Gadara: History

In the first century, Jesus is said to have driven demons out of a man and into some swine "in the country of the Gadarenes" or "country of the Gerasenes", which has often been associated with Gadara. A story set in the "territory of the Gadarenes", probably referring to the area around Gadara, appears in the Gospel of Matthew, VIII 28-34. It describes an encounter between Jesus and two men "possessed by demons"; Jesus exorcises the demons, driving them into a nearby herd of pigs, which then run "down the steep place into the sea”, evidently intended to refer to the Sea of Galilee. In the original version, in the earlier Gospel of Mark, V 1-20, the incident is set in "the territory of the Gerasenes", or Gerasa, around 50 km (31 mi) southeast of the Sea of Galilee. The author of the Matthew Gospel appears to have moved the setting to Gadara to make it more plausible. However it is still 10 km (6.2 mi) away, so Origen speculated that there had been a town called "Gergasa" on the shores of the sea. The Jerusalem Talmud (Erubin 5:7) and the Tosefta (Erubin 6:13) refer to a town called "Gader" (sic) within a Sabbath day's walking distance from Hamath, a town situated within one biblical mile to the south of Tiberias.

Archaeological surveys indicate that Gadara was occupied as early as the 7th century BC. The Greek historian, Polybius, described the region as being under Ptolemaic control at the time. The Seleucid ruler Antiochus III conquered it in 218 BC, naming the city Antiochia and Seleucia. In 63 BC, Pompey liberated Gadara and joined it to the Roman league of ten cities, the Decapolis.

Soon after, the fortunes of Gadara improved rapidly and building was undertaken on a large scale, carried out for the love of Pompey's freed man Demetrius, who had been born there.

During these early years of Roman rule, the Nabataeans (with their capital in Petra), controlled the trade routes as far north as Damascus. Unhappy with the competition, Mark Anthony dispatched King Herod the Great to weaken the Nabataeans, who finally gave up their northern interest in 31 BC. In appreciation for his efforts, Rome rewarded Herod with Gadara.

The city reached its peak of prosperity in the 2nd century AD. New colonnaded streets, temples, theaters, and public baths sprouted. Meleagros compared Gadara with Athens, which testifies to the city's status as a creative center of Hellenism in ancient Near East.

Christianity spread slowly among the inhabitants of Gadara. Starting from the 4th century, its bishop attended the ecclesiastical councils of Nicaea, Chaleedon and Ephesos. Despite his attendance, the city was no longer a seat of learning. During the 6th century, decline set in, and in 636 AD a decisive military clash between Byzantines and Arab Muslims took place not far from Gadara. There is no evidence, however, of widespread destruction in the city.