Decapolis

Biblical Text

The Decapolis appears three times in the Gospels.

• Matthew 4:25: Early in Jesus' Galilean ministry, great multitudes followed him "from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan."
• Mark 5:20: After Jesus heals a demon-possessed man, he sends him home. The man proclaims in Decapolis what Jesus had done for him, and all marvel (Healing of the Gerasene Demoniac).
• Mark 7:31: Jesus leaves the region of Tyre, passes through Sidon, and comes to the Sea of Galilee through the region of Decapolis. He then heals a man who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, saying to him, "Ephphatha" ("Be opened").

Background

The name Decapolis combines the Greek words deka ("ten") and polis ("city"). The cities of this region were founded or refounded during the spread of Hellenistic culture after Alexander the Great. For a time they were ruled by the Hasmonean dynasty. When the Roman general Pompey conquered the region around 63 BC, the cities were freed from Hasmonean rule and are understood to have enjoyed self-government under the jurisdiction of the Roman province of Syria.

The first-century Roman writer Pliny the Elder lists the ten cities as follows: Damascus (Damascus), Philadelphia (modern Amman, Jordan), Raphana, Scythopolis (Old Testament Beth-shan), Gadara, Hippos, Dion, Pella, Gerasa, and Canatha. The second-century geographer Ptolemy lists more cities, which suggests that the list varied over time. Scholars differ on whether these cities formed a formal league or whether the name was simply a regional designation.

Most of the inhabitants were Gentiles. The large herd of swine in Mark 5 is also commonly read as an indication that the region lay outside the influence of Jewish law.

Biblical Significance

The Decapolis shows that Jesus' ministry extended beyond the Jewish region of Galilee into Gentile territory. In Jewish areas Jesus often told those he had healed not to spread the news. By contrast, he told the man he had healed in the region of the Gerasenes to tell his family (Mark 5:19), and the man spread the news throughout the Decapolis. For this reason many interpreters see the scene as a foreshadowing of the mission to the Gentiles.

The church historian Eusebius recorded that believers of the Jerusalem church fled to Pella, a city of the Decapolis, before the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70. The historicity of this account, however, is disputed.

Interpretation and Debated Issues

• The site of the demoniac's healing: Mark 5:1 and Luke 8:26 refer to "the country of the Gerasenes," while Matthew 8:28 refers to "the country of the Gadarenes." Some manuscripts read "Gergesenes." Because Gerasa (modern Jerash, Jordan) lies far from the lake, there are various views on the exact location.
• The route in Mark 7:31: Traveling from Tyre north to Sidon and then through the Decapolis to the lake is a considerable detour. Some see this as an extended circuit through Gentile territory, while others hold that the author of Mark described the geography only in general terms.
• The site of the Feeding of the Four Thousand: Many interpreters hold that the feeding of the four thousand in Mark 8:1–10 took place in the Decapolis. Those who follow this interpretation regard the event as a sign for the Gentiles and read it as a counterpart to the Feeding of the Five Thousand, which took place in Jewish territory. The text, however, does not specify the location; this interpretation is inferred from the surrounding context.

In the Korean Church

In Korean church preaching, the scene in Mark 5 in which the healed man tells of Jesus' deeds in the Decapolis is frequently cited. It serves as a model of testimony and evangelism, in which believers share the grace they have received with family and neighbors.