Gerasa - Revision history

Gabriele Boccaccini: Redirected page to Category:Gerasa (subject)

2012-02-23T18:02:59Z

Redirected page to Category:Gerasa (subject)

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:02, 23 February 2012
Line 1:		Line 1:
	*SCHOLARLY AND FICTIONAL WORKS: see [[:Category:Gerasa (subject)]]		#REDIRECT [[:Category:Gerasa (subject)]]
	*ANCIENT SOURCES: see [[Gerasa (sources)]]


	~~'''Gerasa''' (now ''Jerash'', Jordan) was an ancient polis in Transjordan.~~

	~~==Overview==~~

	The site was inhabited as early as the Neolithic period. The first mention city however appears in the Hellenistic period, as a Seleucid settlement at the time of [[Antiochus IV Epiphanes]]. The city was named ''Antioch on the Chrysorrhoas'', the little river by which it is watered.

	In 83 BCE, [[Alexander Jannaeus]] took possession of the city, although according to Jospehus it was surrounded by a triple wall (Bel I, 4, 8). In Roman times, after the conquest of [[Pompey]], Gerasa became an independent city of Decapolis and an important city of the Roman empire, in which a number of Jews resided.

	In the Gospel (Matthew 8:28; Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26, 37) there is question of the country of the Gerasans, but if this name is to be read instead of Gadarenians or Gergesians, the reference is to another locality, [[Gadara]], near the Lake of Tiberias.

	In 68 A.D. Vespasian ravaged the country and sacked the city because the Jews were all-powerful there (Bel IV, 9, 1). Simon, the son of Gioras, one of the principal leaders of the rebellious Jews, was born at Gerasa. Gerasa, however, continued to prosper, especially after the conquest of the Nabatean kingdom by Trajan (105 CE) and the establishment of the Province of Arabia. The city's monumental buildings date mainly from the emperors of the second and third centuries. Caracalla granted Gerasa the title of Roman colony.

	Gerasa experienced renewed prosperity as a Christian city. The temple of Dionysus was converted into a center of Christian worship and numerous churches were built, one of them on the ruins of a synagogue. We know three Greek Bishops of Gerasa: Exairesius, fourth century; Plancus, 451; Aeneas, who built the church of St. Theodore in the sixth century. The decline of the city was brought about by the Arab invasion (635) and a series of earthquakes.

	In 1121 Baldwin II attempted in vain to conquer it, and at the beginning of the thirteenth century the geographer Yakut informs us that it was no longer inhabited. In modern times, several thousand Tcherkesses established themselves amid its ruins.

	~~==Gerasa in ancient sources==~~

	*See [[Gerasa (sources)]]

	~~==Gerasa in Scholarship==~~

	The city was rediscovered in 1806 by [[Ulrich Jasper Seetzen]], and restoration of the ruins began in 1925. In spite of ancient and modern destructions, Gerasa is one of the best preserved city of Roman antiquity and the one which affords us the most exact idea of Roman civilization. Its ramparts, in a state of partial preservation, are still to be seen; also a magnificent triumphal arch, with three openings about 82 feet wide by 29 high; a "naumachia", or circus for naval combats; two theatres; the forum with fifty-fivecolumns still standing; the great colonnade which crosses the city from north to south, and which still retains from 100 to 150 of its columns; several aqueducts; some propylaea; a temple of the Sun, the columns of which are about 40 feet high, and several other temples, baths, etc. Greek and Latin inscriptions are very numerous among the ruins. The ramparts of the city cover a distance of about three miles.

	~~==Gerasa in Fiction==~~

	~~==Related categories==~~

	*[[Decapolis]] ([[Canatha]], [[Damascus]], [[Dion]], [[Gadara]], [[Gerasa]], [[Hippos]], [[Pella]], [[Philadelphia]], [[Raphana]], [[Scythopolis]])

	*[[Gerasene Demoniac]]

	~~==External links==~~

	*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerash Wikipedia]
	*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerash Catholic Encyclopedia]
	*[http://www.bibleplaces.com/gerasa.htm BiblePlaces.com]

	~~==Pictures from the Web==~~

	*[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/be/Jerash_City.jpg/800px-Jerash_City.jpg The Archaeological Site with the Modern City in the Background] (from Wikipedia)

	*[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/Karta_Jerash.PNG Map of the Archaeological Site] (from Wikipedia)

	*[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/Jerash_Oval_Plaza.jpg The oval Forum and the south end of the Cardo] (from Wikipedia)

	*[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b6/South_colonnade_of_Jerash_Forum.jpg/800px-South_colonnade_of_Jerash_Forum.jpg South Colonnade in the Oval Forum] (from Wikipedia)

	*[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/34/Jerash_BW_16.JPG/800px-Jerash_BW_16.JPG The Roman Northern Theatre] (from Wikipedia)

	*[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b8/Jerash30-north_tetrapylon%28js%29.jpg/492px-Jerash30-north_tetrapylon%28js%29.jpg The Tetrapylon] (from Wikipedia)


	[[Category:Index]]		[[Category:Index]]
	[[Category:Places]]		[[Category:Places]]

Gabriele Boccaccini: /* Pictures from the Web */

2011-10-13T21:25:24Z

Pictures from the Web

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:25, 13 October 2011
Line 56:		Line 56:


			[[Category:Index]]
	[[Category:Places]]		[[Category:Places]]

Gabriele Boccaccini at 14:09, 26 September 2011

2011-09-26T14:09:58Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:09, 26 September 2011
Line 1:		Line 1:
	~~#REDIRECT~~ [[:Category:Gerasa (subject)]]		*SCHOLARLY AND FICTIONAL WORKS: see [[:Category:Gerasa (subject)]]
			*ANCIENT SOURCES: see [[Gerasa (sources)]]


			'''Gerasa''' (now ''Jerash'', Jordan) was an ancient polis in Transjordan.

			==Overview==

			The site was inhabited as early as the Neolithic period. The first mention city however appears in the Hellenistic period, as a Seleucid settlement at the time of [[Antiochus IV Epiphanes]]. The city was named ''Antioch on the Chrysorrhoas'', the little river by which it is watered.

			In 83 BCE, [[Alexander Jannaeus]] took possession of the city, although according to Jospehus it was surrounded by a triple wall (Bel I, 4, 8). In Roman times, after the conquest of [[Pompey]], Gerasa became an independent city of Decapolis and an important city of the Roman empire, in which a number of Jews resided.

			In the Gospel (Matthew 8:28; Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26, 37) there is question of the country of the Gerasans, but if this name is to be read instead of Gadarenians or Gergesians, the reference is to another locality, [[Gadara]], near the Lake of Tiberias.

			In 68 A.D. Vespasian ravaged the country and sacked the city because the Jews were all-powerful there (Bel IV, 9, 1). Simon, the son of Gioras, one of the principal leaders of the rebellious Jews, was born at Gerasa. Gerasa, however, continued to prosper, especially after the conquest of the Nabatean kingdom by Trajan (105 CE) and the establishment of the Province of Arabia. The city's monumental buildings date mainly from the emperors of the second and third centuries. Caracalla granted Gerasa the title of Roman colony.

			Gerasa experienced renewed prosperity as a Christian city. The temple of Dionysus was converted into a center of Christian worship and numerous churches were built, one of them on the ruins of a synagogue. We know three Greek Bishops of Gerasa: Exairesius, fourth century; Plancus, 451; Aeneas, who built the church of St. Theodore in the sixth century. The decline of the city was brought about by the Arab invasion (635) and a series of earthquakes.

			In 1121 Baldwin II attempted in vain to conquer it, and at the beginning of the thirteenth century the geographer Yakut informs us that it was no longer inhabited. In modern times, several thousand Tcherkesses established themselves amid its ruins.

			==Gerasa in ancient sources==

			*See [[Gerasa (sources)]]

			==Gerasa in Scholarship==

			The city was rediscovered in 1806 by [[Ulrich Jasper Seetzen]], and restoration of the ruins began in 1925. In spite of ancient and modern destructions, Gerasa is one of the best preserved city of Roman antiquity and the one which affords us the most exact idea of Roman civilization. Its ramparts, in a state of partial preservation, are still to be seen; also a magnificent triumphal arch, with three openings about 82 feet wide by 29 high; a "naumachia", or circus for naval combats; two theatres; the forum with fifty-fivecolumns still standing; the great colonnade which crosses the city from north to south, and which still retains from 100 to 150 of its columns; several aqueducts; some propylaea; a temple of the Sun, the columns of which are about 40 feet high, and several other temples, baths, etc. Greek and Latin inscriptions are very numerous among the ruins. The ramparts of the city cover a distance of about three miles.

			==Gerasa in Fiction==

			==Related categories==

			*[[Decapolis]] ([[Canatha]], [[Damascus]], [[Dion]], [[Gadara]], [[Gerasa]], [[Hippos]], [[Pella]], [[Philadelphia]], [[Raphana]], [[Scythopolis]])

			*[[Gerasene Demoniac]]

			==External links==

			*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerash Wikipedia]
			*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerash Catholic Encyclopedia]
			*[http://www.bibleplaces.com/gerasa.htm BiblePlaces.com]

			==Pictures from the Web==

			*[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/be/Jerash_City.jpg/800px-Jerash_City.jpg The Archaeological Site with the Modern City in the Background] (from Wikipedia)

			*[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/Karta_Jerash.PNG Map of the Archaeological Site] (from Wikipedia)

			*[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/Jerash_Oval_Plaza.jpg The oval Forum and the south end of the Cardo] (from Wikipedia)

			*[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b6/South_colonnade_of_Jerash_Forum.jpg/800px-South_colonnade_of_Jerash_Forum.jpg South Colonnade in the Oval Forum] (from Wikipedia)

			*[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/34/Jerash_BW_16.JPG/800px-Jerash_BW_16.JPG The Roman Northern Theatre] (from Wikipedia)

			*[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b8/Jerash30-north_tetrapylon%28js%29.jpg/492px-Jerash30-north_tetrapylon%28js%29.jpg The Tetrapylon] (from Wikipedia)


			[[Category:Places]]

Gabriele Boccaccini: Redirected page to Category:Gerasa (subject)

2010-09-27T15:08:39Z

Redirected page to Category:Gerasa (subject)

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:08, 27 September 2010
Line 1:		Line 1:
	~~'''Gerasa''' (now ''Jerash'', Jordan) was an ancient polis of the Decapolis.~~		#REDIRECT [[:Category:Gerasa (subject)]]

	~~==Overview==~~
	~~According to Josephus,~~ [[~~Alexander Jannaeus]] took possession of the city in 83 BCE, although it was surrounded by a triple wall (Bell. Jud., I, 4, 8). In Roman times,~~ Gerasa ~~became an independent city of Decapolis and an important city of the Roman empire, in which a number of Jews resided.~~

	~~In 68 A.D. Vespasian ravaged the country and sacked the city because the Jews were all-powerful there~~ (~~op. cit., IV, 9, 1~~). Simon, the son of Gioras, one of the principal leaders of the rebellious Jews, was born at Gerasa. Gerasa, however, continued to prosper, its monumental buildings date mainy from the emperors of the second and third centuries.

	We know three Greek Bishops of Gerasa: Exairesius, fourth century; Plancus, 451; Aeneas, who built the church of St. Theodore in the sixth century. The decline of the city was brought about by earthquakes and the Arab invasions.

	In ancient sources, the city is mentioned as forming a part, sometimes of Arabia, sometimes of Syria, by Ptolemy, Pliny, and Stephen of Byzantium, who also speak of several notable persons of the place. Coins and a number of inscriptions prove that it was sometimes called Antioch on the Chrysorrhoas, the little river by which it is watered. In the Gospel (Matthew 8:28; Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26, 37) there is question of the country of the Gerasans, but if this name is to be read instead of Gadarenians or Gergesians, the reference is to another locality, [[Gadara]], near the Lake of Tiberias.

	In 1121 Baldwin II attempted in vain to conquer it, and at the beginning of the thirteenth century the geographer Yakut informs us that it was no longer inhabited. In modern times, several thousand Tcherkesses established themselves amid its ruins.

	~~==Gerasa in ancient sources==~~

	~~==Gerasa in Scholarship==~~
	The city was rediscovered in 1806 by [[Ulrich Jasper Seetzen]], and restoration of the ruins began in 1925. In spite of ancient and modern destructions, Gerasa is one of the best preserved city of Roman antiquity and the one which affords us the most exact idea of Roman civilization. Its ramparts, in a state of partial preservation, are still to be seen; also a magnificent triumphal arch, with three openings about 82 feet wide by 29 high; a "naumachia", or circus for naval combats; two theatres; the forum with fifty-fivecolumns still standing; the great colonnade which crosses the city from north to south, and which still retains from 100 to 150 of its columns; several aqueducts; some propylaea; a temple of the Sun, the columns of which are about 40 feet high, and several other temples, baths, etc. Greek and Latin inscriptions are very numerous among the ruins. The ramparts of the city cover a distance of about three miles.

	~~==Gerasa in Fiction==~~

	~~==External links==~~
	*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerash Wikipedia]
	*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerash Catholic Encyclopedia]

	~~[[Category:Subject]]~~
	~~[[Category:Places~~]]

Gabriele Boccaccini: /* Overview */

2010-09-27T14:25:27Z

Overview

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:25, 27 September 2010
Line 3:		Line 3:
	==Overview==		==Overview==
	According to Josephus, [[Alexander Jannaeus]] took possession of the city in 83 BCE, although it was surrounded by a triple wall (Bell. Jud., I, 4, 8). In Roman times, Gerasa became an independent city of Decapolis and an important city of the Roman empire, in which a number of Jews resided.		According to Josephus, [[Alexander Jannaeus]] took possession of the city in 83 BCE, although it was surrounded by a triple wall (Bell. Jud., I, 4, 8). In Roman times, Gerasa became an independent city of Decapolis and an important city of the Roman empire, in which a number of Jews resided.

	The city is mentioned as forming a part, sometimes of Arabia, sometimes of Syria, by Ptolemy, Pliny, and Stephen of Byzantium, who also speak of several notable persons of the place. Coins and a number of inscriptions prove that it was sometimes called Antioch on the Chrysorrhoas, the little river by which it is watered. In the Gospel (Matthew 8:28; Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26, 37) there is question of the country of the Gerasans, but if this name is to be read instead of Gadarenians or Gergesians, the reference is to another locality, [[Gadara]], near the Lake of Tiberias.

	In 68 A.D. Vespasian ravaged the country and sacked the city because the Jews were all-powerful there (op. cit., IV, 9, 1). Simon, the son of Gioras, one of the principal leaders of the rebellious Jews, was born at Gerasa. Gerasa, however, continued to prosper, its monumental buildings date mainy from the emperors of the second and third centuries.		In 68 A.D. Vespasian ravaged the country and sacked the city because the Jews were all-powerful there (op. cit., IV, 9, 1). Simon, the son of Gioras, one of the principal leaders of the rebellious Jews, was born at Gerasa. Gerasa, however, continued to prosper, its monumental buildings date mainy from the emperors of the second and third centuries.

Gabriele Boccaccini: /* Gerasa in Scholarship */

2010-09-27T14:23:54Z

Gerasa in Scholarship

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:23, 27 September 2010
Line 17:		Line 17:

	==Gerasa in Scholarship==		==Gerasa in Scholarship==
	The city was rediscovered in 1806 by Seetzen, and restoration of the ruins began in 1925. In spite of ancient and modern destructions, Gerasa is one of the best preserved city of Roman antiquity and the one which affords us the most exact idea of Roman civilization. Its ramparts, in a state of partial preservation, are still to be seen; also a magnificent triumphal arch, with three openings about 82 feet wide by 29 high; a "naumachia", or circus for naval combats; two theatres; the forum with fifty-fivecolumns still standing; the great colonnade which crosses the city from north to south, and which still retains from 100 to 150 of its columns; several aqueducts; some propylaea; a temple of the Sun, the columns of which are about 40 feet high, and several other temples, baths, etc. Greek and Latin inscriptions are very numerous among the ruins. The ramparts of the city cover a distance of about three miles.		The city was rediscovered in 1806 by [[Ulrich Jasper Seetzen]], and restoration of the ruins began in 1925. In spite of ancient and modern destructions, Gerasa is one of the best preserved city of Roman antiquity and the one which affords us the most exact idea of Roman civilization. Its ramparts, in a state of partial preservation, are still to be seen; also a magnificent triumphal arch, with three openings about 82 feet wide by 29 high; a "naumachia", or circus for naval combats; two theatres; the forum with fifty-fivecolumns still standing; the great colonnade which crosses the city from north to south, and which still retains from 100 to 150 of its columns; several aqueducts; some propylaea; a temple of the Sun, the columns of which are about 40 feet high, and several other temples, baths, etc. Greek and Latin inscriptions are very numerous among the ruins. The ramparts of the city cover a distance of about three miles.

	==Gerasa in Fiction==		==Gerasa in Fiction==

Gabriele Boccaccini: /* Gerasa in Scholarship */

2010-09-27T13:38:22Z

Gerasa in Scholarship

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:38, 27 September 2010
Line 17:		Line 17:

	==Gerasa in Scholarship==		==Gerasa in Scholarship==
			The city was rediscovered in 1806 by Seetzen, and restoration of the ruins began in 1925. In spite of ancient and modern destructions, Gerasa is one of the best preserved city of Roman antiquity and the one which affords us the most exact idea of Roman civilization. Its ramparts, in a state of partial preservation, are still to be seen; also a magnificent triumphal arch, with three openings about 82 feet wide by 29 high; a "naumachia", or circus for naval combats; two theatres; the forum with fifty-fivecolumns still standing; the great colonnade which crosses the city from north to south, and which still retains from 100 to 150 of its columns; several aqueducts; some propylaea; a temple of the Sun, the columns of which are about 40 feet high, and several other temples, baths, etc. Greek and Latin inscriptions are very numerous among the ruins. The ramparts of the city cover a distance of about three miles.
	Gerasa is one of the best preserved city of Roman antiquity and the one which affords us the most exact idea of Roman civilization. Its ramparts, in a state of partial preservation, are still to be seen; also a magnificent triumphal arch, with three openings about 82 feet wide by 29 high; a "naumachia", or circus for naval combats; two theatres; the forum with fifty-fivecolumns still standing; the great colonnade which crosses the city from north to south, and which still retains from 100 to 150 of its columns; several aqueducts; some propylaea; a temple of the Sun, the columns of which are about 40 feet high, and several other temples, baths, etc. Greek and Latin inscriptions are very numerous among the ruins. The ramparts of the city cover a distance of about three miles.

	==Gerasa in Fiction==		==Gerasa in Fiction==

Gabriele Boccaccini: /* Overview */

2010-09-27T13:36:53Z

Overview

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:36, 27 September 2010
Line 2:		Line 2:

	==Overview==		==Overview==
	According to Josephus, Alexander Jannaeus took possession of the city, although it was surrounded by a triple wall (Bell. Jud., I, 4, 8). In Roman times, ~~it was a~~ city of Decapolis in which a number of Jews resided. In 68 A.D. Vespasian ravaged the country and sacked the city because the Jews were all-powerful there (op. cit., IV, 9, 1). Simon, the son of Gioras, one of the principal leaders of the rebellious Jews, was born at Gerasa. The prosperity of Gerasa, dates from the first centuries of our era, its buildings date from the emperors of the second and third centuries.		According to Josephus, [[Alexander Jannaeus]] took possession of the city in 83 BCE, although it was surrounded by a triple wall (Bell. Jud., I, 4, 8). In Roman times, Gerasa became an independent city of Decapolis and an important city of the Roman empire, in which a number of Jews resided.

	The city is mentioned as forming a part, sometimes of Arabia, sometimes of Syria, by Ptolemy, Pliny, and Stephen of Byzantium, who also speak of several notable persons of the place. Coins and a number of inscriptions prove that it was sometimes called Antioch on the Chrysorrhoas, the little river by which it is watered. In the Gospel (Matthew 8:28; Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26, 37) there is question of the country of the Gerasans, but if this name is to be read instead of Gadarenians or Gergesians, the reference is to another locality, [[Gadara]], near the Lake of Tiberias.		The city is mentioned as forming a part, sometimes of Arabia, sometimes of Syria, by Ptolemy, Pliny, and Stephen of Byzantium, who also speak of several notable persons of the place. Coins and a number of inscriptions prove that it was sometimes called Antioch on the Chrysorrhoas, the little river by which it is watered. In the Gospel (Matthew 8:28; Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26, 37) there is question of the country of the Gerasans, but if this name is to be read instead of Gadarenians or Gergesians, the reference is to another locality, [[Gadara]], near the Lake of Tiberias.
Line 8:		Line 8:
	In 68 A.D. Vespasian ravaged the country and sacked the city because the Jews were all-powerful there (op. cit., IV, 9, 1). Simon, the son of Gioras, one of the principal leaders of the rebellious Jews, was born at Gerasa. Gerasa, however, continued to prosper, its monumental buildings date mainy from the emperors of the second and third centuries.		In 68 A.D. Vespasian ravaged the country and sacked the city because the Jews were all-powerful there (op. cit., IV, 9, 1). Simon, the son of Gioras, one of the principal leaders of the rebellious Jews, was born at Gerasa. Gerasa, however, continued to prosper, its monumental buildings date mainy from the emperors of the second and third centuries.

	We know three Greek Bishops of Gerasa: Exairesius, fourth century; Plancus, 451; Aeneas, who built the church of St. Theodore in the sixth century. The decline of the city was brought about by earthquakes and the Arab invasions. In 1121 Baldwin II attempted in vain to conquer it, and at the beginning of the thirteenth century the geographer Yakut informs us that it was no longer inhabited. In modern times, several thousand Tcherkesses established themselves amid its ruins.		We know three Greek Bishops of Gerasa: Exairesius, fourth century; Plancus, 451; Aeneas, who built the church of St. Theodore in the sixth century. The decline of the city was brought about by earthquakes and the Arab invasions.

			In ancient sources, the city is mentioned as forming a part, sometimes of Arabia, sometimes of Syria, by Ptolemy, Pliny, and Stephen of Byzantium, who also speak of several notable persons of the place. Coins and a number of inscriptions prove that it was sometimes called Antioch on the Chrysorrhoas, the little river by which it is watered. In the Gospel (Matthew 8:28; Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26, 37) there is question of the country of the Gerasans, but if this name is to be read instead of Gadarenians or Gergesians, the reference is to another locality, [[Gadara]], near the Lake of Tiberias.

			In 1121 Baldwin II attempted in vain to conquer it, and at the beginning of the thirteenth century the geographer Yakut informs us that it was no longer inhabited. In modern times, several thousand Tcherkesses established themselves amid its ruins.

	==Gerasa in ancient sources==		==Gerasa in ancient sources==

Gabriele Boccaccini: Created page with ''''Gerasa''' (now ''Jerash'', Jordan) was an ancient polis of the Decapolis. ==Overview== According to Josephus, Alexander Jannaeus took possession of the city, although it was…'

2010-09-27T13:22:33Z

Created page with ''''Gerasa''' (now ''Jerash'', Jordan) was an ancient polis of the Decapolis. ==Overview== According to Josephus, Alexander Jannaeus took possession of the city, although it was…'

New page

'''Gerasa''' (now ''Jerash'', Jordan) was an ancient polis of the Decapolis.

==Overview==
According to Josephus, Alexander Jannaeus took possession of the city, although it was surrounded by a triple wall (Bell. Jud., I, 4, 8). In Roman times, it was a city of Decapolis in which a number of Jews resided. In 68 A.D. Vespasian ravaged the country and sacked the city because the Jews were all-powerful there (op. cit., IV, 9, 1). Simon, the son of Gioras, one of the principal leaders of the rebellious Jews, was born at Gerasa. The prosperity of Gerasa, dates from the first centuries of our era, its buildings date from the emperors of the second and third centuries.

The city is mentioned as forming a part, sometimes of Arabia, sometimes of Syria, by Ptolemy, Pliny, and Stephen of Byzantium, who also speak of several notable persons of the place. Coins and a number of inscriptions prove that it was sometimes called Antioch on the Chrysorrhoas, the little river by which it is watered. In the Gospel (Matthew 8:28; Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26, 37) there is question of the country of the Gerasans, but if this name is to be read instead of Gadarenians or Gergesians, the reference is to another locality, [[Gadara]], near the Lake of Tiberias.

In 68 A.D. Vespasian ravaged the country and sacked the city because the Jews were all-powerful there (op. cit., IV, 9, 1). Simon, the son of Gioras, one of the principal leaders of the rebellious Jews, was born at Gerasa. Gerasa, however, continued to prosper, its monumental buildings date mainy from the emperors of the second and third centuries.

We know three Greek Bishops of Gerasa: Exairesius, fourth century; Plancus, 451; Aeneas, who built the church of St. Theodore in the sixth century. The decline of the city was brought about by earthquakes and the Arab invasions. In 1121 Baldwin II attempted in vain to conquer it, and at the beginning of the thirteenth century the geographer Yakut informs us that it was no longer inhabited. In modern times, several thousand Tcherkesses established themselves amid its ruins.

==Gerasa in ancient sources==

==Gerasa in Scholarship==

Gerasa is one of the best preserved city of Roman antiquity and the one which affords us the most exact idea of Roman civilization. Its ramparts, in a state of partial preservation, are still to be seen; also a magnificent triumphal arch, with three openings about 82 feet wide by 29 high; a "naumachia", or circus for naval combats; two theatres; the forum with fifty-fivecolumns still standing; the great colonnade which crosses the city from north to south, and which still retains from 100 to 150 of its columns; several aqueducts; some propylaea; a temple of the Sun, the columns of which are about 40 feet high, and several other temples, baths, etc. Greek and Latin inscriptions are very numerous among the ruins. The ramparts of the city cover a distance of about three miles.

==Gerasa in Fiction==

==External links==
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerash Wikipedia]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerash Catholic Encyclopedia]

[[Category:Subject]]
[[Category:Places]]