Place
Decapolis
region of ten cities
Confederation of ten Hellenistic cities east of the Jordan where Jesus healed the demoniac of Gadara and drew followers, symbolizing the Gentile reach of his ministry.
Who or what is this?
The Decapolis was a loose federation of ten Greco-Roman cities mostly east of the River (with Scythopolis on the west bank), colonized by and Roman settlers after Alexander's conquests. The name appears three times in the Gospels: 4:25 notes that great crowds followed from the Decapolis; 5:20 records the healed Gadarene demoniac proclaiming what Jesus had done throughout the entire Decapolis; and Mark 7:31 describes Jesus travelling through the region of Decapolis where he healed a deaf man. The region's distinctly Gentile character underscores the breadth of Jesus' ministry beyond strictly Jewish territory.
People, places, and events in this story
These connections are explicitly linked in this entity's source description.
Places in this story
Modern location: Decapolis. Coordinates from OpenBible.info.
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Where this appears in Scripture
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