the time of Omar (Guy le Strange, Palestine under the Moslems, 462). 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 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. Want of precision on topographical points, therefore, need not surprise us. Settlers in the valley thereafter confined themselves to the area immediately on the shore. Description: 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. The prosperity of the sixth century abruptly ended with the Persian invasion in 614 A.D. Capernaum area. It was conquered by the Moslems in the time of Omar (Guy le Strange, Palestine under the Moslems, 462). 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. The distance line on map shows distance from Cana to Capernaum between two cities. , Ludwig Koehler et al., The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament (Leiden: E.J. It continued to be a great and important city, and was long the seat of a bishop (Reland, Palestine, 776). At the center is a large prayer hall in the form of a basilica. Jesus gives Kingdom illustrations. Jesus is in Capernaum, he gets on a boat, sails across the Sea of Galilee, ends up in a storm, and calms the water. 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. Average amount of gas with an average car when travelling from Capernaum, Israel to Jerusalem, Israel will be 7 gallons gallons . The name is derived from either a lakeside village, Gergesa, the next larger city, Gadara, or the best-known city in the region, Gerasa. Nearby, halfway up the steep slope was a separate towerlike structure. But (i) this involved a passage from a point on the West to a point on the South shore, "crossing over" two considerable bays; whereas if the boat started from any point in el-BaTeichah, to which we seem to be limited by the "much grass," and by the definition of the district as belonging to Bethsaida, to sail to et-Tell, it was a matter of coasting not more than a couple of miles, with no bay to cross. 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. Smooth plaster covered the rock walls of the apse. (iv) In view of the frequent repetition of names in Palestine the nearness of the two Bethsaidas raises no difficulty. But as we have seen above, the "want of precision" must also be attributed to the writer of John 6:17. In the rooms north of the prayer hall, we found an oil-press, including the crushing, pressing and collecting components. This it is that lends its highest charm to "the eye of Galilee. 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. 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. Performance & security by Cloudflare. Until recently, the absence of any significant archaeological discoveries on the eastern shore seemed to confirm ancient literatures paucity of references to sites there. gad'-a-ra (Gadara): 1. 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. 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." "The advent of the railway has stirred afresh the pulses of life in the valley. Some of these it is impossible to identify. 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. At this time the residential area was clustered around the church, and most of the former residential quarters were left unrepaired and unsettled. Gergasa, it has been suggested12, is a transliteration of Kursi, located half way up the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. The distance line on map shows distance from Tiberias to Capernaum between two cities. Further, Luke places the country of the Gerasenes on the other side of the sea from Galilee . Gerasa, Gadara, Gergesa from where did the pigs stampede? It gradually narrows toward the South, taking the shape of a gigantic pear, with a decided bulge to the West. See CAPERNAUM. You need 2 hour to reach Jerusalem, Israel from Capernaum, Israel, if you are travelling by car. When they arrive on the shore he gets out and is met by two demoniacs/a guy called Legion. 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. 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. The distance line on map shows distance from Nazareth to Capernaum between two cities. It was on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, and must have been a locality where the steep edges of the Bashan plateau drop close upon the brink of the lake. Jesus'-Ministry, Jerusalem: 31.7857: 35.2007: Capernaum: 32.88033: 35.573307: Distance: 126.65 km: If Capernaum were at Khan Minyeh, then the two lay close together. 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. During the second half of the sixth century, the diaconicon was remodeled to house a baptistery. All three of these New Testament variants have solid textual support. 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. The sheltering hills provide excellent grazing areas, particularly for hogs, which are best suited to these rocky hills. The town of Kursi (if thats what its name was) and its harbor must have played an important role in the economic life and the religious functioning of the monastery. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a1615141b8e2bf0 One of the most significant sites on the eastern shore is the place where the so-called swine miracle is thought to have occurred. The bulldozer was stopped and the Department of Antiquities and Museums was called in to excavate scientifically. (Ant., XV, vii, 3; BJ, I, xx, 3). EVENT. Nazareth: 32.699634: 35.303548: Capernaum: 32.88033: 35.573307: Distance: 32.24 km: These motifs were taken from artists notebooks that were used throughout the Mediterranean world, not only during the Byzantine period, but also before and after. Contradictions, In recent years there has been a considerable revival of this industry. Cana: 32.744999: 35.339758: Capernaum: 32.88033: 35.573307: Distance: 26.51 km: Robert L. Webb and Mark Allan Powell, vol. The arguments for and against this view may be summarized as follows:(a) Galilee ran right round the lake, including most of the level coastland on the East. The land is almost entirely cleared, and it rewards the toil of the husbandman with all its ancient generosity.W. 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"). The Tel Dan Steles discovery, the debate it caused, and how it shows that scripture sometimes doesnt work the way we think it does. Decaplis, On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. If it lay on the East it is inconceivable that none of them should have mentioned the river in this connection. In some places, the wall actually touches the boulder. . Such storms are fairly frequent, and as they are attended with danger to small craft, the boatmen are constantly on the alert. Why swap out one territory for another? 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. [10] 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. They are closed by carved stone doors, and are used as storehouses for grain, and also as dwellings by the inhabitants. Matthew 15:29 Jesus departed there, and came near to the sea of Galilee; and he went up into the mountain, and sat there. Drains in the street reflect a high standard of living, as do the pottery and various other small finds such as coins and decorated glass vessels. Capernaum is a Peru city located at the longitude of -77.488175 and latitude of -4.446235 . 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. After stilling the storm while crossing the Sea of Galilee, Jesus lands with his disciples on the eastern shore of the lake. The place is not mentioned till later times. Traces of ancient buildings in the vicinity show that there must have been a fairly numerous population in the district.2. 6.211. 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. A few years later, Matthew, using Mark as a source for his own gospel, either misses Marks theological point or wants to achieve something else with his text and attempts to correct the events location.