Secret City #3 - the Reveal

Where Did the 2,000 Pigs Run into the Sea?

The gospel writers gave us two regions into which Jesus and Co. entered on the east side of the Sea of Galilee, typified by their cities: Gerasa and Gadara. They are both in the region of the Decapolis (Ten Towns), but Gerasa was 26 miles from the sea, and Gadara was 6 miles from the sea. Someplace closer is required for the incident of the pigs.

Fanciful Recreation of the Pig Stampede.

 

The theologian Origen proposed the village of Gergesa as the site, but there was no city nearby, and Gergesa was not a Roman Polis. It was probably under the authority of Herod Philip, who was building a city north of the lake, near the fishing village of Bethsaida. Plus, the rocky outcropping near Gergesa was unimpressive. (Note: the Greek word used in the Gospels can be translated either as a "cliff" or as a "steep slope.")

The people of a city near Jesus and Company's foray came begging him to call up his disciples and leave, for the stampeding pigs episode had frightened them. But what Roman city is near the site?

  

Hippos on its Hilltop, Viewed From the East

The answer is a city called Hippos (Greek) or Sussita (Aramaic)--both words meaning "horse." It was a small fortress city, a Roman polis of the Decapolis. Its populace was known as "sworn enemies" of the Jews. Its size was kept small by its lack of a water supply. Water was collected on rooftops and stored in cisterns until some hundreds of years later when the Romans built an aqueduct. 

  

The Fortress of Hippos Overlooking the Sea of Galilee, Viewed From the Northeast.

Mark and Luke's gospels report that there was a very large herd of pigs grazing on the hillside. Mark says that there were about 2,000 of them. Matthew says the pigs were "some distance away" from them. This fits the location of Hippos, which lies 1.2 miles from the Sea of Galilee, and 350 feet higher than the lake level.

 

The Hill of Hippos Overlooking the Sea

From this spot near the sea it is easy to imagine a large herd of pigs feeding on the steep hillside of Hippos, and stampeding for about a mile, down and across the shore and into the sea.

  

So we can safely erase from our minds the image of 2,000 pigs rushing over a steep precipice and falling into the sea. On the other hand, this view gives us an image of 2,000 pigs stampeding directly toward us. 

The Secret is Solved. The Gospel writers did not want to use the name of a small, little-known city for their story. It was more important to use the name of a Rome-allied city well-known to their readers.