decapolis in the bible

Decapolis in The Bible | The Ancient Decapolis

Decapolis, in the Bible, is a non-Jewish territory of Palestine, south of the Sea of ​​Galilee and almost all east of the Jordan River. The Greeks lived there from 200 BC, and in 63, the Romans freed some cities from the Jews. In 1 AD, the ten cities (the meaning of the name) formed a pact for trade and defense against the Jews and other Semitic peoples.

Crowds from the Decapolis in the Bible followed Jesus at the beginning of his public ministry. Jesus went there at least twice (the presence of pigs indicates a mostly peaceful area). The church of Judea escaped the city of Pella in the Decapolis in the Bible before the war of 66 AD, which ended with the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.

The Roman Decapolis in the Bible

Decapolis in the Bible and ancient Greek means “ten cities,” as the ten cities of the Roman Empire located near its border with the Middle East were called cities of present-day Syria and Israel, since we are talking about Umm Qais, of current Jordan.

In Jordan, the Roman Empire founded several cities: Philadelphia (which is not in America but is the ancient name of the capital of Jordan, Amman), Pella (east of Irbid), Gerasa (Jerash), the disappeared Raphana (of which is known very little and is assumed to be north of Umm Qais) and, of course, Gadara (Umm Qais).

While other 3 Roman cities are located between Syria and Israel and are:

  • Scythopolis, present-day Beit Shean in Israel, was a significant city for the Roman Empire due to its geographical position at the crossroads between the Jordan valley and the plain of Jezreel (Esdraelon);
  • Sussita (or Hippos in Greek) is located on a hill on the slopes of the Golan Heights overlooking the Sea of ​​Galilee. And today is located in the demilitarized zone between Syria and Israel.
  • No presentation is needed for the last city of the Decapolis in the Bible. As it is Damascus, the current capital of Syria. 

What does Decapolis in the Bible mean?

According to the Gospel of Mark, the Decapolis in the Bible is a place where Jesus went. But few know where he was—a deepening. In the Gospels, we find the names of many sites linked to the passage of the Christian Messiah in a particular territory. The Gospels themselves testify of some travels of Jesus of Nazareth to cities that today belong to Lebanon or Jordan.
The city of Decapolis in the Bible means “ten cities.” Federation of towns of Palestine, located east of the Jordan, except Scythopolis. The Decapolis was located south of the Sea of ​​Galilee and almost east of the Jordan. It is unclear which exactly were the ten cities (there are several versions and the Decapolis in the Bible as such has a history of about three centuries). 

What were the 10 cities of the Decapolis?

In the Gospels, we find the names of many places linked to the passage of the Christian Messiah in a particular territory. Some of those places are no longer found in the commonly understood Holy Land, neighboring countries of the Middle East. The Gospels themselves testify of some travels of Jesus of Nazareth to cities that today belong to Lebanon or Jordan.

The ten city societies of Decapolis in the Bible were:

  1. Damascus
  2. Canada
  3. Scythopolis
  4. Dium
  5. Hippos
  6. Philadelphia
  7. Gadara
  8. Gerasa
  9. Raphan
  10. Pella.

A famous passage from the Gospel of Matthew (8,28) begins by placing the story in the ” Land of the Gadarenes. ” The territory surrounding the city of Gadara, where today the Jordanian town of Umm Qays. It is located on a hill from which you can enjoy a magnificent view of the Golan Heights and the Sea of ​​Galilee (in Israel), about 10 km from the lake’s southern shore.

decapolis in the bible

Representation of the ruins of Decapolis in the Bible

Umm Qais: one of Jordan’s forgotten Decapolis in the Bible

Umm Qais is located 110 km north of Amman, about 10 km from the border between Israel, Syria, and Jordan. Also, on a large peninsula with magnificent views of the Yarmouk River, the Golan Heights, and Lake Tiberias. The name the Romans gave to this city was Antioch Semiramide and Seleucia, for friends only Antioch.
 
Ancient Gadara was located in a strategic position. Laced by a series of important trade routes linking Syria and Palestine, Gadara developed over time into one of the most brilliant cities of the Decapolis in the Bible. It flourished intellectually during the reign of Augustus. Thanks to his cosmopolitan atmosphere, he attracted numerous university scholars, writers, artists, philosophers, and poets to the city. It was here that some of the most important historical figures were born, such as Menippo  (philosopher and satirist), Meleagros (philosopher and poet), and  Theodore  (theorist of rhetoric who was also a teacher of Tiberius).
 
This ancient city was also one of the favorite places for the Romans on vacation because it was located near the thermal springs of Gadara,  Hamat Gader. 

Primary Takeaways

Ten cities in the south-eastern Levant, the former border area between Coele-Syria and Galilee. Submitted to the protection of the Roman Empire. And thus belonged to the Roman province of Syria. Also, the cities’ inhabitants were primarily Hellenistic foundations from the time of the Seleucids (one of the successor dynasties of Alexander the Great in the area of ​​today’s Syria). They were predominantly Greek-speaking and differed not only linguistically but also culturally and religiously from the Semitic-speaking Jews Galilee to the west, the Nabataeans to the south, and the Arameans to the north.

Conclusion

The Decapolis in the Bible ( Greek: Δεκάπολις ) was a group of ten Hellenistic-Roman cities in antiquity: Ten Hellenistic-Roman city-states in what was then the border area between Syria and Galilee (or in today’s border area of ​​Jordan, Syria, and Israel ) went under the protection of the Roman emperor and thus formed a loose league of cities, which, however, was probably never formally sealed in a letter of the alliance.

The cities of the Decapolis in the Bible are currently challenging to travel to in their entirety since the Arab states and Israel can refuse entry if there is a documented previous stay in one of the other countries. This is particularly true for crossing the border from/to Syria. Due to the refugee problem and the state of war in Syria, entry to Syria for tourist purposes is currently hardly possible. And generally not recommended.