Someday, learn the names of the ten cities of the Decapolis. You never know when it could be a quiz question on "Jeopardy".
In a nutshell, they are ten ancient cities grouped within about a seventy mile radius in what is now eastern Israel and western Jordan, all once thriving and beautiful Greco-Roman centers of culture. Small cities that gave the feel of an Athens or Rome built on a smaller scale and transported to the Middle East, serving as cultural and commercial influences on the farther edges of the empire. (In terms of religious history and relevance, it is one of the ways Greek thought and culture would have been able to influence the very different Middle Eastern area during New Testament times. If Jesus worked in Sepphoris during his y0unger years, a strong likelihood, he would have been exposed and even very well-acquainted with the Greek language and philosophy. The earliest mention of the Decapolis comes in the New Testament book of Matthew 4:25, “Large crowds from Galilee and the Decapolis followed him…” It is also mentioned in Mark 5:20, “ So the man left and went all through the Decapolis telling what Jesus had done for him…”. and 7:31, "Again Jesus left the district of Tyre and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, into the district of the Decapolis.")
Friday, we spent much of the early part of the day in one of the grander cities: Jerash. It is still a large modern-day city north of Amman, with well-preserved ruins just across the hill from the town. One of the most entertaining lectures and 'wanders' imaginable. I'll leave you with some pictures:
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