The hot springs, as noted above, are in the bottom of the valley to the North. 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. Thus Gamala, on the eastern shore, was within the jurisdiction of Josephus, who commanded in Galilee (BJ, II, xx, 4). Many New Testament manuscripts refer to the "Country of the Gadarenes" or "Gerasenes" rather than the Gergesenes. The absence of any name resembling Bethsaida need not concern us.Were There Two Bethsaidas? Capernaum area. (iii) The East coast of the sea was definitely attached to Galilee in A.D. 84, and Ptolemy (circa 140) places Julius in Galilee. The monastery compound lies at the foot of a hill, on a plain by the Sea of Galilee. Fertility:The walnut, the palm, the olive and the fig, which usually require diverse conditions, flourish together here. (he thalassa tes Galilaias):1. 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 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). This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. Today, it is identified with El-Koursi or Kursi. Matthew 15:29 Jesus departed there, and came near to the sea of Galilee; and he went up into the mountain, and sat there. David Noel Freedman, The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (New York: Doubleday, 1992), 991. This is just five miles from Capernaum, where Jesus had previously been, so it makes sense. Luke 8:26 They arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee. The distance from the Dead Sea to the Sea of Galilee is 104 miles or 167 kilometers. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. Although the site was severely damaged, life continued as before, but with a lower living standard. Gergesa was a small and very obscure town nearly opposite Capernaum. Gerasa and Gadara are accounted for in historical accounts (by writers such as Pliny the Elder and Josephus) and by archaeological research. 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. 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. Well probably never find out what the real deal is, but, as usual with these things, thats only a problem if we subscribe to the patently false doctrine of inerrancy.17. 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. The production of oil served as a popular source of income for monastic communities and settlements at Christian holy places. On the shore, fully 2 miles from the Jordan, are the ruins of Tell Chum. Four of the apostles, and these the chief, had been brought up as fishermen on the Sea of Galilee. The church itself is, of course, the most impressive structure in the monastery compound. Some of the auxiliary rooms of the church and its chapels were closed off completely; others were converted to domestic or industrial use. Commentary on the Gospel according to John Books 1-10, Ed. 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 the early Roman period, an important urban settlement with a safe anchorage stood here. Like, not even the alphabet. Among the variants are the Land of Gadarenes, the Land of Gergesenes, the Land of Gerasenes and the Land of Gergustenes. , Freeman-Grenville, Chapman, and Taylor, The Onomasticon by Eusebius of Caesarea (Carta Jerusalem, 2003), 45. The chapel has an apse constructed within a natural rock shelter. Brill, 19942000), 204. 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. The presence of a copious spring of sweet water makes it probable that the site has been occupied from olden time; but no trace remains of any ancient city. The lake and mountains are, in main outline, such as His eyes beheld. EVENT. 6.211. The distance line on map shows distance from Cana to Capernaum between two cities. A relatively large tell, no doubt the urban center of the area, stands about 300 yards from the monastery discovered by the bulldozer. 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. Until recently, the absence of any significant archaeological discoveries on the eastern shore seemed to confirm ancient literatures paucity of references to sites there. We discovered these images when we lifted the columns and reopened the blocked doorways. After stilling the storm while crossing the Sea of Galilee, Jesus lands with his disciples on the eastern shore of the lake. Jesus would naturally avoid those in which Greek influences were strong. 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. du Talmud, 45).Centuries of neglect made a sad change in the plain. 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. Christian artifacts from Kursi can be viewed at the Golan Archaeological Museum. I just think that in this case theres a better explanation. Tyre: 33.2721571: 35.203278: Capernaum: 32.88033: 35.573307: Distance: 55.56 km: It should be noted, however, that the name is in origin radically different from Bethsaida. Some of these it is impossible to identify. 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. 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. 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. Ed.) 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. About halfway up the hill is the towerlike structure mentioned earlier. After stilling the storm while crossing the Sea of Galilee, Jesus lands with his disciples on the eastern shore of the lake. It was given by Augustus to Herod the Great in 30 B.C. They include several splendid temples, theaters, basilica, palaces and baths, with hippodrome and naumachia. 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. Cataloging is a continuous work in progress, however, and we welcome your input to enhance our understanding and presentation of the collection. The settlement was quite well planned and carefully organized. (2) Bethsaida of Galilee, where dwelt Philip, Andrew, Peter (John 1:44; John 12:21), and perhaps also James and John. After Herod's death it was joined to the province of Syria, 4 B.C. 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. 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 . :Many scholars maintain that all the New Testament references to Bethsaida apply to one place, namely, Bethsaida Julias. Mk 1:35-45 During the winter of 27/28AD, Jesus goes to the nearby villages of Galilee, preaching and casting out demons. 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. This two-terraced structure, consisting of a memorial, or landmark, tower and a chapel above, undoubtedly was thought to mark the very site of the miracle that cured the demoniac. , Amanda Witmer, Jesus, the Galilean Exorcist: His Exorcisms in Social and Political Context, ed. At the end of the nave is a semicircular apse. 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 Merneptah Steles discovery, transcription, and what it shows us about annihilation in the biblical text. Why would Matthew do that? Nearly opposite Tiberias is the stronghold of Chal`-at el Chocn, possibly the ancient Hippos, with the village of Fik, the ancient Aphek, on the height to the East. 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. 4:1-34. The fishing industry was evidently pursued to profit in the days of Christ. Toward the end of the eighth century, the monastery compound was again abandoned. Nevertheless, life continued at Kursi. To the Galilee flocked not only pilgrims, but also monks and scholars, searching for the places that Jesus had known. See CAPERNAUM. 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. On the shore, fully 2 miles from the Jordan, are the ruins of Tell Chum. 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. Zebedee was able to hire men to assist him (Mark 1:20). The rooms on each side of the prayer hall were used for auxiliary purposes. 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. to Capernaum, to Bethsaida . Tabor and approaching the edge of the great hollow, on a bright spring day, when the land has already assumed its fairest garments, the view of the sea, as it breaks upon the vision in almost its whole extent, is one never to be forgotten. It was the seat of one of the councils instituted by Gabinius for the government of the Jews (Ant., XIV, v, 4; BJ, I, viii, 5). fine for parking in handicap spot in ohio. 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. 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