Decapolis
Decapolis is a region mentioned in the New Testament, located in the region of Bashan in modern-day Israel. It appears across 3 verses in Scripture.
Biblical History
The Decapolis was a league of ten Greco-Roman cities lying primarily southeast and east of the Sea of Galilee, and it appears three times in the New Testament as part of the geographic backdrop of Jesus's ministry. In Matthew 4:25, great crowds from the Decapolis followed Jesus alongside those from Galilee, Judea, and beyond the Jordan. In Mark 5:1–20, Jesus healed the Gerasene demoniac in "the country of the Gerasenes," within or adjacent to Decapolis territory — and after his healing, the man was sent back to proclaim what Jesus had done throughout the Decapolis, spreading the gospel into this largely Gentile region. Mark 7:31 records Jesus traveling through the region of Decapolis, where He healed a deaf man. The Decapolis thus represents a significant arena of Jesus's cross-cultural ministry: a heavily Hellenized zone where Jewish and Gentile populations intermingled, and where the proclamation of the kingdom broke beyond strictly Jewish boundaries — anticipating the global mission Jesus would commission at His resurrection.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
The Decapolis comprised cities including Gerasa (modern Jerash, Jordan), Philadelphia (modern Amman), Scythopolis (Beth Shean, Israel), Pella, Gadara, Hippos, Damascus, Raphana, Dion, and Canatha. These cities were characterized by Hellenistic urban planning: colonnaded streets, temples, theaters, and forums. Extensive excavations at Jerash have uncovered one of the best-preserved Roman city centers in the Near East. Scythopolis (Beth Shean) excavations revealed a monumental Roman city built atop an extensive Bronze and Iron Age tell. Hippos (Susita), overlooking the Sea of Galilee, has yielded evidence of early Christian basilicas. The region demonstrates the sophisticated Greco-Roman cultural overlay on an ancient Semitic landscape during the New Testament period.
Verse Appearances (3)
Sources: ISBE Encyclopedia · OpenBible Geocoding (CC BY) · Pleiades Gazetteer View all →