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right|thumb|200px|Map of Roman Israel showing Gadara and Gerasa

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Body of water
Sea of Galilee
Said to be same as
Kursi
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present in work
Gospel of Matthew
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Encyclopedic overview

3 sections
Contents
  • Interpretations
  • Identification with Kursi
  • References

right|thumb|200px|Map of Roman Israel showing Gadara and Gerasa

Gergesa, also Gergasa (Γέργεσα in Byzantine greek) or the Country of the Gergesenes, is a place on the eastern (Golan Heights) side of the Sea of Galilee located at some distance to the ancient Decapolis cities of Gadara and Gerasa. Today, it is identified with El-Koursi or Kursi. It is mentioned in some ancient manuscripts of the Gospel of Matthew as the place where the Miracle of the Swine took place, a miracle performed by Jesus who drove demons out of a possessed man into a herd of pigs. All three Synoptic Gospels mention this miracle, Matthew writes about two possessed men instead of just one, and only some manuscripts of his Gospel name the location as Gergesa, while the other copies, as well as all versions of Luke and Mark, mention either Gadara or Gerasa (see ). The "Gerasa" reading is problematic, because Gerasa is neither near a sea nor does it border Galilee.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Gergesa” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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