Fresh insights into the Christian churches of Gerasa from the records of early 19th century visitors

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Abstract

Gerasa was a flourishing provincial Roman city that became a major Christian centre in the Byzantine period. The twenty-two churches identified in the city to date is by far the largest number in any centre in northern Jordan. More church discoveries are likely, especially in the eastern part of the city occupied by Circassian colonists in the late 19th century. The paper reviews archaeological discoveries relating to church excavations since 2000, including the revised dating of the so-called Cathedral to the fifth century and its implications, before focusing on an analysis of largely unpublished records from early 19th century visitors that relate to the city’s churches. The discovery of original sketched ground plans of five churches, including a rare five-aisled church now buried beneath the modern town, adds significantly to the understanding of Gerasa’s churches and highlights additional information not available to the excavators. A review of the dimensions of churches and their atria highlights the importance of the mid-fifth century church of the Prophets, Apostles and Martyrs on the eastern side of the city, which is the city’s second oldest. No longer visible, this beautifully constructed church lay adjacent to the largest springs in the city and may have been the cathedral of Bishop Claudius. The re-dating of the Cathedral to the first half of the fifth century means that it cannot be the site of the fourth century celebration of the miracle at Cana mentioned by Epiphanius in AD 376. The site of the celebration is unknown, but a site close to the Prophets church is thought likely. The history of Christianity in the city is unfolding only slowly; however, the six confirmed church sites on the east side of the city show that a vibrant Christian community existed on both sides of the Wadi in the Byzantine period.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)59-89
Number of pages30
JournalARAM Periodical
Volume30
Issue number1
Publication statusPublished - 2018

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