Page 42 - Life of Christ w videos

The Cities of the Decapolis. Jesus and His disciples encountered the demon possessed man on the
eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee near the city of Gadara in the “country of the Gadarenes”. (Mark
5:1). Gadara was one of ten cities known as the “Decapolis”. The Greek word dekapolis means “ten
cities,” and in Jesus’ time it referred to a group of Hellenistic Gentile cities on the east side of the Jordan
River in the vicinity of Lake Tiberias (Sea of Galilee), with the exception of Scythopolis, (later called Beth
She’an), which was located on the western side of the Jordan 27 km (17 miles) south of the Sea of
Galilee. Beth She’an became the capital city of the Decapolis.

The cities of the Decapolis were founded by Greeks and Macedonians soon after Alexander’s conquest
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of Palestine in the late 4 century BC. These cities were associated as a group of cities because of their
common language, various Greek cultural attributes, such as religion, architecture, sculpture, painting,
and town planning. The Hellenistic culture contributed to their unity. These cities were “off limits” to
Jewish travel since they were considered pagan and abominably evil cities.

Ruins of the city of Beth She’an, the capital city of the Cities of the Decapolis

Roman rule of these cities was placed under the jurisdiction of Syria. Just as Pontius Pilate was assigned
governorship over Judea, so a provincial governor was assigned over the entire group of ten cities.

The demon-possessed man who was cured by Jesus spread the news of his healing to other cities in the
Decapolis besides Gadara. People in these Gentile cities often feared miracle workers as some sort of
magicians, but later, as Jesus traveled through the Decapolis region as recorded in Mark 7:31, Jesus did
not receive any rejection. Evidently the cured man had paved the way for a good reception of Christ
among the Gentiles.

Tour of Beth She’an

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