Gergesa

Map of Roman Palestine showing Gadara and Gerasa Gergesa , (also Gergasa or the Country of the Gergesenes ) is a place on the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee that is described in the New Testament Gospels of Mark and Luke . According to these books, in Gergasa Jesus drove Legion out of a wild man and into a herd of pigs. Gergesenes means "those who come from pilgrimage or fight." Many New Testament manuscripts refer to the "Country of the Gadarenes" or "Gerasenes" rather than the Gergesenes. Both Gerasa and Gadara were cities to the east of the Sea of Galilee. They were both Gentile cities filled with citizens who were culturally more Greek than Semitic; this would account for the pigs in the biblical account. Gerasa and Gadara are accounted for in historical accounts (by writers such as Pliny the Elder and Josephus ) and by archaeological research. Today they are the modern towns of Jerash and Umm Qais . A third city, Hippos , was similar in character to Gadara and Gerasa, and it may fit the biblical account even better. It was located on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, whereas Gerasa and Gadara were several kilometers east and south of it, respectively. Scholars debate the correct site of the miracle and modern translations have multiple readings of the Gospels. However, the earliest texts are very clear as to the original version of the synoptic Gospels . Upon close observation of the earliest and best Greek manuscripts, the Alexandrian texts , the original reading of Matthew is “in the region of the Gadarenes,” and the original text of Mark and Luke is “in the country of the Gerasenes” This explanation however, does not account for the name Gergesa, which never appears in the earliest Greek manuscripts, and must have been a later addition, not in the original autographs. It is therefore necessary to find if there was a change made to the text, introducing Gergesa as the appropriate site of the miracle. The original textual alteration was made during the early third century by the Christian teacher Origen . In his Commentary on John , Books 1-10, Origen changes the original text of Matthew from “in the region of the Gadarenes” to “in the region of the Gergasenes,” using one main reason to substantiate his bold alteration. Because of the lasting impact Origen had upon the text and where the miracle was believed to be located, it is necessary to consider his motive for the change. Early Christian monks venerated a village called Kursi , a few kilometers north of Hippos on the lakeshore, as the location of the miracle. They built a walled monastic complex there and made it a destination for Byzantine Christian pilgrims . That monastery was destroyed by Sassanid Persian armies in the early 600s AD. Christian artifacts from Kursi can be viewed at the Golan Archaeological Museum . Some are of the opinion that Gergasa 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 . In any event, the "Country of the Gergesenes" in the New Testament Gospels refers to some location on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. It probably draws its name from one of the two major cities in the region, Gerasa and Gadara. Its exact location cannot be known for certain.

Map of Roman Palestine showing Gadara and Gerasa Gergesa ,(32.282N 35.89E) (also Gergasa or the Country of the Gergesenes ) is a place on the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee located near the modern city of Jerash , Jordan that is described in the New Testament Gospels of Mark , Matthew , and Luke . According to the Gospel of Matthew, in Gergasa Jesus drove Legion or Demons out of two Possessed men and into a herd of pigs . The whole heard of swine subsequently ran into the Sea of Galilee and perished. Gergesenes means "those who come from pilgrimage or fight." Many New Testament manuscripts refer to the "Country of the Gadarenes" or "Gerasenes" rather than the Gergesenes. Both Gerasa and Gadara were cities to the east of the Sea of Galilee. They were both Gentile cities filled with citizens who were culturally more Greek than Semitic; this would account for the pigs in the biblical account. Gerasa and Gadara are accounted for in historical accounts (by writers such as Pliny the Elder and Josephus ) and by archaeological research. Today they are the modern towns of Jerash and Umm Qais . A third city, Hippos , was similar in character to Gadara and Gerasa, and it may fit the biblical account even better. It was located on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, whereas Gerasa and Gadara were several kilometers south-east of it. Early Christian monks venerated a site called Kursi , a few kilometers north of Hippos on the lakeshore, as the location of the miracle. They built a walled monastic complex there and made it a destination for Byzantine Christian pilgrims . That monastery was destroyed by Sassanid Persian armies in the early 600s AD. The remains of the monastery can be visited in the Kursi National Park . Christian artifacts from Kursi can be viewed at the Golan Archaeological Museum . Some are of the opinion that Gergasa 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 . In any event, the "Country of the Gergesenes" in the New Testament Gospels refers to some location on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. It draws its name from one of the two major cities in the region, Gergasa and Gadara.

Map of Roman Israel showing Gadara and Gerasa Gergesa , also Gergasa 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 . Today, it is identified with El-Koursi or Kursi . It is mentioned in some ancient manuscripts of the Gospel of Matthew as the place where the Miracle of the Swine took place, an exorcism performed by Jesus who drove demons out of two possessed men and into a herd of pigs . All three Synoptic Gospels mention this miracle, but only Matthew writes about two possessed men instead of just one, and only some manuscripts of his Gospel name the location as Gergesa, while the other copies, as well as all versions of Luke and Mark, mention either Gadara or Gerasa (see Mark 5:1–20, Luke 8:26–39, Matthew 8:28–34 with invalid book ). 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 . In any event, the "country of the Gergesenes/Gadarenes/Gerasenes" in the New Testament Gospels refers to some location on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. The name is derived from either a lakeside village, Gergesa, the next larger city, Gadara, or the best-known city in the region, Gerasa.

Historical place in Israel Map of Roman Israel showing Gadara and Gerasa Gergesa , also Gergasa ( Γέργεσα 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 . Today, it is identified with El-Koursi or Kursi . It is mentioned in some ancient manuscripts of the Gospel of Matthew as the place where the Miracle of the Swine took place, a miracle performed by Jesus who drove demons out of a possessed man and into a herd of pigs . All three Synoptic Gospels mention this miracle, Matthew writes about two possessed men instead of just one, and only some manuscripts of his Gospel name the location as Gergesa, while the other copies, as well as all versions of Luke and Mark, mention either Gadara or Gerasa (see Mark 5:1-20, Luke 8:26-39, Matthew 8:28-34 ). The "Gerasa" reading is problematic, because Gerasa is neither near a sea nor does it border Galilee. 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 . In any event, the "country of the Gergesenes/Gadarenes/Gerasenes" in the New Testament Gospels refers to some location on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. The name is derived from either a lakeside village, Gergesa, the next larger city, Gadara, or the best-known city in the region, Gerasa. It is likely that the "Gerasa" reading is erroneous and a copyist error for "Gergesa," since only the latter place is bordering a lake while Gerasa is very far away from a lake.

Historical place in Israel Map of Roman Israel showing Gadara and Gerasa Gergesa , also Gergasa ( Γέργεσα 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 . Today, it is identified with El-Koursi or Kursi . It is mentioned in some ancient manuscripts of the Gospel of Matthew as the place where the Miracle of the Swine took place, a miracle performed by Jesus who drove demons out of a possessed man into a herd of pigs . All three Synoptic Gospels mention this miracle, Matthew writes about two possessed men instead of just one, and only some manuscripts of his Gospel name the location as Gergesa, while the other copies, as well as all versions of Luke and Mark, mention either Gadara or Gerasa (see Mark 5:1-20, Luke 8:26-39, Matthew 8:28-34 ). The "Gerasa" reading is problematic, because Gerasa is neither near a sea nor does it border Galilee. 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 . In any event, the "country of the Gergesenes/Gadarenes/Gerasenes" in the New Testament Gospels refers to some location on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. The name is derived from either a lakeside village, Gergesa, the next larger city, Gadara, or the best-known city in the region, Gerasa. It is likely that the "Gerasa" reading is erroneous and a copyist error for "Gergesa," since only the latter place is bordering a lake while Gerasa is very far away from a lake.