Decapolis

Ten Cities of the Greeks

The Decapolis—Greek for "Ten Cities"—was a league of Hellenistic cities east and southeast of the Sea of Galilee. Founded after Pompey's conquests around 65 BC, these cities answered directly to the Roman governor of Syria and enjoyed considerable autonomy, including the right to mint their own coins. Though technically within Israel's borders, the Decapolis was predominantly Gentile, with Greek culture, pagan temples, and—notably—large herds of pigs. For observant Jews, this was foreign territory in every sense.

Jesus Among the Gentiles

Jesus's ministry in the Decapolis signaled that His mission extended beyond Israel. Near Gadara, He encountered a man possessed by a legion of demons—so violent that no one could restrain him. Jesus cast the demons into a herd of about two thousand pigs, which rushed down the steep bank and drowned. The townspeople, terrified, asked Jesus to leave. But the healed man became the region's first evangelist: "So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed."

A Deaf-Mute Healed

Jesus returned to the Decapolis region later in His ministry. There, people brought Him a man who was deaf and could hardly speak. Taking him aside, Jesus performed an intimate healing—touching his ears, spitting, and touching his tongue—before commanding, "Ephphatha!" (Be opened). The man's ears were opened, his tongue was loosed, and he began to speak plainly. The crowds were overwhelmed: "He has done everything well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak."

Refuge for the Church

The Decapolis played a final, crucial role in early Christian history. When Jesus warned that Jerusalem would be surrounded by armies and urged His followers to flee to the mountains (Luke 21:20-21), the church remembered. In AD 69, as Roman legions closed in on Jerusalem, Christians escaped to Pella, a Decapolis city in the Jordan Valley. While Jerusalem was destroyed, the believers survived. The pagan region that had once asked Jesus to leave became a shelter for His people. God's providence writes strange histories.